Against the Shadows IV - A Faded Glory Story Hour

[Plane Sailing]

Well, I've been away from the storyhour for a while, but decided to tackle it once more after appreciating your RBDMC work - and I'm mighty glad that I did!

I (like many others) particularly liked the bard contest (a nice contrast to duelling banjos), and the scene with Lew and the cripples seeking miracles was excellent. I really appreciate it when players are able to make, uh, suboptimal decisions in order to reflect what the character is feeling. Only one of my players is particularly good at that sort of thing.

Now I'm back, I'll put in the effort to stay current.

(After all, I've got to find out more about the shadowy character who chuckled when seeing them enter the city...)

Cheers

 

[el-remmen]

I love what happened with Lew.

I had a similar thing happen a few years ago in an Aquerra campaign when the party entered a beseiged mountain town and the paladin of Horus cast cure disease on someone - the next thing she knew she was running for her life while an crowd in a mix of awe and anger chased her wanting to be healed again and cursing here when she couldn't (she could only do it once per week).

It was a great encounter.

I'm glad to see that someone else makes sure that healing "miracles" remain miraculous - and has people react appropriately. I think it is even better than Lew did nothing divine whatsoever

You are an evil man. . . .I bet you are one of those dispicable Rat Bastard DMs that I despise and will NEVER be a part of. NEVER! NEVER, I SAY!

 

[Darklone]

Re: Update Coming...

Greetings All!

Thanks for the patience...I am enjoying the "Attack of the Giant Plant Monsters" sidetrek!
Just a little teaser...

The Table of Elemental Evil rises up as the DM takes out 4 party members in 4 rounds with a DC 13 1st level spell...

Old One

Argh!

Not tease! Write! *comment of one of our halforc barbarians*

4 players down Wait (fingercount)... 1 .. Quintus... 2.... Sextus... (didn't that mean 6th asked the gnome mage and the halforc starts again) ... 3 ... Rowan.... 4 ... Rose .... Uh. All.

ALL PLAYERS DOWN ??? Reminds me of those Lifeaction stories we had when the paladin walked naked back into town with a barrel on his hip... three times at one day!!!! (Guess who was the brigands leader!)

 

[Tortoise]

Re: Re: Update Coming...

Argh!

Not tease! Write! *comment of one of our halforc barbarians*

4 players down Wait (fingercount)... 1 .. Quintus... 2.... Sextus... (didn't that mean 6th asked the gnome mage and the halforc starts again) ... 3 ... Rowan.... 4 ... Rose .... Uh. All.

ALL PLAYERS DOWN ??? Reminds me of those Lifeaction stories we had when the paladin walked naked back into town with a barrel on his hip... three times at one day!!!! (Guess who was the brigands leader!)

Hmmm... methinks he miscounted ... 1 Quintus, 2 Sextus, 3 Rowan, 4 Rose, 5 Lew

80% casualty rate, not nice day for good guys, no-siree!

 

[Lela]

Hmmmm. I believe that a Netbook for RBDMs was once mentioned. Anyone willing to share?

Also, anymore interesting little tidbits that I could use to make a city a lot more buricratic? Could really have some fun w/ this.

 

[Darklone]

Re: Re: Re: Update Coming...

Hmmm... methinks he miscounted ... 1 Quintus, 2 Sextus, 3 Rowan, 4 Rose, 5 Lew

80% casualty rate, not nice day for good guys, no-siree!

Uh... Halforc says: Who counts priests?

Between: Ever saw a halforc who could count to 5?

Lela: Some ideas: Taxes for bridges. Taxes to carry weapons. IF you have a certificate to wear them. Which you must get elsewhere. Taxes for equipment. Taxes for food bought elsewhere. Taxes to change cash into the local currency. Taxes for animals. Certificates that animals are not contagious. Taxes to pass gates. There may be several gates between each quarter of the city...

Ain't got more ideas but I am sure you get the image. Now put all those offices where you get those certificates in different parts of the city. And the players need a certificate that they are allowed without certificate into a certain part of town for one day to get another certificate...

Simply follow rule nr.1 of bureau-craziness:
They need 5 to ten things. Now group those things into three groups. They need group 1 to get group 2 but need group three to get group one and group 2 to get group three....

It's very easy. You'll see. And always follow the rule that a guy in an office never tells you the easy way. Example:

They arrive at the gate. The soldiers ask them for their certificate. They don't have one. They are ordered to get one in a little bureau next to the gate and come back. The guy in the bureau asks them a lot of silly questions (do you want to kill the king? If you ever traveled into the US as European you'll know what I am talking about). Then he gives them a certificate to enter the city. They leave and the soldier in front of the house asks them for a certificate for their animals since he will not allow the horses and baggage inside the city otherwise. Back inside. The guy there moans. Why didn't you ask that the first time? Perhaps let them queue some time.

To get the certificate for the animals they have to go elsewhere to the animals doc... then come back. For the animals doc they need a certificate that the horses are allowed in the city since he wants to examine them and don't want to go to the gate.

Think you get the image. If your players ever asked why LAWFUL EVIL is the funniest alignment...

 

[Old One]

More Bureuacracy...

Darklone is off to a great start...

Other items include:

(1) You have to have a permit for everything! Animals in the city, gear over 10 lbs, carrying weapons, operating a wagon within city limits, transporting goods within city limits. Of course each permit is handled by a different agency (in a different part of the city) and each one costs money. At each agency, the PCs have to wait in long lines and self-important officials ask lots of nosy questions. Sometimes, the paperwork needs the signature or seal of a senior official who is "out-to-lunch".

(2) To add teeth to it, place wall between the different sections of the city with checkpoints where all of the papers are checked. Failure to have the proper paperwork can result in a fine, confiscation of goods or even a night in jail. Regardless, the PCs will be sent back to the agencies they must get paperwork from.

(3) If the PCs meet the right people or pay the right bribes, they can vastly speed up the process. Imagine the PCs waiting in line for half the day, only to have another adventuring group breeze in, hand the official a small sack of coins and be on their way in 5 minutes. Of course, throw in the odd official that won't take bribes and brings charges against them if they try just to keep them on their toes!

(4) A vast underground economy dealing in fake papers and ways around the regulations would probably exist, but penalties for getting caught would most likely be severe. A good scam would be for a thieve's guild to set up a fake, but official looking checkpoint, rip the PCs off, then disappear. Later, the PCs get caught with fake papers and get in a heap of trouble.

Have fun with it!

Old One

 

[Rel]

Re: More Bureuacracy...

Darklone is off to a great start...

Other items include: ...

Old One

Ugh. Those are great ideas, Old One. But my players hate me enough already.

And I also have to be able to look at myself in the mirror. I mean, wholesale slaughtering the party with a squad of beholders and an ancient red dragon is one thing. But bureaucrats? *shudders*

 

[Lela]

Re: Re: More Bureuacracy...

Ugh. Those are great ideas, Old One. But my players hate me enough already.

And I also have to be able to look at myself in the mirror. I mean, wholesale slaughtering the party with a squad of beholders and an ancient red dragon is one thing. But bureaucrats? *shudders*

He has a good point here Old One. You may be a Rat Bastard DM but that doesn't mean you have to be evil.

 

[Old One]

More Evil RBDM Ideas...

A couple of other things I thought of while driving today...

(1) How about a city that not only has all of the bureaucratic BS, but you also have to be a member of a union to craft, trade or "do" anything...

To craft armor, you have to be a member of the Most Honorable Order of Hammermen, Local 29. To sell loot stripped from defeated enemies, you have to join the Provisioners, Re-sellers and Tinkers United. To adventure, you must belong to the International Brotherhood of Delvers and Sellsword, Doric Chapter!

Belonging to the Union, of course, means paying dues, only associating with other union members and leadership approved business and mandatory participation in work stoppages!

(2) An adventure where the PCs are trying to get the proper permits to explore an underground ruin. They must go to 6 different agencies to get all of the proper forms and seals of approval. They discover a rival group is trying to get the approvals too...and the race is on! Of course, failure to obtain all proper approval results in forfieture of all illegally obtained goods to the Excheceur!

Old One