Grim Tales: SLAVELORDS of CYDONIA - Advance Copy: Taking Q&A!

[JoeGKushner]

Then it should'nt be too much of a problem.

The Black Company's make up is always changing. They started off with only a few southerners in the first books and wound up with only a few northerners in the Black Company. It's not where you come from in the Black Company, it's where you go!

I see that there are allegiances so that mixes with Black Company perfectly.

Trying to figure out how I'm going to use the Shaman stick in the first chapter. Maybe a bonus to the roll or just an item with the spell imbedded in it. Then again, depends on if any players make a Wizard. Otherwise it just don't matter.

 

[JoeGKushner]

Reading some more.

Chapter two seems like a set up chapter.

Here the characters get to learn about the world, get involved in some fights, and possibly save some people from assassination while acting as thieves in other scenarios.

While that's going on, more badness is being imported from Earth setting up more challenges for the characters latter on.

Is that about it?

Looks like it'll work well for the most part. Seeing the races of the gladiators though, had me flipping to the back of the book for physical descriptions of the races. Some of them I was like, "Is that human? Folds of flab? Ugh..." More art for the gladiators!

 

[Wulf Ratbane]

Reading some more.

I was wondering when I would hear from you again.

Chapter two seems like a set up chapter.

Here the characters get to learn about the world, get involved in some fights, and possibly save some people from assassination while acting as thieves in other scenarios.

While that's going on, more badness is being imported from Earth setting up more challenges for the characters latter on.

Is that about it?

As extremely succint summaries go, that's about it.

Seeing the races of the gladiators though, had me flipping to the back of the book for physical descriptions of the races. Some of them I was like, "Is that human? Folds of flab? Ugh..." More art for the gladiators!

More art all around, I know, I know.

As for the race descriptions, there really aren't all that many. Once you get a basic understanding, it's all the same.

You might notice there are naming conventions, as well.

The ra have an "aa" sound in their name.

The yul have a "yu."

The suul have a "uu."

The lor a "or".

The bru have a "ru."

And finally, the abominations are the only caste with a single-word name.

Unless I made a mistake editing, these will always hold true.

So if I were to tell you that Tret'yulam and Vert'jaal were going to talk to Muktal, without even looking you'd know it was a yul, and a ra, and an abomination.

And, of course, once you're even more versed in the sli'ess culture, the fact that a yul and a ra were talking to an abomination at all, should tell you that nothing good is going to come of that little meeting.


Wulf

 

[JoeGKushner]

Reading into chapter three.

More material to get the players involved into the setting. Much more of a political slant. Great for those players who might not have gotten the spotlight in the previous chapter. The use of giving the slaves (PC's) credits and resources is interesting because it allows the GM to follow a couple of paths.

I can tell though, that at the begining of the campaign I'm going to have to tell my players to trust me. No one likes playing a slave. Thankfully, much of the action doesn't feel like being a slave as opposed to being an adventurer.

I'm about up to the part where the characters go back for more muck/mould/mud for the machien and get the red tick thing/poison thing going.

Setting up chapter one for play next week using the Black Company. This brings up... would it be possible to sell the NPC/monster stats as a PDF or as a password protected PDF? Due to the page references that bounce across all chapters and into the appendixes, it makes having the game stats a little unwieldy at the table.

 

[Wulf Ratbane]

I can tell though, that at the begining of the campaign I'm going to have to tell my players to trust me. No one likes playing a slave. Thankfully, much of the action doesn't feel like being a slave as opposed to being an adventurer.

We had lengthy discussions on this point. My position is the same as yours.

It's not enough that the GM be experienced: the players have to be experienced and mature and willing to accept a certain verisimilitude within the adventure.

Example: There are several times during the adventure where the PCs are expected to be blindfolded and led to the leader of the rebels. Now, I know players: They're going to hate this. And the GM could certainly just waive that whole part. But it wouldn't feel as realistic.

I'm about up to the part where the characters go back for more muck/mould/mud for the machine and get the red tick thing/poison thing going.

For what it's worth, I hate this part. It's among the most railroad-y feeling parts of the adventure. The players are going to try to escape here. From the sound of your players, I'd consider skipping this side quest entirely.

This brings up... would it be possible to sell the NPC/monster stats as a PDF or as a password protected PDF? Due to the page references that bounce across all chapters and into the appendixes, it makes having the game stats a little unwieldy at the table.

Are you looking for appendix C (the bestiary) or appendix D (the statblocks)?

Wulf

 

[JoeGKushner]

Statblocks. Most definately the statblocks, and not just of the suckers in the appendix too. I know that there have been several times where I've had to flip to page 28 to check out the stats of one of the big dudes.

This is one of the times when I wish the printing reality (expense) wasn't what it is so that the book could've been like one of those old little side booklets like in Temple of Elemental Evil or Queen of the Demonweb Pits. Those little flip books were mighty handy.

And as I'm reading through it, there seems to be mention of another area not covered in the random table. Jungles and Desert I believe. I know it's Valley for the first one (from Chapter One), but what about the Desert?

 

[Wulf Ratbane]

And as I'm reading through it, there seems to be mention of another area not covered in the random table. Jungles and Desert I believe. I know it's Valley for the first one (from Chapter One), but what about the Desert?

That'd be Wilderness, I believe.

That'll teach me to get heavy with the editing hand...

Wulf

 

[JoeGKushner]

Just about finished it. Read the adventure, read the thing on the two races, read the bestiary, checked over some of the stats for the monster blocks. Haven't looked at mass combat yet but it looks relatively easy to understand.

Now going back to do the note taking and planning that an adventure of this depth requires, as well as hunting down some tiles and ideas for things like the swamp/jungle encounters for the first book

I suspect now that I'm getting ready to run it, this Saturday will be the first day, that I'll have more (specific) questions. One thing that looks good, is outside of optional material, it
looks like you only need this book and your core book (Grim Tales or whatever system you're using), to run it. Would that be accurate? (I'll be using it, Grim Tales and Black Company.)

One thing I'm probably going to do, is pick up some miniatures from the War Gods line. they have a race of crocodile men that would be perfect for one of the races in here. I've looked for some swamp tiles, but no luck with that. I'll probably also hunt down some random encounters appropriate for a swamp.

Will you be offering the new races as downloads seperate from the core material? They look like they could be inserted into most campaigns for exmaple and could probably generate some added cash. It would also allow a reformatting. The text was pretty close together on the reptilian race and could benefit from some spacing as well as a monster manual stat block with the good old generic "warrior 1" standard and an advanced standard, as opposed to just racial traits.

 

[Wulf Ratbane]

Just about finished it. Read the adventure, read the thing on the two races, read the bestiary, checked over some of the stats for the monster blocks. Haven't looked at mass combat yet but it looks relatively easy to understand.

It is. Look it over before you get to Book Three and decide how you want to run it (fast and loose, no battlemap, or very strategic with counters and such).

I suspect now that I'm getting ready to run it, this Saturday will be the first day, that I'll have more (specific) questions.

I'll be here to help. I'm all tingly with anticipation!

One thing that looks good, is outside of optional material, it looks like you only need this book and your core book (Grim Tales or whatever system you're using), to run it. Would that be accurate? (I'll be using it, Grim Tales and Black Company.)

"This book requires the use of a core rulebook from Wizards of the Coast."

But in particular, some of the Magi in Book Three and onward have spells from the SRD.

One thing I'm probably going to do, is pick up some miniatures from the War Gods line. they have a race of crocodile men that would be perfect for one of the races in here.

Not a bad choice. You could use D&D lizardmen for Bru, Yuan-Ti for Ra, Kuo-Toa for Suul... maybe Sahuagin for Lor. Yuan-Ti abominations for the Got, of course. This is what I plan to do. (I have plenty of everything except maybe the abominations). The yul? No idea.

Another option is to buy yourself a Marvy 1" circle craft punch (http://www.marcopaper.com/craft_punches.htm) and pull out all those CCGs that are currently rotting in your closet. Find the ones with the best illustrations for what you want and punch out counters. (You can also glue them on cheap 1" washers from the hardware store so they can survive a sneeze.)

I've looked for some swamp tiles, but no luck with that. I'll probably also hunt down some random encounters appropriate for a swamp.

On the second point (random encounters) I'd recommend you just stick to the plot. If you're running a "cinematic" game-- and this adventure is cinematic in scope-- then really nothing should happen by random chance.

On your first point, you tell me what kinds of terrain you'd like to see in battlemat tiles, and I will put them together if at all possible. I can make 8" x 8" color tiles and you can print them and put them together.

Will you be offering the new races as downloads seperate from the core material? They look like they could be inserted into most campaigns for exmaple and could probably generate some added cash. It would also allow a reformatting. The text was pretty close together on the reptilian race and could benefit from some spacing as well as a monster manual stat block with the good old generic "warrior 1" standard and an advanced standard, as opposed to just racial traits.

I have so many irons in the fire right now, this is a pretty low priority.

I'm stoked for your game!

Will you be posting a review before, or after?

Wulf

 

[JoeGKushner]

I'll definatly be doing the review before playing through it all the way. It's a big adventure and I suspect this will easily carry me into Gen Con. I'm going to beg some of the players to try and write a story hour. I did it for a few sessions of Siege on Ebonring Keep and man, it's work!

One of the things I love about the last chapter, End Game, is that it has at least three different endings that the players can pick up and run with. Oh, and I am mistaken, or is the guy on the cover the master bounty hunter in the last chapter? Fantastic cover, captures the Frank Fazzetta feel of the old Conan covers perfectly. It is interesting thought that he comes in at the end. I'll probably make some editing and have the players hear about him. I mean for slaves, he's got to be almost legendary. I can see how the Empire itself wouldn't give two rat turds about him. "Yes, he's good but he's human! Disgusting! Move on to another conversation already."

For terrain, I suspect that the swamp is really the only one I'm missing. I've got a lot of Dwarven Forge material, battlematts (specific color ones from Mage knight if I need them), Green Dragon Studio Dungeon Stamps, and all sorts of SkeletonKey Game Tiles. It just seems that Swamps are the only one I don't have. One crazy thing I may do is just forget about AoO and run it a little less 'grim' than either the Black Company or Grim tales are. Only bad thing about that is attacks/abilities like Cleave become a little harder to judge. "No, that reptile man was standing over there... yeah... that's the ticket."

For the miniatures, I didn't even think of lizard men. But now that you mention it, Warhammer has a whole range of Lizardmen I may have to start messing around with. A little expensive to a point, but... I'm going to ambush my players with a request for cash to "add value" to the game. We used to do group minis but to be honest, I was the only one who painted them and these will be for a specific purpose. The Yuan-Ti as abominations is a good call. I'll have to bust out the Counter Collection Digital for some of those I suspect as I've never gotten one in any of my various purchases on D&D Minis. (In the voice of some little kid from South Park... "You bastards!")