Help for Wednesday - PLEASE!!!!!!

[Angelsboi]

Previously on Requiem Of A Fallen Dream ...

A amnesiac dwarf, his cleric friend and a monk who is trying to question the clerics faith, arrives in Darkenshire b/c of a sages advice so the dwarf can find a clue to his memory. The city druid finds his friend (a druid) a day later, as a zombie. They killed her and discovered there was a tattoo on her wrist of a 'pawn'

After talking to the local undertaker, there have been several others who have died with tattoos on them. The episode ended with the dwarf and a hafling girl who has a vague recollection of him going to the orphanage, the monk and cleric checking out a cemetary that was ground zero and the druid going to talk to the captain of the guards.

In email, the monk and cleric were attacked by some skeletons but after the fight, they were no where to be found. They did find a paper with the same tattoo on it as the dead druid lady had. The druid PC spotted a tatoo of a horse's head on the captain of the guard's wrist. The druid will be knocked out and come to with a bishop tattoo on his wrist.

Basically whats going on is the towns deputy mayor and towns mortician are playing a very deadly chess game. This is what happens:

1. Druid on way home.
2. Druid spots a certain cat he hates (it attacked him with Spirit Worm hehehe)
3. Druid gets knocked out.
4. PCs go to local healers and find him there but no healer.
5. PCs attacked by undead.
6. Healer comes in as Druid wakes up.
7. Tattoo is spotted on Druid

What should happen after this? The only problem is i dont know how the chess game will play out. I have everyone and locations of what the peices are. Can anyone help?

 

[Angelsboi]

oh come one please!!?? 30 reads and no one can help me?

 

[Chimera]

Wish I could help. I've probably posted to the Plots section as much as the General section. But I'm not much of a chess player, so I can't help you there.

Perhaps you can sit down with a board and make a half-dozen simple moves for each side, with the initial moves mirroring the ones you have given the players. This will give you a map of future moves to follow. ALTHOUGH, you can expect the moves to change based on what the PCs do.

Or perhaps the PC is "not a legal piece" and one of the 'chess players' breaks the game because of it.

 

[LufiaLillystorm]

Angelsboi, big fan

Hiya hun,

I don't know if I can help much because I am not sure if I completely understand what is going on...for instance,

Chess is a very complicated (at times) structured game and poses all sorts of enigma's and can have a trillion different meanings. When you ask, 'what should happen next', does that mean you had the chess idea but don't know what you want it to mean?

Well I am going to assume that is true, and that you don't know what is going on. Like you know, but you dont' know how to get the PC's to figure out how to stop the undead and the killing?

Well to win at chess you have to kill the king, no? So the king is the target, the king is the controler of the pieces. So that means that the town deputy mayor and the mortician are the kings, but there has to be a winnner. Turn the adventure into a suspence/thriller where there is a political pull amungst the party. There has too be two sides, and which side are the PC's going to go against. Then there has to be a queen figure, powerful, and persasive. She would want the king to succed so may seem like the accual leader, but is only the 'right hand man'. The queens should be the first target then before they realize it is a chess game and that the kings are the true targets.

I would imagine that since both sides are playing the game, they don't want the PC's to get involved. So the PC's become a target to become a piece, so that tehy will be used against the other side in the aspects of the game.

Once the Druid comes too and the healer remains, the healer will look like a target, after all the healer was there and the tatoo is there now. She could be questioned to find out how the mark got on her hand. The healer is not part of the game, no? so she doesn't know, but maybe she knows something that would help point the pcs in the right directions, like...umm...

The woman stands down from your questions as she asserts herself, making her look a bit less humble. "Well I won't have anything going on in my shop now. I am a good woman and nothing ill will come this way, I will assure you of that. But I can't be everywhere at once, and I might have left her alone for a bit. When you tend the sick you need some air, can't be around them all the time, not good for the soul." She saunters back a few steps and begins to organize her herbs for a moment awkwardly. "Well I saw something but I don't like to make a big fuss about nothing, only brings more people in here if there is a commotion, and I don't want people getting hurt. Saw something, dont know what it was. Placed some paper on her hand, the one thats got that mark on it. Didn't see anythign more than that. Thought it could have been anything, didn't know what was going on, not my place to say. Didn't make any commotion, why should I?"

That type of thing. Then they have to find out who that man was that placed the mark on her hand. A series of questions beign asked around will find out who was out last night, and who saw what. Create a comment table so the players will get some information off the people they ask.

This could bring them two ways. It all depends on if you want the Deputy to act first of the Undertaker guy. Who ever acts first in violence the other should try to be a bit more 'persasive' so that they can gain trust. the PCs may not fall for it, but I imagine it would be the best idea in the circumstances.

...

I hope that I am not completely off base with what you were trying to do Sorry that I am the only one that has responded and I wish I could be more help Goodluck with your adventure I am sure you will do wonderfully.

 

[Angelsboi]

Well its kinda what i had in mind but not. I know the PCs will go and start searching people for their tattoos. And thats fine.

I guess what im trying to say is (b/c i know who the queens and kings are), how do i go about revealing the peices?

 

[LufiaLillystorm]

Let me try again then

Well obviously the pieces should be released in a ascending order....hmmm maybe make it into a hunt, where they are finding pieces being sent after them. They dont' have to really find anything as they are kinda being bombarded with bishops and knights. Really bring out the characteristics of each piece so that they kinda come alive

It sounds like a really good idea that you are doing I don't knwo the players and I dont' know teh situation very well so I can't be of much help. I would make it really dark and mysterious that way the ending is more impressive. So that when you are like "HAZAA THE KING" they are like woa, cool hehe but maybe that is just me

Another suggestion would be to start dropping suspicious hints all around them, that make this seem more bizzare then it is. Make them get a bit paranoid. LIke name the tavern. Checkered Inn or something, little things like that. And then have bits of Chess pieces all around that they just keep happening to see if they are on the right course. LIke if you watn them to go into the weapon shop, then they might notice a pawn sitting in the window. Or even two people playing chess outside the store

Sorry I cant be more help hun, trying

 

[Angelsboi]

ok the PCs are:

Dwarf - Wild Mage (Spec - Evoker) Lvl 2
Human - Monk Lvl 1
Human - Druid Lvl 1

NPCs:
Hafling - Rogue Lvl 3
Human - Cleric Lvl 1

Now, the druid doesn't know what's happened to him ... so, he needs to be challenged by a black piece. The owner of the weapon shop. That way you can illustrate to the PCs that there are two black knights. What should happen over the next few games is for the PCs to get glimpses of as many of the pieces as possible.

Have him try to RP out the duel, or fight it, whichever. then then the black piece can say something like "You don't seem to understand the game you're playing."

So, since white bishop should win ... he'll have the favor of the white king. One, he should be rewarded. perhaps receive a sum of gold or something, by messenger. Which will also include instructions ... for his next challenge. Next game they should start "noticing" other players.

If you can give 'em a reason to go to the Cats Web, the apothacary, they should find out the bishop (PC Druid) gets a sizeable discount.

Syllus' Peices (black):
Pawns:
Tina McKael - Druid (Dead)
David Cook - Cook at Fabulous Mug
Neil Jackson - Farmer (Dead)
Willy Wilson - Beggar (Dead)
Steve Raines - Peasant
Sarah Pella - Peasant
Beth Hodges - Peasant
Kelly Bryan - Beggar
Rooks
Mayors House
Owls Bazaar (General Store)
Bishops
Sammael - Speaker of Drendari
Donna Barret - Cleric of Flora
Knights
Billy - Captain of the guards (1/2 orc 7th ftr)
Ted Carmichael - Weaponsmith at the Burning Lance
King
Mayor Mason
Queen
Ize (Deputy Mayors Familiar)

Jaysons Peices - White
Pawns
Summon Undead (Dead)
Summon Undead (Dead)
Summon Undead (Dead)
Summon Undead
Summon Undead
Summon Undead
Summon Undead
Summon Undead
Rooks
Cats Web (Apothecary)
Mortuary
Bishop
Kiril (Druid PC)
Theresa - Cleric of Mary
Knights
Two wererat Rangers (Twins)
King
Morticians' Familiar
Queen
Genny Lightfoot (NPC Hafling traveling with them. Shes 7)


So what i have is this:

1. Druid on way home.
2. Druid spots a certain cat he hates (it attacked him with Spirit Worm hehehe)
3. Druid gets knocked out.
4. PCs go to local healers and find him there but no healer.
5. PCs attacked by undead.
6. Healer comes in as Druid wakes up.
7. Tattoo is spotted on Druid
8.?
9. Discover the tattoo on the weaponshop owner. Fight ensues
10. Later that day, a mysterious messenger arrives with some gold (anything else) for the druid.
11. Next Challenge?
12. End of game stuff?

Any help on the Next challenge or the end of the game wrap ups?

 

[Rune]

The only problem is i dont know how the chess game will play out. I have everyone and locations of what the peices are. Can anyone help?

Seems simple to me. Just plan for either outcome. That is to say, prepare your game as if both happen and when one does, take the story from that point.

 

[LufiaLillystorm]

3rd time is a charm?

Okay let me try again....<deep breath> I am determined to be helpful lol

I think I have a better grasp of what you want you are trying to get the PC's from the healers place TO the weapons shop, so they can have that encounter ? <phew> okay

If I am wrong on that top part, then ignore the rest of this post.

I think that the key to getting the PC's to the weapon shop is to give them some sort of hint, maybe. I would defer back to what I said earlier. Some sort of sign that out of context would make perfect sense, but sence they are looking for chess pieces things, they suddenly see meaning in it.

Like have the sign for the weapon shop have a burned in Rook or whatever piece he is. That if the PC's might happen to notice. Or maybe as they are walking down the way that goes past that store they see a paculair chess piece sitting in the window, a bit out of place but, is there. Something along those lines. Then kinda paper trail them along with this sort of weak for of signs.

Maybe have an NPC guide them, like one working for white, by leaving behind a subtle hint. While they don't know they are being led, they think it is only coincidence that this person saw something paculiar or a simular mark. I DUNNO, I am trying lol

I hope that helps you hun...

 

[Darkness]

Moved to Plots.