Help! How do I do a ball scene?

[Infinite Monkey@Work]

I'm the DM in our campaign. I;m not very good at roleplaying, so most of the sessions tend to devolve into combat. I'm wanting to stretch myself a bit and try something different, and I thought of running a ballroom type scene next time the party is in town. I would greatly appreciate any advice on how to pull this off and especially on how to make the roleplaying parts as easy on me as possible.

The PCs are :
Lady Castella : a young noble woman. Her family are in dire financial straits and had to sell the family castle before she was born. Her mother is dead and her father is a recluse who lives in town. They are currently trying to clear the monsters out of her ancestral castle at the behest of its current owner (more on him later)

Anschlag : Castella's 8 foot body guard. He was exiled for killing someone and so tends to try subdue people despite being the groups Combat Monster(tm). None of the other players know this.

Father Mulligan : An old fat drunk priest. He used to be very powerful, but failed to stop his home town from being destroyed by a vampire and was level drained back down to 1st level in the process. None of the other players know this.

Pta-riri : An elven barbarian. She doesn't wear many clothes and is generally a bit wild.

Jafula : A mysterious monk. No one knows much about him (including the player, who is a bit lazy on the character background bit).

The major NPCs :
Azharadian : An extremely powerful retired monk who is now mayor of the town and the players sponsor. He has a reputation for being extremely wise and good and kind and all that. THe players recently aquired an artifact for him, that unknown to him or the players is a piece of the body of the evil god of the campaign. This artifact is slowly corrupting him.

Lord John (can't remember his actual name) : The countries capital has long since been corrupted by a similar artifact to the one Azharadian has, which was found by Castellas great grandfather (and caused the families financial problems). Lord John is throughly corrupted by it, but still seems nice. He is the campaigns big bad guy.
- He was the one that convinced Azharadian to aquire the artifact.
- He owns Castellas castle.
- He has been trying to woo Castella, but has been unsuccessful so far. Despite being kind and noble and elegible, Castella just has a bad feeling about him.
None of the characters have met him before apart from Castella and Anschlag, and all they know about him is that he is an elegible bachelor that has been trying to woo Castella. They don't even know that he is the owner of the castle they are currently exploring. I want to introduce Lord John at the ball, so that when he turns up and claims ownership of the newly cleared castle they will at least have met him before.

Other sundry nobles.

There you go. Any suggestions of how I can set the scene, or give the players something to do (Most of the players are fairly combat oriented, but I do think they will enjoy a change of pace so long as I run it well), or roleplay the characters well (which is my weakest DM ability).

 

[Infinite Monkey@Work]

More info :
THe players are well known about town, having defeated an enemy invasion recently by getting the artifact in time. It is conceivable that the ball would be thrown in their honour.

 

[Valmur_Dwur]

Well it certainly sounds interresting. But what are you hoping to accomplish with this ball? Do you want the Lord John character to come out? Do you want the pcs to find other benefactors or someone who might know that the artifact is corrupting their benefactor/Lady family? See with combat you know what you want as an ending. The ball is kinda the same way in that it needs to propel the story foward in some way. If you want Lord John to be shown as the main villian there are plenty of combat things you can do. If, however, you want to have interaction between pcs and these other nobles then you need to decide if they have anything to give the pcs as far as knowledge/ help etc.

 

[Infinite Monkey@Work]

I want to introduce Lord John, but not reveal him as anything more than a nobleman and possibly Lady Castellas suitor. Mostly I want to give the players the oportunity for a change of pace and a chance to roleplay their characters in something other than a dangerous situation. I guess the main goal is to introduce new characters and flesh out old ones (such as Azharadian, how hasn't really started to change yet, although some subtle hint would be cool). Introducing other characters, such as someone who will later help them when Azharadian turns bad would be good too.

 

[Bob Aberton]

Good adjectives for the setting (i.e. the ballroom & ball itself)

Sight: Should be gaudy and grand, with bejewelled nobles and ladies flitting around like tropical birds, or describing slow, stately circles on the dance floor.

Smell: the air should smell like perfume and wine, something like that...

Sound: A dull roar of many hundreds of voices all chattering at the same time, interlaced with the melodic strains of a waltz

Random encounters:

A Fop: Described as "perfumed and effeminate," or similar. Should be at least partway drunk and holding a wine glass. Will gossip aimlessly about various other nobles and such [this is a perfect opportunity to slip in a bit of Important Info (tm) among the chatter]. He doesn't laugh, he "titters simperingly." He may ask one of the ladies of the party to dance (could result in a bit of fun roleplay if he asks the barbarian lady to dance... ) Make sure he sways and hiccups occasionally to emphasize his drunken state.

A Tipsy Lady: Dressed in a bejewelled and elaborate ballgown with one or two wine stains on the bodice. Also drunk and holding a wineglass. Probably will also gossip. Make sure she sways and hiccups as well. If she has had a lot of wine, she may throw up at the party's feet. Also "titters simperingly."

A Tempting Young Lady: Wearing a VERY low cut, suggestive, and/or revealing ballgown. Speaks in a husky voice and uses sexual innuendoes in conversation. Moves sinuously (sp.?) or fluidly. Will be VERY clingy & touchy-feely with the male party members. Will almost definately attempt to seduce one or more party members.

A Handsome Party Playboy: Tall, muscular, very handsome. Has a very bright smile and possibly a pencil thin mustache. Speaks in a deep bass. Will definately attempt to seduce one of the party's female members.

A Wandering Minstrel: Who provides the music. Prone to gossip, will probably know lot of Significant Info (tm). Should have a swaggering manner. Will probably make songs about the heroes (if they are well-known)

And others. Too tired to type more. Hope this helps?

 

[Infinite Monkey@Work]

Excellent! This is just what I am looking for.

More ideas for critique:

When the Tempting Young Lady / Handsome Party Playboy is in action, a spot check will reveal that Lord John (or maybe someone else) is watching closely but unobtrusively (sizing up the party and how easy they will be to use later).

The minstrel sings a song that is highly unflattering to the party, maybe he was put up to it by someone at the party (maybe the fop doesn't like them because they refused to buy him another drink )

Preparing for the party : Lady Castella and maybe Father Mulligan are the only ones with any experience with high society. Getting the others ready could be interesting, plus a good cliff hanger if it happens at the end of a session with the ball held next session.

My main problem is how to portray this stuff. I'm not very good at making up stuff on the spot, but I don't want to just say "The fop gossips aimlessly about the guests".

 

[arwink]

My advice would be to create a couple of NPC's that will do the bulk of the interaction with the PC's, the provide yourself with a few improvisational menus. Basially, work out some common elements you think you'll need, and have notes. The basic visual and descriptive elements are noted above, but you might also include a gossip menu - make a list of the local gossip. What's happening, who it's happening too. Devide your guests into factions, then work out how they feel about the gossip at hand. that way, if the Pc's talk to someone unexpected, you both have a few sources of conversation, as well as a range of opinions to use. Also worth taking note of what the major players think.

eg: Lord Morthan Thinking of Leaving His Wife - Lord Morthan, a minor landowner fromt he eastern marsh, is said to be leaving his wife for a younger woman of common birth. The Practical Landowners are non-commital on this, and have very little interest in it. The Politicians are interested, but either don't make a big deal of the news of file it for later gain. Ladies of the court are horrified, although a scattered few came to their position through much the same arrangement and look embarresed when the topic comes up. Etc

Another good idea is an encounter menu. Random encounters don't work in a social setting like a ball, but you can think of three or four events that could involve the players, don't have dire consequences but will attract attention. Then, when things look like their lagging, throw one of these events in to give the party a bit of a push.

A drunken courtier takes offence at one of the PC's, and arrogantly comes over to drop suggestions about their crudity.

One of the bodyguards for an NPC noble recognisses the exiled warrior, and his momentary horror and disgust at seeing the man slowly breaks though his stoic demeanor, attracting the attention of those gathered around his lord.

Overhearing two ladies/courtiers discussing the relative merits of two of the PC's, and making a bet over which will bed them before the nights through

Noticing a pick-pocket working his way through the crowd, or a known rake trying to seduce an innocent young woman.

Finally, if the players aren't used to roleplaying and you're not yet confident with winging it, give them some goal and make it like an adventure. Someone at the party has some secret that must be found out, but the players have to do it with tact and discretion. Remember that a dungeon is just an elaborate flow-chart, and it's easy enough to create social adventures in much the same way. Instead of T intersections, you just have to think it terms of cause and effect.

 

[Dark Jezter]

Here are a few other ideas for possible random encounters at the ball...

The Highly-Decorated Military Officer: Wears a dress uniform adorned with several pins and medals that clink when he walks. He is stone-faced and serious, and getting any kind of emotional reaction out of him will be difficult. He cares a lot about honor, and if the PCs have a reputation for heroism he may walk over to them and give his compliments.

The Womanizing Old Nobleman: Yes, he is married and has a few children, but that isn't going to stop him from trying his charms on every attractive woman who crosses his path. He is long past his prime, overweight and grey-haired, but he still acts like the ultimate ladies' man. His wife seems totally ignorant of his extramarital affairs, although it is very likely that the marriage itself is an arrangement: She gets to associate with high society, while her husband gets someone to appear alongside with in public. Rumors circulate throughout the court about his "mistress of the week." He will probably try to seduce one of the female PCs.

The Con Artist: This guy is sneaky and underhanded, he knows all the tricks to scam honest people out of their hard-earned gold. He may ask the PCs to donate to a made-up charity organization. When nobody is looking, he pockets the silverware.

 

[Infinite Monkey@Work]

OK, a new question :
Our group consists of a bunch of males plus my wife. She plays Castella and her brother plays Pta-riri, the two female characters. How do I run a seduction scene, either with me seducing my wife or her brother! or playing a female, without things getting 'uncomfortable'. No immature responses please

 

[Dark Jezter]

OK, a new question :
Our group consists of a bunch of males plus my wife. She plays Castella and her brother plays Pta-riri, the two female characters. How do I run a seduction scene, either with me seducing my wife or her brother! or playing a female, without things getting 'uncomfortable'. No immature responses please

Well, the Tempting Young Lady might cling to the arm of one of the Male PCs, saying things like "You're so strong." and "I would so love to hear about your adventures." She will laugh at any jokes the PC makes, even if they aren't funny. Eventually, she'll make the offer, something like "Why don't we go somewhere more private and you can tell me more about yourself?" or "It's getting too stuffy in here, why don't we go out for some fresh air?"

The Handsome Party Playboy will probably try using things like poetry, comparing the female PC he chooses to "A sunrise on a clear spring morning" or something like that. He will try to impress her with his knowlege of art, music, and literature. Once he feels that he has charmed her enough, he will make the seduction offer by asking her to come back to his manor for a private dinner.

The Womanizing Old Nobleman is probably not very charming, but instead gets women into bed by offering them nice things and boasting about his station. If the female PC is smart, she'll probably shoot down his attempts.