JollyDoc's Shackled City: FINAL POST [Updated 11/2!!]

[Joachim]

Pardon my recent absence from the boards. Before too long, I will need to be retiring as a writer. Home ownership, planning a wedding, babysitting my future step-daughter 2 nights a week, and things getting crazy at work are really cutting into my Story Hour time. Or more appropriately, taking my Story Hour time in total and then some.

Hell, I don't even get the time to take 3 minutes I take at work for 'web breaks', which is where I do most of my ancillary posting on this board. I'm lucky if I get bathroom breaks these days.

Whining aside, I am about halfway through my next update. If I don't post tonight, then the update will be up by Saturday, even if I have to stay up all night. I promise.

Enough real world talk. Back into character, Richard! I mean, Joachim! Yes, sadly, I agree with ol' JD. This module pretty much blows. This campaign thus far has been fun, despite the overall deadliness of it. The first encounter in this module was pretty darn interesting, but it has gone downhill from there. The remainder of the encounters have felt more like a drudgery than anything else. And this is no shot at JD. He can't help the crappy hand of cards he's been dealt with this module.

Paizo did a disservice with City in Flames, especially considering that most parties running through the Adventure Path are going to be completely married to the storyline, with no choice but to stick with it. But I digress...

Back to writing.

 

[Simplicity]

Hmmm...we are currently running City In Flames, which I must say has been the most...disappointing of the Cauldron adventures to date. Sunday's game was entertaining nevertheless, especially when it began raining demodands out of thin air. Richard assures me that a post is forthcoming...soon...we hope...maybe...

Hmmmm... Foundation of Flame looked like one of the BEST Cauldron adventures to me. Can I ask what it was about the adventure you guys
didn't like?

One of the biggest plusses about the adventure is the fact that there is a wide range of possibilities in terms of how well the party does getting people
out of Cauldron. Some of the situations seem quite tough.

The only big minuses I see about it is the fact that it is almost entirely a fire-based adventure. If you've got fire resistance, you're going to do okay. If you don't, kiss your butt goodbye.

Is it just repetitive?

 

[ltclnlbrain]

I haven't had a chance to run the adventure yet, but it looked pretty interesting. Especially since it is a change from all the dungeon-crawling most of the other adventures consist of. Things may drag at times, though, and I can see how it may get repetitive. When I run it, I'll try to keep the pace up and try to speed through the encounters so it goes by faster.

 

[Neverwinter Knight]

Pardon my recent absence from the boards. Before too long, I will need to be retiring as a writer. Home ownership, planning a wedding, babysitting my future step-daughter 2 nights a week, and things getting crazy at work are really cutting into my Story Hour time. Or more appropriately, taking my Story Hour time in total and then some.

Dude, get an appartment! I mean, you should find a way to continue this SH - and I believe JollyDoc can't do it alone. You could bring in another writer or shorten the updates (no flames, please, I love the long updates, too, but short ones are better than none).

Yes, sadly, I agree with ol' JD. This module pretty much blows. This campaign thus far has been fun, despite the overall deadliness of it. The first encounter in this module was pretty darn interesting, but it has gone downhill from there. The remainder of the encounters have felt more like a drudgery than anything else. And this is no shot at JD. He can't help the crappy hand of cards he's been dealt with this module.

Paizo did a disservice with City in Flames, especially considering that most parties running through the Adventure Path are going to be completely married to the storyline, with no choice but to stick with it. But I digress..

Teasers, shmeasers...

Whining aside, I am about halfway through my next update. If I don't post tonight, then the update will be up by Saturday, even if I have to stay up all night. I promise.
...
Back to writing.

Finally some good news !!!

 

[Longbow]

Huh! All this talk that City in Flames isn´t very good gets me nervous (maybe even more nervous than waiting for the oh-so-precious update ). Like other people I heard it was quite good. Hmm...

Raining demodands? Sounds cool!

 

[Tidus4444]

What supplement/ Dragon is that planar champion in? It looks lkie a pretty cool class.

 

[JollyDoc]

Planar Champion appears in Manual of the Planes.

As for the negatives of Foundation of Flames, I guess it all depends on playing style. Our group doesn't run much to the touchy-feely, hard-core role-playing bent. As most of you who have been with us for awhile know, power-gaming is the general rule. That said, role-playing that furthers personal character goals or the overall campaign theme are always welcome. The various mini scenarios in this particular adventure are tedious to run and not very fun or exciting for the players, especially with such high DC's set for Diplomacy checks (which are vital to the 100% success of each scenario), and the negative consequences every time a Cauldronite dies. The adventure feels very much like a linker than a stand-alone.

Not to worry about Joachim's imminent retirement from writing. He's going to continue posting until he is caught up, then Eddie aka Dalthon will be taking over for him (alternating with me, of course) until we finish the adventure path.

 

[Joachim]

Hmmmm... Foundation of Flame looked like one of the BEST Cauldron adventures to me. Can I ask what it was about the adventure you guys didn't like?

One of the biggest plusses about the adventure is the fact that there is a wide range of possibilities in terms of how well the party does getting people
out of Cauldron. Some of the situations seem quite tough.

What I haven't liked thus far:

1) No real plot. Just grab the PC's by the nosehairs, and drag them around town from encounter area to encounter area. Don't give them any choices, such as how to handle the whole situation or even let them rest.

2) The aforementioned Diplomacy DC's and the consequences of Cauldronites biting it. (RANT WARNING) Just looking over a lot of modules of late it appears that Diplomacy has become the lazy game-designer's skill of choice. People can say all they want that Diplomacy is a 'role-playing' skill used by good serious role-players, when in fact it is the opposite. Instead of roleplaying a rousing speech, making your case to the city guard, etc., now all you have to do is say, "I am going to make a Diplomacy check...I have +30 to the roll." I know how people will respond by saying, "The DM can give diplomacy bonuses for good roleplaying." While this is true, which is more significant...the +4 circumstance bonus or the +30 that you already have.

3) The combats haven't been all that interesting, and the noncombat encounters have been a moderate waste of time. Paizo's inability to review monsters before slapping on templates and adjusting CR's rears its ugly head in one encounter in particular. The fight in question was not unwinnable by any stretch, but was woefully under-CR'ed.

 

[Lela]

2) The aforementioned Diplomacy DC's and the consequences of Cauldronites biting it. (RANT WARNING) Just looking over a lot of modules of late it appears that Diplomacy has become the lazy game-designer's skill of choice. People can say all they want that Diplomacy is a 'role-playing' skill used by good serious role-players, when in fact it is the opposite. Instead of roleplaying a rousing speech, making your case to the city guard, etc., now all you have to do is say, "I am going to make a Diplomacy check...I have +30 to the roll." I know how people will respond by saying, "The DM can give diplomacy bonuses for good roleplaying." While this is true, which is more significant...the +4 circumstance bonus or the +30 that you already have.

You know, I'd have to agree with this one (though I haven't read the module). I gave a series of rousing speeches during one session, one after the other. Not to toot my own horn, but I was in the zone. The other players were paying rapt attention (yes, even that guy who always interupts descriptions to ask when we left the woods) and I was all but up out of my chair.

Finally, my character turned on his heal and marched defiantly from the council hall, the other characters (who'd been keeping the guards off me, ala LotR) following. Everyone, including me, was amazed.

Then came the Diplomacy roll; to which I could add my +1 Charisma: 14 total.

Needless to say, I was not inclined to continue with the social aspects of RPing.

 

[Longbow]

If you don´t like the Diplomacy skill than either eliminate it from your game or change it. That´s how I do it.

I still haven´t seen Foundation in Flames (my FLGS had Dungeon 114 but not 113, internet here I come!) but roleplaying situations sound good to me. If it just boils down to a Diplomacy roll I change that to make it more fun for the players. If someone has those high ranks of Diplomacy he may feel a bit cheated but in my group it´s not that case (one has a some ranks but doesn´t insist all the time to get a roll).