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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Rune" data-source="post: 5792698" data-attributes="member: 67">...And 2 of the 3 players had never played D&D before!  One has never roleplayed at all (she was a natural), and the other has only once (a very streamlined card-based rpg of my own devising).How did we do it--and why?Well, I'm visiting from out of state and I knew that I would only be able to get one session in.  So, I decided to condense it, reconstruct some iconic combats, and really emphasize non-combat approaches to bypassing obstacles.Also, I made extremely simplified pre-gens for them and was very loose with the rules (for instance, I didn't bother with encounter powers, rather making everything at-will, but drastically simplified to use.  Except the mage.  I gave him a handful of daily spells (one refluffed) targeting each of the defenses, as well as an at-will "Cantrips" spell and Magic Missile.  I also gave them one Action Point per encounter, for ease of tracking, but they didn't use many of them (until the tough fight!).I also used <a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/new-horizons-upcoming-edition-d-d/316993-three-skill-system.html" target="_blank">this skill system</a>.  They all got really into it.For the enemies, I picked out some iconic ones from the adventure, halved all hit points, increased the damage of all by 50% and simply changed many enemies into minions.  My goal here was to make most combats quick skirmishes.The party was made up of a Pixie Skald (very simplified), a Halfling Thief (very simplified), and an Eladrin Mage (very simplified).Oh yeah, and this part's important: I didn't use minis or battlemaps.[sblock=Spoilers ahead!]So, I knew I wouldn't be able to get them all the way through the condensed adventure in one sitting, so I aimed for a climactic Battle of Albridge as the conclusion--never even hinting that Baron Stockmere had been imprisoned in his own keep.The PCs came upon a band of brigands (which I made minions) and gray wolves attacking Ilyana's home.  The Pixie decided to get one of the wolves' attention by pulling on its tail, so she could speak with it.  Bad move.But they made short work of their foes; getting the last brigand to surrender and call off the lone remaining wolf.  They even got a little information about the Iron Circle out of the brigand before Ilyana came out with a crossbow and avenged her fallen husband (from the raids a couple of weeks previous).This was the players' first taste of combat, and they liked it!At this point, I was a little concerned, because the skirmish had lasted longer than I had hoped, but they had really gotten into it, so...well, I didn't drag it out, but I didn't cut it too short, either.When they got to Albridge, the Halfling (with the Pixie in her pocket) decided to glean some information about the resistance from the tavern, while the Eladrin wizard, afraid of attracting too much attention in this occupied town, went strait to the stables (no kidding!  Strait there!)So, while the Thief pilfered some spending money from a couple of drunken Iron Circle Soldiers and spent it on loosening the barkeep's already loose tongue, the Eladrin had a talk with a dour and suspicious man--a man who immediately disliked the Eladrin.  Of course, the man was Dar Gremath, but the Eladrin had know way of knowing that, until the Halfling and Pixie returned with the information that the stables were Dar Gremath's.  One further complication: as they were leaving, the Pixie saw the innkeeper hustle over to the two Iron Circle Soldiers to have a word with them.Once Dar Gremath had decided to trust the PCs, he decided to let them in on his plans.  He figured, when the time was right, the townsfolk would rise in rebellion, but needed allies to be of any count.  Dar Gremath suggested that the PCs see if they could convince the Woodsinger Elves to join the cause, and also check in on Tor's Hold, from whom no word had been heard in weeks.  After that, they needed to draw Nazin Redthorn out of the Iron Keep (by getting his attention with an attack on a supply caravan) and slay him in combat.The Eladrin went to speak with the Woodsinger Elves and the Halfling and Pixie went to see what was up with halflings of Tor's Hold.  The matron of the Elves told the Eladrin that she would offer no aid without something done in return, first--the elimination of Yisarn, an undead wizard located in a lonely tower all too close.  Meanwhile, the other two PCs eavesdropped on the conversations of the halflings from outside their window, and learned that the halflings were suffering from raids by savage Toadfolk, and the poor boy, Heron, had been swept up and likely come to a bad end.The PCs convened in Albridge and decided to go back to talk to Bran Torsson, the elder of Tor's Hold.  After hearing what he had to say, and learning that he'd love to help them, if only he had the resources, the determined to tackle Yisarn, first.First floor of the tower, a nasty, often invisible spider that span webs of pure light.  Second floor, the Skeletal Mage.  This fight was brutal--the healer went from 10 hit points to -8 in one blow.  But, with some clever thinking and persistence, they stabilized the Skald and dropped the Mage--then used a ritual from its book to destroy it forever.After that, it was no difficult task to convince the Elves to help them clear out the Bullywugs.We stopped there, but, they want to play again when I come down next month!  Next time: the caravan raid, the Battle of Albridge, and storming the Iron Keep![/sblock]</blockquote>

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