Barendd Nobeard
Explorer
Red Hand of Doom--my players stay out!!
This means you: Tod, Monte, Bob, and Jude!!!
If you are playing, or hoping/planning to play, in this adventure....please STOP reading now. It really is more fun when everything is a surprise.
OK, a small bump in the plot road for RHoD.
The party consists of a human wizard, a dwarven fighter, a human cleric, and a halfling scout. An NPC ranger is tagging along (for now), but will probably not hang with the party much longer (he'll be busy defending Drellin's Ferry / Brindol in the coming days).
We have completed two sessions.
During the first session, the party had one tough fight (the first one--at the abandoned farm house). One PC was almost dead, but the remaining bad guys fled (since the leaders were all dead). Later, the party fought a hydra, and easily dispatched it.
At the next session, the party attacked Vraath Keep. Their assault was mostly successful, but Wyrmlord Koth got away--with the map and all the battle plans. By the time he had completed his five rounds of "gathering up the maps and papers," the fight was almost over. So he fled, not realizing that the party's aeriel abilities were seriously hampered--the wizard was unconscious and the scout was almost dead. (My dice apparently loved the manticore and hated the wizard.)
The next day, they decided to scout out Skullgorge Bridge. Their plan was fraught with silliness--sending the dwarven fighter (the only one who knew anything about stone work) flying up to the bridge by himself. The green dragon Ozyrrandion spots the flying tin can, attacks him, and chases him back toward the rest of the party. While the dragon flies away to recharge his breath weapon, the party flees. Retreating back to the keep, the party encounters the forest giant Warklegnaw, and end up enlisting his aid (they're not sure exactly what he'll do, and I think they have visions of an NPC giant tagging along. Well, not visions but delusions.
).
So far, not too bad for the party. They have scouted the bridge a bit (not as much as they'd like--they're not sure they can destroy it), and no one's died. They've enlisted the aid of a powerful ally.
On the plus side for the bad guys, the Red Hand now knows a lot about the party. In each fight (except the hydra), someone has escaped--someone who can report back what they encountered. Some of these reports will come from very reliable sources--Wyrmlord Koth and the dragon Ozyrrandion.
On the negative side for the players, the plot in RHoD is driven by the army's timeline. The only way the players know the plan (and the timeline) is the paperwork from Vraath Keep.
So, those of you who have read, run, and/or played RHoD: Any suggestions? I'm not looking to screw the party on the information they have available, but if there's no decent way to get the information to them, it seems like that is what has happened. I don't want a totally lame solution ("...as you approach Vraath Keep again, you find a map the flying bugbear must have dropped...."). I'd like the party to have this information (it really makes the adventure a 'race against the clock'). If they don't have the information, they may face some encounters for which they are not prepared.
Hmmm, maybe I'll have another copy of the map (but not the detailed plans) at Rhest. That's the best I can think of (and it's not very good).
Other options / thoughts / suggestions are greatly appreciated!
This means you: Tod, Monte, Bob, and Jude!!!
If you are playing, or hoping/planning to play, in this adventure....please STOP reading now. It really is more fun when everything is a surprise.
OK, a small bump in the plot road for RHoD.
The party consists of a human wizard, a dwarven fighter, a human cleric, and a halfling scout. An NPC ranger is tagging along (for now), but will probably not hang with the party much longer (he'll be busy defending Drellin's Ferry / Brindol in the coming days).
We have completed two sessions.
During the first session, the party had one tough fight (the first one--at the abandoned farm house). One PC was almost dead, but the remaining bad guys fled (since the leaders were all dead). Later, the party fought a hydra, and easily dispatched it.
At the next session, the party attacked Vraath Keep. Their assault was mostly successful, but Wyrmlord Koth got away--with the map and all the battle plans. By the time he had completed his five rounds of "gathering up the maps and papers," the fight was almost over. So he fled, not realizing that the party's aeriel abilities were seriously hampered--the wizard was unconscious and the scout was almost dead. (My dice apparently loved the manticore and hated the wizard.)
The next day, they decided to scout out Skullgorge Bridge. Their plan was fraught with silliness--sending the dwarven fighter (the only one who knew anything about stone work) flying up to the bridge by himself. The green dragon Ozyrrandion spots the flying tin can, attacks him, and chases him back toward the rest of the party. While the dragon flies away to recharge his breath weapon, the party flees. Retreating back to the keep, the party encounters the forest giant Warklegnaw, and end up enlisting his aid (they're not sure exactly what he'll do, and I think they have visions of an NPC giant tagging along. Well, not visions but delusions.

So far, not too bad for the party. They have scouted the bridge a bit (not as much as they'd like--they're not sure they can destroy it), and no one's died. They've enlisted the aid of a powerful ally.
On the plus side for the bad guys, the Red Hand now knows a lot about the party. In each fight (except the hydra), someone has escaped--someone who can report back what they encountered. Some of these reports will come from very reliable sources--Wyrmlord Koth and the dragon Ozyrrandion.
On the negative side for the players, the plot in RHoD is driven by the army's timeline. The only way the players know the plan (and the timeline) is the paperwork from Vraath Keep.
So, those of you who have read, run, and/or played RHoD: Any suggestions? I'm not looking to screw the party on the information they have available, but if there's no decent way to get the information to them, it seems like that is what has happened. I don't want a totally lame solution ("...as you approach Vraath Keep again, you find a map the flying bugbear must have dropped...."). I'd like the party to have this information (it really makes the adventure a 'race against the clock'). If they don't have the information, they may face some encounters for which they are not prepared.
Hmmm, maybe I'll have another copy of the map (but not the detailed plans) at Rhest. That's the best I can think of (and it's not very good).
Other options / thoughts / suggestions are greatly appreciated!