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Review / Remix: Everyday Heroes' "To Dethrone A Dictator"
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<blockquote data-quote="Sparky McDibben" data-source="post: 9131062" data-attributes="member: 7041430"><p>Well, I'm in good company, at any rate!</p><p></p><p>Alright folks, so to launch a sandbox, you want a nice big BANG! that will shoot the players into the sandbox with impetus to start frantically knocking stuff over. In this case, as the PCs are all outsiders, what they want is to get off the island once the coup takes place. So their initial goal is to survive, but their subsequent goals are to either get off the island or defeat the coup supporters to get the lockdown lifted. </p><p></p><p>In this first case, our initial scenes should take place about an hour before the princess' coronation. The PCs don't have to be there, and may not be, if there's nothing tying them to the princess. The problem is that all of the PCs are suddenly approached by military police and asked (politely) to come to an army base over questions about their paperwork. </p><p></p><p>The MPs do not take the PCs to the palace, but rather to a small army base (holding less than 100 men) on the north side of the island. </p><p></p><p>Use the drive in to drop hints to any relevant PCs about:</p><ol> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">The army seems to have a lot more firepower, and there seem to be a lot of outsider contractors stationed here all of a sudden</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">The locals have significantly upgraded their air defenses, including some Russian hardware that looks especially nasty (the S-300, under heavy guard)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">There seems to be an odd split, with some members of the military more comfortable with these outside contractors (these would be the Palace Guards), and others looking on askance</li> </ol><p>The MPs drop all the PCs into a holding area together, and say that their interrogations will begin shortly, but will be brief. It's a good idea to underline that the MPs here are wearing Palace Guard insignias. </p><p></p><p>The reason for this is that the Colonel wants a handle on all outsiders on the island; he needs them contained so that no one can get word off to spark pesky sanctions on his little nation. Most of the outsiders are at the princess' coronation - the MPs are rounding up the few remaining, including the PCs. Include a small TV in the corner, tuned to the princess' coronation. As the PCs are riffing off each other, describe how the Palace Guards start to flood into the coronation ceremony, along with mercenaries, and then the TV signal goes to static. </p><p></p><p>Then include some gunfire outside, as some of the loyal army elements are resisting, triggering fire fights outside. More gunshots sound, within the interrogation center, and the PCs hear the boots of the military police headed down the corridor - back to them.</p><p></p><p>From there, let the PCs escape as they can. I'd recommend including some heavy artillery (heavy machine gun, RPG launcher, grenade launcher, etc), along with a bunch of stuff that can blow up (fuel trucks, ammo pallets, etc.) on the way out. The trick will be just making sure the artillery doesn't have a lot of ammo. I'd also give them a vehicle with limited fuel, and having the news coming over the loudspeaker that Colonel Idowu is now in control of the country, repeated in both English and the local languages. "All foreigners are to report to the Palace Compound immediately for interrogation and deportation..." is a constant propaganda effort. (It's also a lie; Idowu will shoot the ones no one will miss, and ransom the others through black-market contacts set up by the mercenary group). </p><p></p><p>At this point, you can give the PCs the map and a one hour time limit, and let them decide where to go. If they argue too long (ie, past the one hour, a small patrol stumbles on them and a combat ensues - the first thing the patrol does after surprise is decided is to radio for backup). You'll want to keep the pressure on, and occasionally turn it up. Idowu starts offering bounties for foreigners after the first day; everyone they talk to is a potential traitor. </p><p></p><p>This should be about where the PCs hit level 2.</p><p></p><p>This is where the NPC contacts we sowed earlier shine. Have each contact point to one of two ways out. There's reportedly a CIA agent on the island named Whyllis Hundleigh, but finding him will require assaulting a police station near the capital to grab his file. The other way out is the princess. She's reportedly alive, and leading a government in exile. She'd probably be happy to have some extra help. </p><p></p><p>Making contact with these groups will likely involve helping them out against Idowu's forces, and that's about where the PCs hit level 3.</p><p></p><p>Of course, as the PCs close in on these lifelines, each has their own motives. Whyllis wants intel on why this invasion is going on, and will trade ruthlessly on the PCs' safety to get it. He wants them to infiltrate the Bumicorp temporary HQ on the south side of the island and get him some hard evidence before he helps them. The princess wants to overthrow Idowu (who has shot the Old King), and see him tried for his crimes. She wants the PCs to takeover the local TV station and broadcast a tape she's made, denouncing Idowu and throwing down her proverbial gauntlet. </p><p></p><p>Both of these options are dangerous, but they serve to put the PCs on Idowu's and Bumicorp's respective radars. Once they're known as a threat, the stakes, and the heat, turn up. </p><p></p><p>As the PCs make their choice of which target they want to hit, we transition from Act I to Act II...</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Sparky McDibben, post: 9131062, member: 7041430"] Well, I'm in good company, at any rate! Alright folks, so to launch a sandbox, you want a nice big BANG! that will shoot the players into the sandbox with impetus to start frantically knocking stuff over. In this case, as the PCs are all outsiders, what they want is to get off the island once the coup takes place. So their initial goal is to survive, but their subsequent goals are to either get off the island or defeat the coup supporters to get the lockdown lifted. In this first case, our initial scenes should take place about an hour before the princess' coronation. The PCs don't have to be there, and may not be, if there's nothing tying them to the princess. The problem is that all of the PCs are suddenly approached by military police and asked (politely) to come to an army base over questions about their paperwork. The MPs do not take the PCs to the palace, but rather to a small army base (holding less than 100 men) on the north side of the island. Use the drive in to drop hints to any relevant PCs about: [LIST=1] [*]The army seems to have a lot more firepower, and there seem to be a lot of outsider contractors stationed here all of a sudden [*]The locals have significantly upgraded their air defenses, including some Russian hardware that looks especially nasty (the S-300, under heavy guard) [*]There seems to be an odd split, with some members of the military more comfortable with these outside contractors (these would be the Palace Guards), and others looking on askance [/LIST] The MPs drop all the PCs into a holding area together, and say that their interrogations will begin shortly, but will be brief. It's a good idea to underline that the MPs here are wearing Palace Guard insignias. The reason for this is that the Colonel wants a handle on all outsiders on the island; he needs them contained so that no one can get word off to spark pesky sanctions on his little nation. Most of the outsiders are at the princess' coronation - the MPs are rounding up the few remaining, including the PCs. Include a small TV in the corner, tuned to the princess' coronation. As the PCs are riffing off each other, describe how the Palace Guards start to flood into the coronation ceremony, along with mercenaries, and then the TV signal goes to static. Then include some gunfire outside, as some of the loyal army elements are resisting, triggering fire fights outside. More gunshots sound, within the interrogation center, and the PCs hear the boots of the military police headed down the corridor - back to them. From there, let the PCs escape as they can. I'd recommend including some heavy artillery (heavy machine gun, RPG launcher, grenade launcher, etc), along with a bunch of stuff that can blow up (fuel trucks, ammo pallets, etc.) on the way out. The trick will be just making sure the artillery doesn't have a lot of ammo. I'd also give them a vehicle with limited fuel, and having the news coming over the loudspeaker that Colonel Idowu is now in control of the country, repeated in both English and the local languages. "All foreigners are to report to the Palace Compound immediately for interrogation and deportation..." is a constant propaganda effort. (It's also a lie; Idowu will shoot the ones no one will miss, and ransom the others through black-market contacts set up by the mercenary group). At this point, you can give the PCs the map and a one hour time limit, and let them decide where to go. If they argue too long (ie, past the one hour, a small patrol stumbles on them and a combat ensues - the first thing the patrol does after surprise is decided is to radio for backup). You'll want to keep the pressure on, and occasionally turn it up. Idowu starts offering bounties for foreigners after the first day; everyone they talk to is a potential traitor. This should be about where the PCs hit level 2. This is where the NPC contacts we sowed earlier shine. Have each contact point to one of two ways out. There's reportedly a CIA agent on the island named Whyllis Hundleigh, but finding him will require assaulting a police station near the capital to grab his file. The other way out is the princess. She's reportedly alive, and leading a government in exile. She'd probably be happy to have some extra help. Making contact with these groups will likely involve helping them out against Idowu's forces, and that's about where the PCs hit level 3. Of course, as the PCs close in on these lifelines, each has their own motives. Whyllis wants intel on why this invasion is going on, and will trade ruthlessly on the PCs' safety to get it. He wants them to infiltrate the Bumicorp temporary HQ on the south side of the island and get him some hard evidence before he helps them. The princess wants to overthrow Idowu (who has shot the Old King), and see him tried for his crimes. She wants the PCs to takeover the local TV station and broadcast a tape she's made, denouncing Idowu and throwing down her proverbial gauntlet. Both of these options are dangerous, but they serve to put the PCs on Idowu's and Bumicorp's respective radars. Once they're known as a threat, the stakes, and the heat, turn up. As the PCs make their choice of which target they want to hit, we transition from Act I to Act II... [/QUOTE]
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