OnlineDM
Adventurer
I'm getting ready to run my party through Shelter From the Storm (4e), and I'm struck by the long travel time from the Fire Forest to Seaquen. It's set up as some skill challenges, but I have to admit that the consequences of success or failure on the challenges feel pretty abstract to me. The long journey where failures cost surges and they don't refill until some set point in the future feels odd to me, especially when there doesn't seem to be any combat mixed in where having few surges would be a problem.
I understand that there are connections being drawn to things that will happen in Dassen in adventure number 4, but how important are those connections?
My party is fine with role-playing and skill challenges, but it feels like there's no action for a long time at the beginning of Shelter - just a massive back story dump and description of scenery.
I want to make this fun, exciting and interesting. Does anyone have any advice for me? Or am I over-thinking this and the skill challenges are really a lot of fun for most parties?
I'll admit that I'm tempted to gloss over the details of travel.
Any advice?
I understand that there are connections being drawn to things that will happen in Dassen in adventure number 4, but how important are those connections?
My party is fine with role-playing and skill challenges, but it feels like there's no action for a long time at the beginning of Shelter - just a massive back story dump and description of scenery.
I want to make this fun, exciting and interesting. Does anyone have any advice for me? Or am I over-thinking this and the skill challenges are really a lot of fun for most parties?
I'll admit that I'm tempted to gloss over the details of travel.
- "You leave the Fire Forest and fight your way through a mountain pass."
- Maybe run a mini-challenge to see if they're surprised by the winter hobgoblins, then run that battle.
- A little role-playing in Cornerwood, then move on.
- "You travel through Dassen for many days. Along the way, you encounter...." (insert a little of the role-playing back story info here, letting the players interact, but keep this short)
- "You arrive in Vidor." A little more role-playing here. Let the party decide how they want to handle the swamp.
- Run the swamp skill challenge and combat encounters more or less as written.
- "At long last, you arrive in Seaquen!"
Any advice?