Skipping time - "... and then six months later..."

[Lord Pendragon]

I think a group of mature players would have no problem dealing with the capture and subsequent jailing. It's a one-shot, and the players should be reasonably aware that you need some room to set things up. And if they aren't, then they need to learn. Sometimes you suspend your disbelief for the DM. This isn't an "about the players, screw the DM" game, despite what some may believe.

If you think your players would be seriously unhappy with "railroading" then I suggest you start the game in prison, then flashback to the werewolf fight, but let the players play the combat. That way they'll know from the outset that they're going to prison, and it won't be a "surprise railroading."

 

[Hypersmurf]

I think a group of mature players would have no problem dealing with the capture and subsequent jailing. It's a one-shot, and the players should be reasonably aware that you need some room to set things up.

This session finally happened... and it went off pretty well.

As I expected, most of the session involved the PCs tripping around the various districts of Sanctity tracking down leads and talking to assorted NPCs.

Which was a lot of fun... but opening the session with a combat (the werewolf) and closing with a combat (a bunch of dire werebats who were delighted to find the PCs out of prison and within their reach) worked out well.

Nobody seemed to have an issue with the "and you've been in prison for six months" cut.

I did have to do some rapid reevaluation of some stats, though... not sure if it was the lack of an arcane caster, the three-man party, or if the creatures I was using are under-CRed... but both combats that I thought were going to be 'tough but doable' looked like guaranteed TPKs a couple of rounds in...

I decided after the first round to remove the werewolf's Combat Reflexes, for example. In conjunction with Karmic Strike, it would have been a slaughter...

But everyone had a good time, so I'm happy

-Hyp.