TSAD: Preparing to run

[Morrus]

Yeah, they might be too young to have experienced this sort of adventure before. I'm telling you, not knowing that every single encounter is tailored to slightly favour the adventuring party is a slightly scary but worthwhile feeling!

After this, get them to play Call of Cthulhu. Talk about culture shock...

 

[Crispy120286]

So i'd like to avoid a TPK with my party if at all possible so im looking through the adventures and trying to decide which quests to do in which order.

So far i've made a list of quests in order of difficulty:
Hound of fogmore
Peculiar, Most Peculiar
Troll Under the Bridge
Pandoras Box
On Safari
Troublemakers
Manhunter
Escort Service
Memories of Brokendale
Jack of the Weirwood
Lizards Lament
Kobolds of Thornbury (obvious finish)

So now I have 5 players, and doing every quest will bring them halfway to level 4. This list was only putting them in order of experience point totals. Escort Service is just a bunch of random encounters so it can probably be put much earlier and Pandora's Box is going to be one of my favorite to run so I definately want to hold that off for a little bit. Perhaps directly after Escort Service as there walking back to town.

Any thoughts, recommendations? I understand it is sandbox but I really dont want to toss all 12 in at once and say "go have fun!" then again, that may be the point of this adventure... am i missing the point? lol

 

[Crispy120286]

Curious... Ariadne gets captured at the very end of act 1 and taken all the way to Skull Mountain which in act 3 she is found alive... that can be many many months after capture. Any logical reason or some excuse I can make up as to why she hasn't been eaten yet? What is some of your opinions? Knowing my group they may question this like I have

 

[Morrus]

It's not months later (unless your players really dawdled - but Cirothe gradually destroys the various towns on the map, so they can't dawdle long).

 

[Crispy120286]

Oh. Well that makes sense. How long did your campaign take (ingame time)? What did they do? I've been searching all over, not a single review or retelling of any other groups experiences. Which is why I plan on keeping a blog

 

[Morrus]

About a month, I think.

 

[Crispy120286]

Oh that's not bad

 

[Crispy120286]

Ooooh boy. My current campaign may be dropping suddenly which puts me in the captains chair starting tomorrow. I'd like to say I'm prepared but it does make me nervious.

 

[Morrus]

Good luck! I'm back from Gen Con, so I'm available for questions!

 

[Crispy120286]

Its official! My current campaign has ended and we're starting TSAD on thursday. Going to generate the characters then and get started. Any recommendations on how to bring the tavern alive?