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Message: <blockquote data-quote="malchus" data-source="post: 3389431" data-attributes="member: 22731">Disclaimer - It's been a couple of years since I ran it, I don't have the books, and I've lost my notes, so I may remember things incorrectly (especially where I changed things), or mix up which bits were the module and which bits I made up.Did you get all three, or just The Longest Night? The reason I ask is that I'm pretty sure there was some important information in the later two modules which helps a lot in running the first one.[sblock]The one that comes to mind clearly is the powers / effects of the Witchblade, specifically what happens when PCs pick it from. From memory, you gain 4 (!) negative levels if you're not already a 10th level caster. I'm almost certain that wasn't mentioned in The Longest Night (if it was, I never found it).[/sblock]So, while it's probably good advice to read ahead when you run any series of modules, I thought that some of the information really could have been better placed better. (I suspect this is because they hadn't worked out all the details when they plublished The Longest Night, but that doesn't help you when you're trying to run it).At least if you call it a cut-scene, the players know there's no action they can take. Otherwise, they're likely to keep trying things until they get frustrated. Either way, it's pretty ordinary.Yeah, there are some quite obvious rail-roads in there. The problem is, I think, that the module writers were a little too keen on showing how cool their NPCs were, instead of allowing the PCs to drive the game. I decided pretty early on that I'd let the PCs do what they want, and try and work the second and third modules around what they were doing.[sblock]For example, when I ran The Longest Night, Alexia got smacked into negative hit points by a steamjack (don't ask), and the sword got stolen by Sirac. I'd already decided that the sword had been 'put to sleep' by whatever happened when Sirac last used it at the Trial 10 years ago, so as to explain why no-one noticed gaining negative levels when they picked it up and buried it with Alexia's mother. So 'Shadow of the Exile' involved Sirac storming the Temple of Cyris to use its energy to 'awaken' it again. And so on.[/sblock]I really liked the feel and setting of the modules, but the writers obviously have a very different play style than my own group (and, judging by many of the comments I've read, other groups as well). I ended up putting a fair amount of effort (for me) into the background stories of everyone involved, as I knew that my players would want fairly detailed answers for stuff.[sblock]Like, you know, what the original Trial was all about[/sblock]On the other hand, 'jacks are just cool.</blockquote>

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