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Zeitvice: one GM's guide to the best AP
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<blockquote data-quote="arkwright" data-source="post: 8080213" data-attributes="member: 6925177"><p>Very good of you to respond so lengthily, Ranger.</p><p></p><ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Revelations<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Tinker's info does indeed call out 'use me as death star plans'. Perhaps a wise GM could incorporate Tinker's tips into more easily defeating Borne at the end of Book 8.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">'We want to recruit Tinker' isn't a bad idea, particularly since we have the Technological Revelations section as a starting point for what benefit Tinker can bring. I would still be hesitant to fully commit to it because then the PCs might ask 'well sure it would be <em>nice</em> to have Tinker but shouldn't we be investigating the Ob more directly?'. I would be tempted to actually make the Grappa revelation come in early. Perhaps Tinker is actually held hostage by Pemberton, compelled to work on technological marvels by the mental domination of the duplicants. The beginning of the book can be Tinker getting the word out to the RHC that he has super-important Ob info and could he please be rescued. You can still have all the Tinker fights due to, again, that duplicant mental domination.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">I should have been more specific with Vairday; I very much agree with you about not wanting to undermine the Beran revolution by making it Ob-backed. In my game I had it that Vairday was approached by the Ob while alive, but refused. Only upon his death, after a little Ghost Council persuasion, did he agree to sign up.</li> </ul></li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Schism<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><em>"Ultimately there’s not much chance for the players to change what the Ob<br /> leadership decide to do, but they can influence some of the officers."</em> I'd say you probably don't overstate how much influence the PCs can have on the Ob plan, though you can see how the entire setup can lead the PCs to believe their votes will matter, particularly when you cite the online forum debate and when there is no later explanation for why and how Nic decides to go with MAP over all else.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">I would probably maintain my point that the PCs do not successfully 'disrupt' the Ob plan; the Ob come out of Book 8 with all the resources they need to commit to their plans as well as a satisfactory planar arrangement. It could be argued that the only person who actually disrupts the Ob plans is the Voice of Rot, since it is this meeting that enables the Voice to (very quickly) infiltrate and sabotage the Axis Ritual.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">I can appreciate that working out consequences for recruiting 12+ Ob officers is difficult, mostly because in my game that's what actually happened and I had to handle it. To resolve 8's Middle Book Syndrome it would probably be best to more firmly ground the mission in 'let's Operation Paperclip some Ob brainiacs' and then come up with a Tinker Technological Revelations-style reward sheet. Of course, you had limited time and paper at the time of writing.</li> </ul></li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Disapora<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Book 13, <em>Kasvarina Varal is also aboard, either as a well-treated prisoner, or an additional foe in battle, depending on how the events of adventure eight shook out. Their presence gives a social axis to any fighting on the airship. Reaching and speaking with Kasvarina is one way to learn Nicodemus’s true name, and she is the catalyst for the Redemption ending. </em>The idea of swaying Kasvarina being a way to unlock a true-ish ending is a good one, though I can see some PCs being a little cross that after half a book travelling the world with Kasvarina they still have work to do before they can get her on side.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">I can see where you are going with the crack in Borne's armor, but I personally wouldn't want to pursue it. I'm imagining a table revolt once I reveal that all their combined efforts to deal a righteous blow to Borne only result in the literal end of the world, enabling the Voice's plan to drag the planet into the Gyre.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">I personally don't think it is necessary to introduce new plot elements to explain why the Voice's Axis Ritual sabotage might correlate with Nic being angry at the party. I think the very simple idea of 'Nic thinks if only he wasn't distracted watching for the party and committing resources to Flint then he could have stopped the sabotage, because Nic is arrogant enough to blame his failings on others'. Alternatively, the Voice is a titan, which suggests a Risuri plot.</li> </ul></li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Last<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Having Stanfield trying to seal a dangerous breach in his city definitely helps his 'villain with good intentions' status, though I worry it would be far more credible that the Ob would be fine with keeping the breach open, either as a way to soften up Risur or because they are confident that once the Grand Design is in place they can marshal the world's forces to defend themselves. Doesn't MAP exclude some of the planar-invasion protection planets?</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">In my own game, I had it that Stanfield was going to implement mind control much stronger than across the rest of the world so that an Ob-chosen king or queen would have the full belief of the people behind them, giving the ruler enough strength to take on the Titans. In my version the Ob predicted all the Titans were awake and were very, very worried about them. I like this idea as it requires less changes to the book, just giving Stanfield's plan its actual declared effect (mind control).</li> </ul></li> </ul></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="arkwright, post: 8080213, member: 6925177"] Very good of you to respond so lengthily, Ranger. [LIST] [*]Revelations [LIST] [*]Tinker's info does indeed call out 'use me as death star plans'. Perhaps a wise GM could incorporate Tinker's tips into more easily defeating Borne at the end of Book 8. [*]'We want to recruit Tinker' isn't a bad idea, particularly since we have the Technological Revelations section as a starting point for what benefit Tinker can bring. I would still be hesitant to fully commit to it because then the PCs might ask 'well sure it would be [I]nice[/I] to have Tinker but shouldn't we be investigating the Ob more directly?'. I would be tempted to actually make the Grappa revelation come in early. Perhaps Tinker is actually held hostage by Pemberton, compelled to work on technological marvels by the mental domination of the duplicants. The beginning of the book can be Tinker getting the word out to the RHC that he has super-important Ob info and could he please be rescued. You can still have all the Tinker fights due to, again, that duplicant mental domination. [*]I should have been more specific with Vairday; I very much agree with you about not wanting to undermine the Beran revolution by making it Ob-backed. In my game I had it that Vairday was approached by the Ob while alive, but refused. Only upon his death, after a little Ghost Council persuasion, did he agree to sign up. [/LIST] [*]Schism [LIST] [*][I]"Ultimately there’s not much chance for the players to change what the Ob leadership decide to do, but they can influence some of the officers."[/I] I'd say you probably don't overstate how much influence the PCs can have on the Ob plan, though you can see how the entire setup can lead the PCs to believe their votes will matter, particularly when you cite the online forum debate and when there is no later explanation for why and how Nic decides to go with MAP over all else. [*]I would probably maintain my point that the PCs do not successfully 'disrupt' the Ob plan; the Ob come out of Book 8 with all the resources they need to commit to their plans as well as a satisfactory planar arrangement. It could be argued that the only person who actually disrupts the Ob plans is the Voice of Rot, since it is this meeting that enables the Voice to (very quickly) infiltrate and sabotage the Axis Ritual. [*]I can appreciate that working out consequences for recruiting 12+ Ob officers is difficult, mostly because in my game that's what actually happened and I had to handle it. To resolve 8's Middle Book Syndrome it would probably be best to more firmly ground the mission in 'let's Operation Paperclip some Ob brainiacs' and then come up with a Tinker Technological Revelations-style reward sheet. Of course, you had limited time and paper at the time of writing. [/LIST] [*]Disapora [LIST] [*]Book 13, [I]Kasvarina Varal is also aboard, either as a well-treated prisoner, or an additional foe in battle, depending on how the events of adventure eight shook out. Their presence gives a social axis to any fighting on the airship. Reaching and speaking with Kasvarina is one way to learn Nicodemus’s true name, and she is the catalyst for the Redemption ending. [/I]The idea of swaying Kasvarina being a way to unlock a true-ish ending is a good one, though I can see some PCs being a little cross that after half a book travelling the world with Kasvarina they still have work to do before they can get her on side. [*]I can see where you are going with the crack in Borne's armor, but I personally wouldn't want to pursue it. I'm imagining a table revolt once I reveal that all their combined efforts to deal a righteous blow to Borne only result in the literal end of the world, enabling the Voice's plan to drag the planet into the Gyre. [*]I personally don't think it is necessary to introduce new plot elements to explain why the Voice's Axis Ritual sabotage might correlate with Nic being angry at the party. I think the very simple idea of 'Nic thinks if only he wasn't distracted watching for the party and committing resources to Flint then he could have stopped the sabotage, because Nic is arrogant enough to blame his failings on others'. Alternatively, the Voice is a titan, which suggests a Risuri plot. [/LIST] [*]Last [LIST] [*]Having Stanfield trying to seal a dangerous breach in his city definitely helps his 'villain with good intentions' status, though I worry it would be far more credible that the Ob would be fine with keeping the breach open, either as a way to soften up Risur or because they are confident that once the Grand Design is in place they can marshal the world's forces to defend themselves. Doesn't MAP exclude some of the planar-invasion protection planets? [*]In my own game, I had it that Stanfield was going to implement mind control much stronger than across the rest of the world so that an Ob-chosen king or queen would have the full belief of the people behind them, giving the ruler enough strength to take on the Titans. In my version the Ob predicted all the Titans were awake and were very, very worried about them. I like this idea as it requires less changes to the book, just giving Stanfield's plan its actual declared effect (mind control). [/LIST] [/LIST] [/QUOTE]
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