In preparing RotRL, I am really unhappy with the Missing Bartender scene. It just seems way too convenient to me that the PCs investigate Ameiko's disappearance only to find a note that not only fills in a lot of exposition in a boring way, but also tells the players exactly when and where they need to go.
I think i'd rather turn this into more of a mini investigation or something similar.
Has anyone else done this? Or have any other ideas?
Thanks all!
Sounds like your biggest issue is with
Instead why not go with exactly what you've said, an investigation. You might play it out as follows, perhaps:
Investigation will likely turn up the catacombs of wrath, considering they're near the crime scene and not that well hidden, and encountering Erylium provides the PCs the link they need to connect everything to Nualia (Erylium was Nualia's mentor after all), and perhaps tell them where Nualia is.
...Or maybe they don't find out where Nualia is, and have to keep up an investigation in an attempt to find her. Whatever works best for you and your group. Perhaps they interrogate Tsuto, wait for another goblin attack and trace them back to Thistletop, or even take some other course of action entirely.
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Actually, I think his biggest issue is that the letter that Bethana has in her possession leads them right to it.
Bear in mind that the letter is supposed to be written in Tian Min. It is unlikely that any of the PCs speak the language, and it is easy enough to have Bethana only speak the barest of the language. Maybe she can only tell them that it is from her brother, because she recognizes his name... Then maybe words here and there, then they can try to puzzle things together. Perhaps some Knowledge (local) checks, maybe they need to gather information...
Good luck!
Tsuto is a homeless drifter that doesn't even live in Sandpoint; he has no associates in the town, and the only people who would recognize him on sight are currently in the Glassworks (and one of them is dead).
There isn't really much potential for investigation here. Yes, it's a bit contrived, but the idea is to get the PCs rushed off to the Glassworks ASAP.
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Actually, I don't agree with that. I thought Tsuto grew up in Sandpoint, but left upon reaching adolescence... the part that I have trouble with is that as a half-elf he would reach maturity much slower, so he would be significantly older than Ameiko, wouldn't he?
I believe he grew up in the Turandarok Academy in town, didn't he?
Of course it has blended together... I don't remember what was made up by me, and what was actually written somewhere... :p
Half-Elves don't reach maturity that much slower, they just take a few years longer than humans. Overall they're far closer to human aging rates than elven ones though.
You'll get your fill of investigating once you start "The Skinsaw Murders" so I wouldn't do it here. At that point in my (still ongoing) game I was still too busy getting the players acclimated to the various personalities in town. The players were also really focused on getting to the bottom of why the goblins attacked Sandpoint, so the strait up "go hear and take care of it" nature of the Glassworks was a welcome relief.
Just to avoid spoilers ...
An additional flaw I noted: Tsuto doesn't speak Minkaian (according to his stat-block), so he could not have written the note in Minkaian.
However, you can make it a bit more convoluted by using Sandru Vhiski (from the Jade Regent AP).
In his background in the Jade Regent AP, Sandru had avoided Sandpoint for some years, due to painful memories of Ameiko and his brother. He does come back "a few years before" the events of Jade Regent, which are assumed to be about 4 years after Rise of the Runelords. So, borrow Sandru from the Jade Regent.. initially as just another NPC passing through the town for the Swallowtail festival. Perhaps Bethana is suspicious of "that Vhiski.. another Sczarni thug, like his brother" who has been hanging around. Change the note that Bethana finds to being written in a cypher that Sandru and Ameiko used in their past, and addressed to Sandru. In it, Ameiko apologizes for not being able to meet Sandru when they had agreed, as her brother had re-appeared and wanted her to meet him at the glassworks.. etc. Now, Sandru can give the PCs his read on Tsuto, maybe that Ameiko is blinded by her desire to reconcile the family.. if Lonjiku is involved in the troubles plaguing Sandpoint, it is likely to be Tsuto's doing. Sandru can then volunteer to check out the Kaijitsu manor while the PCs look into the Glassworks.
As an added bonus, if you want to pad out some of the travel aspects, you can borrow the Caravan rules from the Jade Regent AP (available free in the Players' Guide); just watch out for the Caravan Combat aspects, as there are some issues with the rules. There are suggested fixes in the Jade Regent forum in the thread Concerned About the Caravan.
For that matter, the Relationship mechanics (also in the Jade Regent Players' Guide) could be used in Rise of the Runelords as well, although you would need to work out what other NPCs could be candidates (Shayliss Vinder, perhaps?) and what actions might affect their responses/attitudes.