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This was just a fun story I thought was worth sharing...
This evening almost started with there not being a game, even though everyone had agreed to meet tonight last week.
See, where I live there's a music festival happening and most of my group is musicians who play together. Somehow they all managed to forget they where playing tonight last week, and I was going to be down to 2 players. Doable in our current Skull & Shackles game, but better off leaving it for the night.
Then the third person who finally confirmed called ahead to make sure his visiting brother and said brother's girlfriend could join. Awesome. Just enough for some good piracy. The only Kicker - Neither had played before. I can handle that though because my players aren't all exactly into it as much as I am, and explaining the rules (or making them up...) is pretty much a good part my game. Usually I try to make it fun and easy as possible.
Since I didn't have my "normal" crew, and the Captain and several officers where "at a gig," I decided that the First Mate, who was present, would lead an excursion into a dungeon on Bonewrack Isle that isn't, technically, there as writ.
Using some dungeon tiles, my dry erase board, and some really good improv skills on my part, they descended into an ancient crypt put there by an ancient, crazy Cyclops cult obsessed with the end of the world from "a giant, everlasting storm." (The Eye of Abendego.)
All along the way, as my friend's brother and the girlfriend got into it more and more, my "regulars" also got some good stuff for themselves and the ship as rewards primarily for showing up when they would.
The dungeon went like this:
The fought a Sea Cat that the brother (an extra pirate themed monk I had) and our First mate (the group's regular monk [drunken master]) from the Bestiary in Raiders of the Fever seas, then on to a trapped door that the girlfriend spotted the poisoned trap, disarmed it and the lock, and let the group into the next room. This had several sarcophagi my regular players found some treasure and weapons/armor - as well as a secret door the girlfriend found.
This lead them to some more sarcophagi, where they met a ghost. The first mate, playing his character as a "friendly drunk - for the moment" offered the ghost a drink. So the ghost took it, then lead them around a pit trap to a secret stairwell. Going down which, they found a large room holding an ancient cyclops tasked with guarding the room.
Whom the First Mate again offered a drink, since he speaks cyclops. To which the Cyclops welcomed news of the outside world. A few drinks later and he had the grandfatherly cyclops convinced to join the ship's crew until they reach Rickety's Squibs.
The best part was a few moments later, and this is the part I knew as soon as I had said it, that two new players were born. The cyclops, feeling the need to get out of his stuffy dungeon and see the world he's missed out on for untold centuries, decided he didn't need a job as a guard for a bunch of "old junk" any more and said, " A'right, I'll join yer crew... So... do you guys want some treasure, or what?!"
To which everyone, the two "newbs" the loudest, gave a resounding: "YES!!!"
Awesome story.
Diplomacy for the win!
Hilarious. Very nicely done.
Might not have been the way a lot of people would have played it, but the BEST GMs will always go 'off-map' when they know everyone's going to have fun with it.
(golf clap)
I agree, very well played on your part. Not everyone can handle new players and come up with off the path stuff. Sounds like you have 2 new players to the game, congrats :)
Ambassador to Golarion, pleased to meet you =} Well played sir