So I'm thinking of running this for my family (my mother and brother). They're entirely new players and like the idea of the Pirate theme, which is why I picked it, but they're both entirely new players (never played any TRPG before) and I haven't had the time to read through the whole thing yet.
Their classes are looking something like this:
Drizette Do'Gurlden: Female Drow Ranger going into TWFing and Dervish Dance. My mom likes the R.A. Salvatore novels. A lot. So she asked me to make a female version.
Nyte Gangritch: Male Human Bladebound Magus. Knowing my brother, he'll probably just pick what sounds cool, which could be anything from "Whatever kills people in the most painful way" to "Some weird mind bendy spell".
Any major pitfalls I should watch for? Would a GMPC/"Persistent NPC" be good to shore up their numbers/abilities, or would they be fine throughout? I'm used to them being present and unobtrusive in any games I run/play in, but I'm also used to playing over Roll20, where everything is easier to keep organized.
Better off being extremely morally flexible (as in, "Neutral to Evil or bust", or would a Chaotic Good sort be acceptable?
Any sidelong information such as "Nerf this encounter or it will eat them whole" would be welcome as well.
Hmm.. S&S is not really a good choice for first time players. There are a number of sub-systems like the Rum,Punishment,Socializing stuff that would eat them alive. I suggest doing a module like Godsmouth Heresy or even First Steps so they get a handle on the system.
If you do want to play, people should chime in. Such as,
1.Ease up on the Rum. The Rum as written will wreck your characters. Make it fatigue or give them a skill penalty instead of the straigh up CON damage.
2.Cut down on lashes for mucking up on the job.
The Rum checks are for Con damage in the first book? 0.o
Yeah I'll make sure to tone that one down then, definitely.
My brother and I are currently running through it together with only two characters so we went munchkin with it. Gestalt Sorcerer/Gunslinger and Witch/Gunslinger brothers with a superhero stat array, 13/14/15/16/17/18 arranged how you like. Overkill much? hells yeah but it's a gas, and while we are smoking most of the skill rolls we aren't just waltzing through every combat. Is it for everyone? Certainly not, but you could easily tone it down some and still help them a lot. For example simply allowing superhero stats would go a long way towards helping them out. I can give you other ideas but they get pretty munchkiny pretty fast.
Also, as for the alignment question, while it is possible to be good aligned morally flexible is a lot less work, especially with the infamy/disrepute rules.
Yar, I did rolled stats and then bumped everything up a smidge.
I call it "GM Point Buy". I thought about Gestalt but that seemed a smidge too complex for complete newbies, so I dropped the idea for the nonce (though I do enjoy a Gestalt game).
Right on, another thing I would suggest is a liberal application of action/hero points, say two or three per level that don't roll over from level to level and extra bonus ones that do as GM awards for particularly good gaming. And frankly turning Sandara into a GM/PC is not a bad idea, just give her a couple of traits maybe boost a stat or two to keep her in line with the PC's and then have her stand back in most fights and act as a booster/healer and then pop in for the odd flanking bonus.
Read the first book carefully before you jump in. While running something simpler as an introduction to tabletop play is not a bad idea, first-time players could do OK in Skull & Shackles so long as everyone understands what they're getting into.
The first module in particular can be quite deadly (look at the S&S obituary thread) and the overall tone of the AP is rather gritty. The Rum Ration has already been mentioned, severe beatings are not uncommon, there is at least one outright attempt to kill one of the PCs, your players (and the friends they make among the crew) will mutiny at some point and probably have to kill their officers, and there is a shipwreck on a very deadly island to survive. Two PCs are not enough to get through all that by themselves, so a couple of NPC helpers as either fellow pressganged crew or from among the existing crew will most likely be needed to allow them to survive. The module has one such helpful NPC already (Sandara Quinn) but she figures in a major plot point on the island and won't be available at a time when the PCs will need help the most, so be sure you have enough others to fill out the "party". (The AP is intended for four characters, and will be truly deadly for only two unless you scale back most of the encounters or add NPC helpers.)
Your players should understand that their characters are attempting to become pirates, and many pirates are Not Nice People by any stretch of the imagination. Most NPCs you meet will be N, CN, CE, or LE, although there are a few CG types running around. A CG character is not totally out of place, but remember - "Pirates". At some point they're going to kill people and take their stuff for pure larceny's sake, so keep that in mind when considering Good-aligned characters.
I highly recommend you read some of the S&S campaign journals that have been posted here to get an idea of what to expect as you proceed. Sabedoria's in particular is quite entertaining, and has some great ideas on ways to "tweak" the AP to add interest to some of the plot points.
EDIT: Hero points are an excellent idea, and can help keep your PCs alive. I didn't have them in my game when we started but have added them since - my group hasn't progressed too far into The Wormwood Mutiny as yet, so the change didn't cause any problems.
I added a 1 point version of the Cheat Death HP option which I call 'death has consequences'. Depending upon just how dead the character is, they can use 1 HP to 'cheat death'. The catch is ... how dead are they? If they *just* died (exactly -CON), they have a nasty scar when they wake up. If they were a few hp past -CON, they lose a few digits (fingers or toes) At 5-9 past -CON they lose an eye, an ear or something similarly important but not really vital. If they hit 10 or more past -CON, something is either lopped off or they suffered severe trauma (-1 point of CON).
If you're talking death by acid bath, lava belly flopping, super powerful breath weapons or the like, then the character is looking at becoming Anakin Skywalker.
Gross as it is, Garth Ennis did a post-apocolyptic comic about a pirate lord that get this..
Missing his hands and feet
His eyes
His jimmies
He was still able to kick butt. So try using it here.
Neat!
I'll have to make sure to use that exact wording as well.
"His jimmies remain forever unrustled, as they were long ago detached from this pirate's body".
And I like the Hero Points option.
I may actually add the "Death has consequences" option to my Carrion Crown game when it comes back.
A player is missing from that and he was kinda the guy that got everyone moving, and I don't want him to miss the story anyway (since he'd miss 3-4 sessions). Probably gonna end up running one-shot modules for everyone else in the meantime, so it'd be a perfect time to try it out.
Another option for the "Death Has Consequences" idea (which I like a lot, BTW) could be to combine it with the "Peg Legs and Eye Patches" sidebar in the S&S Player's Guide: the "deader" the character was, the more severe the damage from the sidebar. Perhaps add the "hp past CON" number as a + modifier to the roll of a d10, and let the the player make the roll?
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There is one NPC in their from the beginning that would be a good GMPC--Sandara Quinne, a CG Cleric of Besmara, and with only two people that would be highly suggested. However there is a bit of an issue with her in that you have to change the module a bit or she won't be available for the second half of the first one (where they would probably need her most). My party ended up with her as a semi-permanent GMPC (and lover of one of the PCs) as their numbers fluctuated from 2 to 6 on different sessions, finally settling at 3.
As for a few other mods for a small, inexperienced party...
Try one ship combat, maybe two, and if they aren't big on it, skip right to boarding actions from then on.
The Plunder system could be hit or miss. If you don't think they'll click well with having "plunder points" that they have to make checks to sell at various ports with different values and DCs at each place, just swap it out with straight loot depending on what size ports they have access to. As a tip, 1 plunder is roughly 700 + #module (i.e. module 2 is 900 gold, by the 5th 1200).
Neither of these are particularly complicated systems, but for brand new players who may be having enough trouble learning the system as it is, it might just not be worth bothering.
Another option for the "Death Has Consequences" idea (which I like a lot, BTW) could be to combine it with the "Peg Legs and Eye Patches" sidebar in the S&S Player's Guide: the "deader" the character was, the more severe the damage from the sidebar. Perhaps add the "hp past CON" number as a + modifier to the roll of a d10, and let the the player make the roll?
That's basically what I had in mind from the get-go. ;)
I haven't run S&S (nor am I going to, it's not my cuppa) but I am that weird GM who routinely runs adventure paths for two PCs.
Tactics, mostly. With so few PCs they need to think about each combat intelligently. Can't just wade in and hope you have backup.
Although with new players you're gonna have a lot of hand-holding. Don't be afraid of tweaking a few things in your player's favor if/when you have to.
And bring some tea or something to the table, you're gonna be doing a loooot of talking. More than a normal 4 member party, in my experience.
Have a DMNPC, as it is really hard to problem solve with only 1-2 players and you want someone to target in combat when the PCs are on the ropes and need a round off. Also, it allows you to steer conversations and promote roleplaying when the players are having trouble. I'd recommend this DMNPC have a very static perspective so that anything you say is the character talking, not the DM telling the players what to do. So have the person always provide the same type of advice--stick in the mud, bookish nerd, let's do something crazy, whatever. Basically, you want a NPC that generates ideas, but not solutions.
Now, the major thing you have to worry about is becoming emotionally attached to this DMNPC. Don't do that. The adventure is always focused on the stars, the PCs. Design the NPC to be as easy to run as possible, with feats improving attack and defense stats rather than providing additional options. You want a healbot oracle or a sorcerer who focuses on buffing and debuffing. You're shooting for the most boring, average mechanics possible.
Mmhm. I'm used to running GMPCs, so it shouldn't be too much of an issue.
As with the other one (in my CC game) this guy's probably gonna be a healbot/skill guy who only makes checks when the PCs ask him to.
Sandara Quinn, as a Cleric of Besmara, makes possibly the best GMPC already present in the campaign. (In my game, She may even BE Besmara in amortal disguise...)