Ok, I started running Burnt Offerings. My party has been giving me grief, but after this last sessions, I'm more perplexed than usual.
The first part of the problem lies in the fact that most of the players have avoided making characters with ties to Sandpoint. They've begun threatening to leave the town to never return. At this point, my reaction would be to tell them that those characters go on to have adventures elsewhere and they need to roll up new characters with ties to Sandpoint and I'll work them back into the game with the player that does have a character with ties to town.
The next problem came as the PCs began crossing the rope bridge to Thistletop. Despite my descriptions of a rickety old rope bridge, they went across in 2 groups of 3 (with a small person in the 1st group). The second group took the plunge to the sea below. 2 character died, having been injured just shortly before, by the goblin dogs nearby.
So, the next session, I worked out a story to work in the next two characters. One of the new characters being a rogue, she had run into some problems with the Sczarni (sp?). One of the other PC's mentors asked the party to find her and off they went. Eventually the mentor got involved in the rescue, but to add another hook to keep the PCs tied to things, he was abducted by the Sczarni.
Now last night, they decided to see what happened to the mentor. They decided they would take on the entire Sczarni guild by themselves (they're 3rd level now). They seem to have the idea that they should be able to take out an entire thieves' guild. They went to the Pixie's Kitten (a place they had come to associate (incorrectly) with the Sczarni) and started a big fight. One of the PCs ended up dead from the fight with the 3 Barbarian bouncers at the Kitten, but all three Barbarians ended up dead. They ran the Madame out of town basically (who is in a relationship with Sheriff Belor). The Sheriff is of course in Magnimar at the moment, but they went back to the mayor and demanded that she give them the right to arrest everyone in the Pixie's Kitten, arrest Kaye herself, and basically go on a witch hunt in town. It should be noted, the only one of the original PCs left that was declared a local hero, is a Dwarven Druid with a 6 Charisma.
At this point in time, my gut instinct is: the mayor takes away the parties "unofficial deputy" privileges they had been given by the sheriff. She then reprimands them for their actions at the Kitten. I don't want the Sczarni to give up the mentor, as that's a strong tie that holds one of the PCs to Sandpoint (making it 2 PCs tied to town, instead of just 1). I also want the PCs to have a healthy respect for the Sczarni. If they can just march in and wipe out the guild, they'll have the false sense that I'll let them accomplish anything they decide to attempt.
The party refuses to hunt any more goblins until the mentor is returned to them. They act like it's the town's fault that he was kidnapped. It should be mentioned that they continually make comments that they think they should just be able to distribute swords to the townsfolk, who could then defend themselves against any goblin horde that could be unleashed against them. It should also be mentioned that the character who had been mentored by the mentor in question is now dead. However, one of the new characters (brought in after the rope bridge incident) is the mentor's sister.
There's probably other complications that I haven't mentioned that muddy up the situation for me. Don't feel bad if I have to nix ideas because of this. I really am looking for some advice.
In case it helps, here's what I have for characters currently:
Wanda - CG/NG Human Rogue Female (15 year old street urchin who only knows Sandpoint; has an affinity for Aud, as Aud helped save her life and seems to be the only person who really cares about her; strongest tie to Sandpoint currently)
Aud - NG Dwarven Cleric Female (Priestess of Pharasma; midwife and undertaker; younger sister of Kettil ("The Mentor" and gladiator of the local arena))
Thraknar - N/LN Dwarven Druid Male (elemental druid (small elemental instead of animal companion, as per Complete Mage); grumpy, feels like humans have no sense of community, ready to "leave Sandpoint to the goblins"; last remaining "hero" of the goblin invasion that started off the Burnt Offerings adventure)
Llwellyn - CG/CN Elven Warmage Male (Has continually made a point of not having any loyalty to anything; looking to PrC into Wild Mage)
Zenovia - NG Human Fighter Female (now deceased, was Kettil's "apprentice"; likely to be replaced by either a Barbarian or Paladin; was one of the surviving heroes from the beginning of the adventure)
