jbowtie's page

> So I had given them a printout from the interactive maps

I knew I shouldn't have bought a print copy. Never spending my money on printed Paizo material ever again except for item cards.

> Having character handouts for anything that can happen

I just want handouts for plot-critical things. Supposedly the fan map is the only way the players learn about the existence of the wrecks (in two adventures, no less!) so I'm pretty peeved that no one thought fit to produce it even once.

> there are many ways for the PCs to get a map of the swamp.

Yeah, well my players went straight to the goblin village, no side trips. I have to produce a map before next session. I already bought an antique fan so I am by gum going to commission a local cartographer to deface it.

"The map depicts Brinestump Marsh, along with the locations of two shipwrecks and a cave."

I don't know how you extrapolate that to "a lopsided oval with four Exes", but my players certainly expect a higher level of fidelity from my props.

I'm just disappointed in Paizo. When a map is a plot-critical resource like this one, it makes sense to provide a player handout. If they have the resources to do graphic design on the rhymes for a free prequel adventure (which I just downloaded and checked for the map), they could afford to do up a little map in the same style.

Really?! Are there other missing handouts in this Adventure Path I should know about?

I've just started running this AP, and in area H the party is supposed to find a map on the back of a fan marking the locations of a couple of shipwrecks.

I've been through the book four times and I can't find the corresponding player handout. I was going to copy it onto the back of a fan I purchased for next session but I just can't find it and am worried that buying the print version was a mistake since I'm obviously missing out on the so-called interactive maps.

My group is about to meet with the queen for the first time, and I've just thought of an interesting twist; I'd like some feedback to make sure I'm not overlooking anything.

Having read through issue #12, I was somewhat unsatisfied that the group fought a 'fake' queen in the palace and then had to go fight the real one in a location not tied to the city. So, tying that in with my Regency plot, I had a brainwave - what if the Queen's mother/regent/vizier is the real villain?

Specifically, what if the regent replaces the real heir with the simulacrum ASAP? Say, after the real heir disguises herself as "Trinia" and escapes the palace?

Suddenly everything ties together - why it's so important to get Trinia out of the city (and why to send adventurers rather than the city guard to apprehend her), why there's a fake queen at the end, why Trinia comes back to the city after fleeing, and a reason for Blackjack to rescue her in such a dramatic fashion.

It also gives the party a much more personal stake in fighting the queen - they're the only ones who know she's a fake! The only loose end I can think of is Sabina, but we could sort that by transferring her loyalty to the regent instead. Am I missing anything?

While obviously my altered setting is not directly useful, I do have a few links that are generically useful.

I detail a few in a blog post. These are really helpful in injecting some color - I especially love the list of street vendor cries.

Also, if your campaign has a newspaper, the West Briton Newspaper is a great source of (public domain) headlines, blurbs, and details. The first para of my latest headlines is a fantastic description of an aurora (with a crimson glare) lifted from said resource.

IMO I think it adds somthing to the game if you can get the players emotionally attached to the NPC's. Of course abusing the PC's friends and family should be used sparingly.

The problem is that many adventures and/or DMs do abuse the allies as a cheap way to score emotional points. It's been done to death as a plot point and as a result, a lot of players refuse to get emotionally attached in the first place.

As an example, the "Serpent Amphora" trilogy is an otherwise absolutely brilliant campaign, but at least three plot points are built around an NPC betraying them - this sort of thing takes its toll *and* makes them extra wary in the next campaign.

Like I said, my group may be extra paranoid (due to me being one such DM), but I really think it pays to raise one's game and find more creative ways to get them attached.

Does everyone use the skiff from A8, or is there an alternate route that I'm not seeing?

I ended up adding a couple of impromptu ladders, one from the fishery floor down to the skiff, and one from the boardwalk to the underpier. It didn't make much difference in the end since they chose to charm Yargin rather than fight him, anyhow.

This is a brilliant idea! YOINK! (assuming you don't mind) :-D

I certainly don't mind, I probably got the idea from someone's blog or forum post anyway. I've certainly read enough over the last few years.

I'm still a newbie DM, though not new to D&D/Pathfinder/etc. How do other DMs make their party connect with their characters? I know the CoCT player's guide gives hooks for background info, and other stuff.

We had a character creation party where I had the players each create 2 NPCs from the city (in addition to their own character) - they had to come up with a name and the nature of the relationship. Naturally they all came up with additional details about these individuals and a couple of them also decided they knew an NPC someone else created.

This had a couple of benefits; it gave them all a couple of extra ties to the city itself and it gave me some reasonably fleshed out characters I can replace some of the hooks or prewritten characters with. For example, I probably won't use Commissioner Kroft at all since we have a couple of player-created NPCs that can serve as hooks for many of the missions she hands out.

I should point out that I did have to promise not to exploit the player creations for DM purposes; no kidnapping, traitors, or off-screen deaths - these are people the players can be persuaded to have long-term, trusting relationships with. Of course, my players are probably extra paranoid.

Have I killed the thread with my extreme awesomeness, or are there really no other groups posting on this board? :)

Our group is in London, not Korsova.

Lt. Henry Forrester -- Framed for the murder of Lady Margaret Cross Edwards, Lt. Forrester has only recently had his commission reinstated. His ordeal has led to strained relations with many of his fellow officers and left him slightly paranoid.

Major "Scotty" MacBurns -- Assigned as an aide-de-camp to Sir Charles Mortimer, this former opium addict has recovered thanks to the intervention of his cousin, the Reverend James MacBurns.

Lady Shizuko "Suzanne" Wordsworth -- The widow of the late Lord Wordsworth, this former geisha has inherited his London townhouse and a generous settlement. She has a strong supporter in Sir Bairn, which has led to her grudging acceptance into society.

Dr. Katherine Cross -- Formerly a nurse in the Napoleonic Wars, Dr. Cross is the first female surgeon recognised by Charing Cross Hospital and a member of the College of Physicians. She is also the guardian of Miss Victoria Edwards, should the missing child be found.

Dr. Xian "Charlie" Ming -- Owner of a small shop in Chinatown, Dr. Ming trafficks in traditional Oriental medicine. Thanks to the patronage of Lord Sutherford, who swears by his arthritis treatment, Dr. Ming has been visited by the servants of several well-known society members.

Mei Mei Wu Shi -- Dr. Ming's shop assistant, this young woman is also secretly a master of the deadly Crane techniques of Kung Fu.

Mr. Natasie Dementiev -- Sponsored by Sir Edward Bairn, Natasie is the first Romany admitted to the pretigious Acadamae. Still conscious of his heritage, he has not yet grown accustomed to being treated as a gentleman.

I've started my Regency England campaign; details can be found at the campaign blog (http://regency-throne.blogspot.com/)

While prepping for tonight's game, I noticed that Yargin is supposed to flee to Gaedren; has anyone worked out a route for him? Does everyone use the skiff from A8, or is there an alternate route that I'm not seeing?

In real life, Edward VII died in 1837

And of course it's William IV who died; I have no idea why I keep confusing him with Edward. I've been doing that consistently for the last few weeks.

[threadjack] what's a Regency England campaign?

Think Jane Austen; as mentioned it technically ends in 1820 but is often used (as it is here) as a catch-all for the pre-Victorian period.

In real life, Edward VII died in 1837 shortly after Victoria turned 18, so she was able to assume the throne. In my campaign, he dies a few weeks too early, allowing the unpopular Duchess of Kent (also named Victoria) to become Regent - it's all to easy to put her in the role of Ilosea.

It's actually a very good match for the campaign; Big Ben hasn't been built yet, no trains are running yet (the first train station in London doesn't open until the end of the year), Parliament burnt down under mysterious circumstances a few months prior, Oliver Twist is being published in the papers (hello, Gaedren Lamm).

Oh, and the Prime Minister is Earl Grey - the one the tea is named after. Though I might make it Earl Greystoke in my little Tarzan joke.

I'm currently engaged in heavily reworking the setting for my Regency England campaign, and I'm curious as to what role the Hellknights and/or Gray Maidens play within the Adventure Path itself.

From reading the first 3 volumes, it looks like they provide only atmosphere (and not even much of that as the Hellknights shut themselves into their citadel). In addition, the events of #10 and #11 take place outside the city where I wouldn't expect any connection. I don't yet have access to #11 or #12 in my country yet, so maybe they play some role I can't imagine.

Can anyone tell me if they have any actual impact on the adventure as an organization? I'm not too worried about individuals as they can just be reworked to be part of some other org if needed.