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So about 20 years ago, I started playing AD&D with a bunch of kids who found me, the new kid, and made me their friend. One in particular and I really connected and as we transitioned into 3e, we were the best of friends. I moved again in 2001 and he and I have kept in touch over the years, always with the promise of maybe playing together again. But as we each developed our own lives, started families, that promise seemed further and further away... Then, at the end of 2019, he invited me to his regular group to play though the first book of Ironfang Invasion and a bit of the second and I was hooked. Reign of Winter immediately grabbed my eye as the AP I would want to run if the time came and, now (a few weeks ago) my time has come.
There was a lull in the group's activity and I found my courage to pounce on the opportunity.
I actually started with Witchwar Legacy, setting it about 70 years prior current events at the beginning of RoW, more or less a prologue for events that will unfold. I won't go into it much here unless asked, but those high-level characters (or their legacies) that kicked the crap out of Toshanna will feature later on in RoW in varying capacities.
Snows of Summer began earlier than prescribed as well, as none of the players wanted to be FROM Heldren. So I, in my infinite wisdom, decided to have two of them be a part of Lady Argentea's caravan, a Bard and a Magus, who come across a wandering Swashbuckler, and are then ambushed by Rokhar's Raiders. Coincidentally, a local Druid has noticed some strange stuff going on in the Border wood. Animals acting odd, strange weather, and is on her way out of town when she runs across the battle unfolding around the caravan. With the PCs help, Lady Argentea's guards are triumphant and they are able to interrogate the last remaining Raider, who tells them basically everything due to a cunning game of good Bard, bad Swashbuckler.
**EDITED TO ADD that I left Izoze/any magical interference out of the Caravan fight because the PCs beat them so handily (a combination of their skills and my naivete and poor rolling) that adding them in after a defeat seemed ill conceived and sort of like cheating. Introducing the magic slowly as they get deeper into the Pocket has proven to be the correct choice.**
They then escort Lady Argentea back to Heldren where they are given a hero's welcome. The next day they are tasked to take out Rokhar and his Raiders to bring back order to the area by the Town Council. They slew the Tazlwyrm and had just passed the Snowman before the Magus fell through the ice and we ended on a cliffhanger icehanger.
Going forward, I plan on implementing a lot of the ideas discussed here (Badass Black Rider, tiered Mantle Boons, Blizzard rules for snow, etc), with my own spin on things, of course.
Anyways, that's my story so far and I'm glad to be here. Just wanted to let you all know that you helped get this middle-aged gamer back into it in a major way.