I've recently started putting a small group of players through Life's Bazaar, we're having a ball, just about to descend into the malachite fortress. The bits that my players have enjoyed most thus far have been the roleplaying encounters - they loved interogating the guards in the first scene, discussing what might be going on with Jenya, talking to the kids at the orphanage, and (particularly) trying to find out what Keygan Ghelve was hiding. What scenes in the rest of the adventure and in subsequent adventures should I try to expand to keep up this kind of roleplaying? Are there NPCs from later in the series I could introduce early to keep the players talky skills amused?
Any ideas much appreciated.
M
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That was easy for me, because one of my players had been a Cauldronite. He was a healer (wizard first, with a good heal skill) and worked close with the orphanage and Jenya. We made him be in love with Jenya (for Roleplaying) and to get things a bit complicated I decided that Alek Tercival was also in love with her. Both of them didn't like each other very much, and it made for some great moments during the Demonskar module!
Another one (the rogue) thought Jil was fascinating (I don't even know now how he came up with this during the first encounter) and he and Jil always stalked each other. She will come back as well later, so you might use her a bit more.
The two dwarves of the group came to Cauldron to visit uncle and aunt Ironfold (two victims of the kidnappings) and got thus involved in the plot. They found only Sondor and searched their uncle even in Bhal-Hamatugn.
So, Jil, Alek and maybe one of the victims might help you out coming up with some roleplaying factors!
The PCs eventually get a chance to hobnob with Cauldron's finest in AP3. Because of the nature of professional adventuring in my campaign, the characters needed wealthy and influential supporters to obtain the right to adventure in Cauldron's vicinity in the first place (See my "Free Company Charters" thread way back in March; it hasn't been touched in a while). With a little direction, the party has landed on two central patrons: Jenya, and Lord Vhalantru! Needless to say, the last has provided me with delicious opportunities to role-play with the PCs, who have no idea who he is. If your PCs are unfamiliar with the later installments of the adventure path, don't be afraid to introduce Vhalantru right off the bat as a wealthy and influential patron of adventurers. I was able to dispense with Celeste and the doppelganger "father" of Zenith in AP3 because my PCs trust and like Vhalantru so much.