How are you guys handling this one? Are you creating huge mega-maps and letting the PCs just run about? What about with minis? Both the attacks on Farshore have great drama but how to keep the PCs from all running in different directions.
I have one player who if the party votes to go right will try and go left just to see what he can do on his own. The Assults on Farshore are just his dream! He would race all over the colony and then try to go off the map!
This could prove to be a DM headache!
I haven't yet figured this out. I use Dundjinni for all my battle maps but Farshore is way too big for the 5' square scale, but to work for a battle map that is pretty much the only scale that works. So I am in a bit of a quandary about this. On the plus side, we are just getting ready to start "The Bullywug Gambit" and only play 12 hours a month so I've got a lot of time to figure it out.
It worked out fine for me.
The PCs made their stand at the docks.
Encounter 1) flesh golems crawl out of the water while dozens of longboats make their landing
Encounter 2) the Stygian Shark starts pelting the city with fireballs, so the PCs must board it
Encounter 3) screams from the marketplace lead the PCs to engage the vrocks there
Encounter 4) screams from Lavinia's manor lead the PCs to the final confrontation with Vanthus
I suppose you could to maps of where each bit of action takes place, then work out how many rounds it is to run between them for various speeds. That way you know if a character leaves encounter A runs to B he'll arrive in round X.
I suppose you could to maps of where each bit of action takes place, then work out how many rounds it is to run between them for various speeds. That way you know if a character leaves encounter A runs to B he'll arrive in round X.
I plan to take this approach. I am going to use a projector for my battlemap so I plan to have each area prepared already and just display when I need to. When the PCs go to a different area I'll pull up that map.
One thing I am considering if (when) the PCs split up is running all of the different areas on one initiative board. So if the PCs are in 2 different areas I'd have all combatants on one initiative board for both areas and switch back and forth between the scenes as needed during a round. I think it would create the chaotic atmosphere that such a battle would have I just don't know if it would get too chaotic to run from a DM standpoint.
I have some time to decide since the campaign isn't even starting for about another month. I am really looking forward to running this AP though, it looks sweet.
Do you offer/ coax it as a group reaction encounter or just say "pirates are here raiding, and Flesh Golems here, and fire balls are comming from this ship... And let the PCs choose where to go?
My group of players are tactically oriented so I am sure they will have a plan for when the attack happens. Once the battle starts they may split up depending on how the enemy reacts to them. If that happens I plan to run the multiple combat intiative board and see how it works. I won't push them into it but if they go that way on their own I'll be ready.
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I just finished running the siege of Farshore. I allowed my players to get into the position of their choice for the battle. The NE Human Rogue/Assassin and the CN Drow Ranger stayed with the archers. The Araena Ranger and Human fighter/Tempest were down with the soldiers on the docks and the Elven Wizard/Cleric/Mystic Theurge was floating around invisble on his magic carpet. It was alot of fun to play, I described events as they went and I allowed them to do as they wished. For instance while the Flesh Golems were fighting with the people on the docks, the Drow decided to go do something about the yuan-ti and guardains launching the fireballs. He became invisble ran up the side of the boat (using his slippers of spider climb), stole the wand of fireball right out of the Youan-Ti Sorcerer's hand and fell back in the water. I let the characters more or less be like "special forces for the colonies defense force. Everyone had alot of fun and it worked out really well. I was kinda fast and looses with map position and distances between encounters plus like three PCs were flying around with various potion use and the Theurge with his aforementioned carpet.
The main point to remember in this siege is pacing the encounters (to slow and it gets boring, to fast and you would end up with a TPK). I hope this helps.