At the conclusion of The Bullywug Gambit, the PCs should be 5th level. If you want to give them a little something extra, and keep their characters from just sitting around while preparations are made for the next chapter of the Savage Tide campaign, issue #149 has just the thing.
The War of the Wielded is a 5th-level adventure set in Sasserine, and would make a perfect side-quest before the group leaves for their three-hour... um, three-month tour.
I'm going to use this in an online campaign I'm running, even though it might be a very long time before they get to that point. Whatcha think?
I had the same idea. It'll be nice to take the focus of the AP away from Vanthus/Lavinia for a time, as well as give the PCs more time to explore the wonderfully described city of Sasserine. Hel, there are brief moments when I'm tempted to stop the AP after BWG and just run a Sasserine centered campaign (but only briefly...).
I may have to run this one myself. I hadn't actually looked to see if it would fit into the campaign timeline, but damn that's a fun adventure! I thought it was the absolute best use of intelligent weapons I have ever seen in this game. All in all, just a fantastic design.
"War of the Wielded" is right up there with "Automatic Hound" in terms of really awesome adventures coming out of Dungeon lately. My only complaint is that it came out just a little too late. Aw well. Some day.
I may have to run this one myself. I hadn't actually looked to see if it would fit into the campaign timeline, but damn that's a fun adventure!
Especially for a rustmonster like you, huh? ;)
"War of the Wielded" is one of the most imaginative, short-and-sweet adventures I've seen in the mag. In truth, I think that the uber-sized STAP adventures toward the end have made it imperative that the adventures here are as concise as they can be. And, I really appreciate the dedication to an intelligent magic weapon conceit. Highly original.
That said, my only real gripe with it is, ironically, that I found little to cement it in the city of Sasserine, save for the mention of the city as its setting. In truth, although it doesn't have to be set in Sasserine--nor are any characters present in the Sasserine backdrop (#139)--present, by setting it in Sasserine, it does allow for readers who are (likely) ingrained in the STAP to get a little more out of their issue, with little space sacrificed. For those who have been casually reading about STAP, or are thinking about running it, this might just be the adventure to tip the scales. It's a shame we won't have the chance to see this maneuver implemented a little more before the print run ends. Here's to GameMastery, however, with the hopes that that tradition continues, as it seems to have done with D0: Hollow's Last Hope and D1: Crown of the Kobold King.
Honestly, can you ever leave Sasserine alone after exploring it once? I have to keep my players returning to this most excellent city!
Honestly, can you ever leave Sasserine alone after exploring it once? I have to keep my players returning to this most excellent city!
No kidding! I gotta say, Sasserine is practically a campaign setting unto itself. A cut above with the Player's Guide, and extensive map. My players aren't gonna want to leave. Maybe I'll have to come up with more sidequests like War of the Wielded, myself...hmmmm...
Thanks a ton for the encouraging words on “War of the Wielded” there guys. I give full credit to the editors who had the savvy to locate the adventure in Sasserine.
On the off-chance anyone is interested, I’ve posted a few extra Oquon weapons on this thread here.
If anyone does manage to drop "War of the Wielded" in their STAP campaigns I’d love to hear a bit about how it played out. The original playtest was just bizarre and I've been getting a few interesting reports.
-MiKe
I absolutely love the fact that they found a way to get a swordian adventure in the magazine. I'm a raving Tales of Destiny fan, and this adventure made me smile. I can't wait to share it with my friends.
Honestly, can you ever leave Sasserine alone after exploring it once? I have to keep my players returning to this most excellent city!
I gotta say the second Savage Tidings article with areas surrounding Sasserine is what clenched playing the STAP. The amedio jungle, pirates, blood bay, gladiators, tower of rust (iron?), emerald rivers, affiliations. My favorite (not that I can remember the name) was the giant stone head of a crocodile/dragon/linwyrm that is filled with bones.
I completely intend to include this in my Savage Tide, as well as a lot of the areas that are mentioned in the companion Dragon articles. The environment alone makes for a fun game. In more years than I care to think of we've explored subtropical areas but twice. It's nice to have something fresh in Greyhawk or any game.
I also think it does a lot to enhance the overall scale of the AP. In a game where you're destined to visit and contest demons, there should be intelligent magic weapons dancing about the streets of the setting, wrecking havoc. Compared to anything else I've ever run, Greyhawk is very magic heavy, and this is a good showcase of it.
I'm planning on including it as well. My PC group is a rather goal-oriented mob though, so it might be tricky. Maybe if one of the Oquon weapons were in Vanderboren Manor's secret armoury it might be a way to start things off. I can't see them getting overly excited about random duels on the street otherwise (my Sasserine isn't exactly the most law-abiding of places...)
I think the War of the Wielded will find its way into my STAP when I run it. I can already see the PCs trying to find a way to keep the magical items instead of destroy them! I just know they will behave like a dog with a favorite bone!
Mike Kortes rocks houses.
~grins~ This adventure reminds me of the Nodwick comic where two swords are chatting while their wielders are just hacking away at each other!