RPG Superstar 2010 Top 32
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We'll be playing this week again after a (too long) winter break. There's a good chance that the party will somehow rescue Lavinia and start planning their trip to Farshore.
I've got the Dragon with all Lavinia's mums notes in it and I'm wondering if it gives away too much. Did you give it to your group? I don't want to spoil the surprise when you know what bursts out of the treeline when they reach the Isle. On the other hand, it's good stuff and in character.
I edited it. I didn't use the words "tyrannosaurus rex" but rather just had a description. Oddly enough they were sure it was a dinosaur but not what kind. When it appeared therefore it was dramatic--I made it rather like the arrival in "King Kong" where they just kind of became aware that it was there, and then it began to run towards them. You can always describe what they see or take the excerpts you think would help and type them out or something like that, change the way things are put. I agree that it does provide some spoilers but it also provides information. You can have the aranea for instance but imply that it is an area haunted by spiders of unusual size that Ma Vanderboren avoided (sensibly).
I just gave it to my players as-is. We're midway through "Here There Be Monsters", and it hasn't hurt anything -- if anything, it's helped. They got a better sense of what the Isle would be like, knew what to expect with less work on my part, but not so much that they prepared perfectly well.
I'll have a better sense of whether this was the right or wrong approach after "Tides of Dread", but I suspect I'll still think it was right.
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I made the T-Rex into a Legendary T-Rex(MM2). They are scared that everything on the island is like that now. Wasted a ton of resources on 3 Terror birds after that due to their fear. I made my own notebook of L's moms stuff. Found some sketches of Dinosaurs done by young art students online somewhere, download the images, printed, cut and pasted them into a blank booklet that I found which had a marbleized cover and looked like a medievel diary, added some text in an odd font that wasn't readable and let them know what I wanted them to know(which ended up being more than written).
Worked out well.
;)
I gave the group one picture each session and answered questions about it. Worked out well.
I gave the group one picture each session and answered questions about it. Worked out well.
Cool idea, were the pics related to that night's adventures? Any pics in particular you would recommend? My players do not know the original IoD and I would like to kind of build up the legend somewhat-if not for the adventure at least in game.
I planned to give them the article, but now I would like to give them a copy in the origanl druidic script. Maybe add a 'tranlated' paragraph every week we meet or so. Any suggestions on how to do this?
>> Cool idea, were the pics related to that night's adventures?
No, not really. It was just Greenvise one week, T-rex the next, Terror Birds the next, etc. By the time we got to Isle, they had seen all the pictures. And were suitably afraid to meet a T-rex.
I just gave it to my players as-is. We're midway through "Here There Be Monsters", and it hasn't hurt anything -- if anything, it's helped. They got a better sense of what the Isle would be like, knew what to expect with less work on my part, but not so much that they prepared perfectly well.
I'll have a better sense of whether this was the right or wrong approach after "Tides of Dread", but I suspect I'll still think it was right.
yeah, I gave my group the whole schmeer as the prelude to Lavinia asking them to join the expedition. They read thru it and that was about it. I think it is vague enough to instill a desire for adventure, not necessarily giving anything away.
I think what will make more of an impression is that I have 3 Fiendish T-Rex Minis. that should present some WOW factor.
I used a Treant mini to represent the Mother of All. That gave them a real good sense of scale, the rex-on-the-beach should do the same.
Cheers!
i planned to make lavinia show my pc the map (wich comes with the dragon), and give them any information through conversations with her. I don't plan give them the whole article, but reading this thread, i start to think that give them some home-made "journal" could be great.
very good ideas here!!
I gave it to them as is and it worked out fine. One of my players really read it carefully and now uses that information, which I think is great.
Our first T-rex encounter was great. He promptly swallowed someone and almost killed him. Good times!
I decied there is a lot more backstory to these adventures than my PC ever discover. Remember all those flashback items in the Vandeboren Manor? ignored since no bullywugs of Lavinia was in that room. I gave them the whole article to read. One PC is a druid so it seemed fair he was able to read it.
I have a Treebead mini, but not sure if I can get it done in time. If not I have plenty of sticks that should do the trick. I hope pulling out the Tiamat mini during the SPOILER in SWW is as effective as three T rexes *grin*
"it is called fourshadowing because you do it FOUR TIMES!"
Grunge the Movie by Adam Warren.
In general, I like to plug my own coming adventures, and that's what I felt the map and notes were - hyping things that was yet to come. Worked very well with my group. Some groups might want to go off-track and do things they are not yet ready for; if your group is like that you might want to hold back. Otherwise, go for it.