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I am planning on DMing CotCT soon. The only thing I don't like about the first adventure is the "rail-roading" in the first part.
I plan on having all pcs being members of the city guard and wonder if anyone did this as well.
I am sure, this will bring them easier into the story and will also help to kind of overcome the feel of railroading. Getting orders from someone might just do the trick her. Thoughts?
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It might work for your players, and you should run the idea of working for a mutual employer by them to see how they take it, but I can't really recommend it for CotCT at least.
I can definitely understand the need to give them a reason to stay in Korvosa when everything's going down though, and having them work for the Guard neatly takes care of that issue. For my group I used Zellara and the introduction traits, but I also required their characters to actually care about the city. It didn't matter why, but they had to be attatched to it enough so that they wouldn't just go "Well, this is going to hell. We're pissing off to Magnimar." the moment the riots broke out.
What about having the characters not necessarily in the guard(not all at least, in case some want to be members to begin with), but having each of them possibly having done work for them, either as troubleshooters or informants? They might know each other already, or they might be pulled together to deal with whatever brings them into the campaign.
Not trying to sound like I'm out to kill your buzz, having the party being in the Guard already might fit your group perfectly. I'd just worry that it would limit some players as far as what they wanted to be and what they would do later in the game. It does bring some new opportunities into the mix though...
My players had no issues taking orders/jobs from Cressida. I think the players realized that that was what they were supposed to do, but even if not, all of Cressida's jobs are for the safety of the city. If your PCs love Korvosa, it's easy to get them to do what Cressida wants, because she also loves Korvosa.
The PCs are supposed to be "unofficial" trouble-shooters that Kroft can use when she can't use regular guard. I don't see it as a huge problem though. I don't find the beginning too railroad-y though either.
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The PCs are supposed to be "unofficial" trouble-shooters that Kroft can use when she can't use regular guard. I don't see it as a huge problem though. I don't find the beginning too railroad-y though either.
This is the main issue I have with this idea. How can they be "unofficial" troubleshooters when they are under her command?
I am planning on DMing CotCT soon. The only thing I don't like about the first adventure is the "rail-roading" in the first part.
I plan on having all pcs being members of the city guard and wonder if anyone did this as well.
I am sure, this will bring them easier into the story and will also help to kind of overcome the feel of railroading. Getting orders from someone might just do the trick her. Thoughts?
I'm not sure what you're seeing as railroading, myself ...
The PCs are all natives of the city of Korvosa, and took one of the traits giving each a reason to hate Gaedran Lamm. When presented with an opportunity to get Lamm, they all pounced on it faster than a dog on cheese!
Once they find the amulet, and realize what they have, as good citizens, they head out to return it to the queen, and when royalty suggests you can help your city out by going and talking to Croft, not many folks are gonna say no :)
After that, it's one request for help after another, which gives the four desparate individuals a chance to bond as a party ... I found this approach nice, and no more railroady than "You all happen to be in the inn one dark and stormy night ..." :)
As others have pointed out, I think if you make them Korvosan Guard, you're going to have to be rewriting sections, since they can hardly be considered unofficial.
I might suggest they all be part of the Sable Marines, or perhaps students at Vencarlo Orisini's fencing academy if you want a common ground start. And those two groups have potential ties to the Guard while still being not of the Guard, so that might work for your needs.
Good luck!
they all pounced on it faster than a dog on cheese!
Which isn't nearly as fast as a dog on a peanutbutter cracker or a mustard drizzled slice of ring bolonga. Or cats on cheezeburgers!
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I've played this twice(2nd time as filler) and I didn't feel railroaded either time I ran through this specific introduction. The DM needs some sort of hook to get you working together as a team and your characters need to be "adventurer" enough to step up to the plate and accept quests.
The begining can feel a little contrived, yes, but then CoCT, like any other canned adventure, has specific requirements regarding the PC's profile (RotRL, for example, specifies that characters must have a reason to care about Sandpoint). If you're not sure whether they'll bite that hook, then you need to state said requirements from the begining... and if they say no, then you'll need to look for an adventure better suited to their tastes.
Never in my life as a gamer have I felt more railroaded then when I had to be part of some organization. It happened to me a few times, and it just doesn't work for me.
Hmm not sure, railroading would rather be if your PC had a very specific set of goals and then the DM completely disregarded said background only to force you to do as his story says.
If the GM specifies from the begining a set of requirements for his PCs to fit in, however, then that's just the GM focusing on a specific scope for his game... something completely legitimate (in my Alternity game about crime-fighters, for example, you can be sure that I'll reject any supervillain/time traveller/girl-from-outer-space/etc concept). If the GM gives you the full "contract" to read from the begining at least you can choose whether you want to play that campaign or not.
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Don't sweat it man.
One of my PCs couldn't get into the campaign traits as written(and I really recommend playing loose with those BTW, stretching meanings far enough to give the PCs freedom while keeping the traits workable as far as motivating them to heed Zellara's call), so I just asked him some questions about his character, what motivated him, etc. He gave me a lot to work with that would come up much later in the campaign, but the moment he said his character had a daughter I knew I had him. One kidnapping later, and he was the most motivated of all the PCs to join in the fight.
I'm finishging up Age of Worms and then starting this one. What I did for Korvosa was the same thing I did for Diamond Lake: I gave the players a city background and then had THEM tell ME where they wanted thier characters to fit in. If they ask for something that's not going to work, just tell them it won't work for this and pick something else.
Once they told me what area of the city they wanted to live in, I started fleshing out that area for them with where they live, work, hang out, etc. It is also THEIR responsibility to give me their points of connection to each other, as I've told them the game starts with them having lived in the city for several months at least (for those that aren't native) AND that they know each other well.
I also told them their characters need to feel that the city is home, so to tell me what they need from me for it to feel that way if they want more. I want them to think about what their day is like, who they interact with, how they spend their off time, so the city can come to life for them.
They are really getting excited about it, which I want them to, because that feeling is what will keep them hooked in when things start going bad. I won't even have to think of a reason for them to want to stay. They just will. :)
I am planning on DMing CotCT soon. The only thing I don't like about the first adventure is the "rail-roading" in the first part.
I plan on having all pcs being members of the city guard and wonder if anyone did this as well.
I am sure, this will bring them easier into the story and will also help to kind of overcome the feel of railroading. Getting orders from someone might just do the trick her. Thoughts?
Actually limiting their choice of character background in such a major way is... pretty much the rail-roading you seemed eager to avoid.
Besides this does take out much of the personal motive with facing Gaedhen Lamm out of the equation, which ususally provides great nourishment for initial role-playing and character establishment and might cause all sort of problems in the long run.
Such as - being Guards - having to attempt to seize Gaedhen and his accomplices alive for interrogation and a later trial. Or divvying up the loot - since superiors in the Guard might either expect to be seized and given to the city coffers for the greater good, or at least taking a sizable cut for their own pocket. Guards have to play by certain rules, too. Many of which most players resent, strongly to say the least....
Plus, further down the AP, some of the scenarios are becoming problematic if the PCs are (known) members of the watch - they just can't rely to be entirely anonymous with regard to this in a town the size of Korvosa. Someone WILL recognise them at an inopportune moment - in Eel's End, the Slaughterhouse or wherever, making things very complicated. Or when trying to arrest and possibly spirit away Trinia.
Going with the setup-recommended in the player's guide worked rather well for me, the initial session with Zellara and the deck providing a spooky start and a strong sense of purpose.
A tear-wracked helpless looking princess-in-distress worked wonders too.