#12 Stay of Execution--Spicing it up


GM Discussion

Shadow Lodge 1/5

I've run this module once now and found it short, with limited options etc. I am now running it for a second time a week from Monday and would love to have some advice on putting lipstick on this pig.

The Exchange 5/5

Kerney wrote:
I've run this module once now and found it short, with limited options etc. I am now running it for a second time a week from Monday and would love to have some advice on putting lipstick on this pig.

Of all the Season 0 scenarios this one had the most potential go unrealized. Because the prison itself is completely left to the GM to describe, it takes a lot of work to make it pop.

Advice:
What I suggest is to first design the prison on paper, including the encampment. Sketch out the garrison, including the officers and watch rotations. One third of the garrison should be on leave in Sardis, likely getting drunk since prison duty is terribly frustrating. Having said that, make gaining entry to the prison much more difficult. Now the players will have to think about how they want to tackle the job instead of being led by the nose like the scenario does. Clever players will have lots of creative ways to get in. They could steal uniforms and disguise themselves as guards. They could bribe a corrupt officer. They could blackmail a guard. They could try and take out the garrison through hit-and-run tactics. They could create a distration and scale the walls. The list goes on and on, the point is it's more fun to be creative than to follow a script.

Although a gargoyle that eats books is funny, the negotiation that follows is tedious. The players want a guarenteed exit from the prison, not just a way in. Usually I have the gargoyle just lie to them, he is chaotic evil after all, but it's not like the players don't see it coming. I'd only involve the gargoyle if the players attract his attention, likely when they're making their escape.

Next, the prison itself. You MUST detail the prison yard and the gangs within. The players always want to know about the gangs, who their leaders are, what kind of capabilities they have, etc. Have fun with this. The yard I imagine had an open center and gang camps around the outskirts. It is encircled by an inner curtain wall. There is an outer wall held by the guards, with towers at each corner. There are trebuchets atop each tower. Three are used for defense and one is used to hurl foodstuffs into the yard. This is about all the entertainment the prison guards have, watching the gangs go at it over crates of food smashed open in the yard known as Hell. Over the years it has become a game of "Steal the Bacon", where bold prisoners dart into the open to grab all the food they can carry and try to make it back to their camp. The other gangs vigorously throw rocks at anyone who ventures into the center. Thus they call it Hell.

Past that, I don't have any guards enter the prison. The riot is caused when multiple gangs ally against the Smashers and try to take Hadge for themselves. Rivak sneaks in the back way and tries for Hadge himself. This is very open to improvisation. The Faction missions from the storehouse could all be moved to the Smasher's base.

So those are some ideas, lipstick for your pig so-to-speak. I know that our OP admins would rather we just run the scenarios as written, but I have to argue that this scenario begs revision. It is being retired for a reason. I know the opponents are lame and the scenario does not scale up well at all. I can't recommend that you revise the stat blocks for the Smashers. Whatever you do, don't do that. Adding a level to Enga and her lieutenants (consistent with PRPG CR changes)and changing some of their feats to make them combat-effective is not allowed. Don't give Enga Power Attack and have her swing her heavy mace two-handed.

Beyond not making those kinds of changes, best of luck running this and let us know how it went.

The Exchange 5/5

Hey Kerney!

I was going to post something, but Doug did first.

Spoiler:

Every time I ran the adventure, I drew the whole of the prison and left the PCs bounce back and forth. I thoroughly enjoyed running it that way.

JP

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