Scenarios that don't front-load the roleplaying?

[Tamago]

I'm a big fan of scenarios that have a lot of roleplaying, such as The Immortal Conundrum and Merchant's Wake. However, it seems like the scenarios always start with the roleplaying and devolve into combat at the end.

This is often a problem, as when I'm running the scenarios I don't know how much time to allocate to the roleplay section and still have enough time for combat. Particularly if there is no "warm up" encounter early on to get a feel for the group's playstyle and how quickly they will get through fights. I do enjoy the combat aspect of the game, but I sometimes wish that scenarios with less combat would spread it out better throughout the scenario.

Do any of you know of some good scenarios that have strong roleplay sections at the *end* of the session?

[Lamontius]

Library of the Lion

[Jayson MF Kip]

School of Spirits comes to mind.

[Slothsy]

Destiny of the Sands III, Six Seconds to Midnight and Bronze House Reprisal

[p-sto]

In my experience many scenarios that have roleplay options towards the end tend to have it as an optional way to avoid encounters so it can be a bit of a mixed experience for players who might be in combat mode and miss the cues that a situation can be talked through.

[Nohwear]

The Missing Heir comes to mind.

EDIT: It might be called The Stolen Heir. I can not remember.

[Serisan]

7-01 Between the Lines is a great RP scenario in that the RP is liberally sprinkled throughout, though it is challenging because the RP is heavily based on symbolism, which can be difficult to convey to the players at times.

[Tamago]

Jayson MF Kip wrote:

School of Spirits comes to mind.

Is that one the sequel to Black Waters that I've heard about?

[Jayson MF Kip]

Tamago wrote:

Jayson MF Kip wrote:

School of Spirits comes to mind.

Is that one the sequel to Black Waters that I've heard about?

Indeed.

[Nimrandir]

The aforementioned Stolen Heir and Between the Lines are good ones, though I agree with Serisan on the latter.

Quest for Perfection I has a bit of role-play tucked at the end, and it doesn't fall into the 'fighting encounter' trap . . .

Edge of Heaven:

. . . unless your party is so afraid of constructs that they attack a statue leaning against a wall.

Frozen Fingers of Midnight has a couple of later-on role-playing moments as well.

[GM Lamplighter]

Blakros Matrimony.

[ratlord]

To Judge a Soul part 1 is good for this.

[Tamago]

I ended up running The Stolen Heir over the weekend, and everyone had a great time! My players loved my hamming up the outrageous accents of the Galtan ruffians, and although the scenario ended with a fight, everyone felt like it wasn't forced and there was some great RP leading up to it.

Thanks everyone for the suggestions!

[Ryzoken]

ratlord wrote:

To Judge a Soul part 1 is good for this.

Essentially, the combats in this operate as bookends to the nice big chunk of RP. It's a very well paced scenario that I've come to really love.

[Fromper]

Nimrandir wrote:

Frozen Fingers of Midnight has a couple of later-on role-playing moments as well.

This is a great suggestion. Plenty of role play throughout.

[Silbeg]

GM Lamplighter wrote:

Blakros Matrimony.

I sort of think this one is the epitome of what he's trying to avoid?

[TwilightKnight]

Tamago wrote:

I'm a big fan of scenarios that have a lot of roleplaying, such as The Immortal Conundrum and Merchant's Wake. However, it seems like the scenarios always start with the roleplaying and devolve into combat at the end.

This is often a problem, as when I'm running the scenarios I don't know how much time to allocate to the roleplay section and still have enough time for combat. Particularly if there is no "warm up" encounter early on to get a feel for the group's playstyle and how quickly they will get through fights. I do enjoy the combat aspect of the game, but I sometimes wish that scenarios with less combat would spread it out better throughout the scenario.

Do any of you know of some good scenarios that have strong roleplay sections at the *end* of the session?

Just role-play all the combat encounters :-D

[Finlanderboy]

Bob Jonquet wrote:

Tamago wrote:

I'm a big fan of scenarios that have a lot of roleplaying, such as The Immortal Conundrum and Merchant's Wake. However, it seems like the scenarios always start with the roleplaying and devolve into combat at the end.

This is often a problem, as when I'm running the scenarios I don't know how much time to allocate to the roleplay section and still have enough time for combat. Particularly if there is no "warm up" encounter early on to get a feel for the group's playstyle and how quickly they will get through fights. I do enjoy the combat aspect of the game, but I sometimes wish that scenarios with less combat would spread it out better throughout the scenario.

Do any of you know of some good scenarios that have strong roleplay sections at the *end* of the session?

Just role-play all the combat encounters :-D

As a Dm i always try to do this if I can.

[Andreas Forster]

I'll also throw in "Scars of the Third Crusade" as a suggestion.

[Gary Bush]

Jayson MF Kip wrote:

School of Spirits comes to mind.

This adventure was very fun and the first one I had been on that did not feature a large amount of combat. If the players are interested in RP, this is a very good one.

[glass]

Andreas Forster wrote:

I'll also throw in "Scars of the Third Crusade" as a suggestion.

That's another one with fighting at the end. ETA: Which is the opposite of what the OP was asking for.

Anyway, The Disappeared springs to mind: A small amount of combat interspersed throughout the scenario, and I don't think there is a big fight at the end.

_
glass.

[Slothsy]

glass wrote:

Andreas Forster wrote:

I'll also throw in "Scars of the Third Crusade" as a suggestion.

That's another one with fighting at the end.

_
glass.

Scars:

The end encounter is an RP encounter, though a fight can break out if you bungle that RP. There's actually very little required fighting at all in that scenario.

[Tamago]

*Casts raise thread*

It's that time again! Have any particularly good RP-at-the-end scenarios come out in the last year?

Thanks!

[Otagian]

Bid for Alabastrine is pretty much the epitome of non-frontloaded RP.

[John Compton]

I believe #8–09: Forged in Flame, Part 1: The Cindersworn Pact is a great choice. #8–02: Ward Asunder also has roleplaying scattered throughout and at the end.

[rknop]

Although there are at least two combat encounters you have zero hope of roleplaying your way through, 7-13: Captive in Crystal has interesting roleplaying encounters laced throughout.

[Wei Ji the Learner]

Ward Asunder, from a player perspective...

...it actively *rewards* players who roleplay and intuit the situation, and at least for our table our GM gave us a significant bonus.

Spoiler:

One of our characters, a cranky old tengu grandmother, really laid into the last potential encounter using the weight of years to tell said last potential encounter to 'suck it up' and 'stop whining so much, your job is much easier than you think!', in essence.

[Kate Baker]

I just ran #8-06: Reaping What We Sow and there are definitely good opportunities for roleplaying throughout the whole scenario.

[Castilliano]

Not as new, but I didn't see it listed before...
Wardstone Patrol, though full of combat, is one long RPing arc with a pivotal RPing fork at the end.
There was much emotion for my group at the ending events.

[GM Lamplighter]

Also, remember that you can always play out the report to the V-C. A lot of people skip this, even when time isn't a factor, but it can really provide a nice roleplay bookend. Especially if the mission wasn't a complete success or has "extenuating circumstances"...

This conversation usually gives me some fun things to write on the Chronicles as a non-mechanical "reward" for good roleplay, as well.

[TOZ]

I gotta be better about that last one, and coax some roleplay out at the end.

[Ascalaphus]

You mean play out reporting to the VC, and him making note of "three out of five" secondary items IC? I like that.

What I particularly like about it is that since this isn't a "gotcha, you should have been taking notes on paper about X Y and Z", you're also free to ask more leading questions.