The Fellow Shipmates (Spoilers)

[GM_Todd]

Hey there, everyone. I'm just getting an SS campaign underway and I only have the first book currently. I was wanting to plan ahead and prepare for the next chapter in the adventure and was curious how much of a role the NPCs play moving forward? I'm curious what the next book details and, even more importantly, what other GMs have done with them.

Thanks in advance!

[UnboltedAKTION]

GM_Todd wrote:

Hey there, everyone. I'm just getting an SS campaign underway and I only have the first book currently. I was wanting to plan ahead and prepare for the next chapter in the adventure and was curious how much of a role the NPCs play moving forward? I'm curious what the next book details and, even more importantly, what other GMs have done with them.

Thanks in advance!

to tell you the truth the NPCs are only as important as you want them to be. If you play them well and have them a be big part of RP then they'll defiantly play a big part with your party. And the other APs down the line. But honestly they aren't needed for the overall story

[aeglos]

UnboltedAKTION wrote:

GM_Todd wrote:

Hey there, everyone. I'm just getting an SS campaign underway and I only have the first book currently. I was wanting to plan ahead and prepare for the next chapter in the adventure and was curious how much of a role the NPCs play moving forward? I'm curious what the next book details and, even more importantly, what other GMs have done with them.

Thanks in advance!

to tell you the truth the NPCs are only as important as you want them to be. If you play them well and have them a be big part of RP then they'll defiantly play a big part with your party. And the other APs down the line. But honestly they aren't needed for the overall story

I disagree. Without the castaways the next adventure is very hard to even start, I would have no idea how events could happen without them (the start of part 2 is in fact only possible that way if your Players react in a certain way and do precisely what the book wants)

[UnboltedAKTION]

I guess. It does support the castaways being there but you don't NEED them for it to work. As long as the DM can come up with other creative ways to get the PCs involved in the factions.
It's easier with the castaways but not necessary.

Don't get me wrong though! The NPCs have been excellent for my game and there have been so many interesting roleplay situations with them. Their interactions with them will definitely open up a lot of interesting options up for the start of book 2.

[thenovalord]

aeglos wrote:

I disagree. Without the castaways the next adventure is very hard to even start, I would have no idea how events could happen without them (the start of part 2 is in fact only possible that way if your Players react in a certain way and do precisely what the book wants)

+1. we hated all the npcs....and feel horrid bodging and shoehorning to get us to like some faction to make part 2 work.

I think my pc despise everyone in eleder, more than i did on the island

[captain yesterday]

aeglos wrote:

UnboltedAKTION wrote:

GM_Todd wrote:

Hey there, everyone. I'm just getting an SS campaign underway and I only have the first book currently. I was wanting to plan ahead and prepare for the next chapter in the adventure and was curious how much of a role the NPCs play moving forward? I'm curious what the next book details and, even more importantly, what other GMs have done with them.

Thanks in advance!

to tell you the truth the NPCs are only as important as you want them to be. If you play them well and have them a be big part of RP then they'll defiantly play a big part with your party. And the other APs down the line. But honestly they aren't needed for the overall story

I disagree. Without the castaways the next adventure is very hard to even start, I would have no idea how events could happen without them (the start of part 2 is in fact only possible that way if your Players react in a certain way and do precisely what the book wants)

i didn't have a problem staring racing to ruin without the castaways at all, i agree with unbolted aktion they're only as important as you want them to be

[Nullpunkt]

I agree that the NPCs are only as important as you want them to be. There is a lot to keep track of for the GM in the first adventure and managing the morale of the fellow castaways is an extra burden that not everyone will want to shoulder. My group didn't find out about most of the NPCs quests which gave me some much needed freedom of choice later when I tied the surviving NPCs to the factions.
So here is what I did with them and how my players got in touch with the various factions in the second adventure.

Aerys:

The half-elf's alchohol withdrawal made her cranky and standoffish so the PCs instantly didn't like her at all from the beginning, ignorant of her addiction. After a desastrous Diplomacy attempt to calm her down she stormed off into the jungle and fell prey to the Yellow Musk Creeper in area H where she was found by the PCs. They felt sorry for her and somehow responsible, some good RP here.

Gelik:

I played him as an arrogant colonial-type wannabe-noble with a cruel humor, much like written. Expectedly, he didn't become best friends with the PCs and at some point the relationship also crashed and burned when he refused to take part in the menial tasks of camp management. He also went off on his own, only to stumble upon the group again a while later, while one of the PCs had been taken captive by the Thrunefangs. I needed something to do for the player of that PC so I handed him Gelik for the session until his actual PC was freed. Gelik apparently had learned something about humility while he was left on his own in the jungle and became more bearable if still kind of annoying. However, he blamed the PCs for the hard time he had surviving on his own and he secretly fosters a grudge against them that may be useful in the following adventure. He made it off the island with the rest of the group in the end though.

Ishirou:

The taciturn Tian became friendly with the female PC Oracle quickly and at some point he told her about his treasure map. Somehow, between sessions, the Oracle's player forgot the info though and it was left unfollowed. He went on to be a helpful part of the group and quite close with Sasha (see below). After another major argument between the PCs and the remaining NPCs he and Sasha split from the group, believing that the campsite was safer than going out into the jungle. What the PCs didn't know was that Ishirou was incubating a disease he picked up during a fight which led to his demise a few days later. The PCs found his body when they returned to camp a week or so later and again felt responsible as they could have known that he was sick when they left him and Sasha but hadn't bothered to check.

Jask:

The only character that is set up to be liked by the PCs, his healing powers were of course quite appreciated by the group. He was taken captive during a raid on the camp by the Thrunefangs though while the PCs were out exploring and I used him as plot device to give the PCs information about Ieana's visit at the caves below the village when they freed them during their counter-attack on the cannibals. He made it off the island as well, though the group never found the documents to prove his innocence.

Sasha:

Sasha and Ishirou somehow became quite close and when they split from the rest of the castaways and Ishirou became sick, Sasha remembered one PC telling her about the Viper Nettles and their berries. The PCs found her pierced by the Nettles thorns when they returned to the grove a few days later.

Pezock:

The PCs loved him. Maybe I played him a little too cute but my players regularly checked in on him and in the end took him with them off the island. He got hired on the whaling ship on the way to Eleder right away as the crew loved him as well.

And this is how I got the factions involved:

Aspis Consortium:

One of the PCs had taken the "Get the Cargo through" trait and as it happens the Aspis consortium were the ones who had charged her with the delivery. The cargo was destroyed in the wreckage and Dargan Etters charged ridiculous compensation and interest at first but later, after he had heard of the PCs discoveries, offered to consider the debt paid for should the PCs join his expedition. His offer was turned down and the group managed to get the money from the Pathfinders. As it was merely a plot device and not a matter of actual character wealth I let that happen, even though the amount of gold needed to pay the debt greatly exceeded the amount any faction would have provided the group for equipment or as a signing bonus (10.000 gp).

Free Captains of the Shackles:

One of the weakest introductions in my game but still: After word of the PCs discoveries got out, a Shackles Pirate had broken into the PCs room at the Sargavan Club and searches for more info when he got caught red-handed by the group. He then offered them to join the Free Captains officially and after some interrogation I at least managed to get the name of the faction and its leader out. Of course the offer was turned down.

Pathfinder Society:

When the party's scholar went to do some research on their findings from the Shiv in the Colonial Archives, Amivor Glaur just happened to be there as well, browsing the shelves for some map folio or whatever. He offered his help in translating and after some conversation and introduction of the Society as a whole it was accepted. One thing led to another and in the end the PCs signed up with the PS expedition in exchange for the Pathfinders paying their debt (see above).

Red Mantis:

I haven't even tried to introduce that faction as I couldn't see my group working with assassins at all. But I'm sure there will be opportunities to bring them in with the rest of the factions, probably the ambush in Kalabuto will be done by the Red Mantis as it fits their style.

Sargavan Government:

On arrival in Eleder, Gelik split from the group much to everyone's relief. He was pointed to the Adventurer's Club by the PCs and once there bragged about surviving the Shiv and the PCs findings. This incident pretty much was the justification for word about the discovery to get out because I knew my players would try to keep that information to themselves.
Anyway, some Government officials were present in the Club and Gelik was hired by them to join the expedition, yet unknown to the PCs. Jask has also teamed up with the Government after much consideration in exchange for his freedom. There was a lot of RP involved in that decision because the PCs wanted him to stay by their side but Jask didn't really have a choice. I intend to let Gelik become increasingly "colonial", cruel and power-crazed during the race and have Jask "defect" to the Society once in Saventh-Yhi when he finally can't take the gnome's actions against natives and other subordinates anymore.

I hope this is going to help you with your game, the way I ran things probably won't fly with every game and I'm sure there are much smoother ways to do it but I'm contend with the way things are in my game and the players are having fun and don't feel railroaded towards a decision or some other lack of empowerment. Things just developed in an organic way that makes everything plausible (at least to our standards).

[J-Bone]

That was some good info Nullpunkt. Always nice to see how others are playing the NPCs and factions as it gives ideas to other GMs.