GMing tips for 2-13 Murder on the Throaty Mermaid

[deusvult]

I'm a longtime DM/GM but after a 4 year break from RPGs I'm getting into PFS organized play. I'm to soon GM my first adventure, which I picked more or less at random. A comment in one of the reviews warned that an inexperienced GM shouldn't run it, and that was the ultimate selling point.

I've read thru it a few times, and am fine with the web of intricacies regarding the eponymous murder.

However I do find myself with questions that I end up feeling I have to answer on my own. When I read an adventure, I try to anticipate what the players will ask about and ensure I sufficiently understand everything so that I won't have to look them up.

First Possible hitch:

Ensuring the PCs do not do anything that will allow them to prevent or witness the murder in question. Despite featuring the traditional VC breifing, this adventure basically begins in media res. I plan to avoid any possible chance of a PC getting the idea to set up a plan of action that would allow them to prevent or witness the murder- by not even giving them a chance to do anything AT ALL between the briefing and the sea elf attack. Railroading, sure. But if someone gets the wise idea to not take 'I've got security covered' for an answer from the bodyguard, a GM would be forced to railroad anyway to get the critically important unwitnessed-murder on.

Act 1 issue:

Probably minor, but this is the one that gave me the most fits. How would one answer a Player that asks, "Wait, wait. We're sailing into a notoriously dangerous sea, and the crew ISN'T POSTING A WATCH? Why!?!" I suppose I could give any number of answers, but they'll only serve one of two ends. One, completely ruin the presentation of an in media res beginning to the adventure. Two, ultimately provide more red herrings about the murder. "Wait wait, the captain is so clueless that he forgot to post a watch?" "Wait wait, the crew sucks so bad they just shirk out of watch duty?" "Wait wait, The cook already looks guilty (due to red herrings) but now they can't even keep a watch due to their frail health?" Making the mystery even more convoluted may or may not be a good thing.. but you likely can't predict right from the start if the table at hand is going to be able to handle the added murkiness in the mystery in the time allotted.

I feel the easiest, cleanest 'fix' for this perceived problem in the script is to create a new red-shirted NPC who simply serves to announce the scene with his gurgled death.

Act II issue:

The Cheliax faction quest of planting the scrying token. It doesn't even make sense. Why would it be considered a success to plant it on the corpse, given what they were told for the reason? Especially given the truth of the matter of the mystery. He's not even dead, his living body wont even turn up until the wrap up in Act III! I just don't know how this faction quest got past the logic-checkers. Seems to me that the only way to complete this mission is to break into the GM wrapup soliloqy and say "I wanna hide it in his pocket.."

Act III issue:

Similar to act I. What on earth are the crew doing during the storm that threatens the very ship? Apparently not doing anything to actually help preserve the ship. Granted, it's hard to predict who or how many NPCs the PCs end up killing or knocking out during Act II.. but still. Seems awful odd that an experienced, successful smuggling crew's reaction to a dangerous storm that could sink the ship is "hide belowdecks and let the passengers save the ship". I plan on having as many crew on deck as Act II permits, and more or less end up winging the storm to try to titillate the players. The murderer & accomplice attacking the PCs after the storm is a suicidal move anyway, no reason they wouldn't do it in front of the rest of the crew anyway.

Any other gems of experience out there that might be helpful? Greatly appreciated.

[Alexander_Damocles]

deusvult wrote:

I'm a longtime DM/GM but after a 4 year break from RPGs I'm getting into PFS organized play. I'm to soon GM my first adventure, which I picked more or less at random. A comment in one of the reviews warned that an inexperienced GM shouldn't run it, and that was the ultimate selling point.

I've read thru it a few times, and am fine with the web of intricacies regarding the eponymous murder.

However I do find myself with questions that I end up feeling I have to answer on my own. When I read an adventure, I try to anticipate what the players will ask about and ensure I sufficiently understand everything so that I won't have to look them up.

** spoiler omitted **

** spoiler omitted **...

Well, to avoid the whole who guards the envoy, there is a work around: someone cuts a hole in from an adjacent room, then fixes the hole with mending or make whole. Just make sure they can tell there was a hole made, for example the wood grain doesn't match up. The Red Shirt for the watch makes *alot* of sense, good call. As to the storm, have them try to help, show them running about trying to help the ship. Roll some dice behind the GM screen, say they are trying to help. It won't do anything, but makes them seem busy. As for the final fight....have them ambush the party below decks.

Granted, when I ran the scenario the party got cheesed off at the crew and set the boat on fire and fled in the lifeboat.....

[Deussu]

I like your critical thinking.

I played this a while back and my GM did some minor, yet important changes to make all the pieces fit together.

First...:

the scenario didn't start in media res, but rather from Magnimar. A group of pathfinders traveling onboard the Throaty Mermaid got sick (Thanks to the cook) and needed to be replaced by the PC group. This removes the issue of the captain "not knowing the PCs as well as the others". They've been on the ship for 50 days, what?!

Second...:

I played a chelish character. The mission felt idiotic afterwards, but I didn't mind. How could Zarta Dralneen know the elf was just a copy/decoy?

Third...:

The crew wasn't composed of idiots. They did have a watch, which fought another patch of sea elves. So rather than have one single party of elves, the combat was divided; the PCs receive the amount appropriate to them, and the rest are fighting the crew. Similarly, the crew is present when the storm hits and aids the best they can. The PCs just happen to be those who need to do the important tasks.

[Jason S]

I wrote lots in the other Mermaid thread, especially resolving problems without railroading players and playing with intelligent players. All of your questions are answered in the other thread.

I was one of the reviewers who wrote that inexperienced GMs should perhaps bypass it. What I meant by that is to run it well, you should have the scenario more or less memorized, have great cheat sheet notes, be good at roleplaying and good at running investigation type scenarios (not everyone can).

As you can see, many people rated Mermaid as a 1 star, mostly because their GM couldn't run it properly. I would not recommend Mermaid to first time PFS GMs, just dealing with faction missions and the paperwork is already a lot, without dealing with one of the most complex investigation scenarios to date. But it's up to you. Good luck.

[deusvult]

Thanks for the thoughts and responses everyone. But with regards to Jason's ideas, I still have a problem.

The problem is this:

It's not a question of whether they can complete the quest as per the script. The problem is what that doing what the script says will get you credit does not jive with what the Cheliax faction handout says. Not to mention, doing what the script says to do doesn't even make any sense. What's the diplomat going to do after the adventure.. drag around his old dead body everywhere he goes?

To condense the relevant part of the handout, it comes in two parts. The Paracountess explains her desire to scry on the Diplomat. Then she says what exactly she wants- the token on the diplomat's body.

My problem is that putting it on the corpse may technically satisfy what she specifically asks for, but it clearly doesn't satisfy what she says is her desire in the preceeding part.

Even if the GM doesn't railroad the pc's out of their week and a half voyage from Magmimar to the ambush site, and the cheliax PC successfully plants the token before he's murdered... he STILL turns up in another body (un-tagged with scrying token) in the denouement.

If one argues that ignoring what she says is her desire and merely doing only what she exactly asks counts as a success for an undercover agent while blatantly ignoring what the task is meant to ultimately accomplish.. well I'd say I disagree with what's expected of an undercover agent.

Let's say I tell you I want info on Kwik-E-Mart's business traffic, and tell you to go to 123 main street and count how many people go in and out over the course of a day. But when you get there you discover that Kwik-E-Mart is now on broad street and a Stop-N-Rob is now instead at 123 Main street, I would NOT be pleased to find out the information about Stop-N-Rob instead of Kwik-E-Mart.

The same logic applies to this quest. "Oh, I can scry on a corpse, but not the living diplomat? Oh well, I guess you did what I technically asked for, I love it! Good job!" No way that a PC that thinks a faction boss thinks that way would be regarded positively with prestige.

Aside from making a new encounter for after the big reveal at the end of the adventure, it's just an impossible mission from the info provided by the handout. Seriously, a player has no reasonable way to assume that the Paracountess would settle for watching worms eat a dead, soulless corpse (why the script says she would is beyond me, since we stay PG-13 in these scenarios). I like to think of myself as a reasonably intelligent guy, and if I'd think that way, I think it needs to be addressed.

With another day's of contemplation, this is what I'm going to do:

Since I'm still convinced that as presented, Paizo gave out a horible, impossible mission, I'm going to throw a bone in there for budding infernalists. I mean, it's a GM's job to 'tailor' a module to ensure an enjoyable and appropriate table. And I consider screwing players on account of Paizo's fault in editing to be inappropriate.

When they get to the inevitable murder scene, I'm going to ensure that the bodyguard mentions that the diplomat's stuff is going to be placed in a spot of honor in the great meeting hall of the spire, where his martyred memory can be honored, yadda yadda yadda. I'm going to give them credit for stashing the token in his stuff rather than on the corpse. That way, not only does a player have reason to make the leap that the script says is necessary, it will STILL BE SOUND when the living diplomat collects his stuff and won't need to be molested by the Chelish PC after the reveal.

To heck with anyone who says 'you can't change missions!'. I can and I will, if it means FIXING them.

[Jason S]

deusvult wrote:

My problem is that putting it on the corpse may technically satisfy what she specifically asks for, but it clearly doesn't satisfy what she says is her desire in the preceeding part.

That's correct. Which is why for my home game, I determined it had to be on his body BEFORE he was killed. Scrying on him while in the trance could provide useful information.

In addition, there is nothing saying that the scrying can't continue even after Sephriel is dead. Maybe the Paracountess wants to see where the Mordant Spire elves take their dead (as intelligence for another mission)? Maybe she knew what was going to happen? It's not for us to question her reasons or ultimate motivations, maybe there is more to this than she's telling you...

If you want (to get specific with the PC) and force the PC to give the coin to the living Sephriel, a PC has to go in and hug him and slip the coin into his pocket with a DC 20 Sleight of Hand check (and also beat his Perception). Sure, it's hard, but not unattainable.

You can run it many ways, but they're all possible and they all work for me.

deusvult wrote:

Since I'm still convinced that as presented, Paizo gave out a horible, impossible mission

It definitely could have been more clear, both in the mission text and/or the GM text. But as it turned out for my group, it always ended up being a lot of fun. Fun is good right?

Your solution works as well of course and involves the same basic concept and the same skill checks are needed to complete the mission. So I'd use your solution (because it obviously works for you), just don't look for official approval on the boards.

[deusvult]

Jason S wrote:

It definitely could have been more clear, both in the mission text and/or the GM text. But as it turned out for my group, it always ended up being a lot of fun. Fun is good right?

With a reread of my post I see I'm getting full of myself.. "Since I would think this as a player in this situation..."

You're right in that the ultimate goal is everyone having fun. Who knows, this adventure

already breaks the PG-13 barrier:

What's up with the dude taking female form for some hot girl on girl action? I mean I know it's so for the benefit of the integrity of Snig's testimony.. but still.. O.o

maybe the Paracountess DOES just have a thing for watching corpses rot whilst in the privacy of her own manor...

Thanks for the perspectives and putting up with my full-of-myself-itis :D

[Jason S]

Nah, you're thinking and that's good. Thinking like your players is also good and that's what I did as well. The most important part of this scenario is that it makes sense to you. Change any fluff detail you have to, make it your story, it will be better for it.

And yes, it's definitely not PG-13. :) My game was hilarious because of this and all of the "secrets" came out sooner or later. I had to show one player that I wasn't making this stuff up. lol.

[Thea Peters]

Spoiler:

My opinion on the Cheliax faction mission is that there is no way the paracountess could have known that the diplomat was going to be killed. Really there isn't too much of a chance or really one at all for the PCs to meet the diplomat before the first encounter and him being killed. I've always gone with the stance that if the PC can get the scrying device onto the corpse, at least for a little while, the paracountess can spy inside the castle -- granted it's a limited timeframe but she still can.

The Cheliax PC still has to make the slight of hand DC and has the chance of being discovered if there is anyone around (which generally they take the first opportunity while examining the body).

deusvult wrote:

To heck with anyone who says 'you can't change missions!'. I can and I will, if it means FIXING them.

This is an area where I would say that you need to read up on for the PFS boards and in the PFS guide... changing missions is a highly contested area among some people and should only be done judiciously and not just as an arbitrary thing. You may feel you're "fixing" things, but instead you maybe making a modification that changes the scenario beyond what was intended and that's a no-no.

We as GMs all make modifications based on what happens at the table, it happens and to say it doesn't is inaccurate... but you have to be careful with pre-modification in my opinion.