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Intro:I have started running RotRL for the first time and read a lot of threads here first, so I decided to do my own pre-campaign adventure to help set things up. Basically I wanted to inject a little more runelord/Thassilon into the adventure earlier to tie things together sooner. The players like what I've done so far, but the problem is that I've only read Burnt Offerings and a little bit of Skinsaw, so I don't know if I'm screwing things up and would like to get some feedback in that respect.
Here's what I've done so far:
During character creation, I told each player they needed to have one positive and one negative personality trait. This was basically a ruse by me to assign them each their own 'sin'. So there's a Paladin that goes into almost barbarian-like rages (wrath), a warlock that steals stuff (greed), etc.
Session Zero: They are all in Sandpoint for various reasons and some have been there a while (worked out in their backgrounds) and the Swallowtail Festival is starting in a few weeks. They don't know all the details - just what they experienced - but here's what happened to them: during the middle of the night they were pulled backwards in time to the Thassilonian Empire where they were enslaved and forced to participate in a large, elaborate ceremony with many other 'slaves'. They were marched up a giant stone pyramid (think Conan & James Earl Jones), surrounded by RuneMages and at the top were branded with a rune/tattoo on the chest by the High Priest (maybe it was a Runelord?). Each PC got a different brand (according to their character's sin, above) and disappeared in a flash of light. After the branding they woke up in the cathedral courtyard back in modern times, over the 7-pointed symbol that's been there forever. Big Mystery for them, obviously, other than the fact that they know from the AP title that the campaign has something to do with Runelords, whatever those are. :)
So now they are a group through circumstance and they investigate, speculate, get to know each other. A few days later their runes start glowing and they are teleported back in time again, finding themselves in front a one of those strange rune-wizards speaking an unknown language who 'makes' them defend him from some kobolds somehow. Again, they don't know all these details but a Thassilonian RuneMage can now summon them (like a spell or figurines of wondrous power) and compel them to act. They fight, he dismisses them - and they 'come to' back in the courtyard of the cathedral again. That was also their new character practice fight.
I understand this is a stretch from the campaign idea, but it serves a meta-game purpose for me that works really well: no-shows on campaign night. One player doesn't show or has to leave early, and the tattoo on his character starts glowing then *poof* - he's gone. If someone is missing and I don't want the group to miss out on the AP, then *poof* the present players disappear and go on a side quest back in Thassilonian times. Also useful for side-quests if I need them to level. You get the idea.
Session One: Festival and Fire, etc. Played as written, except I added a twist related to the above - while searching a goblin warchanter they discover he has the same rune-tattoo as the Paladin (wrath). They start checking other goblins and find the tattoo on all of them.
So that's it - if you read this far, thanks!
Now my questions:
Given that I haven't read much of the total AP and won't be able to for a while, is there anything important I need to know, consider or be sure to tie in related to the rest of the AP?
Have I totally screwed things up, or will I be able to make this work pretty well? Have I revealed too much, too soon?
Obviously I don't mind adding my own stuff, but I don't want to deviate too far from the adventures as written and while I want more tie-in early, I still don't want to reveal too much too fast.
Thanks in advance for your feedback!
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This is very similar to what I did in my Runelords campaign. One thing that you have done, is have a reason for the big X to not TPK them. What will throw them off is have her call them by names other than their own. These could be actual names, or they could be roles, linked to the marks on their chest.
I don't think you have too much to worry about, but if you get the chance, look through the following books. There are some things that may affect how you might want to handle certain aspects. Everyone has different ideas, so you might be able to draw inspiration from the later volumes.
If I had to do it over, I would have played out the Swallowtail Festival more... give them a chance to really enjoy things before you throw them into a mess of gobbies.
Good luck, man! It sounds like you are on the right track! It is always the best to see a GM willing to take an AP and truly make it his own!
Thanks - I did include the festival games from these forums, but my players didn't bite on them too much other than the archery contest. They did bite on the Sandpoint Devil target, primarily because they heard a rumor earlier that the Sandpoint Devil had destroyed a farm well outside of town recently. Now they think he/it is connected somehow. :) I'm hoping they do take the side-quest bait so that I can teach them that the world isn't conveniently 1st level... *Evil DM Grin*
If I had to do it over again, I would play up the Sczarni having the lizard races rigged and have it result in a scuffle or arrest or something that led to tension/animosity for later. However, since they played a whole session in Sandpoint before the Festival I think that accomplished the build-up before the goblins.
Quick question:
Doesn't this effectively give Karzoug control of the warlock, at least by the end of Book Four?
Interesting idea. I'd thought about a little "time-travel to Thassilon" side-quest, but decided against it for reasons of preparation time and not wanting to set the precedent of time-travel being an option.
Your "summoned by a wizard" scenario reminds me of an encounter I put into a first edition AD&D tournament module I wrote back in the '80s. While traveling on a road through the woods, the party found themselves teleported into a dungeon. An NPC party was fighting monsters, and one of the NPCs was a wizard, who commanded the PCs to fight the monsters for him-- and the party had no choice but to do so! They party had been the randomly-selected monsters summoned by a Monster Summoning IV spell!
How I handle no-shows: I run the character as an NPC. The character gets 75% of the XP award, even though the risk of character death is the same as when the player is present. [Note that I've never actually killed a PC in this situation, but I've come close!]
Re: Swallowtail Festival games: I had a bunch prepared, but none of the PCs were interested. I think part of that was because they'd all spent just about all of their starting cash, and didn't want to blow their few remaining shillings on potentially-rigged lizard races or archery contests.