I messed up, mutiny arrives early

[Sean P. Kelley]

Ok, first. I totally hosed the first adventure.

I split up a couple crew members, Scourage and a couple stooges. They got bamboozled, saw it coming, but not until too late and didn't want to seem like I was cheating.

Regardless, most of the party got trapped below deck but finally top deck where they finished off Plugg and pleebs.

Once pc death.

more with some spoilage:

I didn't know how to handle the captain. The party thinks they're in the clear so I could pull out the captain and see what happens. They probably think he's tough but able to be defeated. I figured I could bring him back after he escaped using one of the smaller boats. Thoughts?

Now I'd say they're short on crew and have not made it to the Man's Promise.

As the party defeated the baddies, a storm was a brew'in. My thoughts were to run aground and have them go into Riptide Cove.

Another thing I considered was taking them into Kingmaker. Abandoned somewhere and they meet a party exploring the Stolen Lands and the leader dies making the pc's in charge of the expedition. Just a thought.

My concern is the party wanting to just say "well, i was here against my will and now it's time to go home" and call it a day. I thought I'd bring the hammer down, but I seriously messed up.

Suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[Melissa Litwin]

Sean P. Kelley wrote:

Ok, first. I totally hosed the first adventure.

I split up a couple crew members, Scourage and a couple stooges. They got bamboozled, saw it coming, but not until too late and didn't want to seem like I was cheating.

Regardless, most of the party got trapped below deck but finally top deck where they finished off Plugg and pleebs.

Once pc death.

** spoiler omitted **

Spoilered for spoileriness.

Spoiler:

Bring the captain out. Have him beat them all unconscious (nonlethal damage), which he can easily do, then keelhaul a random one as an example three times, which is the penalty for murder/mutiny (that PC dies). Whip the rest bloody. The rest are told they will be keelhauled as soon as the ship has enough crew to work it. Make the Man's Promise fight much harder (double the number of mook sailors, maybe?) but if they win, the captain desperately needs a crew on each ship so he sends them off on the new boat with someone he trusts in charge.

Or, kill them all off and have them make new PCs that are sailing on the Man's Promise. Harrigan takes them onto the Wormwood and the adventure basically starts over, minus Plugg and Scourge. They did unsuccessfully mutiny, and the penalty for that is death.

[The Forgotten]

Sean P. Kelley wrote:

Ok, first. I totally hosed the first adventure.

I split up a couple crew members, Scourage and a couple stooges. They got bamboozled, saw it coming, but not until too late and didn't want to seem like I was cheating.

Regardless, most of the party got trapped below deck but finally top deck where they finished off Plugg and pleebs.

Once pc death.

** spoiler omitted **

Drop a yardarm on the captain and replace him with his brother bent on revenge in subsequent supplements. Seriously, real sailing ships are dangerous places, my biggest worry about this AP is that a player that knows something about sailing will arrange a death from massive damage for the captain.

[vikingson]

The Forgotten wrote:

Sean P. Kelley wrote:

Ok, first. I totally hosed the first adventure.

I split up a couple crew members, Scourage and a couple stooges. They got bamboozled, saw it coming, but not until too late and didn't want to seem like I was cheating.

Regardless, most of the party got trapped below deck but finally top deck where they finished off Plugg and pleebs.

Once pc death.

** spoiler omitted **

Drop a yardarm on the captain and replace him with his brother bent on revenge in subsequent supplements. Seriously, real sailing ships are dangerous places, my biggest worry about this AP is that a player that knows something about sailing will arrange a death from massive damage for the captain.

I'd have to agree. Ships are wickedly dangerous. My own players killed people by dropping tackling blocks out of the rigging, or "stun"-blasting crew out of the rigg in the middle of the storm. Friend's crew attached Patch to the main anchor, then dropped it into the sea...

Spoiler:

What I do not see and understand is how the PCs can get by the full plethora of high level officers, like Harrigan (lvl16), Peppery (lvl8)or even Riaris (lvl 7), or even claim to "control" them... Unless youplayed them as real pushovers

But as stated above, have Harrigan return aboard or get out of his cabin, beat everybody as suggested into an unconscious pile of pain, than have one of them whipped to death (possibly with some healing in between to prolong the suffering) and have everybody else branded in some public place as mutineers... say with a nice "M" to the forehead. Or lob of some fingers. Noses perhaps ? Or both. Or take an eye from each, with the threat of a repeat procedure if they act up.
Revenge should act as a nice motivator

Also, take a close look at harrigan's stats in AP-V, and some dieas floatinga bout the forum to make him more "worthwhile".. do you think he would be discomforted by shredding the PCs into ground beef ?

Also, have you PCs the ability to control and sail the ship ? Skillwise ? And how exactly do they keep everyone locked beneath decks ? after all, the ship is made from wood...and the armoury is downstairs officers and crew will simply hack themselves out of the standoff with tools from the lockers, kitchen and armoury.

[robin]

Bring the captain out. He should be amused by the situation and ask your Pcs if this is a mutiny
whatever the reply, have him beat your PCs bloody anyway .
Once they regain consciousness , have them keelhauled as punition.
When they survive, have Harrigan compliment them on their initiative and explain he was wondering when someone would kill Scourge.
" Now that tyou have been punished, you will have the rewards they asked for aka the place of Mr Scourge. Of course, you should crack down on your erstwhile comrades now that you showed them how to be promoted ..."

This way , the attacks on the Man's promise continue as normal and Harrigan give the ship to the PCs as normal . You could even do a reverse mutiny where the PCs are the ones attacked by Scourge surviving cronies ...

[Sean P. Kelley]

Thanks for the replies guys. Much appreciated.