Boredom on the lightning rail

[Jas]

In Eberron, I have my 2nd level PCs traveling on the train for several days.

I could just say, "Returning to the train, it took another day of travel to get from Vedykar back to Rekkenmark" But I'd like to add some excitement.

What are some things that could happen that would not involve
- destroying the train
- getting the PCs really dead really quickly
- getting the PCs kicked, or thrown off the train WAY BEFORE they reach Rekkenmark. Being kicked off the train when they reach Rekkenmark would be fine.

My first thought would have the PCs invited into a poker game and a fist fight ensues as they approach Rekkenmark when a drunk human barbarian loses and accuses the PCs of cheating.

I'd like it to involve some minor dice rolling and or role playing but nothing critical, taking up about half an hour-ish of game play. I don't want a full blown adventure, like a murder on the Orient Express scenario.

Any suggestions?

[thistledown]

Run the Murder on the Orient Express. With the party as the part of the inspector. I've run it on a ship before, it can work.

[DM_aka_Dudemeister]

If that doesn't float your boat:

• Train Robbers ride alongside the rail and jump aboard, they are trying to steal a specific item. The players will have reason to believe the train-robbers have compatriots that will try again at the next stop, or perhaps they are assassins sent expressly to kill the PCs.

• Strange Haunts begin acting up on the train, players might investigate to discover that this train was rebuilt from the husk of a previously crashed one and it's not long before the players will reach the interchange that will throw the train off the tracks again! Players merely need to end the haunt, or suppress it at the interchange.

• A mummified hobgoblin hero of ages past is being transported to a museum. A goblin necromancer raises the mummy, along with zombifying some passengers. The PCs need to defeat the necromancer and put the mummy back in his sarcophagus.
  

[Kimera757]

Who else is on the train? The PCs are 2nd-level, which causes a problem: the train guards are probably as badass as them.

Clever crooks could find a way to bypass the guards (bribery? inside job?), and expecting minimal resistance to their attempts at robbery, only to run into the badass PCs.

Rampaging monsters/earthquakes/etc damage the tracks. While the train is setting and the tracks are repaired, bandits strike. Or the local lord, who isn't afraid of House (Orien is it?). The PCs could also bend their skills toward repairing the tracks, like a skill challenge.

[Jas]

Those are great! as the PCs get more powerful, I'm going have them do all of that, at one time or another.

[Jeremy Mac Donald]

* Foreshadow your campaign with some interesting NPCs or something worth seeing out the window.

* Use your players backgrounds and run some kind of sub plot that helps to develop or define one of the PCs....for example have a chance meeting with an NPC that might one day marry the PC in question. Or maybe here is the first clue that some one is keeping tabs on one of the PCs.

* Use the interlude as a chance to cut away from this scene and explain something that is going on somewhere else in the world that will eventually figure heavily in your campaign (this is essentially foreshadowing but for the players and not their characters). You can do the reverse and take the opportunity to show them the results of some action they have took in the past - especially effective if you can draw on old campaigns. Showing the effects that allude to what the players previous characters once did - of course the Players must be able to recognize that this is the effect of their old characters - don't be subtle here.

[Shadowwalker]

Use the runaway princess of Aundair that tags along with the party and a person folowing her, as the cat and mouse game begins allow the party find out that who the girl really is

[Jas]

This raises the question of weapons. I don't remember if the guides covered this but would the PCs be "allowed" to be in the cars with all their swords and crossbows? I'm guessing nobody questions this. ( I am probably thinking too much like a 21st century person where we don't even allow fingernail clippers on airplanes. )

I just don't see Sonja the Magnificent putting her +7 flaming sword and Stephen of the Unblinking Eye parking his severed hand of Vekna in the weapon's cart for the duration of the trip.

[David knott 242]

Security on trains has historically been laxer than on airplanes -- probably because it is far more difficult to make a train go where it isn't supposed to go.

[Shadowwalker]

In the world of Eberron adventures travel all over with weapons and travel gear. Weapons in cities or the lightening rail may have to be peace bound, who cant peace bind a weapon and have in hand in a pinch

[Aubrey the Malformed]

While probably less use if your game is live, in my pbp I just described the journey.

[Mittensworth]

Aw.. man.. Wish I stumbled upon this thread earlier. Probably don't need help on this since this was over a year ago, but when I ran an Eberon campaign I only needed the following four words to add a little excitement:

Snakes on a train.

It could be cultists with snakes. Evil druids. Yuan ti. Doesn't matter-- just find something level appropriate with snakes. On a train. It writes itself really.

[Jas]

Thanks for the ideas.