A question of exploration.
I'm looking for advice on how to arrange the exploration of the city. Something between the close-up of a dungeon crawl and the bird's eye view of a peaceful town-exploration, where the players indicate where they want to go, and they arrive. Also, I would like to avoid moving minis on a map.
This might be GM-ing 101. Does anyone have a tried and true mechanic for this kind of exploring? Do you use a hexagon map? Is it all in the mind?
A side note: I would like to create an atmosphere where you have to move quietly, and you feel hunted. A Walking Dead sensation, if you will. It would be nice to reverse the chase mechanic, making the enemy the hunter and the PCs the hunted. But that is a thread for another time.
Any and all thoughts are appreciated.
After that the party determined which way they wanted to go and they set off. I calculated the distance and time between each point in the journey and rolled for other encounters between them. Since they didn't know how the city had changed, they did get held up at points when they came to rifts and rubble they couldn't pass easily. Don't use anything as major as a hexagon map...I did use the destroyed Kenabres map and expand it as they explored the ruined city, letting them see and it sink in just how much destruction the city had seen compared to before.
That said, I wasn't aiming for the same sort of feeling you were. I was going for more emphasis on the anarchy of the city and how far it had fallen while they were underground. The city is falling apart around them and focus on that sense of hopelessness and loss.
Worked pretty well overall imo, but to each their own.
Thanks for the suggestions, Aleron. It's a great module, and I'm looking forward to the next step.
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Since I'm running this on a VTT myself, I pulled the copy of the map of Kenabres pre-ruin and post-ruin out. The pre-ruin one is a handout for everyone to see, and the post-ruin one is basically a fog of war map. The NPCs will have their 'I want to go here' markers put on the pre-ruin map and the party will have to meander around until they find where they're looking to go.
When I read the ap, it seemed that nearly all of the npc's knew where to go (at least to get to their own home). Considering that they've been in the city before, the can probably estimate their position because of the city walls (they at least leave ruins).
I found describing the horror of it all, with people lying the ground raped and murdered, to people artistically strung up on their own intestines. Personally I wanted to hit home that demon's had their every way with this place. not it being the case of, I really don't know where to go now. I found extra impact to be had from the pc's recognizing familiar sites, completely in ruins.
(although that might just be my own macabre sense of entertainment)
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This is what I said/did in that area
As you emerge from the sewers you step into a city vastly different from the when you were hear before the attack. The tremors and demonic attack have devastated the city, leaving it a smoking, apocalyptic ruin. Deep chasms riddle the city, while the paths of enormous demons have left ruinous trails of rubble extending out from the city's heart. Above the once-familiar skyline of Kenabres and forever changed-the tower of the Kite and the Cathedral of St. Clydwell having been completely destroyed, while elsewhere plumes of dark smoke still rise from the smoldering remains of burned-down buildings. Fat buzzards wheel above in skies that are scarred with red smoke and black clouds. The Worldwound has expanded its borders, and now the city of Kenabres is enveloped in it.
Before the fall, there was a population of 12330. There were another 28834 gathered for the Celebration. The town was crowded, vary crowed. Speaking with the survivors they learn roughly 3400 souls remain. Most have either fled the city or be taken by the demons deeper into the Wound.. or simply slain. The town feel deserted. Yet every so often the scream of a fresh victim peals though the soot-encrusted streets, indicating that number of survivors has dropped again. Evidence of violence lie everywhere.. destroyed buildings, blood, bodies.
Perception Checks led to vary gruesome descriptions of what had happened to the dead bodies before and after they were bodies. I almost got sick with how bad I was making things sound..
As this portion of the party consisted of 2 lizardmen, 1 ifrit, the mongrelmen and the three NPCS most the crusaders ran the other other way upon seeing them so they were unable to pick up any rumors. Those that wanted to attack bowed and left at Anevia's presence.
All along the way, just beyond their ability get interfere at all, they saw units of Crusaders performing the forbidden "rite"of sheathing a blade into the heart of a virgin that willingly gives their lives. Hoping to make Holy Swords. And it happens. The crusaders blades being to glow with a divine light as they charge off into the ruins hunting demons.
They rolled that same encounter 3 times so I just made the rest all the same way.
NPC's all knew how to get to their places, Horgus actually wanted to help the Elf get back to the library first.
It's done :). I focused on street situations/encounters that showed the chaos, and toned down the journey aspects. Worked out well I think - the group seemed to enjoy it. Thanks for your help.
Glad it went well!