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I'm currently running Reign of Winter for a group on Saturdays, and they are at the tail end of Book 4. All of these folks are new to Pathfinder and, in an attempt to not have them be spoiled, have not told them that the campaign I'm running is an Adventure Path. (I plan on telling them it's an AP either after Rasputin Must Die or at the end of the game.) However, when the next two keys on Triaxus was revealed to be a two-headed eagle and a bearskin, one player immediately grew suspicious, being a major in history and especially when hearing that Baba Yaga was described as coming from "another world". Did I mention he knows a lot of Russian folklore too? But I don't think he put two and two together though...yet.
So how early did you reveal where the players are once the Dancing Hut goes to Siberia? Does the Coffin Man tell them? If he does, does he use Rasputin's name, or does he just call him "Baba Yaga's Cursed Son"? If the players ask what world they're on, does he flat-out say Earth, or does he answer with "Grandmother's home" or "this world is dirt (synonym for earth)"?
Unrelated sidenote: one player, playing a gunslinger, has constantly complained of the lack of guns beyond the enchanted, magical ones he has crafted for him, and having had to craft all his bullets himself and asked if he'll ever get to use more advanced firearms or if more of them can appear. This player is also a real-life gun nut. I merely cackle with glee when he asks, while the history major grows ever more suspicious...
Sounds like your players are in for a real treat!
I tried to design the opening hut encounters to give some subtle clues to their actual location--particularly rooms modeled on real-world/real-Earth 'witch in the woods'fairy tales, but since you've done a great job concealing the AP's course up until now, I would continue to proceed cautiously, particularly with the Coffin Man's conversation. I think the window scene in room A3 originally had a broken down early automobile in the yard as a clue, but I don't think that made it to the published text, so that's good!
I would stick to your vague answers from the Coffin Man as to the party's whereabouts: "Grandmother's bosom" would be a good one. I would not drop Rasputin's name--they will most certainly recognize him in the early bonfire encounter, or have him introduce himself. But keep mum with the Coffin Man.
Personally, I'd be doing everything in my power for their first dawning realizations to come from the mine explosions and crossfire of machine guns when they're ambushed in their first steps outside the hut--talk about impact if you can pull it off!!!
You could say "Grigory" or even "Grigory Yefimovich," and I'd guess not too many players would get it; similarly, call him "the Libertine" instead of "Rasputin," maybe.
Also, it's not "Earth" in the local language, it's "Zemlya." :)
By the way, the title of this thread has spoilers. :)
I hope the big reveal has a good impact on my players.
I envy your players.
i did not hide it at all! it was one of the main selling points for me:)
and yes if someone could modify the title that would be best
also i'm pretty sure the history guy knows from the sound of it:)
Yeah I was kinda worried about the title. I mean I figured since everyone was talking about WWI and Russians and such in the Reign of Winter forum I figured the setting itself wouldn't be a surprise, but I guess if someone wanted to change it then please do!
Also
You could say "Grigory" or even "Grigory Yefimovich," and I'd guess not too many players would get it; similarly, call him "the Libertine" instead of "Rasputin," maybe.
Also, it's not "Earth" in the local language, it's "Zemlya." :)
I love this!
huh, nice touch about "Zemlya."
I'll admit that I spoiled Rasputin Must Die! very early for my group - as in:
"The Reign of Winter adventure path has an adventure named Rasputin Must Die!, where the party goes to Earth to kill Rasputin.
I am running the Reign of Winter adventure path as our next campaign."
And that was kind of that.
You can play with words a bit, since "Rasputin" is supposedly just a surname and pejorative nickname meaning "debauched one". So Gregori Rasputin would more or less mean "Gregory the pervert", so say some sources. So, if this actually is the case, you could just call him "Debauched One" instead, or some sort of vague term like "The Queen's Seer/Mystic", playing into his mythology a bit more.
Had vaguely the same problem, but my game had already world and dimension jumped a few times and the players were 'wise' to my screwing with them (They hated the 'Vedra' trip to chase a Rakshasa thief.) and expect deception in game to keep them off balance. When Rasputin was 'revealed', they truly believed I had slipped up. And when the time came for the big reveal, I meshed in a thug henchman (Stalin) and a Zeppelin raid on Moscow!
I must note that I left out a lot of the AP...
I told several of my players early on the game would go to Earth and would involve them fighting Gregori Rasputin. I did so to motivate one of the players, who was rather lackluster prior to this. After rewriting his character (which I allowed) and altering his back story, he's far more into it. So I don't regret telling him at all.
That said, I had originally planned on hiding the "going to Earth" bit for as long as I could. I don't have regrets in having gained the interest of my oldest (and in some ways most conniving) roleplayer, however.
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I think the window scene in room A3 originally had a broken down early automobile in the yard as a clue, but I don't think that made it to the published text, so that's good!
It's in A1 now:
Personally, I'd be doing everything in my power for their first dawning realizations to come from the mine explosions and crossfire of machine guns when they're ambushed in their first steps outside the hut--talk about impact if you can pull it off!!!
I'm actually just about to start running this book (and just this one) for my group. I sold it to them as "It's called Rasputin must die. It means exactly what the title says." They're expecting Russia, sortof, maybe. They are not expecting what's waiting for them right outside the hut... and I am really looking forward to when they trigger that.
