GMing a Larger Party - Looking for Tips

[Javaed]

I'm about to start running The Wormwood Mutiny in a few weeks for a six person party and would. As I'm working through my organization now I would like some advice from people who have already run the game. My party consists of the following:

Wizard - Focusing on Shadow, Light and Illusion spells. I'm allowing spell research and select third party spells as the concept is very interesting.
Bard - Focused on buffing and using the Fascinate performance. Playing a customized mermaid.
Gunslinger/Alchemist - Going for a Grenadier build with some switch hitting.
Unchained Monk - Going to be using a lot of crow control techniques.
Unchained Rogue - TWF build
Kineticist - Will be using air blasts for long range sniping.

I have two big concerns out of the box. The first is the lack of healing, which I can handle via treasure rewards. The second is that they'll have a lot of abilities that let them engage in effective combat without much gear. I'm a bit worried about the party trying to mutiny too early.

Any advice for somebody who's never run the campaign before?

[Lamontius]

I am currently GMing this AP and my player group is at the very end of Book 3.

With the player-group mutiny, yeah, this is a fine line. Do your best to play the NPCs as awful, without going too far over the line. If the keelhauling scene isn't enough to dissuade your players for the first part of the chapter, perhaps consider making an example of another NPC that the players may have begun to positively influence.

All in all though, my players mutiny'd a bit before heading to the island. It worked, and made for a very fun encounter while still out at sea.

Other than that:

1. Take a good hard look at the Rum Ration rules. Personally, I though these were ridiculous and threw them out completely by having my players quickly suss out the methods for turning their rations into grog.

2. Try not to get bogged down in turning the day-to-day sailor tasks that are a big part of the first half of the chapter into a boring dice-rollfest. Break it up with NPC interactions, encounters, interesting roleplay, etc.

[Lamontius]

Also, without being too spoilery, try to set expectations for your player group about the start of this AP.

They may be really stoked to be swashbucklin' pirates right out of the gate...and suddenly realizing that they're little better than press-ganged slaves for an unknown amount of time can put the damper on some player's excitement and enthusiasm.

Giving them an idea from the start that they'll begin as the lowest of the low and have to win their freedom and forge their own destiny in the Shackles can go a long way to tempering any erroneous expectations that they'll be sailing the high seas at the helm of their own ship from the very first session and such.

[Paladin of Baha-who?]

Make sure to take the Wizard and Alchemist's books and be really reticient about giving them back.

Give Scourge a ring of Sustenance and have him constantly patrolling the ship at night, making skullduggery more difficult.

Make the wand of Bless weapon in the ship's stores a wand of CLW instead. The former just doesn't make any sense, from either a doylist or a watsonian point of view -- in game terms, it's nearly useless as the chances of a paladin being on board are nearly 0, and in story terms it makes very little sense -- how many paladins take Craft Wand, and how many of those wands are going to end up on ships the Wormwood could plunder? A wand of CLW, even one of limited charges, is very useful if they manage to pick it up before they leave the Wormwood. If they don't, have Quinn buy it and have it in her locker after she's abducted, and if they don't think of it, one of the NPCs might suggest looking in her locker for anything useful.

I have an alternative system for the RUm rations (and drugs and alcohol generally) since one of the groups I've been taking through this adventure are interested in being boozing, drug-using, hedonistic pirates.

[Errant Mercenary]

Make sure you implement punishments - whippings and the sweat box. These take a toll, and if no healing is around, will make them apprehensive of starting anything with 1/3 of their hp and possible death in a box.

With the mutiny, if they do it at the Mans Promise that is fine even if it is early. Mutiny will just not happen in the Wormwood, it is your job to make sure they understand Harrigan, Pepper, Riaris (shouty woman) etc are WAY above them in power. Again, I would do this through punishments.

As for healing, through the campaign: I havent found this to be an issue. Remember they have Sandara (well, maybe) by their side and you can add as many NPCs as you like, perhaps they can recruit a low level priest to have around in their ship (lesser restoration and light healing).

Healing during the island...yes, this is tricky. I suggest putting a few CLW potions (whore tent, outpost, cave) but not too many. Play the deadliness of the start of this AP, you will be missing it when they are fireballing other ships and sundering masts...

[Gnomezrule]

I ran a group of 7 for awhile through most of book 1 and through some extra adventures.

In general there are lots of things in the AP that can really bone you. Like the rum rations and Bonewrack Island. A group that size feel free to take the gloves off. Lots of folks make the rum like a standard poison, feel free to play out the addiction and cumulative effects. One this really helps set the tone but it will whittle them down.

Beyond that add enemies, but don't just add fodder. Add middle tier enemies. If there is a fight against 1 big monster don't just double it . . . that sometimes can cause a wipe. Add a second big monster but give them both a -1 or -2 across the board. It will feel hectic but it will challenge them.

Also this sound silly but make sure they have roles once they take the ship.

Captain
1st Mate
Bosun
Doctor
Cook
Master of Sail
Master Gunner
Quartermaster