Advice: First Time GM Running Curse of the Crimson Throne

[This Side]

Hey all,

So I've recently agreed to GM the CotCT AP with a group of friends. This will be my first time GMing (I started with tabletop RPGs only a year ago), but the PCs will be inexperienced as well (two have never played tabletop RPGs, one has played a couple times, and the last is as experienced as I am).

Given that CotCR was written with 3.5 rules, would people recommend trying a different AP for a first time GM, or is CotCR a good one? I've already found very helpful conversions for all the NPCs (and just assume I can find stats on beasts from Pathfinder sources like PFSRD), a brief glance at the first encounter doesn't seem too troublesome. However, I'd hate to get into it before realizing that there is a lot I'll need to finaggle further down the line.

Thanks!

[Kalindlara]

If you've found stat blocks somewhere, you should be mostly fine. It's a little behind on xp, though, since even Pathfinder's "fast" is slower than 3.5.

There's a lot you can do to go above and beyond. If you have any questions, the forumites here will be eager to help.

I would definitely pick up a physical Harrow Deck, by the way. It adds a lot, in my opinion. ^_^

Do you know what your players are playing? If you're interested, I can give you more specific advice.

[Douglas Muir 406]

-- I see you posted twice, here and on the Advice forum. Not really necessary... if it's a CotCT question, here in the CotCT forum is the right place to ask. No big deal, but if you do it regularly the mods will notice. Anyway, I'll just repeat what I posted over on Advice here.

* * *

1) Don't worry too much about 3.5 vs. PF. The differences are pretty minor. Also, a lot of the adjustments have already been made by other players, and can be found easily enough. Go to the CotCT forum (you can find it right here) and ask around.

2) The first module is broken up into smaller chunks that will make it easy for a new DM to run. (This is deliberate on the part of the designers.) So, for instance, the business with Lamm and Zellara is a short adventure that should cover your first play session.

3) The CotCT Players Guide is a free download or a buck fifty in hard copy. You can find it right here. Feel free to pass it around to your players for background information.

4) There are some products you could buy if you feel the need. There's a Guide to Korvosa splatbook that you can guy. I think it's okay, not amazing. It's definitely not required to run the module. Consider picking it up if you really want to add more depth and detail to the city. You might also consider a physical Harrow deck. The original $12.99 deck is OOP, but they've brought out a Deluxe version which is $18. I think that's a bit steep, but OTOH it's pretty lovely, and it could definitely add to the game. Up to you. Finally, there's the Harrow Handbook, which is just $9 for the .pdf and which contains some cool and thematic material.

5) Read the first module _thoroughly_, then read ahead a couple of modules. There are some twists that you can add if you care to. For instance, someone suggested that the insane Emperor from volume 3 should be Lamm's son. IMO that's an inspired idea, and one that could be planted in the first adventure -- you can mention that Lamm had a ne'er-do-well son who used to come sleazing around asking him for money. You can drop this as a detail, or weave it into a PC backstory.

6) Finally, congratulations on picking this AP. I think it gets a bit less love than it should because it's 3.5 and also because it's standing next to the classic RotRL. It's not perfect (if you go on the forum people will be happy to point out its flaws) but it's a fun, complex urban adventure with memorable NPCs and a cool overarching plot. I've run it a couple of times, and it's never failed to deliver. Enjoy!

cheers,

Doug M.

[This Side]

Are there any recommendations for how to use the Harrow Deck? I can see how it can be kind of cool, but also kind of gimmicky and not particularly useful at the same time, so I am hesitant to spend my money on it

[Lakesidefantasy]

It is kind of gimmicky, but give it a try. The first time will be awkward but by the second time your players will have figured out it's a method of foreshadowing that givs them helpful clues for the future. If they really don't like it you can always just roll for harrow points and dictate a harrow reading to them.

They also like getting the harrow points. (Players always like getting more stuff.) Metagame a little bit and inform them that this harrow reading corresponds to the suit of books, or hammers, or what have you; then they can watch with anticipation as you turn the cards over to reveal how many harrow points they get!

Something I've been doing is scanning and printing the nine cards for the Choosing and writing a cryptic clue to that card's use on the back. This helps because I often forget to give them the benefits of the Choosing when it comes up in the campaign. And, it keeps the players on their toes as they are constantly paying attention to decipher when it is time to "use" the card.

[Douglas Muir 406]

This Side wrote:

Are there any recommendations for how to use the Harrow Deck? I can see how it can be kind of cool, but also kind of gimmicky and not particularly useful at the same time, so I am hesitant to spend my money on it

It... depends? You can do readings and, yes, it's a cool way to foreshadow things. If you're comfortable assigning impromptu meaning to randomly drawn cards, great. If not... well, stack the deck! Pick the cards you want in advance, put them on the top of the deck in order. Then put the deck in the middle of the table and (playing Zellara) ask each player in order to draw a card. Do it like "Draw... explanation... Player #2 draws... gets an explanation" and so forth.

Also, if you use the Harrow points, INCREASE them. By a lot. As it is, they're marginal, minor benefits that are easily forgotten. Make them big enough that players are watching out for an opportunity to use them.

Doug M.

[Kalindlara]

My GM combined them with the Hero Points system. ^_^

[MrVergee]

Kalindlara wrote:

My GM combined them with the Hero Points system. ^_^

I do the same in my campaign, they are a pool of extra hero points.