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It took us almost two years this time, but last night we wrapped up Hell's Rebels. For me, this was the eigth Paizo AP I ran from start to finish.
As usual, thanks to all of you guys. Even for a 20+ years veteran GM, this place remains an invaluable resource.
So, how did it go? Pretty good, I'd say. Even when compared to Shackled City and Curse of the Crimson Throne (the other well-beloved city campaigns), Hell's Rebels is a blast. Rebel against the Evil Empire? That's always cool! Murder Mysteries? Why, yes, take three of 'em! High-Level diplomacy and politics that actually work? Sure Thing!
And, above all, Barzillai Thrune. I love that magnificient bastard and my players loved to hate him. In a world where BBEGs tend to be vague threats up until the boss fight, Barzillai steps up to the plate on day one, being a constant presence in the campaign. He is an imposing overlord, a petty little troll, and a deeply flawed character all in one package. Fearsome, ridiculous, well-rounded. For me, he's the best AP BBEG ever, bar none.
Barzillai put up a good fight in chapter four before getting his butt kicked in chapter six, but I didn't mind. It was a fun ride with ol' Thrune and I will always remember him fondly.
Up next: Starfinder! Super excited.
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Congratulations! Eight AP's from start to finish is impressive.
I do have two quick questions though:
Do you feel like the pace or focus of the AP suffered at all in book 5 for your group, or it fit in pretty well the other books?
Also, how was the payoff for beating Thrune a second time?
I'm thinking of cutting the last two books, mostly because my group will be lucky to finish four.
Congratulations! Eight AP's from start to finish is impressive.
I do have two quick questions though:
Do you feel like the pace or focus of the AP suffered at all in book 5 for your group, or it fit in pretty well the other books?
Also, how was the payoff for beating Thrune a second time?
I'm thinking of cutting the last two books, mostly because my group will be lucky to finish four.
Actually, it's eleven APs if you count the Dungeon APs. ;)
There was no problem regarding the focus of the AP in book 5. My players felt responsible for Kintargo, so securing allies and rejecting Thrune was something they were very interested in.
Beating Thrune for the second time was less about payoff and more about closure, I think. I'd recommend running books 5&6; they include some great role playing-heavy scenarios (the negotiations with Cheliax come to mind). But finishing after book 4 is also possible and would make for a good ending.
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Thanks! I really appreciate the feedback!
Congratulations! Did you run it "by the book" or did you do any modifications?
Congratulations! Did you run it "by the book" or did you do any modifications?
Can't think of major modifications (minor ones always happen, sometimes on the fly). Unlike, say, Serpent's Skull, which I had to modify heavily, Hell's Rebels works pretty well as-is.
I added some things which concerned the PCs, specifically. For example, Balgorrah (the evil kukri artifact) wanted to be wielded by the party's knife master rogue. When they were facing Varl Wex, Balgorrah suddenly appeared in the rogue's hands, because Varl was "not worthy". Stuff like that.
Oh, but I eliminated the rebellion rules. AP subsystems never work out too well in my opinion.
Ok cool, thanks.
Late to the party, but when you say you eliminated the rebellion rules did you remove them completely or do them behind the scenes?
(I'm currently gearing up to finish Kingmaker and will then be moving on to Hell's Rebels so I'm starting to look at what others have done.)
Late to the party, but when you say you eliminated the rebellion rules did you remove them completely or do them behind the scenes?
(I'm currently gearing up to finish Kingmaker and will then be moving on to Hell's Rebels so I'm starting to look at what others have done.)
Removed them completely and relied on narrative description.
Removed them completely and relied on narrative description.
Awesome, good to know.
I've been trying to decide on whether to remove them completely, run them under the hood, or use them but without really tracking everything/doing the "rebellion turns" (eg: Have the various teams be able to do things for the PC's and what they're able/willing to do depend on the in-character role-playing.)
I've been trying to decide on whether to remove them completely, run them under the hood, or use them but without really tracking everything/doing the "rebellion turns"...
Not sure if this will help you, but I'm doing something in between. My group lives out of town and it's sometimes a few months in between schedules. So I made up an e-mail template where I can send them "reports from the rebellion" type updates in between sessions to keep their interest up.
So I'll be doing rolls and such behind the scenes, and sending them narrative results. I may play with narrative options they can send me back on reactions, based on resources they have recruited up to that point. We'll see how it goes.
I've found it to be an excellent mechanic thus far through 4 levels. It's been useful as well for things like, "We call in our team to guard our exit from the basement." Roll a Security check for the organization.