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Great start to a scenario. PCs show up to what looks like the end of day debreffing, there's some NPCs around, one of whom might ask the PCs about their career as a Starfinder and for any advice. A great way to help with introduction at the start of the game. And then a battle breaks out before you find out anything from Venture Captain Arvin. Fun Start gets right down to business. But that's not why I'm excited about the intro ot this scenario; it's the map.
I love the map! I've been using the meeting hall from Sloughscar Summit as the mission briefing room for season one meta plot scenarios I've run after Sloughscar Summit. Having played in Sloughscar Summit matters for PCs in Take the Bait, so having the map to show the tie-in helps. I like to use mission briefing maps if there are other NPCs being introduced. Sometimes I add my own NPC, typically a janitor who wants to be a starfinder someday, and ask the PCs a lot of questions, as a way to help with introductions.
So the Map in 2-01 The First Cut (Flip-Mat: Spaceport) is perfect for that. It's big enough to have other NPCs around but not in the mission briefing. Often the mission briefing will have some skill checks the PCs can do to learn more on their own after the briefing. That could now could mean talking to some of the NPCs on the map to get info, or it looks like there are computer terminals on the map for gathering info on the infosphere, or ordering supplies online for the mission to be delivered to your ship. Great way to make mission briefing more interesting, help make shorter scenarios a bit longer.
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I've done a quick read of the rest of the scenario, but haven't started prepping it, so I don't have any other comments or questions about the scenario yet.
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Encounter B5. Go-Mar
This encounter hits home. On my first quick read, though, I missed the type of vehicles used, and living in one of the cities that had a plague of electric rental scooters. Although the enercycles and hoverboards in the scenario work, at least in my mind, I can't go back. The public backlash against electric rental scooters being left everywhere, blocking sidewalks, and reckless riders speeding down sidewalks, in some cases, turned violent, burning, damaging, and throwing scooters into lakes was common. So the murderous rend lightning wouldn't even be needed to give the scooters a motivation to get violent. My take is the rend lightning removed the AI vehicles' safety protocols, and the motive was already there, and now they want revenge.
Before the start of the scenario on the way to the Dispatch Center, the PCs find a damaged electric rental scooter on a path in Jatembe Park next to a stream. Any PC that tries to fix it notices, when dealing with the vehicles at the G0-Mar PCs that hesitates several times before trying to run them over. Any PC that was aggressive with the damaged scooter feels the vehicles at the G0-Mar are out to get them.
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Glad to hear you're liking it so far!
(tagging myself onto this thread in case questions come up)
Thanks for checking in; it's always great to see the writers in the forums. I do have a few questions. And the Drifters End encounters look fun to run!
First question: I have a question about the adjustment text box on page 9
It says
Area B3 doesn't have any bloodspawned hound in its description to remove or add to, although area B2 says the creatures listed there would protect area B3. Just wanted to make sure what shouldn't be adjusted in B3.
Next question: Do you have an estimate of how long this takes to run?
Last Question: Astrazoan singer from the opening band (Four Form Issue). Am I assuming that's the band's name? Can you tell us anything more about the band or singer? Is the band all Astrazoan? Is there a real-life band that you picture them sounding like? GM-wise, I have players who play rock stars, so I may be asking more questions about the band, and player-wise, I have a character who collects concert T-shirts.
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I've been thinking about the Drifters End encounters to help visualise all the chaos and confusion going on in a crowded city. I'm looking to have as many pawns on the map as I can. I made a list of everything that might need a pawn. I'm courious if anyone else is trying to flood the map as well and if there is something I haven't included?
Pawn list for Drifter's End encounters:
B1 (A bloodspawned beast that has cornered a civilian.)
1 Yorva (scared young female vlaka pup)
1-2 bloodspawned hounds
B2 (Injured civilians and bloodspawned creatures)
2+ Injured civilians (random pawns)
1 Arlo Darose (dedicated male ysoki politician)
0-2 Bloodspawned hounds
3 Bloodspawned screechers
B3 (Hazard hovering above area)
1 BLOOD REND hazard
B4 (Civilians in danger from web)
1 transport vehicle smolders where it crashed
2+ small crowd of people (random pawns)
1 spider web
B5 (Civilians in danger from vehicles)
1 Yorva’s dad (make vlaka)
1 Airis(curious male verthani tinkerer)
3+ Handful of vehicles
1+ Civilians in danger (random pawns)
B6 (Civilians in danger pyro hazard)
1 Yorva’s mom (female vlaka)
5+ Crowded street full of civilians (random pawns)
1 Astrazoan singer from the opening band (Four Form Issue)name of singer or band?
2 Pyrotechnic displays hazards (2 tokens but same hazard)
Ideas for (random civilian pawns):
Drifters End from SF1e Port of Calls:
30% Humans, 25% Shirrens, 10% Lashuntas, 10% Halflings 25% Other.
Absalom Station from SF2e Galaxy Guide (slight changes from SF1e)
Human: 40% Android: 10%, Ysoki: 10%, Lashunta: 7%, Shirren: 5%, Kasatha: 5%, Vesk: 5%, Dwarf: 4%, Halfling: 4%, Skittermander: 2%, Gnome: 1%, Nuar: 1%, Other: 6%
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In addition to this, I'm considering adding something from 0-03 Bittersweet to foreshadow that scenario. I'm also thinking of using the Drifters End map from this scenario in Bittersweet too. I have a separate scenario post on that.
irregular lights,
cotton candy explosions,
animated chocolate squoxes,
caramel floods,
clouds of glittery sugar that drift from smokestacks and stick to everything.
RPG Superstar 2013 Top 4
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Glad to hear you're liking it so far!
(tagging myself onto this thread in case questions come up)Thanks for checking in; it's always great to see the writers in the forums. I do have a few questions. And the Drifters End encounters look fun to run!
First question: I have a question about the adjustment text box on page 9
It says
Area B3 doesn't have any bloodspawned hound in its description to remove or add to, although area B2 says the creatures listed there would protect area B3. Just wanted to make sure what shouldn't be adjusted in B3.
Next question: Do you have an estimate of how long this takes to run?
Last Question: Astrazoan singer from the opening band (Four Form Issue). Am I assuming that's the band's name? Can you tell us anything more about the band or singer? Is the band all Astrazoan? Is there a real-life band that you picture them sounding like? GM-wise, I have players who play rock stars, so I may be asking more questions about the band, and player-wise, I have a character who collects concert T-shirts.
As far as the encounter adjustments, because the hazard in B3 and the creatures in B2 activate at the same time they effectively operate as a combined Moderate encounter. The reminder about B3 is only to say don't also adjust this while adjusting B2.
I playtested this a few times. With experienced players with custom PCs it took about 1h45m, with inexperienced players with pregens it took around 2h30m. Experienced players with pregens was around 2h.
The band I imagined as gritty punk rock, and yes that's the band name. Lip Critic would be pretty close in my mind for the sound and style. Only the singer was astrazoan, but feel free to mix it up however you like and suits your group.
Have fun!
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I also enjoyed the beginning of this scenario! I'm really liking that season 2 scenarios seem to be more willing to have non-traditional beginnings. This one starts with PCs just lounging around and happenening to be in wrong (or right?) place at the wrong time, as disaster strikes. I won't go into spoilers, but, 2-04 A Watery Grave similarly opens with a pretty cool, non-traditional, start.
There's nothing wrong, of course with the usual "a Venture-Captain / other Starfinder leader summons you to a briefing" beginning; indeed it makes a lot of sense in a lot of cases. But it's a nice change of pace to see more serendipitous scenario starts, too! Sort of a refreshing palate cleanser :)