Session 1: The wagon accident (2011-10-24)

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Corsario
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Session 1: The wagon accident (2011-10-24)

Post by Corsario »

Dramatis Personae



* Gorum Followers Caravan

- Kealm, Inquisitor, Caravan Captain. Played by Tyrs13

- Grummsh, Half-Orc Cleric, Caravan Lieutenant. Played by Patrick

- Lucron, Synthesis Summoner, Caravan Warrior. Played by Mark

- Revan, Variasian Half-Elf Rogue, hired caravan guide. Played by Abracadaver

- Dave, Human NPC, Caravan Warrior

- Bob, Human NPC, Caravan Warrior

- John, Human NPC, Caravan Warrior

- Grumpy, Small donkey, very aggresive, pulling a small cart



* Other characters that join them for protection and company

- Falk, Elven Wizard, explorer. Played by Elio

- Grift, Gunslinger, adventurer. Played by James

- Magu, Chelaxian Half-Elf nun, only female PC. Played by Bolo Lacertus



* Other character is in route to Sandpoint by himself

- Maelx, Dwarf Summoner, Professor. Played by Louis


* Participated, but later left the campaign, so I'm retconning him out
- Baern, Human Cavalier, Caravan Sargent. Played by SoulViking

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


The characters start their adventure at the port city of Magnimar. From there they will travel towards the town of Sandpoint, on the long coast, a 4 or 5 days journey.



The road is in good shape and mostly safe, with things "lost" around the Varisian caravans, robbers now and then and the ever present annoyance of the goblin tribes, but with care it should be a uneventful voyage.



Grummsh looks for news on Sandpoint and finds out that a wagon with a special cargo or people will depart one day after them.



The Gorum Caravan gets off early in the morning of XXX and their frist day goes without a hitch. All the characters use the time to know each other and become friends. Nothing happens in the night.



The next day starts by crossing some small streams and rivers, some a little bit difficult to cross, but nothing the characters can't deal with.



At midday an elegant wagon forces them to get out of the road, passing too fast, and having an accident a minute later. The wagon gets out of the road and dangles over the border of a river bed. Only the horses, with difficulty, prevents the wagon from falling. One of the drivers fall to the river bank, and lies down there hurt or dead, while the other dangles, grabbing from the wagon, his feet on the air.



From inside the wagon the characters can hear the screams of a child or girl, and they jumped into action.



Grummsh run and holds the horses, and the others, except Sene, help him pull the horses. Kealm has the first critical success of the encounter, and between all pull the wagon towards safety!



But the dangling driver let's go and starts to fall, only to have Sene save him by casting a well timed Feather Fall. The driver, overwhelmed by fright and wonder, faints in the river bank, below the wagon.



The voice inside the wagon ask for help, inquiring if there is somebody outside. She screams she can't open the wagon door.



While most of the characters keep pulling, and even with the second critical, now from Revan's effort, the wagon starts to slide out again.



Lucron tries to open the door with an orison, and Falk tries to root the wheels with a cantrip, without success. What they do is to look at a young woman inside the wagon, white as a sheet, with tears on her eyes, pleading for help.



The next round Grummsh and Revan crit again, and with exceptional effort are able to pull the horses and wagon all the way back into the road, just to realize they can get the wagon on the road again, as it is below the road level. So all the heroes have just precious moments before the wagon and the horses fall down!



While Grift gets ready to fire towards the door, Magu examines the wagon and realizes the top part is not wood, is cloth, and can be ripped.



The next round one of the horses gives up and falls, making the wagon start to slide towards the cliff, but Revan, and the others, again makes a heroic effort and stops the fall.



Magu jumps over the wagon and rips the top, falling into the wagon in the process.



Everybody pulls to avoid the wagon from falling, especially Revan (Revan made 3 crits in a row) and allowed Magu to throw the passenger into Grift's arms, who catched her very elegantly (another crit, now from Grift). A second later the second horse gave up and everything, horses, wagon and Magu fell into the cliff.



Magu tried to jump towards the road, but fell short, but at the last moment Falk and Kealm grab her arms and pull her to safety, in a really heroic way.



Both drivers died when the wagon landed on them. The wagon was destroyed, and the horses had to be sacrificed. Inside the wagon the heroes found a expensive locked box, now broken, with a seal (from the Scarnetti family) and a valuable jeweled locket.

Very paranoid, the heroes checked, normally and magically, both girl and items. The girl, Theodosia Scarnetti, little sister to Titus Scarnetti, one of the most promonent businessman in Sandpoint, with quite a ruthless business, and personal, reputation. His sister, a young girl of 16 years, has been cloistered for some years, and is a gentle and naive pretty girl, that shows as a very nice young woman. The items, while expensive, are not magically, and are given to Theodosia.

"Theo", as Lucron starts calling her, joins the heroes as they resume their way towards Sandpoint. Theo thanks everyone, especially the Half-orc Grummsh and the Varisian Revan. And seems to have some interest in Grift.

In the night, camping, Magu gives her some travelling clothes and shoes. Kealm uses the time the girls are away to order everyone off the girl, and not to take advantage of her naivette and innocence.

Later in the night Theodosia goes to Grift, a move allowed by Magu, that allows it without letting her know it, and awakes him with a gentle kiss. Grift embraces her, and with that the lights go out, and the session ended...

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Corsario
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Don't mind the old man behind the curtain

Post by Corsario »

I will use this post to talk about my choices as DM. I hope it will help me to get better as GM, and I hope it can help you understand some of the decisions I do, and give you ideas how to use them with your characters.
In this, our first game session, I wanted to do several things:
- Help the players get together as a team, help the characters to know each other and bond as a party.
- Let the players see my style of mastering.
- Introduce a long-run NPC's and information about the setting

I planned 3 encounters, but we only had time for the first of them. It does not worry me because I feel we got plenty of game time.

I had to say I am extremely pleased because everyone (or almost everyone) get there on time and we started at a really good time. Everyone got their Maptools software up and running quickly and everyone used it nicely, without technical problems I have seen in other games I have run.

I made several mistakes:
- I lost control of the players, there were at least one of them didn't had his character into the action, in a HUGE omission of my part.
- I ignored an action (the firing into the wagon door).
SPOILER, if you read keep Player and Character knowledge separate, please
Got to get better control of the players actions, especially as the next encounter DO include combat.
I need to get better at describing the situations. I feel not everyone got the wagon predicament right, and some felt the "the ceiling is cloth" as cheating.

I liked almost all characters got time to shine. Got to have some more opportunities, but all in all I liked how the encounter worked out.

As design corner, I needed the characters not to be able to save the horses or the wagon (I didn't want them to have that kind of equipment. I also wanted Theodosia to be able to mingle with them. To get to know them, and the characters to know her.

Theodosia is a NPC that will appear far and between in the actual adventure (in fact in the adventure is not even mentioned) but is a NPC that helps the characters have roots in the town. It's someone they want to protect and save.

I was funny to see the characters expecting her to be some kind of monster, demon or nasty thing like that, instead of the innocent (well, not that innocent now) teenage that had never seen the world.

The final choice of accept her sexual advances was a bold move, one that really can make a difference in the campaign. I liked it, even if I had hoped she would be rebuffed (the prudent thing to do).
Saludos
--
El Corsario Negro

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Corsario
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Feedback

Post by Corsario »

Please, all the feedback or opinions of this session put in as replies in this threads.

If any of you even does a character "diary" or something like that, I promise to give some kind of reward "in-game" (I have to motivate it somehow, right?).

You can also give private feedback by mail ([email protected]) or skype (corsario_mexico).

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Session Transcript

Post by Corsario »

I made a mistake and lost the beginning, but the important stuff is there.
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killersqid
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Re: Session 1: The wagon accident (2011-10-24)

Post by killersqid »

Here is what I wrote while playing. Some of it at least.. I had a lot of fun and I hope to see everyone again :D .
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