So, I'm currently DMing a SKT campaign (which is also my first time as a DM) and my players are still at Nightstone (level 1, they haven't killed all the goblins) yet whilst only having explored half of the village, they're already planning on moving forwards to the Dripping Caves. This is a major problem. I don't really know what to do, but for now I've told them about the unexplored areas (just notifying them about them) and suggested to at least take along rest. The problem with this is that I may have to either rush the Seven Snakes event and kinda make the goblins disappear (and boost them to Lv 2) or do the same but keeping the goblins (without letting them finish the long rest before the Zhentarim arrive in either case, of course) (Note that the PCs have lowered the drawbridge). Should I just rush it? Should I try to persuade them harder? If so, what could I implement to make them stay at the village longer? If anyone has an idea of how to handle this situation, please reply. Urgently.
Yours truly,
Me.
P.S.: Yes, I have mistakenly written STK instead of SKT in the title. Please don't mention it.
First, there's a warning in SKT that there are deadly encounters - did you warn the players before the adventure started that deaths and even a TPK are very possible in this game? If you didn't you might want to do so before starting the next session.
As the deadly encounters warning suggests - a TPK could result in the party being captured instead of killed. Once they escape, move forward.
You could do the Ear Seekers event as they try to leave town, and use the Elves to the Rescue option as they likely can't win that fight otherwise. Then, as the elves take off, have a handful of goblins ambush the party from range and then run towards the part of town they haven't explored yet. If they don't take that bait and still head towards death, what can you do? It's shared storytelling.
It all depends really on how you allow players to gain levels once they earn enough experience. Once they have the experience you could as a band-aid solution allow them to gain their level on a short rest.
You might want to include party composition and their disposition towards the Zentharim, and this town. Why are they here in the town? The answer could lie in their background, but mostly it depends on how you have played the woman called Kella Darkhope. I know the module says she's pretending to be just a village or a traveler, but given that the players are trying to leave without clearing the goblins out, she should at least try to persuade or failing otherwise, offer a reward on behalf of the village for clearing out the goblin menace. "I might not have the gold now, but I have allies coming in the morrow if you'd but help me out and wait for them to arrive I shall compensate you."
The party is, to her mind, disposable assets, and a budding Zentharim agent would not want to pass up the opportunity to have them, rather than her, risk their lives to clean the vermin out.
Second. What are the expectations you have set for your players? If they were playing heroic characters then leaving the town without clearing out the goblins is decidedly unheroic.
As far as rushing the Seven Snakes event, I'm more of a fan having them show up with Kella Darkhope at the dripping cave to save the villagers and to pull the PC's out of the fire should they need it later on. The consequence being that the villagers from town will call Kella and her band of brigands the heroes in the place of the party who tried admirably but failed. Having them show up too early means the PC's might decide to let Kella sort out the entire problem which means the entire adventure goes off the rails.
As far as providing motivation, I'd say this is what Sydiri Haunlar, Torem Breck, Alara Winterspell, and Kaelen Zam are for. If you haven't already had some of them offer to help the PC's track down the fleeing villagers, at least tell them that if they can help clear out the village and the mill that two of them will tag along to the dripping cave.
So, I'm currently DMing a SKT campaign (which is also my first time as a DM) and my players are still at Nightstone (level 1, they haven't killed all the goblins) yet whilst only having explored half of the village, they're already planning on moving forwards to the Dripping Caves. This is a major problem. I don't really know what to do, but for now I've told them about the unexplored areas (just notifying them about them) and suggested to at least take along rest. The problem with this is that I may have to either rush the Seven Snakes event and kinda make the goblins disappear (and boost them to Lv 2) or do the same but keeping the goblins (without letting them finish the long rest before the Zhentarim arrive in either case, of course) (Note that the PCs have lowered the drawbridge). Should I just rush it? Should I try to persuade them harder? If so, what could I implement to make them stay at the village longer? If anyone has an idea of how to handle this situation, please reply. Urgently.
Yours truly,
Me.
P.S.: Yes, I have mistakenly written STK instead of SKT in the title. Please don't mention it.
PbP Characters
Valrish (Dragonborn // Barbarian 6) - Out of the Abyss - play by post
PbP DMing
SPANISH - Storm King's Thunder
First, there's a warning in SKT that there are deadly encounters - did you warn the players before the adventure started that deaths and even a TPK are very possible in this game? If you didn't you might want to do so before starting the next session.
As the deadly encounters warning suggests - a TPK could result in the party being captured instead of killed. Once they escape, move forward.
You could do the Ear Seekers event as they try to leave town, and use the Elves to the Rescue option as they likely can't win that fight otherwise. Then, as the elves take off, have a handful of goblins ambush the party from range and then run towards the part of town they haven't explored yet. If they don't take that bait and still head towards death, what can you do? It's shared storytelling.
It all depends really on how you allow players to gain levels once they earn enough experience. Once they have the experience you could as a band-aid solution allow them to gain their level on a short rest.
You might want to include party composition and their disposition towards the Zentharim, and this town. Why are they here in the town? The answer could lie in their background, but mostly it depends on how you have played the woman called Kella Darkhope. I know the module says she's pretending to be just a village or a traveler, but given that the players are trying to leave without clearing the goblins out, she should at least try to persuade or failing otherwise, offer a reward on behalf of the village for clearing out the goblin menace. "I might not have the gold now, but I have allies coming in the morrow if you'd but help me out and wait for them to arrive I shall compensate you."
The party is, to her mind, disposable assets, and a budding Zentharim agent would not want to pass up the opportunity to have them, rather than her, risk their lives to clean the vermin out.
Second. What are the expectations you have set for your players? If they were playing heroic characters then leaving the town without clearing out the goblins is decidedly unheroic.
As far as rushing the Seven Snakes event, I'm more of a fan having them show up with Kella Darkhope at the dripping cave to save the villagers and to pull the PC's out of the fire should they need it later on. The consequence being that the villagers from town will call Kella and her band of brigands the heroes in the place of the party who tried admirably but failed. Having them show up too early means the PC's might decide to let Kella sort out the entire problem which means the entire adventure goes off the rails.
As far as providing motivation, I'd say this is what Sydiri Haunlar, Torem Breck, Alara Winterspell, and Kaelen Zam are for. If you haven't already had some of them offer to help the PC's track down the fleeing villagers, at least tell them that if they can help clear out the village and the mill that two of them will tag along to the dripping cave.