I have run into a little problem in my current campaign. We have just finished our module and I wanted to make a few sessions to tie up homemade story beads that we incorporated into the campaign. The problem I am currently running into is that I have two players who are part of the guard force of Neverwinter (A Fighter and a Paladin) who both want to become the captain of the guards. One of them is the pupil of the current guard captain and one is the daughter of a noble household with many feats on her plate. How do I make a fun session where both can compete into winning the position without making it shitty for the person who loses? Any Ideas?
Have them hunt a high CR creature under the premise of whoever kills it gets to be guard captain. When they work together to slay it make them co-captains. If one dies, make the other the captain.
Give them a countdown timer and make a series of very quick sidequests which can be done to win "Influence". Consider also having the current guard captain killed.
This gives them both choices to make:
Do they focus on solving the crime or on winning influence? Solving the crime would secure their position, but is a big risk. If they fail, the other player who is going around sweettalking the nobles or supporting the guards might win.
Do they try to pin the crime on the other person to sabotage their chances?
Do they opt for bribery, blackmail and coersion, or do they choose to set an example and be noticed doing the right things?
I would also include a third player in the game - the current second in command. They will be pulling the dirty tricks on both of them to try and scupper their chances. They might even be the killer - or try to pin it on the party. Or on another party member, and see how the two players respond.
There can be only one! Winner gets the looser's head! (No, not this.)
Pitting players against one another is something that I generally oppose in principle, simply because we are trying to play a game where everyone has fun. When it turns into one player being chosen the winner, and one the looser, the looser isn't guaranteed to have a great time. This being the culmination of the character's story might be a bit disheartening for some players. I personally can't think of anyone who would enjoy this as the end of their character's story.
In any standing Army, such as the Neverwinter Guard, there is only one overall Commander. A Guard Captain might only be in charge of one of the districts of the city, while the Guard Commander might be in charge of the Guard Captains. Digging into the logistics and rostering of a standing Army and the inter-personal nuances of running said Army are not entertaining for the majority of viewers out there in TV land. So let's skip to the part where you try to put together something fun for your players. Your contest, or job interview if you want to frame it that way, is to compete for the Guard Captain positions. Depending on what version of Neverwinter you are running there are between 4 and 6 districts to compete for.
Now this part is potentially bland to most, so I'll tuck it into one of these...
Some categories that might be used in deciding who wins a position might include:
Competence: The ability to complete tasks to the fullest capacity, using sound judgment and continuing their education and diplomatic capability.
Physical Ability: Being mentally and physically able to weather challenges, endure hardship, and display confidence in the face of adversity.
Leadership: Placing the mission first, caring for those in your charge, instilling the spirit to win and being the example that others look up to.
Training: Teaching their personnel to acomplish daily recurring tasks, survival skills and problem solving skills, both kinetic and diplomatic.
Responsibilty & Accountability: Maintenance and function of arms and equipment, safety of the force in their charge, safety of the public under their watch, conserving resources and taking responsibility for the actions of their subordinates - good, bad, right & wrong.
Setting up the individual competition events might mimic the day-to-day encounters of a guard patrol, or the results of encounters during one. Of course, there could also be a battle royale amongst all of the contenders to decide who gets to pick what district. But there should be at least one kitten released from the clutches of an evil tree during the testing.
I might suggest setting up a competition pitting those vying to become guard captains against those that already are, to see if they can earn the title from beating an NPC instead of beating another PC. If both PCs earn a position as a Guard Captain, they will effectively still be teammates. If one looses, hopefully not, maybe one of the noble houses would consider hiring them on to manage the noble's house and personal security.
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“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime.” - Mark Twain - Innocents Abroad
The first thing one must know is are the players sporting? Will they congratulate the winner and be OK with that, even if their characters won't? If this competition spills out of the game into real life fallings out, you shouldn't run the risk.
That said, you could give them three trials. An odd number ensures that there can only be one winner. The trials should be specific to the qualities of the guard and its captaincy, which is more than just being the strongest. The trials I propose are thus:
The Trial Within: This is a test of the characters' management skills. Both will be assigned, say, 5 recruits and must make them fighting fit. The would-be captain is to ensure that the recruits can obey orders and maintain high morale under stressful conditions. At the end of their time together, the two squads of recruits will fight each other without any further assistance from their respective commanders; this is to see how well they can act on their own, and their loyalty to their captain. This isn't to the death or anything serious, just until they're bloodied enough that a clear winner can be decided after a short amount of time.
The Trial Without: This is a test of the characters' understanding of the city. They must find a new but minor criminal that the guards have been told not to apprehend for the purpose of this exercise. The characters must be able to follow clues, talk to civilians and gain their trust, and stop the criminal. They must then bring them back and give them an appropriate punishment. The character who captures the criminal the soonest, secures the stolen goods they have found on their person, and gives the most appropriate judgement is declared the winner of this trial.
The Trial Beyond: Being the captain of the guard means being part of a council. You must attend a (staged) meeting, listen to the (fake) ambassadors of the other cities, determine their motives, and provide the best judgement to a(n imagined) problem. The winner is the one who can glean the most information and come up with the best judgement for the city's next course of action.
Those're just some examples. The winner should absolutely get the title of Guard Captain, but the loser - who will likely be very determined to get the title - should perhaps get a high ranking position in the Wintershield Watchmen, the more recently established police force.
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Zero is the most important number in D&D: Session Zero sets the boundaries and the tone; Rule Zero dictates the Dungeon Master (DM) is the final arbiter; and Zero D&D is better than Bad D&D.
"Let us speak plainly now, and in earnest, for words mean little without the weight of conviction."
- The Assemblage of Houses, World of Warcraft
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Hey everyone,
I have run into a little problem in my current campaign. We have just finished our module and I wanted to make a few sessions to tie up homemade story beads that we incorporated into the campaign. The problem I am currently running into is that I have two players who are part of the guard force of Neverwinter (A Fighter and a Paladin) who both want to become the captain of the guards. One of them is the pupil of the current guard captain and one is the daughter of a noble household with many feats on her plate. How do I make a fun session where both can compete into winning the position without making it shitty for the person who loses? Any Ideas?
So it could literally be a series of competitions that tests their mettle in different ways nonlethally - commanding, fighting, physical, etc.
To avoid huge disappointment on one side, perhaps the competition is close enough that the runner up is asked to command a smaller city?
Have them hunt a high CR creature under the premise of whoever kills it gets to be guard captain. When they work together to slay it make them co-captains. If one dies, make the other the captain.
One wins, one loses. Since they have picked opposing goals, they should be able to actually oppose one another.
Give them a countdown timer and make a series of very quick sidequests which can be done to win "Influence". Consider also having the current guard captain killed.
This gives them both choices to make:
I would also include a third player in the game - the current second in command. They will be pulling the dirty tricks on both of them to try and scupper their chances. They might even be the killer - or try to pin it on the party. Or on another party member, and see how the two players respond.
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Pitting players against one another is something that I generally oppose in principle, simply because we are trying to play a game where everyone has fun. When it turns into one player being chosen the winner, and one the looser, the looser isn't guaranteed to have a great time. This being the culmination of the character's story might be a bit disheartening for some players. I personally can't think of anyone who would enjoy this as the end of their character's story.
In any standing Army, such as the Neverwinter Guard, there is only one overall Commander. A Guard Captain might only be in charge of one of the districts of the city, while the Guard Commander might be in charge of the Guard Captains. Digging into the logistics and rostering of a standing Army and the inter-personal nuances of running said Army are not entertaining for the majority of viewers out there in TV land. So let's skip to the part where you try to put together something fun for your players. Your contest, or job interview if you want to frame it that way, is to compete for the Guard Captain positions. Depending on what version of Neverwinter you are running there are between 4 and 6 districts to compete for.
Now this part is potentially bland to most, so I'll tuck it into one of these...
Some categories that might be used in deciding who wins a position might include:
Setting up the individual competition events might mimic the day-to-day encounters of a guard patrol, or the results of encounters during one. Of course, there could also be a battle royale amongst all of the contenders to decide who gets to pick what district. But there should be at least one kitten released from the clutches of an evil tree during the testing.
I might suggest setting up a competition pitting those vying to become guard captains against those that already are, to see if they can earn the title from beating an NPC instead of beating another PC. If both PCs earn a position as a Guard Captain, they will effectively still be teammates. If one looses, hopefully not, maybe one of the noble houses would consider hiring them on to manage the noble's house and personal security.
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime.” - Mark Twain - Innocents Abroad
The first thing one must know is are the players sporting? Will they congratulate the winner and be OK with that, even if their characters won't? If this competition spills out of the game into real life fallings out, you shouldn't run the risk.
That said, you could give them three trials. An odd number ensures that there can only be one winner. The trials should be specific to the qualities of the guard and its captaincy, which is more than just being the strongest. The trials I propose are thus:
Those're just some examples. The winner should absolutely get the title of Guard Captain, but the loser - who will likely be very determined to get the title - should perhaps get a high ranking position in the Wintershield Watchmen, the more recently established police force.
Zero is the most important number in D&D: Session Zero sets the boundaries and the tone; Rule Zero dictates the Dungeon Master (DM) is the final arbiter; and Zero D&D is better than Bad D&D.
"Let us speak plainly now, and in earnest, for words mean little without the weight of conviction."
- The Assemblage of Houses, World of Warcraft