My group immediately tried to buy healing potions before leaving. I'm like uhh if you couldn't afford it during the setup how can you now. They tried haggling the price down, which they did a little but still couldn't afford it. I was like uhh alright lets go.
Just don't forget to stay as loose as possible and have fun! The more relaxed you are, the better your recall will function and the more effective your plans will be.
Luck!
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
PBP "Beregost Blues" - Dungeon Master of Gnome Slaying +5
i was so nervous at the beginning, was stumbling over my words and forgetting things. Once the pc's started talking and interacting it was all gravy though.
My group immediately tried to buy healing potions before leaving. I'm like uhh if you couldn't afford it during the setup how can you now. They tried haggling the price down, which they did a little but still couldn't afford it. I was like uhh alright lets go.
To be fair, potentially if they pulled their money they could have had enough to buy a healing potion, which is something you normally can't / don't think about doing in character creation.
If you watch live streams of D&D with new players you will notice that they trust an NPC, then the DM has the npc screw them over, then they trust an npc and they get screwed over again and from then on they insight check their own mother because the DM has screwed them over so much by trusting NPCs.
Its not a video game culture. It is the result of the DM choosing to have NPCs cross the players. You can do it once and you are probably fine, but if you do it any more assume the PCs are going to insight check like crazy. You can never be too careful as a PC.
Rule number one : Never ever ever trust a Dragon. Never.
Rule #2 If a NPC doesn't tell you what he is up to, he is going to screw you. (possibly someone kidnapped your friend and is pretending to be him). But seriously the second an NPC hides any indication of what he is doing or misleads the PCs in any way whatsoever he is automatically on the don't trust list and risks the PCs turning down his offer.
So if you want to railroad PCs into taking a job, the NPC must be forthcoming completely and must be 100% honest or you risk the PCs saying no.
You can't just go, he is a lifelong friend but he isn't going to tell you this... That makes him even more suspicious to players because lifelong friends WOULD trust you with all the details.
Remember the PCs don't know whether or not their friend is who he says he is and the more he doesn't trust them with all the details the more they aren't going to trust him.
i was so nervous at the beginning, was stumbling over my words and forgetting things. Once the pc's started talking and interacting it was all gravy though.
Still happens to me and I've been running games since the early 80s... :) Congrats on your first session!
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
PBP "Beregost Blues" - Dungeon Master of Gnome Slaying +5
So if you want to railroad PCs into taking a job, the NPC must be forthcoming completely and must be 100% honest or you risk the PCs saying no.
You can't just go, he is a lifelong friend but he isn't going to tell you this... That makes him even more suspicious to players because lifelong friends WOULD trust you with all the details.
Remember the PCs don't know whether or not their friend is who he says he is and the more he doesn't trust them with all the details the more they aren't going to trust him.
Well, this is the straight up hook from the Lost Mine book. The NPC is only hiring the party to escort goods from point A to point B, not asking them to rescue a person or retrieve a valuable object or anything. It was when the group started prying into what his overall plans were that he got right-lipped.
One of the things in the book said something along the lines of "I can't tell you right now, but it's big."
Maybe I should have played it different, instead of how the book wrote it, but it seemed reasonable to me
It is reasonable and how I played it as well. Even if they don't trust him, what are they going to do? Not go? Ok, great session guys what do we do now...
even an insight check on him, ok so they might find out he's holding something back, but again, he isn't going to tell them and what are they going to do? Yes it is "railroading" I suppose, but it's also a BEGINNER adventure using the STARTER set with brand new players. If you are going to just ignore and not listen to the first person you encounter, of whom has already piqued your interest with a job (that's why you're there in the first place) then why play.
Had some fun in our third session tonight, and the game totally took an unexpected turn. So the adventurers had arrived in Phabdalin the end of the previous session, so this session after getting to know some townsfolk decided to go looking for the redbrands.
they ended up fighting and killing two and tying up and binding the others. The ones they tied up they took to edernath and asked him to imprison them until they deal with glassstaff, because they didn't want the townmaster to know they were dealing with the threat. For the two they killed the monk decided to go to Sister Gareale and have an entire funeral procession and proper burial. It was so unexpected but made for some hilarious moments.
So if you want to railroad PCs into taking a job, the NPC must be forthcoming completely and must be 100% honest or you risk the PCs saying no.
You can't just go, he is a lifelong friend but he isn't going to tell you this... That makes him even more suspicious to players because lifelong friends WOULD trust you with all the details.
Remember the PCs don't know whether or not their friend is who he says he is and the more he doesn't trust them with all the details the more they aren't going to trust him.
Well, this is the straight up hook from the Lost Mine book. The NPC is only hiring the party to escort goods from point A to point B, not asking them to rescue a person or retrieve a valuable object or anything. It was when the group started prying into what his overall plans were that he got right-lipped.
One of the things in the book said something along the lines of "I can't tell you right now, but it's big."
Maybe I should have played it different, instead of how the book wrote it, but it seemed reasonable to me
So if you want to railroad PCs into taking a job, the NPC must be forthcoming completely and must be 100% honest or you risk the PCs saying no.
You can't just go, he is a lifelong friend but he isn't going to tell you this... That makes him even more suspicious to players because lifelong friends WOULD trust you with all the details.
Remember the PCs don't know whether or not their friend is who he says he is and the more he doesn't trust them with all the details the more they aren't going to trust him.
Well, this is the straight up hook from the Lost Mine book. The NPC is only hiring the party to escort goods from point A to point B, not asking them to rescue a person or retrieve a valuable object or anything. It was when the group started prying into what his overall plans were that he got right-lipped.
One of the things in the book said something along the lines of "I can't tell you right now, but it's big."
Maybe I should have played it different, instead of how the book wrote it, but it seemed reasonable to me
I understand that is how the adventure is written, but PCs are going to pry and if someone is their lifetime friend it becomes more unreasonable that he wouldn't tell them what is going on.
You got to be weary of your best pal asking you to smuggle illegal goods and all.
It's just my experience the moment a PC hides anything from the PCs he is in dangerous territory. I suppose it's fine if the group has bought into the we are playing this adventure so.... Idea other than wanting a true sandbox.
Just wanted to post this as a "you truly never know what the players will do" note.
That sounds like it was a good time! Last week we had our first session with the full party. We picked up at the beginning of the cragmaw hideout. In the combat encounter with the two lookout goblins, the ranger critted and one-hit the goblin, and I played it up that he cut the goblin in half, anime style. When they went into the cave and found the wolves, the monk went back outside, grabbed the top half of the goblin and threw it to the wolves to keep them occupied. Nice bit of thinking there. Well, the rogue - my 10 yo nephew - wanted to unchain one of the wolves to see if it would be their friend. I warned him against it, pointing out the fact that the wolves were currently eating one of their masters, and that he'd need a pretty decent animal handling check to succeed. He was adamant about it though. So, he rolled - poorly - and the now free wolf rolled a nat 20 and wiped out the rogue in one hit. I should mention also that the rogue had been softened up a bit by traps and falling off a rock wall. So yeah, you never know what the players will do.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Leave the gun. Take the cannoli.
To post a comment, please login or register a new account.
My group immediately tried to buy healing potions before leaving. I'm like uhh if you couldn't afford it during the setup how can you now. They tried haggling the price down, which they did a little but still couldn't afford it. I was like uhh alright lets go.
How do you get a one-armed goblin out of a tree?
Wave!
Just don't forget to stay as loose as possible and have fun! The more relaxed you are, the better your recall will function and the more effective your plans will be.
Luck!
100%
i was so nervous at the beginning, was stumbling over my words and forgetting things. Once the pc's started talking and interacting it was all gravy though.
How do you get a one-armed goblin out of a tree?
Wave!
If you watch live streams of D&D with new players you will notice that they trust an NPC, then the DM has the npc screw them over, then they trust an npc and they get screwed over again and from then on they insight check their own mother because the DM has screwed them over so much by trusting NPCs.
Its not a video game culture. It is the result of the DM choosing to have NPCs cross the players. You can do it once and you are probably fine, but if you do it any more assume the PCs are going to insight check like crazy. You can never be too careful as a PC.
Rule number one : Never ever ever trust a Dragon. Never.
Rule #2 If a NPC doesn't tell you what he is up to, he is going to screw you. (possibly someone kidnapped your friend and is pretending to be him). But seriously the second an NPC hides any indication of what he is doing or misleads the PCs in any way whatsoever he is automatically on the don't trust list and risks the PCs turning down his offer.
So if you want to railroad PCs into taking a job, the NPC must be forthcoming completely and must be 100% honest or you risk the PCs saying no.
You can't just go, he is a lifelong friend but he isn't going to tell you this... That makes him even more suspicious to players because lifelong friends WOULD trust you with all the details.
Remember the PCs don't know whether or not their friend is who he says he is and the more he doesn't trust them with all the details the more they aren't going to trust him.
Well, this is the straight up hook from the Lost Mine book. The NPC is only hiring the party to escort goods from point A to point B, not asking them to rescue a person or retrieve a valuable object or anything. It was when the group started prying into what his overall plans were that he got right-lipped.
One of the things in the book said something along the lines of "I can't tell you right now, but it's big."
Maybe I should have played it different, instead of how the book wrote it, but it seemed reasonable to me
Leave the gun. Take the cannoli.
It is reasonable and how I played it as well. Even if they don't trust him, what are they going to do? Not go? Ok, great session guys what do we do now...
even an insight check on him, ok so they might find out he's holding something back, but again, he isn't going to tell them and what are they going to do? Yes it is "railroading" I suppose, but it's also a BEGINNER adventure using the STARTER set with brand new players. If you are going to just ignore and not listen to the first person you encounter, of whom has already piqued your interest with a job (that's why you're there in the first place) then why play.
How do you get a one-armed goblin out of a tree?
Wave!
Had some fun in our third session tonight, and the game totally took an unexpected turn. So the adventurers had arrived in Phabdalin the end of the previous session, so this session after getting to know some townsfolk decided to go looking for the redbrands.
they ended up fighting and killing two and tying up and binding the others. The ones they tied up they took to edernath and asked him to imprison them until they deal with glassstaff, because they didn't want the townmaster to know they were dealing with the threat. For the two they killed the monk decided to go to Sister Gareale and have an entire funeral procession and proper burial. It was so unexpected but made for some hilarious moments.
How do you get a one-armed goblin out of a tree?
Wave!
Just wanted to post this as a "you truly never know what the players will do" note.
How do you get a one-armed goblin out of a tree?
Wave!
Leave the gun. Take the cannoli.