The Next Generation!

[Black Jack Rackham]

David and one of his friends have been asking me to run D&D for them on and off for a little while (we keep meaning to do it but then months go by without seeing him so I've let it slide). But this weekend we had him over and finally decided to get it started!

Now while David is pretty good with whatever I might run for him, the friend seemed set on D&D (specifically upon playing a Druid). But when I talked to him, the reason for his desire had more to do with the idea of turning into an animal than specifically playing a Druid (which I also explained would take some time as I recalled before he'd be of sufficient level to pull that off). So, knowing a certain game which I am quite enamored with has a magic with the ability to not only turn into an animal BUT also do be able to do it from the very beginning of your character, I inquired about the possibility of running 7th Sea instead.

Well as that was an easy matter to get them on board, it then came to the question of what to run them through. So I am pleased to announce I am running the Hammer and Tongs campaign for the two of them!

Oh btw David decided to go with an Avalon DK, so this ought to be a fun time!

[salamanca]

And young Master Cox is expressing interest in maybe running 5th edition.

[Black Jack Rackham]

When will they learn? Sometimes its best to tell RPG companies to stop raking you over the coals for the same books over and over.

[smafdi]

Verily. I mean seriously minus a few minor "fan-edits" the 7th sea books stopped printing over 10 years ago and it's still GOING GOSH DARN STRONG! screw you wotc (i think wotc still has d&d but i honestly can't recall and too lazy to google) 4th ed was a nice change of pace but 5th looks like it's going back to the basics from 3.0-3.5 sooooo not interested.

*yay 7th sea*

[salamanca]

Behind on your news a bit lad. WotC doesn't exist as a company. This is a Hasbro product now. And they will stop making new editions when they stop selling well. And keep in mind that will be a dark day because Hasbro does not make a habit of selling off products, they just shelve them forever. And based on how bad version 4 seemed to be dialing back an edition and tweaking it seems like a wise move. And if a new edition puts the idea of becoming a GM into the head of a teenager that has not bothered to commit to remembering his character name, maybe it's a good thing. And 7th sea is not going strong. It has a loyal but small fanbase. But it does not get much love or thought from the greater gaming community. Point of fact, many gamers now refer to it as quaint but out of date in gaming style. (despite the fact that their games of choice seem to have derived key mechanics from the AEG and WOD lines.

[Black Jack Rackham]

So, changes I'm thinking of making to Hammer and Tongs to fit it better to our two players.

Just a recap, we have an Ussuran Shapeshifter (who's become the current Lord Drachenheim) and an Avalon Die Kreuzritter* (both are early teenaged boys so we shouldn't expect too much in the way of backgrounds, though David did ask about the costs of Backgrounds)

The Hard Points are pretty much going the way they're supposed to (with a few flourishes thrown in) But here's what I want to change:

1) Soft Point 2 - Invitation to Dance - Flesh out the guests who will be there and add in some side adventures for the two of them (which will also come in handy for Soft Point 5).

2) Soft Point 3 - House of Twenty Doorways - Rather than the Explorers asking, this is going to be the culmination of another adventure (the first I ever wrote for 7th Sea, The Ghost Coach of Imperator Rifenstahl). People on the outskirts of town report seeing the ghost of the former Imperator (who is cursed to see how his people are suffering from his cowardice) and ask heroes to look into it. Turns out it's part of Alberto Costanza's pipeline to Vincenzo Caligari (they're bringing artifacts in from the north). This adventure will lead them to him and dealing with him will be the end of Caligari's Eisen connection.

3) Soft Point 4 - Four Days of Nonus - Originally thought to have this be another enemy of DK but instead I'm thinking he knows something and DK needs to know what. Or alternately, he knows something and needs to tell DK but is being followed/watched. So they need to do the exchange during the parade and they need to keep the bad guys off their trail.

4) Soft Point 6 - Fish Out of Water - I was thinking of approaching this from the other side. The errant Inquisitor tries to just make a break for it and get's chased, (for fun I think he should still be in his robes and the chasers are not) and he begs the heroes for help.

5) Soft Point 7 - Nightbringer and Me - (ok first off, I apparently forgot this so I apologize in advance for ripping off a hefty portion of this plot for Heroes of Altamira) We start this with a series of disappearances which the pcs hear about and may or may not look into. We also make Bottenfeld a contact (maybe he is one of the folks who ask heroes to help him get rid of the Lone Wolves gang way back in Soft Point 1), and he should help them with something they need, maybe repairs on the house or an attempt to find the keys/help with opening the door. And go from there.

6) Soft Point 8 - A Lady in Need - I absolutely refuse to kill off Redmond (he's a great villain) so I need something else to give to the sister. I'm thinking a letter outlining an escape attempt (which is undated and predicated on some behavior by the sister). It gives no names (so heroes don't know that Redmond is involved until the wedding) but says the two of them will run off someplace far away. So now, rather than aiding and abetting a murder, we'll be doing a rescue attempt. And Redmond will hate them even more than before...

7) Soft Point 10 - The Second Key - The trip is three days south, there needs to be something happening on the road, but I can't for the life of me think of anything for them to do. (so any help would be appreciated)

8) Soft Point 11 - The Nibelungen - Another long trip, and I have a few ideas. The first suggestion (the attack) should probably give hints that it's Redmond (since he'll still be alive). The second suggestion, people caught out in the storm, I think will lead to my adventure about the creature that feeds off helplessness (the Boggle from GURPS: Creatures of the Night) so they'll be stuck in town for a couple of days. But there I have nothing for Hantzl/Atemlos (though I'm going to re-read that section of Eisen here soon).

So, any other suggestions, adventures to throw in to the campaign?



*Note David took the Nightblade putting him firmly in the Assassins camp, though he's discussed the Town Guardians more...

[Lady Grace]

You know, there IS a former Lord Drachenheim who just happens to have connections w/both Ussura AND the DK hiding around. Granted, he's not canon (yet)...

[Black Jack Rackham]

Oh I forgot to add, I would love to have some ideas about the motivations of the various party goers. (or heck just a list of plot hooks to dangle in front of the boys).

[salamanca]

I will send you the Freiburg Larp characters this week. That will cover everything you will need as it's most of the Freiburg box set movers and shakers plus several names you may have seen on another larp list and it gives them lots of hooks to play with. I shall ruminate on the rest.

[Black Jack Rackham]

Dave, I read the Freiburg Larp you posted in the GM section (I believe it was LARP 3) which was set post Trauge's suicide but there aren't a lot of characters in it. I'm guessing you were referring to something different?

[salamanca]

yes, every character sheet for that larp. with plothooks.