Post/Author/DateTime	Post
KieranBathgate 01-20-07, 09:55 PM	I have been thinking of an idea that sounds like it could provide endless hours of entertainment but I'm not fully sure how I could run it. The basic concept is that I will DM for around 4-6 people. Each person will roll randomly to determine their class and race (I have made a d% chart for this). Each player will be randomly assigned another player that they must assassinate. Every PC will be hunting and hunted. If ever a PC leaves the walls of the city then their mission is failure. The player must go by their task without being discovered as an assassin and without killing any of the other PC. The players will all start in a city, they will all have a resisdence of their own, and they will all usually tend to be consistent in where they eat/buy items (eg. Yabex tends to visit the Shining Quarterstaff every evening for a glass of Elven wine). The characters have all experience assassination attempts on them before and will be weary of mysterious strangers. The players can (and are encouraged to) try to make alliances with other PC that they think (or hope) haven't been assigned to kill them. Thus, a lot of social skills will come in handy. This will make for a very interesting game as there will be people stabbing others in the back or simply ganging up on on individuals. Also, I wanted to stick to mostly combat/stealth classes; I don't want a lot of spell casters that can detect thoughts or detect hostile intent for example. Now where I believe that this idea could never work is the massive amounts of role-playing that will be required in amongst the PCs individually. Another problem would be having the PCs find each other. How on earth could I make this work? Has anybody done anything similar? How could I make the social skills work? What level should they be (I thought 8-12th)? How could I have them stick to some sort of schedule? What classes should I not allow (Wizard/Sorcerer/Psion)? How big of a city? What happens if they fail (instantly assassinated by an unknown source, perhaps)? So many questions...any help will be amazing. Thanks, K.
taradusis 01-20-07, 10:46 PM	Start with a smaller slayground like a warehouse that everybody enters from a different door?Perhaps a ball at a castle with the quests moving from room to room and limited armament?Handling turns from several players simultanousely without them overhearing each other could be done with notes I quess.RANDOM THOUGHTS
KieranBathgate 01-21-07, 12:15 AM	I like your thinking. Keep it small...I can build up from small.
Kirtanus_Albacron 01-21-07, 12:29 AM	I say have the city be a metropolis, it would be more fun I think. And I think Arcane and divine spellcasters, and psions are out of the question, because then it would be too easy.
aristotle91 01-21-07, 09:04 AM	it sounds fun, but i think it might be very, very difficult. When you are explaining what is happening to one player, the others will both hear what you are telling and be bored waiting for their turn.
KieranBathgate 01-21-07, 11:00 AM	I agree with the spellcasting making it far too easy. The current plan is that I will be running this in my kitchen with the person, or two, that I am working with while the others will be in the living room watching a movie or something. This seems to be the only resonable solution. Under no circumstance do I want everybody to hear what each person is told...
aristotle91 01-21-07, 11:25 AM	it would probably be better to play this over IRC or MSN, having a single group channel or chat window and individual, private chats going on separately. Doing in person, you'll run into all sorts of issues, having to call one person in and send them out over and over again. Some players will take the spotlight and hog more DM time. And, when one player walks into an ambush, how will adjudicate the combat, telling one player what they see and handling their actions without the other player knowing who it is or what is happening?
taradusis 01-21-07, 10:27 PM	A variant of Highlander with there being a prize for taking the most heads?Perhaps the players have to kill some one at a large gathering of people,only one person gets the reward and they're all competing against other hitmen,sort of like the movie mean guns.
Undercover 01-21-07, 10:56 PM	How on earth could I make this work? Has anybody done anything similar? How could I make the social skills work? What level should they be (I thought 8-12th)? How could I have them stick to some sort of schedule? What classes should I not allow (Wizard/Sorcerer/Psion)? How big of a city? What happens if they fail (instantly assassinated by an unknown source, perhaps)? So many questions...any help will be amazing. Thanks, K. First, I think your idea is really cool. Congrats! The schedule/failure thing: poison them with a 5 day delayed effect (1st effect in 5 days) with a poison magically neutered (i.e. it's not affect by magic of any kind). Get the job done and you get the antidote. Alternatively make their parents, wife, kids, dog, etc. hostage. Ban clerics too, divination is stronger in them. City size: big enough to have big parties and invite them in :cool: Communication during play: have lots of paper sheets and pens, hand them to the players. Anything they do must be communicated through writing. How to make it work, heck, try it! I've never seen such a thing, go on and try it. These times I remember the slogan: Just do it!
KieranBathgate 01-21-07, 11:17 PM	Thanks for the support Undercover. I think that I will start it off really small. I loved the idea about the Ball. This would be a great way just to become familiar with the idea; find out what is going to work and what isn't. Also, the party won't be able to walk into a ball with full plate and a greataxe. This will make for an interesting Deathdealing, as I have currently named it. After I do this I will move onto bigger locations: large cities, for example. I really like the idea about poisoning the players...great suggestion! One thing that I thought of would be to set lots of different Gather Information DCs. The higher the DC the more they find out (as said by the rules in PHB). I will have to throw in a lot of different information that they can find out about the victim (perhaps some that is misleading...). I will need to plan out certain NPCs that know certain pieces of information, with the right bribes, ofcourse. Also, how could I spread my time effectively between the players. Should I give each players 5 rounds each and then move on to the next player? Do you think that would be suitable? I will be hopefully running the Ballroom one soon (2 weeks from now). I will type up a full report of it at that time: what worked out and what didn't. At that point we should be able to revise this fully and make some solid conclusions. This all seems like it could turn out to be a big mess. Please, list any possible flaws that can think of within the next two weeks. Thanks, K.
taradusis 01-23-07, 09:22 PM	Perhaps all should be members of different secret societies that work at cross purposes?Like one could be a yuan-ti pureblood who's a member of the coiled cabal.Another is a doppleganger,who's murdered and replaced a merchant.Another is a vampire who's part of a death cult.Another is a "bleached"drow who is passing as a regular elf.This is perhaps a more advanced game for when you work out the bugs?
KieranBathgate 01-24-07, 03:15 PM	I like the idea to add a bit of individualism and story. It would definitely have to happen after I have cleaned up the idea fully
taradusis 02-02-07, 01:05 PM	A gladiatorial game where the players are in a maze and the crowd watches from above?A game where the players must fight their way to the top of a pyramid,sort of like the game of king of the hill.One midevil king had two nobles who were always slandering each other take turns throwing daggers at each other till one collapsed.A match on a balance beam like american gladiators?RANDOM THOUGHTS.
taradusis 02-14-07, 04:48 PM	Perhaps your players could use dry erase boards to speed communication rather than paper?Perhaps a play or symphony with regularly scheduled intermissions could help with timing?How about an awards banquet with the PC's finding out that whoever wins such and such award must die?
KieranBathgate 02-14-07, 10:47 PM	Once again, I like the idea of having them find out who is to die after they get there. That will help keep the intensity up. Thank you very much for all the great feedback that you have given me, Taradusis. K.
tryco 02-24-07, 11:35 AM	:bump:
taradusis 02-24-07, 05:43 PM	Since the best way to bump a thread is to contribute an idea.How about a relatively non-violent episode where you get your opponent arrested or killed by the authorites?(Backstabbing someone without an actual dagger as it were.)RANDOM THOUGHT
taradusis 03-15-07, 09:34 PM	How about everybody plays an awakened animal and has to move around town without revealing themselves,yet still "tag"the target?Awakened viper moving thru house to deliver poisonous bite,must avoid guard animals,mousetraps,competition?RANDOM THOUGHTS
taradusis 04-21-07, 01:59 PM	Now I wonder how this would work in a prison setting.The PCs are locked up in a large prison they must secure weapons and kill a mafia chieften,then they'll be set free.Be sure to include sadistic guards,inmates with a thing for showers,perhaps a pit fight after hours?RANDOM THOUGHTS.
taradusis 05-20-07, 08:40 AM	I was watching some of my japanese giant monster dvds. Suppose each PC was a giant monster?a gargangantuan ape with the magic beast template from savage species.a T.Rex with the amphibian,fiendish and magic beast templatesa collossol stone golemA maximum HD pteradactyl with the magic beast template.a coolossol Blue dragon wyrm with the Multi-headed template from Savage species?You could give XP for destroying sections of town and points for most peasants stomped on?A battle royale amongst PC creations could be interesting?I reccomend against allowing a TARRASQUE tho.;)
Dale warrior 05-20-07, 03:14 PM	if you run this game i think it whould be a good idea to have several gaurds around the area wholl interfer with the PC's if they start fighting in the open
Krys Tamar 05-28-07, 03:50 AM	I'd also put in other encounters with creatures who may kill them so there's a little more in there than just roaming around trying to find your mark. Maybe a PC has to beat up Gorog the Orc before Gorog's buddy spills the info on what he knows about the PCs mark.
Anuvrix 05-28-07, 08:39 PM	If there are guards, then the best way to kill someone is to try and poison them, you're at a ball, you bring your friend a drink.:smirk: Five hours later he is lying dead in his room.:shifty: i'd hold off on even telling the PC's about them being assassins untill they become trusting of eachother.:pint: then it allows for more elaborate and sinister tricks. :plotting::evillaugh :angelhide you should post all of the tables and such when you have it all worked out.