Asking for running City of the Spider Queen [Archive] - Wizards Community

Asking for running City of the Spider Queen [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Bhaalspawn
11-29-06, 01:07 PM Hi, I'm planning on running City of the Spider Queen for a group of friends this summer. This campaign has a reputation of being difficult, but I am not too worried about that as I expect to have more than 4 players. I will be using the 3.5 rules instead of 3.0 (so no hasted drow wizards casting lightning bolt twice a round). For those of you who have run this campaign, how many sessions should I expect it to take? Additionally, if there's anything else you think I should know or watch out for, I would appreciate it. Thanks!
Caligula
11-29-06, 01:17 PM I havent played the CotSQ yet, but I have read it several times and discussed it intensely on the boards with fellow DMs that have run it. We will play it immediately after RHoD.

This module is an epic campaign against the Drow of Faerun. I think it will take the better part of a year to conclude, even if you play a full length session once per week. You shouldnt be put off to playing it now I hope - its one of the best modules ever written for the D&D game, and I would say the best ever module written specifically for FRCS! Without a doubt.

There is a thread here at the forums that updates key NPCs and monsters to 3.5 version. If you send me your email in a personal message I would be happy to send a link to you.

Good Luck!

BTW, did write "this summer"? Its December over there also, right? :D
Bhaalspawn
11-29-06, 01:57 PM Is this the thread you were thinking of? (http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=255217)

Hmm... I didn't realize that the campaign is so long. This could be a slight problem, as we only have three months... I guess I'll have to figure something out.

P.S.
Yes, it's not Summer now, but that's when I'm going to run the game. ;)
Caligula
11-29-06, 03:15 PM Perhaps you guys can play it faster and perhaps you dont roleplay as much as we do. But I have calculated for about a year´s play if you play a full length session (5-7 hours) once a week. It took us the better part of a whole year to play "The Vault of Larin Karr" also...

Yes, that was the thread I was referring to. There you will find plenty of help to convert the module.

It´s a good thing you prepare the module this far ahead, but howcome you guys dont set out to start earlier than summer?
Bhaalspawn
11-29-06, 03:29 PM We go to different schools. Summer is when we all have vacation.
Caligula
11-29-06, 04:19 PM Cant you guys play in the evenings or weekends?
Bhaalspawn
11-29-06, 04:53 PM We go to school in different states: Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Washington D.C., and North Carolina.
Caligula
11-29-06, 05:24 PM Oh, I see. I guess the distance to travel is to great for weekend play then. Anyway I wish you guys good luck and that you will manage to finish the module during your summer break.
mackniels
11-30-06, 02:45 AM I have been a player in CotSQ - the first time I played in an evil party. VERY funny!!

Our group are all experienced players and we play almost every Monday night 4 hour sessions. It took us 11 months to get the final part and we have yet to finish that part. We have taken a break and are no playing RHoD.

I would say it is impossible to make it in 3 months unless you play almost every day.

/Martin
Caligula
11-30-06, 10:57 AM Perhaps you guys can travel to eachother and play once every other weekend or so? Im not exactly sure about the distance between the states you mentioned, but some are pretty close, arent they? When I lived in the West of Sweden and studied, my cousin came some weekends to visit (4 hours drive) and we played intensively thursday-monday, or something like that. (Yes, I skipped a couple of classes...:embarrass ) Actually its great fun to lock yourself in and just play D&D, sleep a little bit, eat a little bit, and play D&D. We could play from 10 am until 4-5 am the next morning. Amazing how much ground you can cover in an adventure when you play like that, and also you really go "in character" with the intensity of the gaming.
Robert Craven
11-30-06, 02:27 PM I run CotSQ in 3.5. We started in July and had 15 sessions so far and the party has not reached Maerimydra yet. So I guess the whole quest will take 30 sessions or so. And I hope we get it done before summer.
btw: Our sessions last from 8-14 hours.
The party already suffered 7 deaths and more to come.

The party started out with 4 characters with a fifth joining after the 10th session.

So overall: It's a long and dangerous quest. Be prepared and prepare your party so they are not too shocked after the first couple of casulties!
Caligula
11-30-06, 02:36 PM If you can finish the CotSQ module in 30 sessions you will be awarded the Nobel Prize in physics for timetravel my friend! :D
Robert Craven
11-30-06, 03:32 PM 30 sessions are about 350 hours of gameplay. That's a lot. But we will see. I will keep you informed.
Although there will be no more session this year :(
Caligula
11-30-06, 06:44 PM 30 sessions are about 350 hours of gameplay. That's a lot. But we will see. I will keep you informed.
Although there will be no more session this year :(

Oh really? Do you play 10+ hours each session?
Robert Craven
12-01-06, 03:23 AM Yes, 8h is absolute minimum. Most sessions are 10-12h with some lasting for 16 or more.
Caligula
12-01-06, 08:25 AM Wow, that´s the way it should be! Right on, Robert Craven! :clap:
Bhaalspawn
12-04-06, 01:15 PM I run CotSQ in 3.5. We started in July and had 15 sessions so far and the party has not reached Maerimydra yet. So I guess the whole quest will take 30 sessions or so. And I hope we get it done before summer.
btw: Our sessions last from 8-14 hours.

It seems to me that Part 2 (the journey to Maerimydra) would be the easiest part to compress or skip. ("After weeks of travel, you find yourselves...")

Out of curiosity, how long did it take your group to complete Szith Morcane? I'm having difficulty imagining how that would go in actual play.

The party already suffered 7 deaths and more to come.

The party started out with 4 characters with a fifth joining after the 10th session.

So overall: It's a long and dangerous quest. Be prepared and prepare your party so they are not too shocked after the first couple of casulties!

I'm planning on telling them that the campaign is ridiculously hard, and that they should min-max like crazy if they want any chance of overcoming the challenges.
Caligula
12-04-06, 04:13 PM I agree! An epic campaign against the Drow that can change the shape of Faerun should be lethal in all aspects. This adventure should not be played by sensitive players! ;)
Robert Craven
12-05-06, 04:11 AM It seems to me that Part 2 (the journey to Maerimydra) would be the easiest part to compress or skip. ("After weeks of travel, you find yourselves...")

That's a possibility. Although the underdark was fun to play for my players. But right, you could skip it. There could be some portal in the wizards tower that connects dircetly to Maerimydra.

Out of curiosity, how long did it take your group to complete Szith Morcane? I'm having difficulty imagining how that would go in actual play.
That was a bot of a surprise to me. I excpected them to be through in 2-3 session before starting the quest. It took them 10 or 11. But it greatly depends on how you play the drows and how lucky your party gets.

I had the drows withdraw any time the battle was turning aganinst them. So the party faced the same drows over and over again, everytime being better prepared for the party.
And the party had to run several times because of deaths or almost deaths.
They spent 2 sessions to free one party member who was captured by the drows.

I'm planning on telling them that the campaign is ridiculously hard, and that they should min-max like crazy if they want any chance of overcoming the challenges.
Do that! They really should build some strong characters. And they absolutely need a cleric and a rogue.I do not think there is a way to survive without those two.

Btw: We had a session yesterday. The party still has not reached Szith Morcane. And Irae's plots to seed dissent within the party works out great. I might see some inner party killing within the next sessions. Drows are so evil :devil:
Varia
05-17-07, 11:10 AM 'Scuse my thread necromancy but-

POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERT-

I'd like to add my voice to the min/max recommendation- Even min/maxing with the underdark in mind and with considerable helpings of cheese thrown in (I'm doing the divine metamagic pelor cleric thing forinstance, with a side-order of church inquisitor thrown in (cleric 3, inquisitor 5, radiant servant 6 now, shortly after the messenger fight)) there are spots where its just plain nasty. Without mentioning specific names- The thing in the altar at Syth Morcane was thoroughly unforshadowed and uncalled for (and caused the only 2 deaths we've had so far), the main encounter at Glauroths Chasm would be ugly for most people (we got certain enchantments in response to the altar encounter that significantly took the edge off it, lucky for us), and the scroll messenger thing (which we just ran into last week) came close to wiping us out due to stun-lock and inability to hit its ac, when it finally decided we werent listening properly and tried to kill us. If we werent so all-around uberized we'd be deader than disco by now. I dont know that regular characters would get more than 35 feet into the adventure before starting to lose people.

Note to self when min-maxing for a known drow-bashing adventure:- dont forget to list undercommon as one of your languages... d'oh! :P
Loestalx
05-23-07, 09:28 PM I ran the game for a group of 6 experienced and crafty players. It tookw about 4 months of playing once a week for about 10 hours. It was tough on them. I killed everyone but the cleric at least once. They power gamed pretty well, but the mod is just tough...simple as that. I would read some of it to prepare and thought "holy crap, this is rough". But they did finish it, quicker than I expected they would. Usually they would either destroy the enemy or the enemy would nearly kill everyone. There wasn't much middle ground.

Tell them to min/max as much as they can, it will be tough.
Caligula
05-28-07, 11:09 AM After RHoD I will DM "City of the Spiderqueen". I have waited a long time to run this module. And as always I will write my "City of the Spiderqueen - Total Recap!" :cool:

The recap will start with how I prepare a campaign like this, what books I read, what pictures and maps I use, which minis I use, and how I prepare and inform the players.

Just like RHoD, the CotSQ is a long and deadly campaign that can frustrate players. It's important that you prepare them well for what awaits them.

Good Luck! :)
Asciiman
05-31-07, 05:05 AM My group started about oh... four months ago, and we're already onto the final part. Sometime early January we bagan and are almost at the end now... so I think about 25 sessions at about five to six hours each.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Bhaalspawn 11-29-06, 01:07 PM	Hi, I'm planning on running City of the Spider Queen for a group of friends this summer. This campaign has a reputation of being difficult, but I am not too worried about that as I expect to have more than 4 players. I will be using the 3.5 rules instead of 3.0 (so no hasted drow wizards casting lightning bolt twice a round). For those of you who have run this campaign, how many sessions should I expect it to take? Additionally, if there's anything else you think I should know or watch out for, I would appreciate it. Thanks!
Caligula 11-29-06, 01:17 PM	I havent played the CotSQ yet, but I have read it several times and discussed it intensely on the boards with fellow DMs that have run it. We will play it immediately after RHoD. This module is an epic campaign against the Drow of Faerun. I think it will take the better part of a year to conclude, even if you play a full length session once per week. You shouldnt be put off to playing it now I hope - its one of the best modules ever written for the D&D game, and I would say the best ever module written specifically for FRCS! Without a doubt. There is a thread here at the forums that updates key NPCs and monsters to 3.5 version. If you send me your email in a personal message I would be happy to send a link to you. Good Luck! BTW, did write "this summer"? Its December over there also, right? :D
Bhaalspawn 11-29-06, 01:57 PM	Is this the thread you were thinking of? (http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=255217) Hmm... I didn't realize that the campaign is so long. This could be a slight problem, as we only have three months... I guess I'll have to figure something out. P.S. Yes, it's not Summer now, but that's when I'm going to run the game. ;)
Caligula 11-29-06, 03:15 PM	Perhaps you guys can play it faster and perhaps you dont roleplay as much as we do. But I have calculated for about a year´s play if you play a full length session (5-7 hours) once a week. It took us the better part of a whole year to play "The Vault of Larin Karr" also... Yes, that was the thread I was referring to. There you will find plenty of help to convert the module. It´s a good thing you prepare the module this far ahead, but howcome you guys dont set out to start earlier than summer?
Bhaalspawn 11-29-06, 03:29 PM	We go to different schools. Summer is when we all have vacation.
Caligula 11-29-06, 04:19 PM	Cant you guys play in the evenings or weekends?
Bhaalspawn 11-29-06, 04:53 PM	We go to school in different states: Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Washington D.C., and North Carolina.
Caligula 11-29-06, 05:24 PM	Oh, I see. I guess the distance to travel is to great for weekend play then. Anyway I wish you guys good luck and that you will manage to finish the module during your summer break.
mackniels 11-30-06, 02:45 AM	I have been a player in CotSQ - the first time I played in an evil party. VERY funny!! Our group are all experienced players and we play almost every Monday night 4 hour sessions. It took us 11 months to get the final part and we have yet to finish that part. We have taken a break and are no playing RHoD. I would say it is impossible to make it in 3 months unless you play almost every day. /Martin
Caligula 11-30-06, 10:57 AM	Perhaps you guys can travel to eachother and play once every other weekend or so? Im not exactly sure about the distance between the states you mentioned, but some are pretty close, arent they? When I lived in the West of Sweden and studied, my cousin came some weekends to visit (4 hours drive) and we played intensively thursday-monday, or something like that. (Yes, I skipped a couple of classes...:embarrass ) Actually its great fun to lock yourself in and just play D&D, sleep a little bit, eat a little bit, and play D&D. We could play from 10 am until 4-5 am the next morning. Amazing how much ground you can cover in an adventure when you play like that, and also you really go "in character" with the intensity of the gaming.
Robert Craven 11-30-06, 02:27 PM	I run CotSQ in 3.5. We started in July and had 15 sessions so far and the party has not reached Maerimydra yet. So I guess the whole quest will take 30 sessions or so. And I hope we get it done before summer. btw: Our sessions last from 8-14 hours. The party already suffered 7 deaths and more to come. The party started out with 4 characters with a fifth joining after the 10th session. So overall: It's a long and dangerous quest. Be prepared and prepare your party so they are not too shocked after the first couple of casulties!
Caligula 11-30-06, 02:36 PM	If you can finish the CotSQ module in 30 sessions you will be awarded the Nobel Prize in physics for timetravel my friend! :D
Robert Craven 11-30-06, 03:32 PM	30 sessions are about 350 hours of gameplay. That's a lot. But we will see. I will keep you informed. Although there will be no more session this year :(
Caligula 11-30-06, 06:44 PM	30 sessions are about 350 hours of gameplay. That's a lot. But we will see. I will keep you informed. Although there will be no more session this year :( Oh really? Do you play 10+ hours each session?
Robert Craven 12-01-06, 03:23 AM	Yes, 8h is absolute minimum. Most sessions are 10-12h with some lasting for 16 or more.
Caligula 12-01-06, 08:25 AM	Wow, that´s the way it should be! Right on, Robert Craven! :clap:
Bhaalspawn 12-04-06, 01:15 PM	I run CotSQ in 3.5. We started in July and had 15 sessions so far and the party has not reached Maerimydra yet. So I guess the whole quest will take 30 sessions or so. And I hope we get it done before summer. btw: Our sessions last from 8-14 hours. It seems to me that Part 2 (the journey to Maerimydra) would be the easiest part to compress or skip. ("After weeks of travel, you find yourselves...") Out of curiosity, how long did it take your group to complete Szith Morcane? I'm having difficulty imagining how that would go in actual play. The party already suffered 7 deaths and more to come. The party started out with 4 characters with a fifth joining after the 10th session. So overall: It's a long and dangerous quest. Be prepared and prepare your party so they are not too shocked after the first couple of casulties! I'm planning on telling them that the campaign is ridiculously hard, and that they should min-max like crazy if they want any chance of overcoming the challenges.
Caligula 12-04-06, 04:13 PM	I agree! An epic campaign against the Drow that can change the shape of Faerun should be lethal in all aspects. This adventure should not be played by sensitive players! ;)
Robert Craven 12-05-06, 04:11 AM	It seems to me that Part 2 (the journey to Maerimydra) would be the easiest part to compress or skip. ("After weeks of travel, you find yourselves...") That's a possibility. Although the underdark was fun to play for my players. But right, you could skip it. There could be some portal in the wizards tower that connects dircetly to Maerimydra. Out of curiosity, how long did it take your group to complete Szith Morcane? I'm having difficulty imagining how that would go in actual play. That was a bot of a surprise to me. I excpected them to be through in 2-3 session before starting the quest. It took them 10 or 11. But it greatly depends on how you play the drows and how lucky your party gets. I had the drows withdraw any time the battle was turning aganinst them. So the party faced the same drows over and over again, everytime being better prepared for the party. And the party had to run several times because of deaths or almost deaths. They spent 2 sessions to free one party member who was captured by the drows. I'm planning on telling them that the campaign is ridiculously hard, and that they should min-max like crazy if they want any chance of overcoming the challenges. Do that! They really should build some strong characters. And they absolutely need a cleric and a rogue.I do not think there is a way to survive without those two. Btw: We had a session yesterday. The party still has not reached Szith Morcane. And Irae's plots to seed dissent within the party works out great. I might see some inner party killing within the next sessions. Drows are so evil :devil:
Varia 05-17-07, 11:10 AM	'Scuse my thread necromancy but- POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERT- I'd like to add my voice to the min/max recommendation- Even min/maxing with the underdark in mind and with considerable helpings of cheese thrown in (I'm doing the divine metamagic pelor cleric thing forinstance, with a side-order of church inquisitor thrown in (cleric 3, inquisitor 5, radiant servant 6 now, shortly after the messenger fight)) there are spots where its just plain nasty. Without mentioning specific names- The thing in the altar at Syth Morcane was thoroughly unforshadowed and uncalled for (and caused the only 2 deaths we've had so far), the main encounter at Glauroths Chasm would be ugly for most people (we got certain enchantments in response to the altar encounter that significantly took the edge off it, lucky for us), and the scroll messenger thing (which we just ran into last week) came close to wiping us out due to stun-lock and inability to hit its ac, when it finally decided we werent listening properly and tried to kill us. If we werent so all-around uberized we'd be deader than disco by now. I dont know that regular characters would get more than 35 feet into the adventure before starting to lose people. Note to self when min-maxing for a known drow-bashing adventure:- dont forget to list undercommon as one of your languages... d'oh! :P
Loestalx 05-23-07, 09:28 PM	I ran the game for a group of 6 experienced and crafty players. It tookw about 4 months of playing once a week for about 10 hours. It was tough on them. I killed everyone but the cleric at least once. They power gamed pretty well, but the mod is just tough...simple as that. I would read some of it to prepare and thought "holy crap, this is rough". But they did finish it, quicker than I expected they would. Usually they would either destroy the enemy or the enemy would nearly kill everyone. There wasn't much middle ground. Tell them to min/max as much as they can, it will be tough.
Caligula 05-28-07, 11:09 AM	After RHoD I will DM "City of the Spiderqueen". I have waited a long time to run this module. And as always I will write my "City of the Spiderqueen - Total Recap!" :cool: The recap will start with how I prepare a campaign like this, what books I read, what pictures and maps I use, which minis I use, and how I prepare and inform the players. Just like RHoD, the CotSQ is a long and deadly campaign that can frustrate players. It's important that you prepare them well for what awaits them. Good Luck! :)
Asciiman 05-31-07, 05:05 AM	My group started about oh... four months ago, and we're already onto the final part. Sometime early January we bagan and are almost at the end now... so I think about 25 sessions at about five to six hours each.