Cormyr, Shadowdale, and Anauroch [Archive] - Wizards Community

Cormyr, Shadowdale, and Anauroch [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
rbodine
10-23-07, 01:18 AM I'm planning to run Cormyr, Shadowdale, and Anauroch. Obviously, no one can give me any feedback on Anauroch because it hasn't been released as of this post. What I'd like to know is how long the mods will run. I know that's a tough question to answer because different groups play differently.

I plan to run 8-hour sessions once a month. Does anyone have an idea how many sessions Cormyr and Shadowdale should take?
Gryllmyre
10-23-07, 01:22 AM They aren't strong roleplaying campaigns from what I hear (I own the first two, but haven't really studied what it takes to get through the second one), so mostly they should be straight and dirty rollfests, with a little work to cleanly integrate the second one together in a concise way.

The lower levels usually go quickly. Once you get to around 8th level, sessions start taking a lot longer with all the spell effects going. My base guess is about 12-16 hours per level in the beginning, ending with 24 hours per level or so in the 9th+ area. This can be sped up significantly with a group that is on the ball about game rules without having to look them up.

I haven't DM'd past 14th level so I can't say how bad it gets up there. Also, the PC's will likely not make it to 9th level at the end of Cormyr, so be prepared with some encounters afterwards to raise them up a bit.

Anyway, short answer, uh... 190 hours for levels 4-13, so, buh, 24 sessions to get through the first two? I don't have direct experience DMing them, so this is just a guess.
rbodine
10-23-07, 03:39 PM Sorry, but I have to vent. This won't stop me from running the campaign, but . . .

Warning: Sort-of Spoilers

I'm starting to load the NPC into E-Tools. I've completed the first encounter. One of the three NPCs has all sorts of extra skill points, and the to-hit and damage bonuses are off. Okay, no big deal. On to encounter 2. I've started entering the first character, and that character has Weapon Focus in a weapon that he doesn't possess. Moreover, he possesses and uses a weapon with which he is not proficient.

WotC proofreading. Ya gotta love it.
Gryllmyre
10-23-07, 05:58 PM Oh, I hear ya.

Here's a review over at ENWorld that includes recommended errata for Cormyr. He hasn't examined Shadowdale yet, but I'm waiting for it.

http://www.enworld.org/reviews.php?do=product&productid=206761
rbodine
10-23-07, 07:40 PM Excellent. Thanks for the link. It verifies what I've found myself, which makes me feel more secure in my edits.
rbodine
11-19-07, 06:14 PM I have another question about these mods. Will item creation feats be a waste for the PCs running through these mods? I've almost completed Cormyr, and I'm convinced they'd be a waste, at least if I'm running the mod as written. Moreover, many of the choices that the PCs are likely to make would prevent them from taking long breaks regardless of how I re-wrote the mod.

Does anyone have a different impression of Cormyr? As I haven't read Shadowdale or Anauroch, does anyone have any impression of the other two?
Gryllmyre
11-19-07, 06:51 PM My first impression is that all three adventures keep the PC's actively busy. They could take breaks to craft, but it wouldn't make a lot of sense from a roleplaying standpoint, since there are clearly tasks to be handled.

There isn't anything stopping them from enlisting someone to make an item for them, though. But of course, that doesn't handle the Item Creation feat problem. I'll take a closer look at Shadowdale and Anauroch (just got that one a few days ago) and confirm.

If the PC's REALLY want to craft, I'd say they may have the best opportunity to do so between each adventure rather than in the middle of one of them.
rbodine
11-19-07, 07:02 PM I'll do the same and we can compare notes.
Gryllmyre
11-19-07, 08:50 PM * Spoilers *

I perused as I could while avoiding a deeper study, trying to get a feel for how things flow. If I interpret things correctly:

Shadowdale: Between the primary tasks, the PC's could be hounded by agents of the army as they gain notoriety. This would put a damper on item creation.

Anauroch: There is one section where the PC's are doing research that might present a crafting opportunity, but I don't think it lasts long enough to craft anything significant.

So, short answer, it still looks like between adventures is the best time to craft, since once each adventure gets under way, the effort on the PCs' parts is nearly constant.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
rbodine 10-23-07, 01:18 AM	I'm planning to run Cormyr, Shadowdale, and Anauroch. Obviously, no one can give me any feedback on Anauroch because it hasn't been released as of this post. What I'd like to know is how long the mods will run. I know that's a tough question to answer because different groups play differently. I plan to run 8-hour sessions once a month. Does anyone have an idea how many sessions Cormyr and Shadowdale should take?
Gryllmyre 10-23-07, 01:22 AM	They aren't strong roleplaying campaigns from what I hear (I own the first two, but haven't really studied what it takes to get through the second one), so mostly they should be straight and dirty rollfests, with a little work to cleanly integrate the second one together in a concise way. The lower levels usually go quickly. Once you get to around 8th level, sessions start taking a lot longer with all the spell effects going. My base guess is about 12-16 hours per level in the beginning, ending with 24 hours per level or so in the 9th+ area. This can be sped up significantly with a group that is on the ball about game rules without having to look them up. I haven't DM'd past 14th level so I can't say how bad it gets up there. Also, the PC's will likely not make it to 9th level at the end of Cormyr, so be prepared with some encounters afterwards to raise them up a bit. Anyway, short answer, uh... 190 hours for levels 4-13, so, buh, 24 sessions to get through the first two? I don't have direct experience DMing them, so this is just a guess.
rbodine 10-23-07, 03:39 PM	Sorry, but I have to vent. This won't stop me from running the campaign, but . . . Warning: Sort-of Spoilers I'm starting to load the NPC into E-Tools. I've completed the first encounter. One of the three NPCs has all sorts of extra skill points, and the to-hit and damage bonuses are off. Okay, no big deal. On to encounter 2. I've started entering the first character, and that character has Weapon Focus in a weapon that he doesn't possess. Moreover, he possesses and uses a weapon with which he is not proficient. WotC proofreading. Ya gotta love it.
Gryllmyre 10-23-07, 05:58 PM	Oh, I hear ya. Here's a review over at ENWorld that includes recommended errata for Cormyr. He hasn't examined Shadowdale yet, but I'm waiting for it. http://www.enworld.org/reviews.php?do=product&productid=206761
rbodine 10-23-07, 07:40 PM	Excellent. Thanks for the link. It verifies what I've found myself, which makes me feel more secure in my edits.
rbodine 11-19-07, 06:14 PM	I have another question about these mods. Will item creation feats be a waste for the PCs running through these mods? I've almost completed Cormyr, and I'm convinced they'd be a waste, at least if I'm running the mod as written. Moreover, many of the choices that the PCs are likely to make would prevent them from taking long breaks regardless of how I re-wrote the mod. Does anyone have a different impression of Cormyr? As I haven't read Shadowdale or Anauroch, does anyone have any impression of the other two?
Gryllmyre 11-19-07, 06:51 PM	My first impression is that all three adventures keep the PC's actively busy. They could take breaks to craft, but it wouldn't make a lot of sense from a roleplaying standpoint, since there are clearly tasks to be handled. There isn't anything stopping them from enlisting someone to make an item for them, though. But of course, that doesn't handle the Item Creation feat problem. I'll take a closer look at Shadowdale and Anauroch (just got that one a few days ago) and confirm. If the PC's REALLY want to craft, I'd say they may have the best opportunity to do so between each adventure rather than in the middle of one of them.
rbodine 11-19-07, 07:02 PM	I'll do the same and we can compare notes.
Gryllmyre 11-19-07, 08:50 PM	* Spoilers * I perused as I could while avoiding a deeper study, trying to get a feel for how things flow. If I interpret things correctly: Shadowdale: Between the primary tasks, the PC's could be hounded by agents of the army as they gain notoriety. This would put a damper on item creation. Anauroch: There is one section where the PC's are doing research that might present a crafting opportunity, but I don't think it lasts long enough to craft anything significant. So, short answer, it still looks like between adventures is the best time to craft, since once each adventure gets under way, the effort on the PCs' parts is nearly constant.