Post/Author/DateTime	Post
WayneTheGame 09-17-05, 09:40 AM	Well last night I ran my first Eberron game for my players, as well as running my first game in about 10 years and my first 3.x game, period. It was certainly interesting... I decided to use, as so many others, the Forgotten Forge in the back of the ECS. Due to taking a bit longer than exepcted (see below), we haven't finished it yet but they're in the sewers, right before they descend to the foundry itself The PCs were: - A Warforged barbarian (killing machine, and only 1 year old.. hmm...) - A human artificer from House Cannith (marked) - A changeling rogue - An elven cleric of the Undying Court with Mark of Shadow Things got off to an interesting start because my players did something totally unexpected: Maybe it was just my sense of time that was lacking (like I said its been forever since I actually RAN a game) but immediatly after killing Cutter (which the WF barbarian did with a single crit from his greatsword. 2d6+9 damage while rageing is ugly at 1st level by itself, but doubled??! He hit her for like nearly 30 points!), my players quickly grabbed Bonal Geldem's satchel and then had the warforged throw both bodies off the bridge and scram before the watch arrived (it does say that they take several rounds..). The changeling then assumed Bonal's form (I came up with a little handout that was his ID papers), broke into and looted the poor guy's house and then (as I tried to steer them back on track by having the cloaked messenger come looking FOR Bonal, wondering why he didn't meet Elaydren) went to meet Lady Elaydren the next day disguised as Bonal (with the rest of them posing as "bodyguards" because of the attempt on his "life" the previous night). Luckily I rolled high enough on Sense Motive for her to know something was different so the artificer (who's part of Cannith himself) came clean and we proceeded as normal. They then tried to force Skakan the goblin merchant to come along with them as cannon fodder after he pointed them to the sewers, but he stabbed the warforged and tried to escape (they better hope they don't go near the Rat's Market again...). Things went straightforward after that, with Rapier (the warforged down there, since he never was named for some reason) and his shifter cronies nearly killing the warforged (love sneak attack!) and the changeling, but in the end they were defeated (I did have to max out Rapier's HP so the WF didn't skewer him on his glaive when I tried to rush him, hit him for 11 points...). So now it'll be interesting to see how things turn out.. I think that half the problem might have been that because I've been out of the loop so long in DMing I didn't want to look like I'm forcing the players along.. that and I didn't have Rapier and the shifters ambush the party like it said to.. I guess I felt bad surprising the party without giving them any chance to notice? I need to re-read those sections, I think :) Alrighty sorry for the long post, just wanted to recap what my first Eberron session was like. And anyone have suggestions for dealing with an uncaring (towards humans, anyway) warforged and a changeling who loves to commit identity theft? :)
polt 09-17-05, 09:49 AM	Why did your players do all that? Sounds a bit weird?
Azual 09-17-05, 10:04 AM	eh, it was your first... I remember my first game. I sent two dragons against a party at first level. I thought the party levels had stacked :) they mananged to dfeat BOTH dragons...
WayneTheGame 09-17-05, 10:09 AM	Why did your players do all that? Sounds a bit weird? Beats the heck out of me.. two of them are chaotic neutral (WF and changeling) and the changeling likes to take people's identities and use them. I probably SHOULD have had the watch show up right then and arrest them all, assuming they killed both people and were getting rid of the evidence. :D
Mandarbgrim 09-17-05, 10:15 AM	Ummm..are these older second edition players? Just curious..I ran that adventure for some older second ed. people that hadn't played 3.5 at all..and they also immediately disposed of the body when they heard the whistle and lit out of there with the satchel. Maybe it is simply a criminal mind.. They had the backstory of all being part of a broken mercenary company. So perhaps they were just cynics. I'm not sure. It is nice to have players propel the story forward in ways and directions you weren't even planning for. It makes it feel like you aren't leading them around by their nose.
WayneTheGame 09-17-05, 10:27 AM	Ummm..are these older second edition players? thats just it, they're 3,x veterans. I think the changeling player did it deliberately because he knew it was key to the adventure; he also suggested at the start they all walk away because (and he said this ooc) it would screw up the plot.
polt 09-17-05, 10:30 AM	Why are you playing with these people?
WayneTheGame 09-17-05, 10:33 AM	Why are you playing with these people? They're friends? They aren't that bad, actually. And I mean things worked out in the end.. it was certainly interesting. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining about it, I just felt it was odd that they decided to pull that kind of stunt. I also think its because some of them havent quite grasped the whole "feel" of Eberron.
Calibim 09-17-05, 11:23 AM	They're friends? They aren't that bad, actually. And I mean things worked out in the end.. it was certainly interesting. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining about it, I just felt it was odd that they decided to pull that kind of stunt. I also think its because some of them havent quite grasped the whole "feel" of Eberron. When ever you have people who like to do stuff like that use the "Kick in the Door Method". When they are in Bonal's House have the city guard kick in the door. Make sure they (the PCs) are out-numbered and then get them arrested as they should have been. When they ask how they knew where they were, say that there actually was a witness that saw the whole thing. A gargoyle doing a message run for House Orien saw the commotion from on high and after the PCs left and the guards arrive it gives decriptions and tells them which way the PCs went. Your the DM. Be creative, but get the game back on track.
WayneTheGame 09-17-05, 11:32 AM	Hey, you're right! I completely forget that it specifically says that people become alerted to the situation when the PCs fight Cutter. Well.. it looks like they're going to have some problems when they return to the surface.. let's see.. that would be tampering with evidence, breaking and entering (maybe, if they can prove it).. theft (took a chest I placed in Bonal's home with like 70 gold).. fun :D Oh I forgot to mention something else odd.. the changeling tried to use Slight of Hand to steal Lady Elaydren's signet ring.. he didn't get it, though. He's lucky I didnt have her leave right then and there...