Beer and pretzels session [Archive] - Wizards Community

Beer and pretzels session [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Nithendil
03-15-06, 10:21 AM My tempe AZ sat noon-6pm players please stay out of this
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Normally the campaign is quite serious, but this week we agreed to have a beer & pretzels type session. My original plan was for a druid grove encounter, but that would be a quite heavy session, with a possible party member death, which isn't the most fun if you are drinking. That session would also involve alot of interparty conflict, as most party members want to go to the grove, while the paladin would likely want to go on a mission for the paladin order.

Right now the players are in a capital city. What would be some good ideas for a light, beer and pretzels type session? Something with perhaps some humor, or something with some good roleplaying opportunities, with a bit of combat mixed in now and then. The game will be this upcoming sat March 18th, so running a published adventure isn't really an option right now.

Party is an average of level 7.
Brknlf
03-15-06, 10:54 AM One party member is an identical look-alike for a local thug/thief. There is lots of hyjinx as various locals give the party member a hard time for looking like the thug. The rest of the party must suffer guilt by association with the look-alike. There could be some hyjinx where the thugs' lackeys even assume the party member is their leader and the rest of the party is more lackeys. You could throw in a few of the scenes where the real thug just left in the opposite direction and everyone is confused by the look-alike, accusing him of trickery.

If the party is good, they can try to catch the thief to clear up the confusion. If the party isn't so good, but not so evil, have them accused of a crime committed by the real thief. If the party is evil, the thug is ruining their true evil identity by being a blundering, incompetent idiot.
lokilowkey
03-15-06, 10:58 AM Baaaarrrrfiiiiighhttt!
Clawhound
03-15-06, 01:13 PM There's this evil cult down in the sewers ...
Illion the Red
03-15-06, 01:27 PM A little girl comes up to the party (you have to be able to do the voices for this to work) and explains:

Her daddy went out into the woods and didn't come back.
She doesn't like her new daddy as much as her old one.
Can the big strong heroes go find her old daddy for her?

You can have all kinds of fun with this one depending on how you decide it really happenned.

The old dad could be dead - natural causes, accident, murder.
The old dad could have fled.
The old dad could be in jail - framed, guilty.

Just make sure that the little girl is as innocent and rambling as you can get.
SiouLubb
03-15-06, 01:31 PM Nothing better than pit fighting. Illegal or gladatorial style depends on the city. Put up a good amount of gold for the winner, and see who volunteers.

What's your party mix? (class wise, race wise, and player age/maturity wise)
ashcat_lt
03-15-06, 02:21 PM Baaaarrrrfiiiiighhttt!
I have to second this one.

But let me expand. Give them a full evening's session in and around a busy tavern. Have some other adventurers show up and swap stories, which gives your players a chance to reminisce a little about the things their characters have been through. It also is a good way to drop a few subtle hints and hooks their way.

Come up with bar games. Daggers is a good one, kinda like darts. Make a "target" and assign AC values to each of the rings. Dice games like 10,000 are natural to the game table, 'cause there's plenty of dice. A card game using either Three Dragon Ante, a Deck of Many Things (for looks, not effect), or a Tarot Deck could be interesting. Maybe you could sneak in an NPC luckstealer. Drinking games could be a combination of some luck or skill type game with fort saves of increasing difficulty for each drink. You could just let the player's play the game themselves, but it would probably end the d&d session.

If there's a bard or really anybody with a couple ranks in perform or even tumble they could put on a show and maybe make a little money in tips or at least free drinks.

There's plenty of room for roleplay and character interaction. You could plant all kinds of information (exactly what would be up to you) in amongst the various NPC visitors to the tavern, but I wouldn't make it anything they couldn't find some other way later on.

Then there's the nefarious types. It's up to you how much of this you want to shove into this scenario. This could easily be an "all fun and games" session. On the other hand there could be people trying to do bad things to good drunk people. The luckstealer idea is a very subtle one. Maybe there's a halfling (I know, bad racial stereotype) or prostitute in the inn who's picking pockets or even robbing rooms while the patrons are in the bar. Maybe some sinister looking guys slink into the bar with their hoods pulled low and sit in the corner for a while. Maybe the NPC party's barb wants to prove that his club is bigger than your PC's. Somebody pinches the waitresses butt, she slaps him and the paladin feels obligated to teach the ruffian some manners.

Is the society semi-integrated? The orcs in the corner have a couple too many and forget not to smash things. Is it a frontier tavern? The local gnoll tribe decides that tonight would be a great night to attack the place. Lots of horse meat and even a halfling for desert!
raven darqhart
03-15-06, 02:36 PM I must concur with Ashcat...very well written and thought out. The thing a lot of DMs forget when planning a "beer & pretzels" game is that even though its mainly for laughs and pointless fun, it still needs a lot of prep and planning.

A DM's work is never done...
DDogwood
03-15-06, 02:48 PM There was an old Warhammer Fantasy RP adventure called "Rough Night at the Three Feathers Inn", or something like that. It involved the party coming to an inn after an adventure, and getting mixed up with all kinds of local problems - including a group of drunken nobles who insult the players and hire a thug to beat them up. I think that the adventure had about seven plots running simultaneously; although it would require a lot of prep time, I think that the scenario is just about perfect for a "beer and pretzels" session.
Nithendil
03-15-06, 04:54 PM Wow this is some great stuff, you guys are awesome.

What's your party mix? (class wise, race wise, and player age/maturity wise)
Human paladin/cleric
Elf wizard x2
Human barbarian
Halfling ranger, who will be joining up today

Everyone is in their late 20s, pretty familiar with the game, the ranger is newer to the game than the rest of them.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Nithendil 03-15-06, 10:21 AM	My tempe AZ sat noon-6pm players please stay out of this . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Normally the campaign is quite serious, but this week we agreed to have a beer & pretzels type session. My original plan was for a druid grove encounter, but that would be a quite heavy session, with a possible party member death, which isn't the most fun if you are drinking. That session would also involve alot of interparty conflict, as most party members want to go to the grove, while the paladin would likely want to go on a mission for the paladin order. Right now the players are in a capital city. What would be some good ideas for a light, beer and pretzels type session? Something with perhaps some humor, or something with some good roleplaying opportunities, with a bit of combat mixed in now and then. The game will be this upcoming sat March 18th, so running a published adventure isn't really an option right now. Party is an average of level 7.
Brknlf 03-15-06, 10:54 AM	One party member is an identical look-alike for a local thug/thief. There is lots of hyjinx as various locals give the party member a hard time for looking like the thug. The rest of the party must suffer guilt by association with the look-alike. There could be some hyjinx where the thugs' lackeys even assume the party member is their leader and the rest of the party is more lackeys. You could throw in a few of the scenes where the real thug just left in the opposite direction and everyone is confused by the look-alike, accusing him of trickery. If the party is good, they can try to catch the thief to clear up the confusion. If the party isn't so good, but not so evil, have them accused of a crime committed by the real thief. If the party is evil, the thug is ruining their true evil identity by being a blundering, incompetent idiot.
lokilowkey 03-15-06, 10:58 AM	Baaaarrrrfiiiiighhttt!
Clawhound 03-15-06, 01:13 PM	There's this evil cult down in the sewers ...
Illion the Red 03-15-06, 01:27 PM	A little girl comes up to the party (you have to be able to do the voices for this to work) and explains: Her daddy went out into the woods and didn't come back. She doesn't like her new daddy as much as her old one. Can the big strong heroes go find her old daddy for her? You can have all kinds of fun with this one depending on how you decide it really happenned. The old dad could be dead - natural causes, accident, murder. The old dad could have fled. The old dad could be in jail - framed, guilty. Just make sure that the little girl is as innocent and rambling as you can get.
SiouLubb 03-15-06, 01:31 PM	Nothing better than pit fighting. Illegal or gladatorial style depends on the city. Put up a good amount of gold for the winner, and see who volunteers. What's your party mix? (class wise, race wise, and player age/maturity wise)
ashcat_lt 03-15-06, 02:21 PM	Baaaarrrrfiiiiighhttt! I have to second this one. But let me expand. Give them a full evening's session in and around a busy tavern. Have some other adventurers show up and swap stories, which gives your players a chance to reminisce a little about the things their characters have been through. It also is a good way to drop a few subtle hints and hooks their way. Come up with bar games. Daggers is a good one, kinda like darts. Make a "target" and assign AC values to each of the rings. Dice games like 10,000 are natural to the game table, 'cause there's plenty of dice. A card game using either Three Dragon Ante, a Deck of Many Things (for looks, not effect), or a Tarot Deck could be interesting. Maybe you could sneak in an NPC luckstealer. Drinking games could be a combination of some luck or skill type game with fort saves of increasing difficulty for each drink. You could just let the player's play the game themselves, but it would probably end the d&d session. If there's a bard or really anybody with a couple ranks in perform or even tumble they could put on a show and maybe make a little money in tips or at least free drinks. There's plenty of room for roleplay and character interaction. You could plant all kinds of information (exactly what would be up to you) in amongst the various NPC visitors to the tavern, but I wouldn't make it anything they couldn't find some other way later on. Then there's the nefarious types. It's up to you how much of this you want to shove into this scenario. This could easily be an "all fun and games" session. On the other hand there could be people trying to do bad things to good drunk people. The luckstealer idea is a very subtle one. Maybe there's a halfling (I know, bad racial stereotype) or prostitute in the inn who's picking pockets or even robbing rooms while the patrons are in the bar. Maybe some sinister looking guys slink into the bar with their hoods pulled low and sit in the corner for a while. Maybe the NPC party's barb wants to prove that his club is bigger than your PC's. Somebody pinches the waitresses butt, she slaps him and the paladin feels obligated to teach the ruffian some manners. Is the society semi-integrated? The orcs in the corner have a couple too many and forget not to smash things. Is it a frontier tavern? The local gnoll tribe decides that tonight would be a great night to attack the place. Lots of horse meat and even a halfling for desert!
raven darqhart 03-15-06, 02:36 PM	I must concur with Ashcat...very well written and thought out. The thing a lot of DMs forget when planning a "beer & pretzels" game is that even though its mainly for laughs and pointless fun, it still needs a lot of prep and planning. A DM's work is never done...
DDogwood 03-15-06, 02:48 PM	There was an old Warhammer Fantasy RP adventure called "Rough Night at the Three Feathers Inn", or something like that. It involved the party coming to an inn after an adventure, and getting mixed up with all kinds of local problems - including a group of drunken nobles who insult the players and hire a thug to beat them up. I think that the adventure had about seven plots running simultaneously; although it would require a lot of prep time, I think that the scenario is just about perfect for a "beer and pretzels" session.
Nithendil 03-15-06, 04:54 PM	Wow this is some great stuff, you guys are awesome. What's your party mix? (class wise, race wise, and player age/maturity wise) Human paladin/cleric Elf wizard x2 Human barbarian Halfling ranger, who will be joining up today Everyone is in their late 20s, pretty familiar with the game, the ranger is newer to the game than the rest of them.