Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 bille Nov 30, 2014 9:56:22	Just played out an optional scene I devised for LMOP which went down really well and proved a lot of fun. Feel free to nick it.   Election! The people of Phandalin have had enough of Townmaster Harbin Wester, who obviously isn’t up for the job, as proven by the heroic PCs who have done more for the town in a couple of weeks than Wester ever has.   Seeing the writing is on the wall, and at the suggestion of Sildar Hallwinter, Wester resigns, with Hallwinter putting himself forward as successor. Unfortunately for Hallwinter it will not be the fait accompli he had hoped for as Hallia Thornton decides to stand against him.   Hallwinter runs on the promise of protection for the town from the Lords’ Alliance, an organisation which will give the town access to resources provided by Neverwinter.   Thornton runs as a local candidate for local people, she promises independence. Why should the citizens of Phandalin, strong-willed independent people who are here precisely because they want to build something new, want to submit to rule from another city?      The town is split down the middle. It gives the heroes of the hour, the PCs, a chance to decide the outcome of the election by campaigning for one or other of the candidates.   I placed this event after the heroes had returned from Cragmaw castle after dealing with the hobgoblin king and the doppelganger (they got the map to the mine, but Gundren was killed), having already sorted out the Redbrands and recovered the stolen goods for the Lionshield Coster.   It was perfect for our table – the heroes had built up a great reservoir of respect and admiration in the town but they still didn’t know the truth about Thornton and her Zhentarim connections.   I had Hallwinter and Thornton approach the characters to gather their support. Hallwinter offering is gratitude and the promise of security for the town, Thornton offering them cold hard cash and the promise of more paid work (clearing out the orcs and various other things) 100gp for anyone who openly backs her, 200gp if they speak on her behalf at  the presentations before the open vote on the village square.   It was an absolute hoot! All the players got really into it – taking polls, changing sides, gleefully taking Thornton’s bribes, making impassioned speeches. One of my PCs, who had become something of a folk hero in the town, even decided to stand himself, and would have won had he not made such a pig’s ear of the speech.   In game turns I made it a straight D20 roll for each candidate, with +2 modifiers for each PC who backed them, and a range of modifiers if they spoke on behalf of the candidate   Cha (persuasion)  DC10 +3, DC 15 +4, DC 20 +5 (only +1 for less than DC10, -1 for less than DC5)   In the end Thornton won it, the PC came second and Hallwinter a distant third. It leaves the PCs considerably richer and with a powerful ally, Hallwinter sulking off back to Neverwinter, and Phandalin now under the control of a Zhentarim agent who is going to gradually gain control of the town, using benign methods at first (bringing in mercenaries to train the town militia and escort miners and travellers on their business), but then increasingly more intrusive – using proxies to buy up profitable claims, increasing taxes and basically turning the town into a cash cow for the Black Network.   Unless, of course, the PCs do something about it! At the moment, with Gundren Rockseeker dead, they are the only ones (apart from the Black Spider and his agents) who know the location of the lost mine, and they’re not telling anyone.
#2 Varden_Khol Nov 30, 2014 12:40:26	I love this idea and I'm definitely going to steal it for my campaign. It's a heavily modded version of LMoP but there are enough parallels that this will work.   My PC's will have been away from town for a week or two, clearing Thundertree and the Lost Mine, so this will be something interesting to come home to when they're done.
#3 THEMNGMNT Nov 30, 2014 14:57:15	Great stuff!
#4 bonethug0108 Nov 30, 2014 15:00:21	I agree this is a pretty brilliant idea. I thought of driving out the current Townmaster(whether killing him, running him off, turning the town against him, etc.) but never thought about actually holding an election. Kudos!
#5 ThreeofSwords Nov 30, 2014 15:36:07	This is great, and the timing is even better.  Just last session my players were asking how Wester became, and remains, townmaster.  Since they were in the Redbrand hideout, I replied that they'll have to ask when they get a chance.   So I will probably steal this.  Thanks.
#6 bille Dec 02, 2014 2:03:08	Really glad you liked it. If you try it I'd be really interested to hear how it plays out. Bill