Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 oats Sep 10, 2009 1:49:10	I've had the idea in my head for a while now, and have just started writing it out. Basically the idea is that the PCs have been contracted by someone to steal from a wizard's fortified castle two fullsome, powerful magic blades. The contract pays itself, in what the PCs can take from the wizard's galleries of arts and artefacts.   The main hook is that the PCs get the full floorplan of the castle outright (more or less, but they don't know anything about that). Through the contracting NPC, points of interest are identified, well-stocked rooms are indicated, guard shifts are made known and patrol lines drawn, and the general activities of the wizard and his retinue are conveyed to the PCs. And then they decide exactly how to steal what they want to steal, and where they want to steal it.   Is this a realistic adventure I'm writing here? Will it work? I mentioned it to one of my players and he went ape for it. It's going to be hard (or maybe fairly easy, we'll see) to write up, and I'll have to seriously work on my improvisational skills. I'm planning on fully writing out descriptions for every single room (the castle is expansive), and making some general encounter templates. Some rooms, obviously, will have pre-set encounters within them, skill challenges, and traps abound. Are there any tips, tricks, ideas, suggestions, words of warning, condolences, etcetera, any of you can offer?
#2 Grimbus Sep 10, 2009 2:18:11	Don't just give the players the map. Tell them that there is a rumour that the arcitecht lives nearby and ahve them try and get the plans out his office to start with. Further research might be rewarded with information on golums and rumours of password. Also that the blades are hidden in an acid bath or something so that the players know they have to get a scroll or magic item to help them complete the last piece of the quest. Maybe someone will follow the players as they defeat the traps and monsters and try and steal the blades from the players or do something else.
#3 slobo777a Sep 10, 2009 3:45:22	The biggest issue with this kind of adventure is you are practically begging the players to "think out of the box". Which means: a) You need to know your (fantasy) security well enough that major weaknesses and loopholes are covered. b) The players are very likely to think of something that avoids 75% of the castle defenses or more. So get you basic security plan onto one of these threads and have some posters pick a few holes. Most heist movies are tight-rope walking affairs - the thrill lies in the very real chance that the security heavy-squad will catch the much weaker thieves, and that's the end. You will not be able to replicate that feel in direct game mechanic terms (it equates to a 10% "the plan fails, you lose, the end" result that makes for an unsatisfactory game), but you might still be able to pull it off with some good narrative, and the sense that failing at the next task, or next combat brings the party irrevocably closer to discovery and a failed mission.
#4 sparkchaser Sep 10, 2009 7:09:37	I like the idea. It has the feel of something like Oceans 11. I might pilfer it for my own use. That being said, even if the PCs have a detailed floorplan and information on guard rotations, that is no reason to believe things are static. Is the wizard up late the night studying a newly acquired item the same night the PCs decide to break in? That rare _______ that they want to take? Maybe the wizard traded it for an even rarer book. Wait, the client said nothing about three yippy dogs! Better yet, maybe everything is exactly as the client says and the maps and such are 100% correct but the client double-booked the job. Then what?   Also, watch an episode or two of Leverage for ideas on what kinds of things can go wrong during a "perfectly planned" heist.  Also watch Oceans 11 and Oceans 12 to get a feel for narrative.
#5 orloff Sep 11, 2009 1:53:44	I think this could be a lot of fun. The trick is to not get married to any of your prep-work. If the players do something out-of-the-box, roll with it. If the pace starts to slacken, throw something at them. If they decide to split up to cover more ground, punish them relentlessly. Create multiple routes to the goal, but be willing to discard, modify, or pretend some of them never actually existed when it comes to running the game. ...and play some Hitman 2: Silent Assassin for some ideas in terms of completely freeform stealth gameplay.
#6 Grimbus Sep 11, 2009 16:44:43	The Italian Job on magic carpets?
#7 descrii Sep 11, 2009 22:37:27	The typical plot in a heist movie is that the thieves make a great plan that will account for everything and then something goes wrong and the security changes, but the heist must go through anyway because the window of opportunity is closing. So try to do something like that.  The map must be coming from someone on the inside with an interest in robbing the place, right?  A disgruntled apprentice, greedy guard, etc.  That person can present a full or nearly full picture of the defenses to the players and then be discovered and killed by the wizard or his goons.  Then the players don't know how much he told the wizard before he died and their security picture is out of date.  Then maybe they find out that the wizard is preparing to move the entire tower into another plane, so they must pull the heist or lose the chance. Or some variation on that theme.