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kestrel.ca
Underboss
1676 Posts
    
 | | 05/04/2005 12:19 AM |
| | recovered topic 3215 | |
Completed Trades/Transactions: 91 || Pending Trades: 0 || Bad Trades: 3 (Chaotic Good x2, MackeyV) | |
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kestrel.ca
Underboss
1676 Posts
| | 05/04/2005 12:19 AM |
| Although it often detracts from "role-playing" small groups (of players) seem to last longer when they have two PCs each. Harder to stay in character, but much better lasting power.
I'm currently running a campaign with three players, and only once since January have all three been able to make it. I know where you're coming from!
If you want to save time, there are lots of adventures available online (ENWorld, WotC, and many others) which can easily be adapted to different settings.
However, I've only been DM'ing regularly again for the last couple of months so am also eager to hear what other "more experienced" DMs can offer. | |
Completed Trades/Transactions: 91 || Pending Trades: 0 || Bad Trades: 3 (Chaotic Good x2, MackeyV) | |
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Oni
Underboss
1131 Posts
| | 05/04/2005 1:55 AM |
| Warty Nosed Goblin welcome to the funnest part of this game (in my book anyway [)]).
Kestrel has a good point with allowing they players to run two characters. Had a game where they played husband and wife teams. so the two players played two characters. Was fun for a bit.
The problem with so few people in a game is that there are elements of a good team missing. With a Druid, and a Fighter I would...
Go light on the traps/secret doors.
Never put anything that can be broken in locked chests unless you want you're players to break them.
For a challenging encounter I would use a single harder monster instead of a lot of low challenging critters. Nothing tears a small group apart faster than swarm tactics.
It is hard to help people with adventures with out knowing a little bit about the players. Do they enjoy Role-player, hacking, looting, puzzle solving? For my current game I just ran a 4 hour combat encounter for my players. In the end it is all about what you all enjoy.
Anyway welcome aboard [:D]. | |
"...don’t try to outweird me, I get stranger things than you free with my breakfast cereal."
- Zaphod Beeblebrox
Champion of the Nymph!
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Iksander
Underboss
1010 Posts
| | 05/04/2005 5:09 AM |
| Pishtosh, the DM controls the world so encounters are only as deadly as they make them.
What I recommend is don't sweat it and just play. Screw the rules and whether you're getting everything right, and to hell with if the PC's die. Geez, it's not the end of the world. Start again. Heck, sometimes it's fun when your characters die!
The only cardinal rule of playing D&D is that everybody has fun. | |
Bite me. | |
| Hero of the Force
Siddartha of Suburbia
Underboss
2277 Posts
| | 05/04/2005 7:21 AM |
| If you're a first time DM I wouldn't sweat it too much. Just get in there to have fun, and I'm sure if there are bumps on the road the players will understand. YOU are the onew going to all the effort to create a fun game for them after all.
BTW, I'd avoid the extra intiative action, could get messy and cause some confusion. Just keep the first couple encounters on the low key side until you start to get a feel for what the group can handle. | |
"We can't stop here...This Is Bat country!"
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| The Great
Choco Monster
Ghendar
Warlord
11102 Posts
In the constellation of Cygnus, or Central Connecticut
| | 05/04/2005 7:22 AM |
| quote:
Originally posted by Iksander
The only cardinal rule of playing D&D is that everybody has fun.
Exactly! I play with a guy who is so rules driven that it drives me NUTS! I like to DM in a more loosey-goosey way.
And welcome to Maxminis, Warty_Nosed_Goblin!!! Great screename BTW. | |
Champion of the Spider Eater with rider.
I actually love to be swallowed. - Posted By gss_000 on 09/04/2007 2:32 PM
How many times in life do you get to eat your own Cthulhu? - Posted By Pedro on 03/31/2008 2:29 | |
| Hero of the Force
Siddartha of Suburbia
Underboss
2277 Posts
| | 05/04/2005 7:58 AM |
| quote:
Originally posted by Ghendar
quote:
Originally posted by Iksander
The only cardinal rule of playing D&D is that everybody has fun.
Exactly! I play with a guy who is so rules driven that it drives me NUTS! I like to DM in a more loosey-goosey way.
And welcome to Maxminis, Warty_Nosed_Goblin!!! Great screename BTW.
Ghendar does everything in a more "loosey-goosey" way.[:p]
A further note re: rules. "They're more whattchoo call guidelines."
Don't get hung up, nor let your players get too hung up on the rules to start. The more you play the more goes right. When you first take the step from player to dm there are a lot of little rules that as a player you never considered. Don't worry that you might not go by the book, and don't go digging for the rules and ruin the flow. Use your common sense, and then later, look up the rules. Sometimes you'll even find that you like the way you did it better than the rulebook, and thus a new house rule is born. | |
"We can't stop here...This Is Bat country!"
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Satsujin Kingyo
Underboss
1247 Posts
| | 05/04/2005 9:50 AM |
| Exactly, just remember you're the DM, and keep the game on. Also, some additional advice from Satsu-
1. As tempting as it may be, DO NOT attempt to run a mass battle during your first couple games. (Speaking from experience)
2. Avoid Dues Ex Machina.
3. Don't force NPCs into the party.
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Drumsticks can also be chicken. -Tardy Turtle | |
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griffrat
Commander
3506 Posts
| | 05/04/2005 1:09 PM |
| Welcome to the boards here. Also, welcome to the world behind the screen.
There has been some great advice for you thus far. I have ran games for just one person and as many as seven. I would strongly advise against altering the initiative system. Sometimes the monsters and bad guys are just faster. But don't forget about the surprise round if the PCs are able to get the drop on someone/something.
Swarm tactics is something that even higher level characters with six members in the party can have a hard time with. In games that I have ran with two or less players I typically try and start off with something in the 1/2 CR range as this "usually" will be a strong challange for a couple rounds. I also, introduce a lot of the role play aspects of the NPCs in the area/campaign. This will allow for the players to become comfortable/familiar with the NPCs and who and what they are about.
This can come back and serve as plot hooks for later games/campaigns. For instance in a game in my Thursday night group the party beat down some thugs and saved a shopkeeper. Then after a lot of adventuring the same shopkeeper came looking for the party as he had a friend who was in need of people who were not afraid.
As to campaigns I have been using modified adventures for a long time. I just take a couple of modules and use the things that I like out of each. Because of this the players are never sure what it is that I might be using or throwing at them. For instance I am using things out of the Whisper of the Vampire's Blade. In that module there is a forgotten temple dedicated to a forgotten demon lord. I have taken the same map and changed the room encounters to fit the level of the party, changed the items, changed the behavior of some of the bad guys. All to suit the needs of my homebrew storyline.
That is the greatest thing about the DM it is your story so tell it...[}:)] | |
Ambassador of FUN!!! | |
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Wynd of the North
Warrior
310 Posts
| | 05/04/2005 3:34 PM |
| My advice is change it up a little. A druid and a fighter
working together can do alot. If a druid wants to sneak
up on a Kobold in a natural setting they can pretty much
do it, make her role but she should get the drop on them
most times, especially with a Fighter covering her flank.
Working with only two people will create very cautious
characters. The mentality of if the other person goes
down it is me against the world. I would recommend throwing in the ocasional NPC.
An easy way to do this is a Bard looking for a good tale to tell may travel
with the party for a short while (one adventure). Bard's are great NPC's to use
they are transient in nature and versatile to cover party weaknesses.
Other things you can do is have intrigue based plots, some man against nature stuff, like Locust infestations, saving people from fires or cave ins. An im¬portant thing to remember is not all monsters have fangs. Your first adventure sounds pretty cool. Nice and easy enough and the final encounter was nearly fatal for 1/3 to 1/2 of the party (depending on if you include the wolf in your count). That is about the way I think it should go. Relax don't worry and have fun with it. If the characters die they die. Don't go out of you r way to kill them but don't baby the players either. They will find no such quarter elsewhere. Finally welcome to the boards you wart encrusted little green hooligan! lol great name. | |
Patience is a virtue and ignorance is bliss thus the world is full of stupid people waiting | |
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kyrin
Commander
3152 Posts
| | 05/04/2005 5:45 PM |
| You may want to go the "mentor" route and have the PC's work with a higher level fighter (maybe an official in the town guard), or travel with a ranger assigned to train them, or serve as bodyguards to a wizard or cleric. A little more work for you, but it may increase their survivability.
You may also want to go the route of letting them get hirelings, maybe a warrior or low-level wizard or sorceror. The player would play this extra character, but the hireling would be in the background for roleplaying purposes.
The druid will definitely want an animal companion, and the fighter may want to get a wardog. Helps out at lower levels, at least.
You may also want to keep the focus on RP and puzzle-solving, as opposed to all-out melee, until they get some hit points. [:D]
JIM
aka kyrin | |
My Have/Want List <-|-|->My Trades and References 1 <-|-|->My Trades and References 2
Pronounce "Drow" like "crow"! Viva la Revolution! We Shall Overcome!
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Testament
Underboss
1397 Posts
| | 05/04/2005 7:57 PM |
| Another possibility for small groups is to go Gestalt. Effectively, you have two classes at once, advance normally, and gain the benefits of both. For skills and HP, you take the better of either.
It really helps power up the characters, and means that they can survive better as a duo. | |
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warty_nosed_goblin
Underboss
1384 Posts
| | 05/05/2005 6:41 PM |
| Thanks for the great advice everyone!
Hopefully the weekend after next I can get a session in, I'm planning something involving a lot of kobolds, perhaps headed by a goblin "assasin" with a repeating crossbow...perhaps see if I can't arrange for some decent treasure to be found, say a masterwork battleaxe and longsword or bow...
For those of you who are interested, here's what I have in mind, please tell me if its to hard.
The mayor of a local town was nearly killed off by a goblin assassin, after which he hires the PCs to track down the goblin.
The PCs visit the local thieves' guild looking for leads, but are sorely out of their league, but do find out that a goblin with a repeating crossbow went through several days ago, and that he left town from the north. They get this tip from a kobold sorcerer who works for the guild. As they leave town they are attacked by a few kobolds, bearing the same clan mark as they sorcerer. Later they dicover that the kobold's clan is ally's with the goblin's tribe. If they are dim enough to think that the kobold actually gave them useful advice and continue to look to the north, they stumble on a campsite. This campsite was used by the goblin on his appoach to the town. From here they can track his day-to-day progress, finally leading to his base camp outside the town, but to the NW of it. Here they get involved in a fight with a warrior who works for the goblin, but yields to their superior strengh and tells them were to find the goblin's hideout. If they kill him, they find a note from the goblin giving him instructions, and also revieling the location of the hideout. They find the hideout fine, but are set upon by a few more kobolds. Then after a nasty moment with an arrow trap, they fight the goblin (who's a second level rogue) along with another kobold or two (depending on how they PCs are doing)
This adventure might involve a few basic traps, such as an arrow trap, just to keep the PCs on their toes, as well as a bit more puzzle solving, but still a lot of hacking, and perhaps some dire rats, just cause...
Anyway, after a long hunt (read, they killed about 4 kobolds) the PCs track the goblin to his lair, were they | |
Call me: W.N. Gobo!
originally posted by grim:
While he is clearly insane, he does have a point. | |
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