As some of you might already know, I am putting together an epic long campaign placed in Verbobonc and focusing on the both ToEE modules. Now, since I’ve already experienced T1-T4 as a player and since ToEE and RttToEE are some of the most popular game accessoires ever, I’d like to know what kind of experiences you’ve made and what possible changes you applied to them to enhance your game, so that I can learn where to focus to action...
***My Players – Read that and I swear that in our next session I will have you having a rendezvous with a sex-hungry Owlbear***
I’d basically thought of a main (very long) campaign concept:
I’d start with ToEE, then or in between insert the Elsidell adventure from OJ 10, and after the defeat or freeing of Zuggtmoy, let my characters play some short adventure in the Gnarley Forest.
Then, as it’s obvious that high level characters would have it too easy with RttToEE, I’d thought of confronting them with an assault of Lareth, based on the module Black Rain and let them die or be so badly wounded that they are unable to fight any longer. (There, the temple of St. Cuthbert would be the Hommlet one). (If they survived, I’d just sent them to the Tomb of Horrors...)
Then I had thought of starting RttToEE after some introductory adventure...
Now that is a LOT of gaming and I am very conscient that it may take years to play it, but I am that kind of DM that thinks that atmosphere is a result of meticulous planning... :D
Any thoughts, ideas, and of course, recollections?
Thank you!
Rafael
I might suggest running the group through T1-4 plus the other things you had in mind, minus the ToH. If Lareth surrvives the moathouse, he could make an appearence later on. IF the party dies.... they die. Then you could start a new game and run the RttToEE module. If the player live through your planned ideas, then you have some options: 1) keep playing. 2) put the game on 'hold' and start a new one (with RttToEE) 3) like two, but the players retire. I find that ending a game without the players demise is fine and it also makes the PC's feel better (plus, sometimes you can have their characters show up in other campaignes, like a special guest appearence).
Just my two cents.
For your question.
Right now, all I can think of is, Furnok (from the Welcome Wench), played a card game with the female thief (rogue) of the party and won all her money. Furnok told her that if she wanted to play a private game in his room he would give her a chance to win here money back. She borrowed money from the rest of the party (of which we had little) and she informed us that she would be back down for dinner later (which she hoped would be on her, because of all the winnings). An hour or two passed and we finally went up to see what was going on and we found our female rogue lieing on the ground naked with no equipment, no clothes, and a large lump on her head. Furnok was gone, and the only thing left in the room was a single copper piece on the night stand. Our rogue never told us what he did to her, but we could all guess. After that we were all on the look out for Furnok, but we never found him, and no one seemed to know anything about him.
Through out the course of the ToEE and even adventures since we have run into Furnok at the most unsuspecting times, all of which he has narrowly excaped. He has become our arch-nemessis. In other words, he is our reacurring bad guy who never goes down.
I have one problem with your plan...... the unavoidable crippling (death) of the PC's. As a player (and one who spent 2 years playing the ToEE supermodule), I would wonder what it was all for if I found out that the DM had planned to kill my chararcter since day one. I don't think it is justified by sending them on an adventure that you know will only allow a slim to non-existant chance on making it out (I think there would be a better chance for surrvival running a group through Lazandred's crypt at first level, than the ToH adventure at 12th).
I might suggest running the group through T1-4 plus the other things you had in mind, minus the ToH. If Lareth surrvives the moathouse, he could make an appearence later on. IF the party dies.... they die. Then you could start a new game and run the RttToEE module. If the player live through your planned ideas, then you have some options: 1) keep playing. 2) put the game on 'hold' and start a new one (with RttToEE) 3) like two, but the players retire. I find that ending a game without the players demise is fine and it also makes the PC's feel better (plus, sometimes you can have their characters show up in other campaignes, like a special guest appearence).
Thank your for your comments, but don't worry! It may sound shocking, but it isn't, really... Every epic hero has an epic final battle that brings him to the edge of his capacities and completes his legend... Even if they died, their journey would continue in some ways... Remembered as legendary heroes of Hommlet, or if they survive, becoming icons of Greyhawk like my own *Ivid the Bowman*. For example, I'd that idea of a character loosing a leg in battle and then becoming the owner of the Welcome Wench, another one could eventually marry a Hommlet NPC and so on. Of course, no *just killing them off and then being so friendly to allow them to continue their game at my conditions*!
When I think of *Black Rain*, I think of my brave adventure party standing against the last minions of the ToEE in front of Therjon's temple, defending the people of Hommlet with their last breath, in a samurai - like duel with a masked sorceror (Lareth)... *Very epic, very Helm's Deep*
If they survive, I'll tell them that they can choose how the campaign is going to continue.
The thing is, I don't want any logical bug between ToEE and RttToEE... But that is nearly impossible to create... And I thought that I would create *atmosphere* if some of the older characters were already present in Hommlet in 591 CY. Seems complicated...
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Lareth is to me what Furnok is to you: He kidnapped Ivid during a raid in the Adri Forest and let him work for him as a slave in Nulb. Ivid was supposed to help the elder adventurers into the Moathouse... Ivid Has been my mascot ever since and is now (591 CY) a LN human Ranger lvl 22.
Now that is a LOT of gaming and I am very conscient that it may take years to play it, but I am that kind of DM that thinks that atmosphere is a result of meticulous planning...
Any thoughts, ideas, and of course, recollections?
It took our group seven years to complete The Temple of Elemental Evil. The preparations for the game (working out stats for monsters, designing traps etc.) took the DM almost a year. We started as a bunch of adventurers in the City of Verbobonc, which we also developed. This said we also met other groups bragging about finishing ToEE in six months. A lot depends upon the detail of your compaign.
Starting all over with both modules, an epic battle and The Tomb of Horrors, of which also a Return to exists now, would be very time-consuming even of you play on a regular basis.
Why not start with Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil right away? You could use the first module as stories and rumors to be told in inns, tavers, around the campfire. All you have to do is lengthen the voyage towards the temple. In their dreams the PC's can even witness and participate in events occuring ,,a long time ago''. You could use the most dramatic parts of the first modules, for instance raid the four temples and destroy the Golden Orb. If you consider your group too weak to finish it off quickly, they could ,,witness'' the heroic deeds of another group of aventurers. Imagine their surprise if they meet the heroes of that time, now old and retired, trying to find young wolves to accomplish their task once and for all.
Just a thought. Greetings and have fun.
Why not start with Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil right away?
Splendid idea!
*Hadn't thought about it myself*
What I am doing now is collecting all the free stuff on the web, such as the conversions etc. and reading the whole adventures through... *What a fun, BTW* How the campaign developes, will as always not be my choice, but depend on the players... If I end up with *kind of* Greyhawk Noobs, or rpg rookies in general, I'LL just start with some default adventure in Verbobonc (as always
) and then look how the fun developes. But if I can regather the group of players I expect to, then we may as well do the whole series. But, that depends of course on who's finally in the group...But that idea is really intriguing - gave me two or three *instant hit inspirations*!
But, Mordicus, how often did you play in total? -I mean, seven years is quite a lot, after all (although this could as well be the coolest campaign ever)! Did you just follow the main plot or did you do many *free style encounters*?
R
All NPC's had a background and they interacted while our adventure went on. They could call in reinforcements or change tactics as we made progress. We eventually had to retreat several times because our party started at first level. Therefore we went back to Verbobonc several times. We shared our information on the Temple with the City Counsil (had to level up in a city) and refilled our backpacks.
Some gaming sessions were used to arrange our clubhouse and make dioramas. The players didn't know when and how they would be used later on in the game, but it was fun building parts of the temple. All this was possible because we had a permanent clubhouse. After the seven years the original DM left, the clubhouse was closed and the dioramas got lost. Now I have my own attic and we can start all over making tools for the game. While I prepare for the Return yo the Temple of Elemental Evil, we play some scenario's of my own design.
Greetings and always interested in sharing ideas.
*Ah, a roleplaying clubhouse...*
Well, I am more of the *you enter the Dungeon, you don't leave until last level* kind of DM, so ToEE should be WAY shorter; however, it's a great thing to play so loosely based on the script, although in my experience, most player groups tend to spoil it, seeing in the DM an all-knowing uber-deity and getting lost in meaningless side-quests...
Have you checked Monte Cook's Web additions to the RttToeE module? -They are really worth including them into the game.
If you want, I'll keep you informed when I start the campaign, so that we can exchange experiences and so learn to avoid errors.
We all make errors. We have to try and avoid them, but the most important is to have fun playing the game and making friends. You can always contact me for more information.
Greetings.