Supplement Four
Mongoose
I've read Kovag-Re a couple of times now, in preparation for our campaign kicking off in a week. It's a short, simple story, and I must admit, while some may think it "too simple", I think it's perfect for a first-time game using the rules.
Our first game session will include character generation before we get started. So, the PCs, once created, can swoop right down into the mystery.
The first part of the adventure involves detecting clues and tracking, which is good because we can move through that pretty swiftly while giving my players (who haven't played d20 in 15+ years either) some simple throws to learn the Skill system.
There are ample opportunities for role-playing, especially in the villiage near the Pass of the Goat. (And, if the adventure goes that way, the players will learn the grappling rules--hth combat.)
And, finally, there's the big climax in the hidden cul-de-sac. This is where we'll get into learning the combat system. Depending on how the adventure goes (especially, if the PCs end up befriending the "bandits"...I don't plan on making that easy for them), I'm thinking of breaking up the fight so that each player gets to run several of the combatants.
Normally, with so many combatants, I'd usually use a mass combat system or some other abstract method for describing the events (I thought about the system outlined in Free Companies). But, we're just learnig this combat system, so many swings with relatively little pain (mistakes will lead to NPCs dying) is just what the GM ordered.
I've got a twist I'm going to use in the adventure. Oleksa, the governor of Arenjun, isn't going to the climatic battle. Heck, he's the governor. Why should he?
I'm going to use Oleksa as an on-going nemisis, and he'll be the reason the PCs need to flee Arenjun (and possibly Zamora) after we've completed the Kovag-Re adventure.
I'm allowing only Commoners, Thieves, Solidiers, and Borderers as 1st level characters on this kick-off adventure, but I plan to get the PCs involved in sorcery and other types of character classes later (with either additional characters, replacement for dead PCs, or multi-classing options) as the story progresses.
I'm very into "story" guided campaigns, and this Saturday kicks off the first chapter.
Our first game session will include character generation before we get started. So, the PCs, once created, can swoop right down into the mystery.
The first part of the adventure involves detecting clues and tracking, which is good because we can move through that pretty swiftly while giving my players (who haven't played d20 in 15+ years either) some simple throws to learn the Skill system.
There are ample opportunities for role-playing, especially in the villiage near the Pass of the Goat. (And, if the adventure goes that way, the players will learn the grappling rules--hth combat.)
And, finally, there's the big climax in the hidden cul-de-sac. This is where we'll get into learning the combat system. Depending on how the adventure goes (especially, if the PCs end up befriending the "bandits"...I don't plan on making that easy for them), I'm thinking of breaking up the fight so that each player gets to run several of the combatants.
Normally, with so many combatants, I'd usually use a mass combat system or some other abstract method for describing the events (I thought about the system outlined in Free Companies). But, we're just learnig this combat system, so many swings with relatively little pain (mistakes will lead to NPCs dying) is just what the GM ordered.
I've got a twist I'm going to use in the adventure. Oleksa, the governor of Arenjun, isn't going to the climatic battle. Heck, he's the governor. Why should he?
I'm going to use Oleksa as an on-going nemisis, and he'll be the reason the PCs need to flee Arenjun (and possibly Zamora) after we've completed the Kovag-Re adventure.
I'm allowing only Commoners, Thieves, Solidiers, and Borderers as 1st level characters on this kick-off adventure, but I plan to get the PCs involved in sorcery and other types of character classes later (with either additional characters, replacement for dead PCs, or multi-classing options) as the story progresses.
I'm very into "story" guided campaigns, and this Saturday kicks off the first chapter.