D&D. In the Real World. For the First Time

Rikka

L5: Dapper Member
Feb 10, 2009
208
388
I dmed my first game of d&d, with real people, on a real table, all who had never played d&d. Ran keep on the shadowfell, though with a new, incredibly easy first encounter to get them into it.

It was interesting. My brother complained about me rolling behind a screen (of binders) and was super pissed I had the audacity to knock his character unconscious, or that dragonshields would have more hp than him. Already we got some interesting roleplay, with them destroying a window at the local inn. With the next session being mostly npc interaction, it will be neat to see how they approach it.

I dunno. It was fun. They had fun. It was pretty sweet.

Edit: So it helps to write things out. It helps to have feedback. It helps to think people are paying attention to you. So I'll probably use this thread as a sort of blog. Advice and/or talking down to me is perfectly fine. Not caring is also fine. Just let me talk to myself in peace in that case.
 
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Pooluke41

L5: Dapper Member
Feb 24, 2010
203
30
Can you put Gabe Newell in. As a Nerdy Friendly Troll...
 

Rikka

L5: Dapper Member
Feb 10, 2009
208
388
So we've had two more sessions since then. Well, one real session, and one quickie with half the players missing. And I also officially kicked out a player who never showed up to any of them. And for completely ignoring attempts to contact her so she could at least tell us she wasn't interested.

We're running Keep on the Shadowfell, though I haven't mentioned it to any of the other players, so they'll only know the name from sneaking peaks at the cover. The quickie session was an info gathering session in the tavern. We had three regulars and two guests. The PCs weren't sure about interacting with NPCs, so I had to give the Paladin who did most of the talking some prodding. In the end she learned where her missing mentor was, a personal quest unknown to her allies, and they got a job from the local lord to find the kobold lair in the wilderness. The next morning they headed out to hunt kobolds, only to get ambushed (again) leaving town, which is where we left off.

For those who don't know, the module I'm running is generally cited as needing some tweaking One site I've borrowed some ideas from is the Alexandria, who has some good ideas on a variety of additional encounters and story elements. Since the player of the avenger will be out for all of January, his character mysteriously vanishes during the evening. In the morning, the PCs see a funeral procession of a guard killed by a recently deceased villager who returned as a zombie. They're also informed of the rumors of an Irontooth leading the Kobolds, and they're told two parties of adventurers have been sent out before them, but never returned. They're offered 15 gold just to find the kobold lair. They're also given an outerwordly flower by another NPC.

At this point I changed the module from another ambush to finding a caravan being ambushed, with a dwarf on top swinging a sword covered in ice. They enjoyed having a purpose to the fight, even if I did screw up the encounter, having the enemies just rush the pcs instead of focus on the caravan. They got a frost greatsword called Minerva for the paladin. And a cool little moment where the elf gave away is quarterstaff to the dwarf's son. A skill challenge to find the lair finished the night, along with the knowledge they found a necklace exactly like that worn by their missing dragonborn ally on a kobold, except with the addition with a mark of Orcus on it.......
 

LeSwordfish

semi-trained quasi-professional
aa
Aug 8, 2010
4,102
6,597
I kind of want to play d-and-d for once, to try it out. I hate the idea of buying a shitton of sourcebooks. Or learning the rules: they seem complex from the outside.

You know what i want? I want an RPG where the GM/DM has control over all the stuff that would be usually random. Like, focussed around storytelling and character, and being like a film. So, if i say "I'm going to kick this guy through a plate-glass window" the response would be "That is totally awesome, and your strength is pretty high, sure, it works. He's out of the fight"

Though, maybe i'm sore because the last thing i did in an RPG was, through rolling double-6 for security guards, turn a desperate attempt to stop a war before it began without a single casualty into falling out of an aeroplane surrounded by entrails. In MY idea, the sheer audacity would make it almost impossible to fail.
 

lana

Currently On: ?????
aa
Sep 28, 2009
3,075
2,778
If the DM had control it wouldn't be fun because there'd be no surprises.
 

lana

Currently On: ?????
aa
Sep 28, 2009
3,075
2,778
Also it's considered railroading which would make everyone hate you forever.
 

Rikka

L5: Dapper Member
Feb 10, 2009
208
388
Session 4

Only one encounter, as the overall game got cut short. The paladin was the second member of the party to go down so far, and for once with her down and the fighter and ranger bloodied with no healing left from the cleric I think they had their first reason to be afraid. If it hadn't been for the mage the group of kobolds in the magic circle would have been a far greater risk. The fighter spending the whole fight immobilized probably didn't help them.

Next time I need to think of something valuable they find on one of the skeletons the kobolds put up of past adventurers. And hopefully they'll have a full time player taking over the leader role for the big battle against Irontooth. Apparently its been known to TPK.
 
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