First session help?
Hi, i’m gonna GM the first session, i read the book about 3 times now and i’d like some advice on how much to prepare, and how should i go to make sure everything is set up.
We are using the standard situation: War in Crow’s Foot as described in the book (PC are at red sashes base to pay tribute and they will be asked about their intentions and loyalty).
Since anything can happen i’m really not sure how to set up things, i’m not even sure if I should actually plan something or “Let it flow” and see what happens.
Thanks in advance
Do not plan anything, things will emerge from character and crew creation. I found it difficult to set the difficult of a score and my scored were too harsh. Come up with maximum 2 or 3 “encounters” during the score, and link the nature of these to encounters with the plan they made (a fight if they assault, a potential discovery if they use deception etc). It is better that the score feels too easy than too hard.
For the first session, the Sashes should offer them a job to prove any professed loyalty. It’s not certain will accept that offer, of course, but you should still prepare this job (to the extent described under “Provide opportunities” on pg. 189). Maybe think of an obstacle or three that they would run into during the job. Think about what the parties involved want to get out of it. Pick a mental image for Mylera Klev, and get into the right headspace for the meeting.
I was in your position last week and I didn’t really prepare anything for the score. I made sure I had a good idea of Duskwall and the involved factions (Crows, Red sashes, Lampblacks), their intentions and current situation and it was rather easy from there. I’m sure you have enough basic ideas for obstacles for the first score to make it up as you go.
Some things to consider that worked great for my group:
Try to include some details about the current situation in Crow’s Foot in your score. In my session the Lampblacks were loading old lamp oil barrels on carts, preparing to burn down some Red Sashes claims and a Crow was arguing with two Lampblacks for them to stop it because more chaos would be bad for every party. This makes Duskwall come to life (opposed to sneaking past meaningless guards) and tends to offer new possibilities for future scores.
Establish the setting. Show them some sparkcraft technology (it can be something trivial like an electric elevator or a real obstacle like a electric fence or a bomb), electric lights and maybe a ghost or something arcane. No need to go overboard with these but I liked to show them that the world is a steampunk and fantasy mix.
Help the players flesh out their characters by asking them some controversial questions. We had an in depth discussion about a players relationship to the skovlanders, especially the refugees since he plays a deserter from the union war and our whisper from Iruvia likes to talk heresy by criticising the way ghosts are handled in Duskwall, calling it disrespectful of ones ancestors to destroy the spirits of the dead… this embeds the characters into the setting and helps the players with their XP triggers (it is difficult for a player to follow his ideals and drives if he did not consider them at all).
This might help.
nerdsonearth.com – An Introduction the 5 Room Dungeon Template
I also use the 5 room “dungeon” for planning my Heists and story arcs. It is great for pacing and focus. A story arc might be a few linked 5 rooms, which allow for more complication by a sense of progress.
You’ll not go far wrong if you do what Manuel Mumenthaler says. Use the tables in the back of the book to spark your imagination, be prepared to improvise, and be on the look out for places where the players can use flashbacks (it’s a different play style, so the players may need reminders that flashbacks are available.)
I like to have three Score opportunities on the table at a time, and allow the players to choose which one they’ll do next. I present the opportunities during Downtime, so they have a chance to spend downtime actions preparing for their chosen Score.
Some of the scores will hang around for a bit, some will disappear after a while. That’s fine, but tell the players that.