Ye Olde Inn

by **bastianbux** » March 25th, 2013, 3:15 pm

Miksang wrote:
mainat wrote:That is a polar opposite.

Playing as Zargon/Morcar, I generally don't like to "win", especially when it means wiping out all of the hero's. It's demoralizing for them losing all of their equipment (granted this was only the 2nd quest), and if they don't have fun they are less likely to want to play again. And they're really is no benefit for Zargon to win, it's not like he gets a money reward. So I like to make it challenging, maybe kill a hero or two, but I am always rooting for the hero's to succeed.

Exactly! Me too. I'm never trying to "win" as Zargon/Morcar, but I do like to make it perilous enough for them that at least one or two Heroes die each quest (there is a fifth player who plays a Cleric that can resurrect, so that makes good use of his spell).

Also is it just me or is quest 4 "Prince Magnus' Gold" completely stupid? The quest doesn't make any sense at all... especially the way that it's laid out with the chests... By the time the Hero's get to the chests everything in the map is all ready cleared out. So the special effects of carrying the chests (ie; one at a time, and a hero can only roll one red die for movement) are rendered completely useless if there's no more monsters to encounter??

I just has this happen to my group last Friday. I mention it and my suggestions for making that quest slightly better designed in this thread:http://forum.yeoldeinn.com/viewtopic.php?f=161&t=1604&p=19305#p19305

Miksang wrote:You think that was bad? I had a group play through it and clear everything in the map leaving the room Sir Ragnar was in for last. They didn't even play the game before so they had no way of knowing anything about the layout of the map, it was their first time playing. By doing this it rendered the alarm completely useless.

Perhaps it's my Dungeons and Dragons background, but given that the party had already completely cleared the map and was generally unhurt, I decided to spice things up a bit and put a couple of wander monsters (orcs) by the stairs. The intuition being that they were attracted by the sound of the alarm. Perhaps I didn't strictly follow the rules, but I thought it gave the quest a bit more of an exciting ending, so I'd consider it a win. |_P

by **el_flesh** » February 25th, 2014, 1:29 pm

I agree, that's how we make things come alive. Being a good DM is what makes a game session!
If we stick strictly to a book of rules written for 10 yr olds to learn about RPGs (and get hooked on them) then we will always be limited!

by **Decipher** » August 10th, 2014, 1:51 am

@Mainat *Rolls on Floor Laughing* Oh my lord I think I split my pants. I didnt even get past the Wizard getting locked in the cell. Oh man.... too funny.

by **alyndavies** » July 6th, 2015, 6:57 am

There's actually been a cat fight in our caravan (holiday home) over this quest. Two of the girls are aged 15 and 13, the 15 year old (dwarf) "rescued" Sir rangar first by getting into his cell, the 13 year old (barbarian) searched for treasure in the next room on her go and got a wandering monster. I attacked the barbarian immediatly, then on Morcar's go I moved the monster into the cell, and attacked and killed Sir Ragnar.. Jesus you should of seen the commotion and fighting between them after that. Basically I had to pull them apart and redo the quest then next day, sufficing to say I didn't dare to attack Ragnar and the younger one didn't dare search for treasure!

by **whitebeard** » July 6th, 2015, 5:43 pm

Yeah, my 8 year old playing the Barbarian :barbarian:

(8 year olds make GREAT barbarians by the way) searched for treasure as Sir Ragnar was being escorted through the room. He got a wandering monster :orc:

and Sir Ragnar had to move right back into the cell area with the elf guarding him!!! If only it had been a Zargon's turn next! :skull:

They boringly turned the other way and cleared the entire dungeon first… but I still almost got Ragnar!

by **alyndavies** » July 7th, 2015, 5:39 am

I agree you really don't want to give young children control of spell casters, it really slows the game up.

by **wallydubbs** » October 29th, 2018, 1:11 pm

Miksang wrote:Also is it just me or is quest 4 "Prince Magnus' Gold" completely stupid? The quest doesn't make any sense at all... especially the way that it's laid out with the chests... By the time the Hero's get to the chests everything in the map is all ready cleared out. So the special effects of carrying the chests (ie; one at a time, and a hero can only roll one red die for movement) are rendered completely useless if there's no more monsters to encounter??

I would have to agree, however, depending on the heroes health when they find the gold chests, I like to add in a final delema; once they leave the room with the gold I roll 2 red dice, they have that many turns to get back to the stairwell before Gulthor's reinforcements start arrive. This will leave one hero to defend them while the rest slowly make it back.

When the countdown ends I roll 1 red dice to determine how many monsters (only Greenskins) return and then roll 2 more red dice and start the countdown all over again.

by **Kurgan** » February 1st, 2020, 2:14 pm

mainat wrote: So I like to make it challenging, maybe kill a hero or two, but I am always rooting for the hero's to succeed.

That's pretty much how I play anymore. Agreed.

But if Zargon NEVER wins, then they get a false sense of security, get soft and lazy. Keep 'em guessing!

by **Uncle_Elvis** » February 1st, 2020, 10:44 pm

Reading through this thread, a common theme is that the players split up doing the quest. The group I DM for never, NEVER, split up unless something goes really wrong. It makes the quests a bit of a slog but they seldom die as they form a line with the barbarian in front, dwarf in rear, casters in the middle. I take great pleasure in figuring out someway for wandering monsters to get to the wizard and take him out first.