SirGuido
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Post by SirGuido on Jun 28, 2013 12:05:29 GMT -8
Ok, so I introduced the bad guys a couple episodes ago, the most recent episode they ran into a plot by the bad guys to discredit them. In the upcoming episode the bad guys will use the incident to begin to sow discord across the city. My intention is to instigate a Civil War inside the city ending the campaign in a large Mass Battle.
My question is, do you think this is a good idea? What are the ways that you think the players could possibly prevent this? What other steps should I take as the bad guys to make it happen?
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SirGuido
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Post by SirGuido on Jul 11, 2013 14:59:41 GMT -8
I know I got no responses to this before... but I need some answers. I need to bring my game to a head within 2 more sessions. I still want to end the campaign with that mass battle. I'm having a hard time deciding how to speed up the timetable to get there though. Thoughts?
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Post by Reikhardt on Jul 11, 2013 17:35:47 GMT -8
Ok, so I introduced the bad guys a couple episodes ago, the most recent episode they ran into a plot by the bad guys to discredit them. In the upcoming episode the bad guys will use the incident to begin to sow discord across the city. My intention is to instigate a Civil War inside the city ending the campaign in a large Mass Battle. My question is, do you think this is a good idea? What are the ways that you think the players could possibly prevent this? What other steps should I take as the bad guys to make it happen? I'm afraid the situation as described is a little vague for truly solid advice, but I can give some general stuff. Have the villains push some hot buttons. Not with the players, but with the NPCs. If you want things to move quickly, you have to provoke the players into action--which is chancy, because you can never be entirely certain what they're going to bite onto--or you have to press the NPCs into positions where the desired actions occur and the players are dragged along for the ride. Have your villains choose important hot heads and piss them off in ways that make immediate violent action highly likely, and that would require lengthy investigations to unravel--investigations that the players may want to undertake, but that if they do will almost certainly run out of time before events come down to delicious, delicious stabbing. If you really want to be a bastard--and, honestly, who doesn't? But if you -really- want to be a bastard, try to craft a situation where the most obvious solution involves killing a villain, then let the player get caught out in the middle of it, and have them be the trigger for the whole war. And if you want your players to curse your name while praising your ingenuity, make sure that the villain who ends up being the focus of their rage, the one they need to kill to kick off the whole shebang, gets a few moments after taking his mortal wound to smile and thank them for taking that last step before he keels over. Give the first player to say, "Oh SHIT" an extra experience point. --Reikhardt, also known as mbtheory
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maxinstuff
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Post by maxinstuff on Jul 11, 2013 17:58:03 GMT -8
Yeah if you truly need it to wrap up within a couple of sessions you will need things to happen independantly of the PC's.
If you really want shit to get real, kill a few NPC's that are important to the players. Key contacts and patrons, information sources and friends are all good options. Have the villains trying to instigate a coup and taking out all the key players they can before their all out assault.
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Post by Forresst on Jul 11, 2013 18:08:06 GMT -8
Use fire! Fire motivates EVERYONE!
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Post by guitarspider on Jul 12, 2013 1:42:02 GMT -8
Kill their friends in a way that makes the collateral damage of the impending civil war maybe? Use fire! Fire motivates EVERYONE!
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Post by malifer on Jul 12, 2013 3:02:30 GMT -8
Ok, so I introduced the bad guys a couple episodes ago, the most recent episode they ran into a plot by the bad guys to discredit them. In the upcoming episode the bad guys will use the incident to begin to sow discord across the city. My intention is to instigate a Civil War inside the city ending the campaign in a large Mass Battle. My question is, do you think this is a good idea? What are the ways that you think the players could possibly prevent this? What other steps should I take as the bad guys to make it happen? Good idea? Sure, umm...it might be a little railroad-y but I agree if you want to cause a civil war quickly, then it's going to be the NPCs with a Mob Mentality that gets it done. Could they prevent it? I would say no. The downside of a Mob is they don't tend to listen to reason. You have a city full of NPCs and a handfuls of PCs once things start to get out of hand it would be nearly impossible to stop it. What other steps? The bad guys have a plan. One that should be just as good as the PCs. They should be prepared to face the PCs head on and also have an escape route. I would say if you truly want to be a bastard you give them the option of stopping the bad guys or saving the innocent NPCs and the city. Maybe they can clear their name, maybe not.
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SirGuido
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Post by SirGuido on Jul 12, 2013 5:19:23 GMT -8
I thought about this last night and I think I have a plan. One of my players had to drop out and his PC was already playing with maho in game. The last session his character used a TON of it. My plan is that this pc ends up summoning an oni because the Taint influence has really skewed his brain. One of the NPCs is an undercover witch hunter and her sister is married to a PC. I'm thinking the Maho user summons the oni, the witch hunter finds out and goes after him and the oni. Their fight causes a commotion and the players have to wade in to investigate and find the four of them in combat and as they arrive they see the NPCs struck down by the oni. A massive battle ensues involving the PCs, and the guards and such in the city. The bad guys agents show up and join the oni/maho user's side... hence the mass battle. Sound good?
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Post by Forresst on Jul 12, 2013 8:58:11 GMT -8
Sounds great, but add some fire!
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SirGuido
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Post by SirGuido on Jul 13, 2013 9:41:54 GMT -8
My players think that this system isnt deadly... I wonder if I should take this as an opportunity to prove that it is...
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SirGuido
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Post by SirGuido on Jul 13, 2013 9:42:34 GMT -8
My players think that this system isnt deadly... I wonder if I should take this as an opportunity to prove that it is... I mean its the end of the campaign right?
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Post by The Northman on Jul 13, 2013 13:23:48 GMT -8
I'm not sure how they went this long with that impression...poor damage rolls?
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SirGuido
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Post by SirGuido on Jul 15, 2013 7:34:56 GMT -8
Yeah I have had some bad rolls on my end, plus they have a dedicated healer.
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Post by hoseirrob on Jul 15, 2013 9:05:14 GMT -8
If you are going to end the campaign, end it with the bang. Here is the question - if one of them summoned the Oni (sorry L5R knowledge is spotty, but i think that is bad) are you going to give the PCs enough information to let them switch sides and maybe put down the Tainted PC? Really put the Civil into that civil war.
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SirGuido
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Post by SirGuido on Jul 15, 2013 11:53:36 GMT -8
The one who summoned the oni was a previous PC and now an NPC. He died, HARD. Also, I apparently misunderstood everyone's desires. I originally thought they wanted to end the campaign and start a new one, now I'm learning that they want to keep going after DT Pints gets back. So, I kinda gimped the combat to be less deadly. I only almost killed 2 of the PCs.
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