My players investigations have led them to a 20 day galla event that will culminate with a masquerade ball. They are being put into a situation where they will not be able to have access to most of thier gear, no armor, small hold out guns or concealed weapons will be available. The psycher will be forced to wear a hood that dampens his psychic abilities so he is not discovered.

A few minor heretical things will pop up cluminating with a bunch of heritics recieving "gifts" in a raffel type event. (think the end of Starsky and Hutch the movie). What I need help with is populating my 20 day event. The planet it is taking place on is a pleasure world with 90% of the surface covered in water. Most of the events will be taking place on floating barges that skim accross the water (5th element is my insperation here) and on a giant underwater platform that will have a glass top to look out into the depths of the ocean.

A little more information on the invitational. It is being hosted by a family/coorperation that builds spacefaring craft. They pc's are going along with an npc who was invited as his escort. The npc's family provides parts to the sponser of the event.

Thanks for any help you can provide.

If you say "populating", due you mean that you need "people" (npc) or do you need "events"? "Party events" or "story line events"?

Can you share some more information? Perhaps it is helpfull to us to know

- what this heresy is about
- what is the "final" you are aiming for
- what the pc are actually send looking for

Oh sorry. Populating with events. The ball is actually a segwey into a greater heresy and some what of a red herring. My players expect it to be dripping with heresy. The end raffle event will be a dispersal of items to several chaos cultists. Who will go onto casue the major meltdown of a power complex on another hive world.

The end result of the event should be that the pc's have to investigate every person who recieved a package from the raffle. Some will be false leads. What im at a loss is to coming up with events for them to participate in at the invitational. Ineresting characters are a bonus. I have a few events planed, such as a major spike in psychic energey at some point that will be a random perils of a warp event pictures bleeding or maybe an area covered in frost or all of the glass in a 200 meter area cracking. There will also be a meeting with some one they think is a major heritic but have no proof of as of yet.

Basically I need some help with social/party events.

Well, consideirng that this is an event made of mainly of nobles and Lords/Ladys types, you could afford to lavish the more expensive toys available in the 40k universe on the event.

Is there a dinner involved? maybe that could be a show in and of itself where a chef does some tricks or (as taking from another post of idea) fights the main course and cooks it up for on the spot.

A bit of story telling could be in order, a professional story teller or poet to rouse the audience with tales of heroics (if there are IG types attending) or of some random heros slaying the enemies of mankind.

You could have them gather around a giant holo-light show that shows a ball or an inspirational sermon (which would be good to draw out would be cultist who convulse at the idea of having to listen to it).

Hell, even an underwater gladitorial battle of somesort could be arranged (why not?)

The WaterJetbike race

One of the events is a "Water Jetbike race" (I do not know the correct english terms for those "water bikes" popular in many contemporary action films"). It is a mass event, involving a parcour. Many noble families have "champion" (athlets) attending for there houses while in other cases younger nobles consider it "good sport" and join themselves. The older won´t participate, but look with favor on those younger of there linage who show there skill.

PC who participate (free for guests) and do well (checks for Dexterity, Athletics or similiar) will get invitations to "join tables" in otherwise rather close societies. There they might be able to get further information (inquiery; charm) over the cause of the evening conversation about persons they have an eye on.

Have some competitive but non-violent events the players could particpate in.

Pearl-diving... spear-fishing contests... heck, don't even have to have them water-themed, just think of things that people would do on cruises or at rich parties and give them a 40k twist.

'Street Theatre', on platforms in various squares throughout the area. Many of the shows are decadent and disturbing, as the troupes try to outperform one another. Incidents of 'spurring' (see PtU) are common and serious injury or death not unheard of.

'Party Riot' - something somewhere gets out of hand and a riot breaks out amongst the festival goers. The PCs have to avoid/fight their way out of the scrum and avoid having their heads staved in by the Magistratum enforcers sent in to quell the riot. Next day the gala continues as usual as if nothing had happened.

'The Invitation' - the PCs are invited to what turns out to be a house of ill repute. The services available may stray towards the heretic at times, making them wonder if the house is hiding more sinister activities. This turns out to be a red herring if they investigate further.

A final question on the general subject, Hangedman:

What is the acolytes mission briefing on this one?
Are they given certain known suspects they are intend to surveill? It came to me that the pc will join any event for a reason: to investigate (not for mere curiousity). Therefore, the pc will only pay attention to those events that might help them along (following suspects or following given clues) with their investigation. If there is a "planned schedule" (no paralell events) the player are to be suspected to let there figures "sit through" an event if they can not perceive it through an "investigative angle" ...which must be provided by the event.

Example:
A ball under the moonlight on a small artificial island will be noticing the pc will pay to much attention to, unless they know a certain subject received invitation.

Therefore, the pc will "play out" the actions of "finding out what invitation one subject got and where he is likely to attend" in order to be there as well (for "observation & eves dropping").

Fireworks, fireworks, and more fireworks! Can't have a massive celebration without a fireworks display. An elegant pyrotechnic display could also be useful to your Acolyte's investigation. Such a spectacle is going to draw a lot of attention, and could make for a perfect distraction/cover if the Acolytes need to do any covert operation. Any heretics might get the same idea. Being that this is 40K, the fireworks can be massive contrivances that illuminate the entire sky like the rising sun, embellished with holographic projections and colorful laser light displays. Being that this is a water world, subsurface fireworks could also be an option. Imaging the assembled revelers rushing to the railing peering down over the side of their yachts as potassium based fireworks laced with heavy metals ignite below the choppy ocean surface, the rumble of each explosion carrying up through the hull.

Various pleasure yachts could partake in a ritual hunt, like the classic english fox hunt. But instead of hunting a fox, they hunt for a leviathan coaxed from the deepest part of the sea. The hunt could last for a day or more.

Tens or hundreds of yachts could lash themselves together into a flotilla, making a temporary city in the ocean. The flotilla could be a massive citywide party, or a bazar.

I'm not sure what the 20 day festival is celebrating, but some celebrants could put a religious spin on it. Flagellants, possibly while admonishing the revelers for their hedonistic ways, would scourge themselves into a fenzy, then throw themselves into the bloodied sea to feel the saltwater sting upon their wounds.

A grand parade could snake its way across the ocean. Massive floats pulled by boats, rowers, aquatic beasts and amphibous servitors decorated with seaflowers, shells, pearls, and rare metals dredged up from the deep could holt people's attention for hours. As the parade advances it may gain and loose floats.

Don't forget that the different ruling families of the upper classes really do not like each other. Not the other families, not their own family. There should definetly be rivalry both outspoken and muttered. And everytime something goes wrong for one family (the engine on the jetbike won't start or the oxygyn tank suddenly malfunctions or..) then it is always the other families fault. Maybe the acolytes gets involved in one of the feuds. Contacted by one family to tingle with another families machines or even hurt someone else, or maybe even something as "innocent" as keeping an eye out for Xor Y because "we know they are up to no good".

So simple playtime becomes not so simple very fast. But thats living the high life for you

/Eido

Depends on what rating you would give your game. PG, PG13, R, M.

Tell me that and I'll have some further ideas.

Hey all thanks for alot of great ideas. Ira we are a mature group.

Then keep the first few days "light". A few innocent dinner parties, drinking, maby have a smoking room where the husbands and older sons go to smoke to get away from their families, wives, mistrisses. These places offer some minor crimes, such as drug use (obscura), but also offer the acolytes a chance to get information from the intoxicated nobles, and they offer the acolytes a chance to sin a little.

As the Ball progresses have some hunting events durring the day, plays and whatnot durring the night, perhaps some of the nobles brought duelists to enter into a tournament open to anyone (This will give the PCs a reason why that brought that Moritat assassin or that feral guardsman). Betting can occur durring these events. Any blood sport can go too far into ritualistic worship.

Remember it is a pleasure world. As the days go on have certain drug induced noble women make "moves" on certain characters. Nothing screams Slaanesh worship more then a drug induced orgy. And even if you dont go that far, how interesting would it be if a PC were to sleep with a noblemans wife to get challanged to an honor duel durring the ball?

Keep it mature and realistic man.

Based on the players actions, you could even have a day set aside to deal with a duel with one of your PCs, just in case they offend some snotty lord and have to duel him, and then you can make a spectacle out of it.

the water sports ideas are great, plus you can go Captain Nemo on them and do some deep sea diving and hunting with underwater guns for exotic fish or such, maybe even have a giant squid attack

this is a good idea, and everyone has listed cool stuff, lets here more!

Wherever you have the rich and powerful you have the paparazzi. A recurring NPC could be a scribe working for a local or off-world gazette. He is forever butting in, asking seemingly inconsequential questions, and taking embarrassing holographs. If he somehow gets wind that the PCs are in the employ of the Inquisition he may start pumping them for juicy gossip. Such a character could make for good comic relief, a red herring, or a potential foe. Perhaps he works for another Inquisitor and the role of a muckraking gossip merchant is just a cover.

An aquatic ballet could occupy a good deal of time an interest. Specially trained acrobats with amphibious augmentics leap from the water like dolphins and then dive back below the surface to engage in complex aquatic maneuvers. The whole event could be accompanied by an orchestra that plays special instruments that can be played both above and below the water.

The main flotilla of yachts could be followed by a series of grim, bulky, black ships that always stay just at the horizon, appearing as smokey black dots at the edge of sight. At times the yachts may even seem to be surrounded. The whole thing will seem quite sinister. But if the Acolytes bother to inquire, or make an appropriate Common Lore check, they will find that the distant ships are maintained by the local Adeptus Mechanicus. The ships are part of a weather control system. They have been hired to follow the flotilla and ensure perfect weather for the duration of the festival. Of course, should these weather control ships be hijacked or sabotaged, the effects would be catastrophic.

Nojo509 said:

I really like the first one, and the last one, especually the last one. If the PC's are d*cks (like my current group) they may have feelings of guilt about her death. Although confronting the guards to put her under your protection may blow their cover as Inquisition. Any acolyte with a sense of morals may take her under their protection, but that makes them stand out, which is the absolute last thing they want as acolytes. That minor little detail may make some excellent rollplay.

Well done Nojo.

-Ira-