We're about to start An Eye for an Eye , and I was thinking about making some changes, mainly because my players are quite 'old hands' in the Empire and I want to start off the new system with some surprises. For a simple start, they've battled beastmen so many times I'm going to replace them with greenskins, as they've hardly ever fought them before. I was thinking of introducing a bit more complexity into the plot as well, because I know they're going to enter this manor house in the wilderness and instantly think "chaos cult - corrupt staff - imminent demon summoning!"

It's a good adventure but a tad predictable for experienced players. So - opening up the floor - any good ideas for making An Eye for an Eye a little bit different and shaking up these old hands?

You could go the route that the Steward had just run the house as his own littler personal 'manor' while the Lord's are away - and may have done in the original Lord himself.

Perhaps they have a smuggling ring set up that uses the manor as a base of operations - or they deal with exotic artifacts - maybe even have <shudders> CONTACT with the above mentioned Greenskins you mentioned - and are trying to get some 'shrooms' from a Gobbo shamen to spread as a drug in the local area?

Pretty much anything "totally normal" that will be amazing by virtue of being totally unexpected.

I had the painting of the eye hold the picture of Andreas. Then in the gallery I put a portrait of Andreas up. The idea being that the characters could figure out he is in the painting.

For my campaign I'm introducing the characters by having them attend a funeral for a close friend that was killed at the manor. Through a letter and his will they will travel to the manor to retrieve his body...the letter will give information that something is not quite right at the manor and he feared for his life...

This will remove the "I meet you at the inn and read the posting on the wall" crap. It also makes it more interesting and difficult because they won't know who they can trust...I plan on making the mystery much more difficult...lots of red herrings, etc...

Replace Aschaffenberg with Von Bruner and have the entire staff (apart from one or two - SIster Sonja, Korden) as cultists. The PC's are called in to investigate because they fit the bill of a sacrifice that is needed - it's a Wicker Man style of situation where the whole thing is a ruse to get them to the right place at the right time. Indeed, even the Beastmen are in on it. The plan is to drug the PC's and take them to a herdstone in the forest where the Daemon will be summoned to tear them to shreds.

Would need work, but the shape of the adventure would be the same.

Oooh, I like that idea. The trick is to make them think that certain people are cultists and some people aren't, but in the end, they're completely betrayed when they discover everyone is! Much more interesting. And then really hit them right at the end, with Sister Sonya revealing herself as the cult leader ...

I wonder if this can be mixed in with the smuggling idea too... that way the PCs can think they've found the cult's room, but instead it just turns out to be a smuggling den ... but then it turns out that's just a cover for the cult. Heh.

Quite like the funeral idea too, if only to get rid of the 'meeting at the inn' cliche. Or maybe the dwarf character knows Korden, and gets a message from him.

Anything that subverts the expectations of a 'classic' WFRP adventure is a good thing. This is a good adventure for starting players, but I hope future ones are a little more surprising.

Keep 'em coming, this is great!

UniversalHead said:

I LOVE this and am totally stealing it! There is no greater incentive to get them there than an honorable, oathbound dwarf helping a friend!

steal away! I am very happy with the idea for the funeral campaign start... I have all of the characters work the guy into their backgrounds...childhood friend, life debt, etc... want them engaged early on

No more ideas folks?