So, has anyone run edge of night yet? what do you guys think? I was really excited when i got it, but after reading through it.....i dunno it feels like just one part of somehting that should have far more going on

I'm running it at the moment. The adventure as written is massively lacking, I've pretty much ended up throwing it out the window and doing my own thing.

It starts poorly by having no hook for the PCs. Then the first chapter of the adventure itself has almost nothing for the PCs to do, no guidance for the GM, nothing. It's really bad.

Next chapter leaps to the ball, where lots of things happen and the PCs are barely involved. Then it goes to a tacked on Skaven fight ending which bears no relevance to what's been going on.

Pretty awful, all told.

My main tip is to integrate the Skaven earlier, perhaps one of the noble houses is working with them, and the PCs uncover a plot to poison the attendees at the ball. You'll need to prepare a good hook for the start and lots of things for the PCs to do.

I just got it and am still reading...but I will let you know when I am done.

Morph said:

Something I thought might make an interesting twist would be to tie it in with the idea that much of Imperial society does not acknowledge the extent of the skaven threat, and that some of the guests at the ball, such as one of the noble factions, the dwarven guests or the verenan priest, could be trying to spread the truth of the matter.

Then the grey seer, rather than being a renegade with an uncertain agenda, could be a loyal servant of the council who has been sent to silence/discredit such voices - hence the plot to turn people into mutants.

To make such a plot work you could have the players encounter some of the skaven-themed hooks outlined in the adventure's introduction. If they express a belief in skaven to NPCs they could meet with some derision, but also make inroads into an alliance with some forces in the city who are trying to expose the truth of the situation.

Attending the ball, then, could be simply suggested as a way of networking with influential Ubersreikers in the hope of recruiting a few important folk to the cause, and it just so happens that the skaven also choose the event in the hope of silencing those who seek to expose them.

Dave,

That's a very cool idea. I think the "ball as written" needs the "faction contest" aspect to it with PC's in the mix. This could be blended with possibility that the "overt reason" PC's attend ball is not simply to advance a noble faction but to suss out views of them, perhaps they are tied to a noble faction that believes in Skaven (the target) and is at risk of being ridiculed for this outlandish foolery.

If "player empowerment" is okay with a table, have them choose which faction they want to be with (e.g., which faction card thrills or story hooks) and have them encounter a member of that faction being ambushed etc. to be their hook into adventure.

Rob

valvorik said:

Yes, perhaps if the PCs have retained links to Aschaffenburg after Eye for an Eye he could agree to meet them in Ubersreik after some of the rat themed events take place and ask them what's going on. Seeing as he is feeling vigilant in regard to Chaotic happenings after his brush with he cult he might be willing to take rumours regarding skaven more seriously than his peers, and arrange meetings with the Verenan and/or important dwarfs as a result (as they seem likely candidates for sections of society that aren't involved in the denial of skaven).

That strikes me as a logical inroad, though I'm sure reasons why the Pfiefrauchers, Jungfreuds, Holzenhauers or von Saponathiems might want to either expose or deny the extent of the skaven menace would also be easy enough to invent.

You could even go through the list of NPCs present at the ball and decide on how they would respond to someone insisting on the existence of skaven, with options including:

• Warmly supportive and glad to find someone else who supports the idea "I thought I was the only one!" and so on.
• Dismissive - "not these alarmist conspiracy tales again". Might even remain incredulous in the face of hard evidence,
• In some way bought or compromised by the skaven - vigorous denials and may even wish to silence the PCs.
• Uncaring - but might be swayed by the events of the night.

Perhaps the skaven are already on the trail of an NPC who is working to expose them (the Verenan priest, let's say) and news of the subject being broached by various nobles and adventurers (together with the auspicious waxing of Morrslieb) leads them to concoct the plot to mutate the guests at the ball.

The PC presence at the ball therefore serves two functions - network with important Ubersreikers whilst they jockey for power and find out which ones are amenable to the idea of taking the skaven threat more seriously.

Meanwhile the skaven motive is more clear - to silence the meddling humans (and elves and dwarfs).

Morph said:

My thoughts exactly. Skimmed through the book, found it quite useless as a GM-help and now its just getting dusty somewhere on my desk. Too bad.

I liked "An Eye for an Eye", but "Gathering Storm" was a pretty mediocre collection of fights, tacked together by some sort of standard hunt for some magic mumbo-jumbo.... But "Edge of Night" is just plain bad. First of all, there is just no real reason for the PCs to go to that ball. It might work, if they had some noble background and visiting balls is just what they do. But my gaming group is more of a ragtag band of adventurers, and I guess, they wont even get the idea of visiting that ball, or find it interesting to say the least.

I like the idea behind "Edge of Night", and if it were executed better, it could play out like a Gotrek & Felix Episode. But with the stuff provided in the box, youre probably better off, if you think of an adventure yourself.

Dave Allen said:

Some great ideas there Dave. Just a pity this all came up after I started running the adventure!

Currently in my campaign its the day before the ball and the adventurers are looking into some shady dealings by the von Saponatheims at the request of a local crime gang.

They currently have no desire to go to the ball, or perhaps more accurately no reason (partially my fault, my hook was way too vague).

My plan is that they find a skaven plot to poison the ball but no-one believes them. So they have to break in, try and persuade people, and sort it out. But the families are more invovled with petty squabbles and have little desire to listen to mad rantings.

I'm pretty much winging it here, and it's been a meandering start, so fingers crossed it all works.