All: It took 6 months, but I'm finally able to get a re-start on my WFRP3 campaign. My regular group didn't want to continue playing it last year b/c of lack of advanced careers (unclear future), so I formed a new group using MEET-UP. I've been running the odd scenario for 3e on weekends, but I can finally get back to regular campaigning! (YAY!) My old group got through several scenarios, and we did the start of TGS, but always feel like a noob when I restart game groups.

So, here is where I stand:

If you had it to do over again (starting a WFRP3 group), what would you change?

What have you found most useful and what kinds of things did you dump?

Any advice on playing TGS?

Any game component tricks ?

What stuff do you feel I need on the game screen that I'll be referencing the most.

Thanks!

jh

Also, any thoughts on group dynamics are also welcome. My players each chose a pre-gen from LIBER FANATICA #7.

* Swordmaster

* Commoner

* Watchman

* Thief

ANything I should watch out for in this situation.

jh

Hi,

One of the most rewarding aspects from our campaign (starting shortly after the release of 3rd ed) has been the depth of the local community to which the characters story has been based. One of our characters is a circus ringmaster (son and heir of the owner). So I created a full circus of npc's, including names, personalities, roles within the business and a short backround in advance of the story beginning. Then going deeper I wrote all sorts of local plots purely operating within the members of the circus going from sexual assualts, hidden mutants, paranoid delusion, blackmailing, drug addiction, idolisation and even fanatical jealousy of the ringmaster pc, all of which unrelated to the main plot. As the whole party have been travelling with the circus during their adventures (for money and/or company) they have got to know many of these npc's very well and have developed deeper in character relationships. In a story where many npc's can be met then they will disappear/die/be ignored/etc it can be easy to forget the effect the pcs have on other characters. With a return to an ongoing community with which the pcs have a bond this is no longer the case. When they piss off a local noble, he hurts those closest to them. When they carry a disease card and go home, their friends and family start coughing. When they arouse suspicion in the local witch hunter....

I used a circus as it suited my party and the story, from what you have described I'm guessing you are basing your campaign in Stromdorf and Ubersreik? Nice to see the character balance. Watchman, theif and commoner sounds like a fantastic mix. My suggestion would be to build more detail into a local area of Ubersreik to which all three of those belong. Maybe the watchman and thief are long time friends/enemies/or even working together on a sly scam? Give them locals to whom they are all known to, family, the local inn, the barber surgeon, the grocer, even the local thugs who maybe used to threaten and beat up one of the pc's as a youth?

Not sure about the screen, I dont use one for space reasons. maybe the manuevers list?

As for TGS play Schullman low key. My group really didnt trust him. Maybe even keep the prof hidden for a while?

Hope that helps,

Emirikol said:

I did make several careers "intermediate" rather than "basic", such as ironbreaker.

If you had it to do over again (starting a WFRP3 group), what would you change?

No much really. The fan-made regular size character sheet we were using had a mistake that Athletics is Ag based instead of Str based is one thing.

I did say "pick actions in rounds, not all at once, no one hog all", but it ended up with one PC taking about 4 social actions meaning if he's not there the "face" is gone (I'm using no duplication of action cards approach). I would encourage rounding out a bit more but still ultimately let chips fall.

What have you found most useful and what kinds of things did you dump?

I don't think I dumped anything from rules. Party Stress seldom came up but it has more recently through roleplaying etc. Fan-made sheets that summarized all the specialities for skills were and still are very useful for me and players - because the specialities also a good quick overview of the various things a skill can do, that is a very nice fast reminder of "what you use for what".

Any advice on playing TGS?

The mystery and politics in town is so much fun, needs to be played up and drawn out and matter more. Schulmann is sooooo obvious. There is advice in the module about "picking a different villain" and I went with that. Schulmann was still the over-ambitious, arrogant guy, tricked by real villain into the botched ritual that sends things off kilter. In the end he's more comic relief threat (like one of the higher ranking types in a Blackadder comedy) than a real villain.

I also revised how the mapstone and the finale worked, what the effects of the waystone being lost would be etc. I felt that old canon and books indicated a broken/unseated waystone was a really really bad thing and worse than the module says and that the elven ghost had more potential.

The Storm Cards were great to keep "pacing pressure on" but having "delays" affect the storm cards and not having "fatigue/stress" result from Reckless dice be significant affected my Players' choices of stance in a way that was not really desirable (4 of 5 had conservative-favouring PC's, though one player was great at roleplaying "blind to mechanical things his character wouldn't know", being conservative at every opportunity).

The end of it sees (one way or another) GM/PC's no longer to use/enjoy the setting of Stromdorf and its NPC's etc. This is a shame precisely because Stromdorf is set up with so many good threads to be pulled on, material to use in further adventures.

I did a timeline historical and more recent events would have been useful (e.g., I created such a timeline and thus could easily answer questions based on whether Schulmann was in town with Florian was last seen, might have seen him). For any investigation type adventure that is always useful.

Any game component tricks ?

I bought a couple of clear standups such as businesses use to show information (any Staples etc. has them) and put a blow up of current Storm Card in one, facing PC's. Since players were new, made homemade blowups of a "Night's Rest" summary and "First Aid card" and put those in other as they were frequently to be referenced.

Replaced stress and fatigue chits with blue and red "stone" counters and used "white stone" counters for fortune points. More distinctive and less confusing.

Emirikol said:

No one likely has magical sight is the first thing that occurs to me. That's not a "howling problem" but it can be very handy at times, particularly in "putting together" the winds involved in regional problems and stones etc., figuring out some things at times.

I would make sure the Commoner has lots of chances to shine dealing with peasants in town/rural area. Make the traits on character cards matter.

No one jumps out as likely trained in First Aid either. I don't think a priest is necessary at all, this is not D&D but still some rudimentary care is handy. So unless they are the sort to seize on this directly, I would make sure they "run into" one or more of the sources of healing care in town with a chance to ingratiate selves.

Emirikol said:

Due to lack of magic sight, you should remember to let the Swordmaster see the marble stones in TGS are of elven work, and maybe also know what they are.

Also don't deny him the chance of fighting Izka one on one, it should be quite a fight, and one he should have to struggle hard to get through alive.

But also play very hard one the fact that the people of Stormdorf likely never has seen an elf before, maybe the celestial wizard will be overly curious as to if he knows magic. Have him put a bit to much "sugar" on it when he speaks to the swordmaster, or have him be suspicious as to wether the swordmaster has been send here by some elves, who's also looking for the stones???

Emirikol said:

Quite easy to give plenty of roleplaying situations for this PC. Make him feel at home, let the people of Stormdorf more friendly to him, and let him know various itz and bitz of how one should behave.

In a town like Stormdorf, the commoner and the Swordmaster will be the excact opposites in knowing how to behave, and also in sticking out.

Emirikol said:

Not sure what to add here... atleast have him know that the town wouldn't be able to withstand a full assault by the beastmen, not sure what else, apart from the obvious that he'll be good at talking to the towns watch, and that the towns captain is actually doing a good job (in the bourgmeisters absence), despite being tough.

Emirikol said:

He should have a shot at sneaking into the beastman camp, and maybe steal the stone. Do this if you think the group can't handle fighting to many beastmen. Loosing the stone will result in beatsmen in-fighting, which will either kill Izka, or atleast reduce their numbers significantly. Killing both beastmen leaders should be the ultimate goal, and this is easiest done by making the beastmen fight each other, and then kill the victor.

He should also be able to notice that the Stewpot owner is a scoundrel.