For anyone starting a new game, some suggestions:
- Suggest starting with A Day Late and replacing the "Package" and "Elven Envoy" with Lord Aschaffenberg’s Luggage, and Vern Hendrick. Vern is waiting for the late coach and overhears the Roadwarden talking to the PC's. He offers coin if they can bring back the luggage safely (he does not go with them). The coach is delivering more of Aschaffenberg's things from Altdorf.
- Vern is also busy buying supplies in town for the lodge, so if the PC's fail in bringing the luggage back, the scenario can still play out with the supplies. Vern also can mention how the lodge was also attacked by Beastmen, if the PC's tell him what happened on the road.
- When Vern supplies 6 silver up front, he asks the players to buy some average clothing to better disguise themselves as servants. If any player gets through the beastmen encounter without blowing his cover (not casting spells as the guards watch from the wall) award a fortune point. Casting a spell does not screw over the mission, but it may make the staff wonder what is up, and you may want to move the Cult progress token a space or 2 as the word spreads.
- Some of the supplies Vern has purchased may come in handy to the players if they look in the crates (healing draughts for the hospice, for example). You can bring these or other items into play if you feel the need. Have one of the NPC's drop a crate, exposing what is inside, for example.
- If you want a PC to go to a particular area, you can lead them there by having someone ask them to move some of the supplies to that room (a crate full of wine to the cellar for example).
- If a player is wounded in the Beastmen encounter, they will not have a chance to rest overnight. You may need to give them a good chance to get fixed up at the hospice or get a healing draught so they will have a better chance of survival after the dinner.
- Vern Hendrick should refuse to let anyone look at his hand, to increase their suspicion of him (wrongly).
- The two wounded Guards in the hospice are not wearing their armor. Perhaps you want the player's to find it (poor condition from the battle?).
- The players may question how a beastmen attack would drive a dwarf mad, you may want to come up with a good lie for the doctor.
- When they visit the hospice, you may like the idea of having Gregor Piersson having his head bandage looked at just as the PC's walk in. Both the doctor and the gardener can see what is under the bandage, but the players cannot. As they walk in, the doctor lowers the bandage and mentions something about the wound is healing up nicely. This could lower the players suspicion or perhaps make it worse?
More notes later....