[Official] Poison

[Clovis]

My oh my, what adventures! It is definitely pleasing to see how involved in the game your PCs are... well, of course, there do seem to be a few awkward moments, as evidenced by the joke during Herven's near death scene, but such things unavoidably happen, so gotta roll with the punches!

Ah well, once more, not such to say. It's not that your sessions are not interesting (they are, believe me!), but since you seem to be able to deal with your campaign very neatly, I don't have much advice I could deem useful to share with you... although I do think you should be careful not to be too hard on the PCs. Of course, Esteren is a dark game in a harsh universe, Warhammer style, but it is also a game where moments of tranquility have their place, so that the PCs may take a breather and recover (both physically and mentally).

Other than that, you're obviously able to deal with in-game situations very competently, and your Players seem reasonable and mature enough to discuss good options, so kudos to you all!

[Dragoslav]

although I do think you should be careful not to be too hard on the PCs. Of course, Esteren is a dark game in a harsh universe, Warhammer style, but it is also a game where moments of tranquility have their place, so that the PCs may take a breather and recover (both physically and mentally).

Good advice. I was worried about being too hard on them this session, but the next adventure (Red Fall) should be a relative breather and may not have any combat in it at all. When the PCs are going back to Reizh, I'm going to have Jearon the Varigal escort them so that we can just handwave the journey and make sure that they get back safely and quickly.

[Ramzi]

Wow some great stuff here so far! I really enjoy reading other Gl's experiences with their groups. I am going to be running Poison this Saturday for a group of friends, and this is my first time as a GL with any game. I was curious as to what advice GL's have based on their experience so far with this adventure, as I want to really do Shadows of Esteren justice and make it a great experience for my group. Things you wish you did differently or potential bumps i might run into in the Poison adventure?

Also I have so more specific questions:

1) In the opening scene with the bear, once it dies it is supposed to spit out some vile yellow bile. A thought occurred to me that in it's last dying breath it might try to vomit this onto a nearby player, forcing a stamina test to resist. While as a scene, I think this would be pretty intense, but I am wondering if it is too harsh on the players. Infecting a player in the opening scene with Nimheil poison sounds like a mean move. Thoughts?

2) In the book, it mentions that PC's from Melwan would of felt ill upon leaving the village to go to Dearg, to represent having drank for the contaminated water, but as they have left the source and have had access to clean water elsewhere, they affects don't take hold on them. A few pages later it suggests that the PC's will at some point come into contact and have to make rolls to resist being poisoned. I am a little confused as to when to introduce this? Once they return to Melwan after getting the herbs or perhaps halfway through the adventure, after they have spent some time in Melwan? Or should be used more as a guide for if the PC's come in direct contact with Fossil Flux? What would you guys suggest?

[Ramzi]

Another point of clarification. On page 121, when talking about the view of Magientists in Taol-Kaer society is says: Today, the urban population has mixed feelings towards the Magientists, appreciating and dreading their strange science. In the rural communities of Taol-Kaer, Magientists have always been feared and rejected.

Now my question is how literal is this? Melwan is a rural village located in Taol-Kaer, near the border. So would they not have a very negative view of Magientists? According to this would not the Mac Lyrs' be very intolerant to the notation of a Magientist experimenting in their realm?

[Clovis]

Wow some great stuff here so far! I really enjoy reading other Gl's experiences with their groups. I am going to be running Poison this Saturday for a group of friends, and this is my first time as a GL with any game. I was curious as to what advice GL's have based on their experience so far with this adventure, as I want to really do Shadows of Esteren justice and make it a great experience for my group. Things you wish you did differently or potential bumps i might run into in the Poison adventure?

So far, I have only experienced Poison as a PC, so I don't have much advice to give as a GL. However, one imperative I would like to stress is to keep a good pace: take your time to describe the landscape the party will be traveling through, and the various impressions they may get from the wild environment surrounding them. Likewise, I advise you to put extra effort in making the NPCs (namely the Melwanians) lifelike and likable: your Players must really feel that they are dealing with flesh-and-blood people, and not just "the innkeeper", "a farmer", "the smith", etc.

Still, keeping things alive is important too: if you drop an overabundance of details on your Players, they will most likely feel bored and lose interest in the scenario. It's important to keep a happy medium, and to adapt your gaming style to the expectations and characters of your Players.

1) In the opening scene with the bear, once it dies it is supposed to spit out some vile yellow bile. A thought occurred to me that in it's last dying breath it might try to vomit this onto a nearby player, forcing a stamina test to resist. While as a scene, I think this would be pretty intense, but I am wondering if it is too harsh on the players. Infecting a player in the opening scene with Nimheil poison sounds like a mean move. Thoughts?

The bile-spewing is more of a death spasm than an actual attack. However, it might indeed be a good idea to directly threaten one (or several!) of the Players through this means. If you feel like your Players would be cool with such a drastic beginning, then feel free to go for it! But if you think that, on the opposite, it might aggravate them, then show some lenience, at least the time for them to learn the ropes.

2) In the book, it mentions that PC's from Melwan would of felt ill upon leaving the village to go to Dearg, to represent having drank for the contaminated water, but as they have left the source and have had access to clean water elsewhere, they affects don't take hold on them. A few pages later it suggests that the PC's will at some point come into contact and have to make rolls to resist being poisoned. I am a little confused as to when to introduce this? Once they return to Melwan after getting the herbs or perhaps halfway through the adventure, after they have spent some time in Melwan? Or should be used more as a guide for if the PC's come in direct contact with Fossil Flux? What would you guys suggest?

The Nimheil droplets infect the Nuarranta from its source to its tributaries, so you can have them roll for Stamina a few hours after they have drunk from an "infected" source of water. Just carefully note where the PCs get their water from, and keep it in mind if they drink from Melwan's well or from the Nuarranta.

Another point of clarification. On page 121, when talking about the view of Magientists in Taol-Kaer society is says: Today, the urban population has mixed feelings towards the Magientists, appreciating and dreading their strange science. In the rural communities of Taol-Kaer, Magientists have always been feared and rejected.

Now my question is how literal is this? Melwan is a rural village located in Taol-Kaer, near the border. So would they not have a very negative view of Magientists? According to this would not the Mac Lyrs' be very intolerant to the notation of a Magientist experimenting in their realm?

Many Talkérides are very distrustful of Magientists, and avoid them as much as possible, or even fight them outright. As for Talacien, so far, he has not done anything to directly antagonize the Melwanians, so they have been living in a state of distant mistrust... which will obviously change during Poison.

Also, as it is mentioned in the scenario: "[Talacien] was able to obtain a royal edict allowing him to conduct such research thanks to the active support of Maoda Mac Lyr, who personally intervened on his behalf." The reasons for Maoda's patronage are not clearly mentioned, so you are free to decide on that: maybe she thinks some Magientist influence might give a boost to Melwan's industry, or maybe she wants to attract the goodwill of the Magientist order so that she may get support...

[Ramzi]

However, one imperative I would like to stress is to keep a good pace: take your time to describe the landscape the party will be traveling through, and the various impressions they may get from the wild environment surrounding them.

Clovis I must ask you why do you stress this? I it is my understanding that nothing substantial happens during travel times in Poison. Or do you mean to stress the importance of descriptive scenes and making the world come to life?

Did you have a favorite part when you played? Any memorable scene? One you think I should focus more attention on?

[Clovis]

Clovis I must ask you why do you stress this? I it is my understanding that nothing substantial happens during travel times in Poison.

Well the point precisely is that the atmosphere in Shadows of Esteren is not only about the scenario in itself; it's also about the scenery. Picturesque landscapes, breatch-catching sights, primeval-looking environments, etc. I feel it is important that Players get a good feeling of the universe as a whole.

Of course, if you don't have enough time to go into details, or simply want to keep a quick pace during the game, feel free to be as concise as you want.

Or do you mean to stress the importance of descriptive scenes and making the world come to life?

That too: I personally make sure that every moment and every NPC has their importance, so that the Players can really fell like they are part of a living world.

Did you have a favorite part when you played? Any memorable scene? One you think I should focus more attention on?

Hmm... well the night after we got to Melwan was a memorable moment. One of the PCs had gotten infected with Nimheil, and while we were sleeping, the GL described the sick Character suddenly waking up in front of the Nuarranta, drinking from it, and seeing a great yellow snake slithering down the river. Then, he told one of us that he suddenly noticed the absence of the infected Character, and we all got out in search of him... only to find him a few yards away, muttering deliriously while splashing himself with water from a trough, apparently caught in an hallucination.

It was a short scene, but the way the GL depicted it really made a strong impression on us!

[Ramzi]

Haha! Very nice. I must admit that I struggled with how to play out the nightmare scene, particularly if all the PC`s are sleeping in the same area, it`s hard to make one PC believe his dream might be a reality since the rest of the players at the table can see him tossing in his sleep. This was a great aid and I thank you very much for the inspiration!

It sounds like you have a very talented GL running your games!

[Clovis]

You're welcome! I hope your Players will appreciate the scenario, and that you'll feel at ease running it!

We indeed had a very good GL; it was actually Nelyhann himself, for a playtesting session, and I can say he sure knows how to handle a game!

[Dragoslav]

Ramzi, sorry I didn't have a chance to reply to your questions, but I hope your game went well! If you felt like posting a session report, I'd be glad to read it.

Although belated, I wanted to have a chance at giving my thoughts on your questions:

1) In the opening scene with the bear, once it dies it is supposed to spit out some vile yellow bile. A thought occurred to me that in it's last dying breath it might try to vomit this onto a nearby player, forcing a stamina test to resist. While as a scene, I think this would be pretty intense, but I am wondering if it is too harsh on the players. Infecting a player in the opening scene with Nimheil poison sounds like a mean move. Thoughts?

While I wouldn't say that the bear should "try" to vomit on the player, your idea of the bear vomiting on the nearest PC (or a PC who rolls the lowest Luck roll if there are multiple nearby) as it dies is pretty crafty. Considering that I had all of the PCs in my group potentially be infected at the start of the adventure, I don't think that infecting one at the start of the adventure is too harsh.

The Stamina roll (14) isn't too high, so a group starting out with no wound penalties should be able to make it easily. A PC with 10 Stamina only needs to roll a 4, giving them a 60% chance of success, so at least half the group will likely be unaffected. Even if a PC gets unlucky on the follow-up roll to see how strong their disease is, the players should be able to complete the adventure before the PC dies.

2) In the book, it mentions that PC's from Melwan would of felt ill upon leaving the village to go to Dearg, to represent having drank for the contaminated water, but as they have left the source and have had access to clean water elsewhere, they affects don't take hold on them. A few pages later it suggests that the PC's will at some point come into contact and have to make rolls to resist being poisoned. I am a little confused as to when to introduce this? Once they return to Melwan after getting the herbs or perhaps halfway through the adventure, after they have spent some time in Melwan? Or should be used more as a guide for if the PC's come in direct contact with Fossil Flux? What would you guys suggest?

[/quote]
I think they give you that info in the adventure in case you want to present the risk of a PC becoming infected, such as if they get back to Melwan and don't figure out what's causing the illness, so they keep drinking the well water. Alternatively, you could present a risk of coming into contact with the Nimheil later, such as when they find the source -- if any PC goes up and touches the source, for example.

Will post the conclusion of our group's experience shortly...