Les Ombres d'Esteren - Forum officiel

We just did our very first scenario in Esteren: Loch Varn. After so many fantastic reviews, I decided to not add a full account of our session, but concentrate on the differences, suggestions and on the parts I had trouble with:

I decided to run the scenario in a single session, to emphasize the dreamlike quality and because I felt, that it could be difficult for a new group to handle all the new names, places, the setting, the rules, etc... AND remember them between sessions.

It took us about 4,5 hours.

The advantage of this approach: the fast pacing worked really well - especially in the beginning and the end. Sometimes the players were so much under pressure, that they had to skip turns, because they couldn´t decide fast enough on what to do. Also, all the information regarding the two opposing characters (Verzal and Deorn) didn´t get lost between sessions, so they had a solid understanding of the story and felt the dilemma of whom to help and whom to battle. Actually, that was the single best moment of the evening.
The disadvantage: the scenario feels even more railroady when you quicken the pace. In retrospect, I regret to not having had more room to flesh out their stay in the village. I got the feeling, that for the group it was a great rollercoster ride, however, the players were lacking the time to get warm with their new characters.

I used music combined with a picture/visual for at least every scene (some scenes needed some more). Imagine something like a managed slideshow. It was the very first time for me to prepare this to that extend - it REALLY helps to have a scenario like this one, which is predictable in the course of events and it is still a heap of work. But it was worth the effort. For me it was like having a script to go by - for the players it set the mood of the scene as well as created a common understanding before I spoke a word. (I used "http://rpg-ambience.com/"). Also, I had the feeling to keep the level of attention much higher - especially, when switching scenes.

Where I had problems:
1.) The riddle of the ghost. Don´t rely on a successful roll!!! Our Liam (we used the characters from the book) botched his roll - and then decided to solve the mystery of the note later on (of course without telling the others of his dream). So I had to invent a second dream: I had Jearon (his appearance sometimes shifting to another person) calling out to Yldiane from the island in the lake. It worked - but everybody really had the impression of being hit with a sign over the head.

2.) The fight in the end. The players were not supporting anybody, they really couldn´t decide which side to support. So they tried to detain both... and ended up fighting both (Deorn just didn´t like being shot in the back, for instance). When they then got totally wasted by the centipede (yes, only one), Deorn promised to help them by sealing the lab (and the still living centipede) - but only in exchange for the promise to keep it all a secret, hand over the near-dead Jearon/Versal and to leave the valley once and for all... They excepted. Of course they were somewhat depressed by the ending, since they were not able to resolve anything, really. It felt like the right thing to do (as Deorn) at the time - but I would not do it this way again, since it really was a sorry ending after an otherwise great evening.

3.) Shooting into Melee... I wanted to give a choice of either high risk hitting your friend but good chance to hit opponent - and low risk / low reward... but couldn´t think of something fast enough.

But all in all, a great experience!

I have a question about this scenario.

In Act 2 heroes wake up after nightmare.
Is they all actually remember events from Act 1?
Or only one of them?

It is says that Mor (for example) dont remember anything. It means that he dont remember how they get there, or only dream?

And what if party consist of Liam (remember visit in normal ruins), Mor (dont remember anything) and Yildiana (dont remember anything)?
Who was dreaming then?

I am about to attempt my first run of Loch Varn without pre-made characters. I find that the setup of this Scenario will be perfect for introducing the party to an entirely different kind of RPG.

In preparation I have acquired scents for rotting flesh and ancient ruins. I have made custom stained and distressed papers of the materials (notes, maps, and the secret bloody code). Combined with music and some roleplay, I'm hoping for an awesome session.

I decided after reading everyone else's posts on what I am planning for each section, but I did have a few questions I'm hoping everyone can help with.

Since I'm not using pre-mades, Act II becomes weird for me.

1) First, how should I handle the access to character sheets mentioned during Act 2?
Should I let them create their characters and not have access to their sheets at the start the same way? What would be the benefit of doing so?

2) Second, the game scenario gives pre-defined positions on the events for the premade characters. In my case, the players will be making up their own conclusions as they play. So how should I handle their internal confusion and conflict? I can't very well pull them off to the side and explain separately. I don't know who their PCs are yet.

I'm hoping that someone chooses a Varigal or Magientist, because this will make the inlet easier, but if they don't have the ability to make the checks, I was thinking of alternatives.

3) Would a book with the tale of The Savellis' Passion be accessible in such a small town? I mean, I could add a library that seems out of place (enhancing the whole dream feeling) and then have it not exist when they are back to reality.

It would also be nice to have access to that tale word for word. Is it posted anywhere, or in any of the books I may not have read yet?

4) Lastly, if I have a Daemorthen in the group, would they have a greater sense of them being in a dream, or that they are influenced by a ghost?

I'd like for there to be some lore on Gluta to disseminate from Deorn to a fellow Daemorthen if the party asks. Still keeping with the mystery of since it was just mistaken for Gluta's presence after all.

Thoughts?

StripelessTiger a écrit :In preparation I have acquired scents for rotting flesh and ancient ruins. I have made custom stained and distressed papers of the materials (notes, maps, and the secret bloody code).

Eww, that's nasty... but pretty cool, too! I hope your players aren't faint of heart!

StripelessTiger a écrit :1) First, how should I handle the access to character sheets mentioned during Act 2?
Should I let them create their characters and not have access to their sheets at the start the same way? What would be the benefit of doing so?

Hm, that's a poser! In truth, I can't see a way around doing it the way you describe. Then again, it should still confuse them, since I don't expect your players will remember their characters' exact abilities, particularly if it's been some time since they've created them.

Alternatively, if you want them to be in a weird situation, maybe you could switch the characters around? That way, for example, a player who's created a warrior-type character will be confused when they notice they're actually very weak, because they're actually controlling the PC of another player who is a delicate diplomat.

At any rate, a way I see to make things confusing would be for them not to be certain they're actually playing their own characters. You can describe how they feel strangely sluggish, remote, as if they weren't entirely in control of their bodies (which can actually be attributed to Act 1 being a dream). Try to be as vague as possible, to keep them on their toes; something like:

"Is it me? Am I me?
- Well, you guess so!
- But what do I look like?
- What do you expect to see?
- What do you mean? I expect to see my character: brown tunic, scarred hands, well-worn boots... that's what I currently look like, right?
- Hm-mh. Everything seems to be in order."

StripelessTiger a écrit :2) Second, the game scenario gives pre-defined positions on the events for the premade characters. In my case, the players will be making up their own conclusions as they play. So how should I handle their internal confusion and conflict? I can't very well pull them off to the side and explain separately. I don't know who their PCs are yet.

I'm hoping that someone chooses a Varigal or Magientist, because this will make the inlet easier, but if they don't have the ability to make the checks, I was thinking of alternatives.

In that case, it would be best to have them prepare their characters in advance. Preferably, dedicate a session to that, so that the characters are not created right before the game. Have them tell you about their character's personalities, ideals, beliefs, traumas, likes and dislikes, dreams, etc. That'll give you some time to fine-tune the scenario to their particular characters... or simply to be prepared to react accordingly in the middle of the game!

StripelessTiger a écrit :3) Would a book with the tale of The Savellis' Passion be accessible in such a small town? I mean, I could add a library that seems out of place (enhancing the whole dream feeling) and then have it not exist when they are back to reality.

As you say, since this part is supposed to take place in a dream, you can be pretty liberal with what would make sense and what would not. But without having a library in the middle of the town, there could be a secondhand goods dealer, like Zaïg in Dearg, which wouldn't be as out of place. Ultimately, said dealer could or could not actually exist. It could even be a more long-reaching plot hook, with the shop having existed in the past, or such a shop existing somewhere else...

StripelessTiger a écrit :It would also be nice to have access to that tale word for word. Is it posted anywhere, or in any of the books I may not have read yet?

Unfortunately, there is no such thing! However, you can always write it yourself; I'm sure it would be useful to other GMs, too!

StripelessTiger a écrit :4) Lastly, if I have a Daemorthen in the group, would they have a greater sense of them being in a dream, or that they are influenced by a ghost?

Why not? There's nothing that says it should be the case, but alternatively, there's nothing that says it shouldn't. You could also decide that the characters with the highest Mental Resistance (or those who have points in Occultism) will feel more acutely that something is wrong, that their situation feels odd, almost... unreal.

StripelessTiger a écrit :I'd like for there to be some lore on Gluta to disseminate from Deorn to a fellow Daemorthen if the party asks. Still keeping with the mystery of since it was just mistaken for Gluta's presence after all.

There is no specific lore about Gluta beyond what the scenario offers, but it should still be enough to elaborate and build lore upon it!


There you have it! I hope it helped!

Clovis a écrit :There you have it! I hope it helped!

You are always a big help, Clovis. I appreciate all that you do.

Aw, you're too kind! Glad I could inspire you!

Got to run Act 1 of Loch Varn with a party that was comprised of a brawler, a shamed Knight, a pirate/smuggler, and a Varigal. None of them had high Conviction, and were not in touch with the supernatural.

Two of the party were were new to tabletops, and did an excellent job for their first time, though several hints were needed to get them to roleplay.

When they awoke in the maze and were under fire, they all ended up being extremely cautious even though they had some impulsive personalities. It was actually the Varigal that decided to make a run for it, maybe out of some sense of fear or urgency.

What resulted was a bloody confrontation in the dark with torches being flung and a bloodthirsty knight beating people's skulls in. They did take some wounds and that kinda scared them into being circumspect in every action. The party never truly trusted one another, but that was to be expected and played into the amnesic aspect even more.

They encountered Terent, and even after the smuggler took an arrow through the wrist, they tried to subdue him, and believe me, I tried everything to get them to kill him. They just weren't going for it. So instead he became a conjuration of the knight's guilt for having already slain his younger brother.

They questioned him and I made him a mad raving lunatic which the collosal knight tied to his shield. Was hilarious.

The campfire presented a new challenge, getting them to trust the other figments of the dream. It took some doing, but it tested my ability to roleplay this kind of game. Eventually they got the jist of the place and thought it was an illusion they were all trapped in, and became suspect of everything.

After getting the map, the scrutinizingly went about their navigation. The Varigal broke a leg in a collapse, they used chalk and were intent on scouting every nook and cranny fearful of it all.

So I had to get crafty. I started playing with their minds. The chalk lines they drew on the rubble and walls vanished, they wandered in circles, the whole place seemed to morph on them.

I had them on edge. It was tense.

Eventually they proceeded into the place where the plant monster attacks.

They actually became curious about the plantlife, the Varigal using his skills to tell it was unnatural, and the smuggler dipping plant material into the flux to witness it turn brown. It was clever.

I ended up knocking a tooth out of the smuggler's jaw after the vine pulled his legs out from under him. They managed to rescue him before he was hoisted to the ceiling and took off running at lightspeed, never truly seeing what it was. Fear was rampant. They vaulted over the refinery conveyors, bumped into metal machines, and dinged themselves up as vines coiled and snaked and followed them.

Here is where it gets good. The knight untied Terent from his shield and fed him to the creature. Totally unexpected and will play into the psychological trauma that he is guilted with for killing his own brother.

They made up up the stairs and toppled a bookcase in the stairwell and explored the offices and store rooms. They discovered the note which the smuggler read out loud in an impeccable speaking voice and it hit them like a tons of bricks recalling all the clues that I had interweaved in about the plants.

However, they had all dipped into syndrome at this point (temporarily) and were starting to act a little crazy.

The Varigal (for some reason) decided to try to burn the place down, tossing a torch into the stairwell and inevitably trapping them in a plumage of smoke and impending death. They were then attacked by the Centipedes in a cavern that resembled a mine. I had to get inventive again because they were getting close to the exit and I needed to twist things on them.

They forewent the map, got attacked, and all were determined to fight their way out. Their psyches broken by the encounter, their disorders taking full hold, and even the more calm of them acting rash (like trying to ride the giant centipede).

They all died.

One by running for his life and killing himself falling down a hole.

They did manage to tear off the centipede's feelers and almost kill it. I had to up the ante and increase the stats and critters they were fighting because it was a weapon-heavy group. But they got the hint, it was insurmountable odds. Endless, and they were trapped.

I guess they expected it, because they weren't too mad. TPK they said.

Now I had prefaced this session to them many times that you can and probably will die, especially in the beginning, so don't get to attached to your characters.

The doubt was heavy on them.

So when they awoke screaming at the camp, they all threw up their hands and went "Really?!".

It was grand.

I'm looking forward to Act 2.

Looks like you and your players are getting pretty into it, that's cool!

Just make sure to stay true to the spirit of the game, and with your players' enthusiasm, a good atmosphere at the table should follow, that's the gist of the advice I can give you

Good luck with Act 2!

Act 2 & 3:
So the final session went rather well I would say. The players immediately traveled to Loch Varn, ignoring the fact that they had been to the Inguard and Chapel already (but couldn't remember it). Upon reaching the village, it was apparent to them they were amnesic and treated everything as if to gather more information on what had happened that they'd forgotten.

They wanted to find Jearon, and that was the first thing the asked about upon reaching the village. I could tell they were confused, slowly putting it together. They'd failed even more men, and the town was demanding answers.

They were very nervous telling the townsfolk their stories, and tried with best effort to appease to the Ansalier and Demorthen. They bought a few days, but were feeling the pressure to return to the derelict factory to return the men they felt responsible for, as well as their duty to finish the job at hand.

Even though the mercenary who had slain his brother was seeing hallucinations of Terent's ghost, after he discussed it with the party they were starting to think it was either a vision of the future, or an omen. They concocted a plan to find a scribe to document their journey for them as to not lose themselves again. Ingenious thought!

They asked around and decided to head to the Chapel and Inguard as it would probably have what they needed. They met Urvan (not Jaber) as I wanted to include him and made Jaber the priest who died/fled during the War of the Temple as reference in the historical notes.

They did manage to find the hidden stones leading to the documents, but they were suspicious of Urvan, so they led him outside under the guise of wanting his blessing and talking of his faith.

They never revealed what they took as they asked him to travel with them, making way next to the Inguard and finding all that was there. The music as well as their previous encounter in their dreams had them all on edge, ready to leave immediately. A wounded man who died in Urvan's care, giant molehills, thought of centipedes. They were creeped out.

They did find the captain letter thought, and I suspect the smuggler was starting to understand the happenings in Loch Varn better than the other members.

They returned to the village next and before returning to the factory with the Demorthen, were in the process of deciphering the formula. I had Urvan, being well read, know a bit of the tale. He sang it for them and then they all were caught up on finding the island in the middle of the Loch (which my prop cleverly had a hole in the place of) and the Fighter was going on: "I knew that was suspicious, there has to be something there!"

Finding the ingredients for the 'potion' itself took some prompting. I had the mercenary keep seeing and hearing his brother ask for vengeance, "you killed me", and the like. He fell asleep at the campfire while someone else was on watch and woke up to them missing, footprints in all directions, a potion bottle on the ground.

Being the impulsive character he is, he drank it outright, visions of the formula in his head. After he awoke the second time (dream within a dream within a dream, haha!) he had them gather the ingredients and Urvan crafted it for them. I know he wouldn't touch Magience with a ten-foot pole, but it wasn't really happening.

They rented a rowboat, made there way to the marshy island, and when they found a gravestone rock, the mercenary was sure he knew what to do and poured the liquid on it. They expected a zombie, or some ghost to appear, but as the fog grew thick, and the factory start to construct itself around them, their eyes went wide, jaws dropped.

It hit them like a ton of bricks as I explained the events in order of their happening, how they found townsfolk raving mad attacking them. They were forced to kill them as Jearon dragged the Demorthen away. The mercernary killied his own brother Terent, overcome by guilt, his mind had conjured a coping mechanism for it in the illusion.

They were so terribly shaken by this, under the pressure to save Jearon, but still thinking it might be a time loop, until the smuggler pointed out the documents they had and connected the dots, figuring out they were under the influence of a ghost, or ghosts.

It wasn't until the confronted Jearon and the demorthen at the sanctuary that it dawned on them it was Verzal's ghost itself.

They started to actually win Verzal over, but the Demorthen saw it was not going in his favor and summoned the mud creatures and everyone freaked out.

The Varigal hid, the smuggler was indecisive, but the fighter went full force at the mud creature while the mercenary was sure the demorthen was to blame for his brother's death (odd, I know).

Everything went horrible. Which was good, in a way.

They almost died, taking severe wounds, and were unable to stop the creatures from killing Jearon. The mercenary was dipping into Syndrome of his Frenzy at this point and Verzal's ghost used him to finish off the demorthen.

Essentially everyone they set out to save ended up dead.

The varigal had a small window where he thought about entering the lab below the mound, which means he could have destroyed the rock and ended the ghost's possession, able to take the demorthen in, possibly? But alas, it wasn't so.

I will enjoy wrapping up the next session with an epilogue that plays on their superb failure and all of the possibilities they ignored.

"No one will have peace," the ghost uttered as it left the mercenary's body.

Wow, pretty spooky! Looks like you went all out and didn't spare your Players anything. How cold-blooded.

Not that I disapprove, mind you