Les Ombres d'Esteren - Forum officiel

Hello friends,

I will be running A Tidy Room for the first time at the end of the month. Any advice from leaders who have run it? What works well? What is tricky for the players to grasp? Music choices? etc.

I know Ginkoko ran it twice, he could maybe answer you (in english, because he already wrote in french ^^)

Where is the thread in French? I should be able to read it (slowly)

Here it is : http://www.esteren.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=1716

Ginkoko made a quite big review, hope it may help

Peter Rodway a écrit :Hello friends,

I will be running A Tidy Room for the first time at the end of the month. Any advice from leaders who have run it? What works well? What is tricky for the players to grasp? Music choices? etc.

As Iris told you, I ran it twice.

The biggest difficulty, in my opinion, is to imply players into an investigation after 10 days in jail. With my friends, I had hard times with two players. Both with really good reasons. You have to be prepared. Maybe your players will accept that without any problems, maybe not... not at all. So, perhaps, you should study another way to keep your group away from the weavers district. Anything that suits to your group.

For the first player, I managed to fall him in love with Edhene. His love became his main motivation. As I know him well, I anticipated the fact that he will be probably the most difficult character to convince.

For the second player, I wasn't so well prepared. I used the fact that laws are not the same in Reizh and Taol-Kaer. And so, his disappointment was not relevant in Reizh. It worked, but it was not easy.

A Tidy Room may lead to very long games (10 hours and 12 hours for me). Choose your options wisely before. The more there will be options, the longer your game will be. It takes time to players to understand what thing is related to what. But it provides fun too seeing them confused

Another advice : your choices can decide if a PNC will die or survive. If Athelsan Oxcendre owns the diwelank, you may be almost sure that your players won't help him when his house burns.

Some music choices are available in the french thread.

If you have any additionnal questions, please let me know, I'll try to answer you the best I can.

Have fun !

Since I am about to run this Scenario as the start of my campaign, I was wondering if I decided to use the Diwelank but have it not be the killer how that might affect the PC actions in regards to Athelsan and Aindrid.

Warning, I speak about crucial plot specific things and events that are considered graphic.

I have decided instead mix in the gang as the rapists who entice the cousin to participate, since it is stated that Kalber's girlfriend has a sick sadistic side and likes to watch young girls be despoiled. So Gliwi might be a red herring that the gang off under the guise of suicide, and that Edhene might have been murdered at his hand, when in reality Gliwi was so drunk he couldnt remember, so they want him to be the fall guy.

The Diwelank could be excluded entirely in my scenario, instead being a mass hallucination based on the drug, but if real, would it have the capability to feast on the girl's corpse in the sewers? Since it is hiding out in a house and killing people, I figured it was doing it out of territorial instincts instead of for food. Still not sure on this.

The book states that you can swap the drug for a disease propogated by some weird rat things (i think they are feondas?) and mabe they might make for an alternative to the Diwelank, but then that removes part of Athelsan's motive to reveal the Circle of Emergence. Instead he feel responsible for the drug, and with it being a disease spread by the rat things, would the drug even be responsible for anything other than causing mass panic and keeping people addicted?

As a final note, I am struggling to figure out how to start the scenario, since it glosses over the beginning and getting to know Edhene or the family with some decent RP before her murder. It acts like the PCs find out along with the town after the festival, but doesn't have any specifics on how to conduct this.

My thoughts is that I can have a big gathering at the Tavern where they bump into Edhene on their way home while she is tending to the elderly and homeless? Maybe they feel she is kind for taking the time, and can further emphasize her caring attitude and the threat she may be in, BUT I don't want the PCs escorting her home. I don't want her to be a passing meeting, but if they PCs get too invested in her, they could become protective of her.

I was trying to think of some other chaotic event to put into the festival to distract them from Edhene if they get to wrapped up in the "likeable" characters. Perhaps I could start the scenario days prior to the festival, and build up the interactions? But I also run the risk of the PCs being disinterested in the plot from the get go.

Urgh!

I might just wing it, but I was thinking that I need a minor hook to introduce Aindrid, Edhene, and Kalber with my PCs. Perhaps the curio shop owner is approached by Athelsan seeming like he has something to divulge but backs out at the last second.

My mystic character could have a vision and seek out the source. I don't know if this can be a vision from the future or not.

The investigator character could be sent to get details on the canal gang and get too roped up in their ploy.

So many possibilities. I know sessions never go as planned, but I like to have a rough outline so I have something to work from and plan for eventualities.

Any help is appreciated.

You are right that it is important to get the PCs invested in the plot and in Edhene's fate in particular. However, don't be afraid to have them grow attached to her! On the contrary, it will make her grim fate all the more striking, and will give them all the more of a reason to follow their investigation to the end.

Apart from an incidental meeting, one way to create a connection between the PCs and Edhene would be for her or her family to be friends or relatives of one of the PCs, in accordance with their background, and after perhaps discussing the idea with them.

Your ideas about Athelsan approaching the PCs and the investigator searching for information about the Canal Gang are also good. The investigator could even be hired by the city watch, more specifically by Muiredach Yago.

I hope that helps!