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Kato
2011-07-24, 05:49 PM
So, I'm going to be DMing my role playing group again soonish and I thought about writing up an adventure on my own.

General notes on the adventure: It's going to be a The Dark Eye adventure (Das Schwarze Auge, German popular pen&paper system, rather stronger emphasis on non-combat actions than D&D but shouldn't matter too much) Setting is an at the moment due to heavy winter secluded town which is at the moment reigned by a wasteful ruler due to whom the city is in a rather poor state. But a while back the rightful heir to the city has returned but of course the ruler is not going to give up his position.
So far the canon situation.

What I wanted to set up now is a smaller civil war or I guess more like a revolution (what would be the proper term, anyway?) while the PCs are in town. I'd think I'd let them pick the side they want to choose and not force them on either one.

So, since I only drafted one adventure so far and slightly modified another I'm still pretty new to this so I'm rather thankful for all kinds of advice.

My current main concerns are
1) should I set up the ruler to be utterly dislike-able and the only motivation to join him is a promise of good money or make him more concerned with his city and just... well, not perfect but experienced and seasoned opposed to the heir? (Though he is a jerk in canon as far as I can tell and I don't want to turn his character upside down)
2) What would be good tasks for the PCs? DSA enables you to take a wide variety of non-combat activities, as infiltration, diplomacy, investigation... I've thought about some sabotage stuff alongside street fights and theft of equipment and such things... but I'm still afraid it won't be a long enough adventure. If there's any input of if someone recalls a similar scenario I'd be glad.


So, I hope someone can drop me a hint or two. Thanks in advance! :smallwink:

Worlok
2011-07-24, 06:33 PM
Well... The very first question would be the one of resources: Does the rightful heir have organised troups? Perhaps supporters that could conceivably bring in some regiments or reinforcements come spring? Urban campaigns in this manner are most easily kept going when you have a precise idea of what you want to be possible and what you want to happen, so it might be good to get a general idea of your style and setting.

What's the state of the nation/town right now? Does the wasteful jerk have public support? Are his troops loyal to him? Are there factions who have been working towards his downfall? Is there something like secret police?

Is this even a clash of organised troops (full-on civil war)? Troops versus civilians (arguably insurgency, the war of the revolutionary masses)? Civilians versus civilians (street-level civil war)?

What is the town like? Narrow, shadowy urban sprawl? Typical medieval Fachwerk affair? Anything you could tell us about the specific flavor this is going to have? The state of technology? The prevalence of magic? The size and abilities of the characters, in as far as they are planned out yet?

I mean, I'm no DSA-man, myself, never got a chance to, but there are many things that can be adjusted to just about any system with the right details to work off. And once you've got some basic information and politics down, the plots start more or less developing on their own as you go along. :smallsmile:

super dark33
2011-07-24, 07:15 PM
Well, missions include 'take control of that building block' 'rescue hostages' 'destroy the enemy headquerters' and 'build a roadblock/fortify this building'

LansXero
2011-07-25, 12:03 AM
[QUOTE]1) should I set up the ruler to be utterly dislike-able and the only motivation to join him is a promise of good money or make him more concerned with his city and just... well, not perfect but experienced and seasoned opposed to the heir? (Though he is a jerk in canon as far as I can tell and I don't want to turn his character upside down)

Not necesarily make him likeable, just make him multi-dimensional. He can be wasteful with city resources but generous with his friends and mistresses, a jerk to most people but respects his inner circle, etc. Make it so that there are some aspects of him (his ruthlessness, his determination, something) that isnt hateable and it will come off less cartoonish.


2) What would be good tasks for the PCs? DSA enables you to take a wide variety of non-combat activities, as infiltration, diplomacy, investigation... I've thought about some sabotage stuff alongside street fights and theft of equipment and such things... but I'm still afraid it won't be a long enough adventure. If there's any input of if someone recalls a similar scenario I'd be glad.

Urban disturbance escalates, so start with the basics: gather supplies (gasoline, gasmasks, stolen ammo, weapons), support (threaten/convince other groups like unions), intel (patrol routes, weapon/ammo depots, names of big fish to be taken out, make a plan) etc. That could be the very early stage of the adventure. Make it so that they are sure they wont make it out of it alive without the PCs, so they get to feel all important.

Then comes setting up whatever they have planned. Play out logical outcomes to their plans, but the thing is this is a civil war, its friend vs friend, brother vs brother, son vs father. Play that aspect up to get them to react to it. Make it sure they understand even winners take heavy casualties in a conflict like this, and every flaw in their plan means another score people dead. Make them question if whatever they are going to bring after all of this will be worth all thats been spent to acomplish it. And try to make sure it is, either by painting the old ruler as a big enough evil, or the rightful heir as a big enough good.

After the big "rebels on your face" uprising comes the hardest part: house to house chasing of the survivors. And then managing the rest of the population who liked the old regime and will be trying to go back to it. And whatever underlings of the evil ruler that got away and will be sabotaging YOU just like you did to them. Do they just replace a tyrant with another? Do they take the evilness and crank it to eleven? Do they try to stay pure and just no matter the cost? It will be interesting to see what they decide, and this is where the impact from the previous part should make an effect. If the conflict seems like something they really want to avoid, they will prevent another civil war. If they reveled in the carnage and mayhem, they may let it grow just so they can go back to cutting heads. Whichever they choose it should be interesting :D

Kato
2011-07-25, 09:56 AM
First of, thanks a lot for the advice guys!

I guess I forgot how wide spread even pen&paper settings are already. DSA is far in line with the old fashioned D&D scenarios, medieval world with gods and mages (and stuff) So no gasoline or more modern technology. Also, even though I guess I'd have liked a larger city the adventure (so far) is planned for a smaller town (by today's standard, back then 2000 people made for a big enough town) I've found a canon map (http://www.dereglobus.orkenspalter.de/public/Medien/Staedte/media/karten/Ouvenmas_LdsB_sw_208.png) along with the close by castle (http://www.dereglobus.orkenspalter.de/public/Medien/Staedte/media/karten/Ouvenstam_Rauhes_Land_Farbe_193.png) and thought about sticking to it, though putting in ware house districts and such as I feel like or deem necessary.

I didn't find much further except each faction having about 10-20 soldiers at hand though I guess I could increase this a bit and of course over the course of the fighting at least some civilians would jion in on either side. There's also not too much input on the general situation though I've so far considered the populace to be divided between the hopes for a better live against the fear to even start bloodshed and/or trading one evil for an even worse.
I guess giving the ruler a few loyal subjects, those who actually gained from him being in charge makes sense but it'd be hard to give many reasons for a large part of the populace to support him as far as I can tell.
The town really is rather secluded due to the winter and if there'd be any hope for an outside influence it#d have to take weeks if not months to arrive. That said, there's no input on other's opinions on the situation. For the other rulers it'd make both sense to not encourage any revolutions in nearby towns least they give their own people ideas (good or bad) but at the same time being nobility to support the rightful heir instead of an usurper from lower standing. They could swing either way, I guess and I guess it#s something to think about at a latter stage of the scenario, along with the future of the town. Thanks for the input on that, though but my current concern is about the actual fighting. One step at a time :smallsmile:


If the players will continue with their party they use for the previous adventure they'll all have rather low level characters with differing threat levels. We got a former city guard, who is I assume the best of the four at general fighting, a common craftsman (yeah, DSA encourages those as well), a cleric of the setting's winter god but your low level cleric isn't amazing either and probably the most powerful a mage with some specialized mind control magic. I guess it's handy in so far they can do a variety of jobs, jack of all trades, master of none. Also, none of them would be from the town so far.


So far I've considered definitely creating road blocks along the city to create a general line of fighting, or at least block of the two main centers for the heir and the ruler (though the ruler actually lives in a castle slightly off the town) I guess beforehand some intel and resource gathering would be necessary and trying to convince important enough people (such as temple priests) to assure either side their support.
Sabotaging would of course be useful but the question is one what way? Poisoning supplies in a medieval town in the middle of winter is a risky thing to do and stealing would be an idea but would need to be done on a larger scale to be of any effect than four people can accomplish, I'd think. Assassination would of course be a useful task but there are little important people to target and probably more some end-game tasks. Taking down or seizing control of certain structures is surely a good idea to include. Thugh I guess there's gotta be more I didn't come up with yet.

I've been thinking about what to do with the temples and priests in the given situation. There are a few and apparently a more famous one of the healing and agriculture goddess. Though I don't see how that'd have too much of an impact since they'd probably help either side to lower the casualties. And actively going against a temple would be unlikely for either side, I think.

KineticDiplomat
2011-07-25, 11:00 AM
10-20 soldiers a side is going to be a game of hide and seek, militarily. It will liekly end in a violent ambush one way or another, or a straight up street fight. There just won't be enough bodies to sustain more than a few clashes, or, knowing how PCs are veritable death machines, possibly one.

Regardless of which side wins, that size force will also be unable to control a town of 2000, only influence it or control a vital portion of the town. You would need at 30+ surviving soldiers for any one side to maintain the peace. (40 or more meets the golden 1:50 ratio for opposed policing or counter insurgency). Obviously, if the people WANT to be ruled, policed, etc, you can get away with less. Still, 10 is simply too few to keep down those that need keeping down while making sure lord howdey doody is safe.

This means that any win needs to politically acceptable to the people, or at least the local power brokers. They will be need to be at least tacitly in support of a side before it can truly control the town. Once again, they just don't have enough troops to dominate it by force.

Which suggessts a campaign arc as follows:

I: The initial conflict. The two sides are recruiting mercenaries and outsiders to help tip the balance. Whether its a few days of cat and mouse or one final clash, somebody is going to lose. The winner takes "control" of the town, and the loser either goes to ground to start an insurgency, or flees. Some options for this period:

1) Spying

2) Helping recruit

3) Join the fight

4) Assassinate a key leader for the other side

5) Surprise attack from an unanticipated source

6) Double cross

II) The insurgency. Either the losing side is stirring up trouble or somebody with ambition sees a way forward by force. If the players are helping the controlling side, they help infilitrate, subvert, hunt down, or convert those elements forming the core of the insurgency. If working the other side, the players get to start staging guerrilla attacks, inciting the population, discrdditing the occupier, recruiting, arranging for supplies and all the other steps needed to hepl along a rebellion. Along the way they will inevitably get intermingled with the politics.

1) Infiltrate a cell / recruit a cell

2) Quell public unrest / incit public unrest

3) Disarm the rebels / gather and cache resources for the rebels

4) Kill or capture key leaders (works for both side)

5) Influence/initimidate/bribe/etc power brokers into helping one side or the other.

6) Develop an informant network (works for both sides)

III) Balance of power. One way or another, the rebellious in spirit are either dead, cowed, in jail, bought off, or in power depending on phase II. Spring is apporaching and the factions are eager to consolidate their gains and position themselves for the situation. The players, having porven themselves one way or another, are in prime position to affect these negotiations.

1) Influence key people

2) Spying

3) Negotiating

4) Look out for you own good - whats in it for the PCs?

5) Make an example of the uncooperative

6) Execute a propaganda campaign both for the public and to cast the light one way or another for the powers that be once the roads open...


Just some basic thoughts. The key is going to be laying out your factions, where their loyalties lie, what codes bind them, and whats in their best self interests. They will be the lifeblood after the initial stabby stabby parts. Of course, you can always have a climactic battle by having the opposite side force a march on the town a little ahead of the PC side...hold them off for 3 days until our army can arrive!