Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser

[Palanan]

First, a friendly reminder to my players: Go no further!



So, in my next session I'll be introducing a new player to my seafaring campaign. From the look of it, his character may be something of a Fafhrd to another player's Gray Mouser: a half-orc barbarian who throws in with a halfling swashbuckler.

I could use ideas on how to bring the barbarian into the campaign, especially at this particular juncture. The ship is temporarily in port--along with the flagship of a rival merchant house--and the halfling is preparing for a solo mission of commercial espionage onto the rival flagship.

Since the barbarian will be just arriving, it would be a stretch to suddenly add him to the halfling's mission; the barbarian is an unknown element, and there's no reason for him to be involved with a highly sensitive operation.

So, how else could I introduce him into the action?

[rockdeworld]

In my experience, the easiest way to make a character invested in their backstory is to make them come up with it. Have the barbarian and halfling work together to work it out.

[Marlowe]

The classic approach is to get their girlfriends brutally murdered on the same night they first meet.

[rockdeworld]

The classic approach is to get their girlfriends brutally murdered on the same night they first meet.
That's the classic approach? :smalleek:

[BowStreetRunner]

Since the barbarian will be just arriving, it would be a stretch to suddenly add him to the halfling's mission; the barbarian is an unknown element, and there's no reason for him to be involved with a highly sensitive operation.

This would not necessarily be true if the barbarian had some particular value to the halfling's current mission. Even if he is just a bodyguard or something, if you put him into a situation where he has value to the halfling's mission, and the halfling can also help him in some way, then it becomes a natural team-up.

Look at all of the James Bond movies in which he finds himself using someone on the inside to get what he needs, while simultaneously helping them in some way. Never mind that he only ever seems to help attractive members of the opposite sex.

Maybe the barbarian believes he has a Chewbacca-style 'life-debt' to someone involved on the other side of the halfling's mission, but he halfling discovers the barbarian was deceived and is able to prove it to the barbarian. This frees him from his life-debt to the first character, which in turn incurs a life-debt to the halfling instead.

[Alefiend]

The first story of Fafhrd and Grey Mouser, Ill Met in Lankhmar, mentions in passing that the two had seen each other once before without actually meeting. That plus the fact they're both attempting to rob the same people is enough to make one of the greatest partnerships in fantasy history.

If you look at it, the whole introduction feels highly contrived. "Oh, you saw this sorcerer's apprentice/young Northern raider a few months ago by pure chance, and here he is trying to mug the two thieves you're mugging." Throw in a little bit of both characters wearing neon "I'm a PC" signs, and they're off and running.

[Eldan]

That's the classic approach? :smalleek:

That's how they meet in the story. They rob the same target, and get their girlfriends murdered as revenge.

[Palanan]

Originally Posted by Alefiend
If you look at it, the whole introduction feels highly contrived.

I'd definitely like to avoid a contrived scenario, and my first couple of ideas just weren't working. It's tough to come up with something original that also works in the context of a gaming session.....: /


Originally Posted by BowStreetRunner
Look at all of the James Bond movies in which he finds himself using someone on the inside to get what he needs, while simultaneously helping them in some way. Never mind that he only ever seems to help attractive members of the opposite sex.

Yeah, that's pretty much our halfling swashbuckler. :smalltongue:

I do like the idea of the life-debt, and that might come up later, but it probably won't work in this particular session. Giving the barbarian a useful role in the mission, without stretching the logic of the storyline, is the real trick here.
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[Lapak]

The first story of Fafhrd and Grey Mouser, Ill Met in Lankhmar, mentions in passing that the two had seen each other once before without actually meeting. That plus the fact they're both attempting to rob the same people is enough to make one of the greatest partnerships in fantasy history.

If you look at it, the whole introduction feels highly contrived. "Oh, you saw this sorcerer's apprentice/young Northern raider a few months ago by pure chance, and here he is trying to mug the two thieves you're mugging." Throw in a little bit of both characters wearing neon "I'm a PC" signs, and they're off and running.They're more than once framed as two halves of a whole, even two halves of the same heroic soul, elsewhere in the stories. It's very clearly a partnership that happened because it was Destined To Happen.

Even when they adventured in other worlds, even on Earth, the fact that they were partners was the one constant.

[ShneekeyTheLost]

You may also wish to use Beguiler for Grey Mouser. All the suave debonair of James Bond, plus Illusionweaving.

[BowStreetRunner]

Here's another common story-line I've seen that might work. The barbarian is on a mission of revenge that targets one of the people on the flagship of the rival merchant house, but is having trouble getting close to his target. He is in a position where he could either throw a major wrench in the halfling's plans, or provide a much-needed distraction if timed properly. If the halfling becomes aware of the barbarian's presence and discovers his plans, he could be motivated to offer his help achieving the barbarian's goal while simultaneously fulfilling his own mission.

Alternatively, the barbarian is there to rescue someone. Otherwise, same basic situation.

[Marlowe]

That's how they meet in the story. They rob the same target, and get their girlfriends murdered as revenge.

It's worse than that. They get berated by the girlfriends into hitting Thieves House. The girlfriends get murdered by sorcery (by people who think they're hitting THEM) while they're on the mission. They see the entire ritual, but they don't understand what's going on as they watch from the shadows, and don't put it all together until they get home and see the scene.

Then, they get mad.

[Palanan]

So, here's a notion. While the halfling is infiltrating the rival flagship, the rival captain--who's no dummy--has sent a counterforce to the party's ship...where the barbarian, newly signed on, is suddenly thrust into the role of front-line defense.

It means I'd be tracking running battles on two ships at once, but it sure would make for a lively session.

:smalltongue: