[Pathfinder] Any Advice for Skulls & Shackles?

[Greyheart]

Hi everyone, Greyheart here, and I am running the Skulls & Shackles adventure path for my group. So, be warned, there are SPOILERS in these waters. Now, I've given the first part a decent look over already, and I'm planning on reading it more thoroughly, but does anyone have any advice for running it? Any tips or tricks to make it easier on me and/or my players? For instance:

I was thinking of using an excel spreadsheet to keep track of the NPCs' attitudes towards the party, but has anyone else used a different method?

Do i really need to have them drink rum rations?

What do I do if one of them dies prior to the mutiny?

Also, one of my players really wants to play a Hunter, and with a lion companion of all things. Should I just have it chained up in the hold of the Wormwood, or have her find it on the first island?

[Greyheart]

Still hoping for advice.

[Hazrond]

Hi everyone, Greyheart here, and I am running the Skulls & Shackles adventure path for my group. So, be warned, there are SPOILERS in these waters. Now, I've given the first part a decent look over already, and I'm planning on reading it more thoroughly, but does anyone have any advice for running it? Any tips or tricks to make it easier on me and/or my players? For instance:

I was thinking of using an excel spreadsheet to keep track of the NPCs' attitudes towards the party, but has anyone else used a different method? I use roll20, so i used a hidden handout that i used to keep track of the NPCs attitudes


Do i really need to have them drink rum rations? Not forced, but you are supposed to, its meant to force the PCs to slightly rebel and piss off the major antagonists of book 1 (they will likely die if they keep drinking it, so they have to pour it out, which has its own things tied to it)


What do I do if one of them dies prior to the mutiny? Well, i had the new character be a castaway on the first island, the only survivor of a shipwreck


Also, one of my players really wants to play a Hunter, and with a lion companion of all things. Should I just have it chained up in the hold of the Wormwood, or have her find it on the first island? well, having it chained up is what the book says to do, though it really won't be able to do anything in the first book because of the fact that they won't be able to move it around on the ship, unless they gain control of the ship