Narelle
2019-11-23, 08:48 AM
I'm dabbling with a concept for a one-shot to run for my regular D&D group that I am a player in, but I'm a new DM and worry that its not going to work out like I'm hoping.
The concept is based around hearing about games where players are dropped into the world with premade characters that have amnesia. In my game, all of these characters will have a tie to the Seelie Queen, and have been kidnapped by the Unseelie Queen to be the prey for a wild hunt, as a way for her to make a blow to her sister.
I want to start the campaign with them being teleported into a dark forest with no idea who they are or what's going on. Then they hear hunting horns and the thunder of footsteps. The goal here is just for them to run.
They escape the preliminary chase, which starts the real hunt. They can go wherever they like, to nearby cities or deeper into the wilderness, to try to escape the hunt. Along the way, depending on what paths they choose, they will get hints at who they are and what's going on. Periodically some of the fey hunting them will catch up to them and they'll need to fight. If they find out who they are, they can get help from the Seelie Court to fight off the hoards that have been chasing them and end the hunt. The one shot ideally ends with them figuring out who they are and facing off with the hunters with the help of their queen's court.
Obviously this needs a lot of fleshing out, but my concerns here are:
1. I've got some all-mechanics, little-to-no roleplay type players in the group. I'm not sure they'll even consider the option of running when faced with an insurmountable hoard of enemies chasing them down. They might just assume its supposed to be an encounter and that fighting is the answer. If they turn and fight the hunting party at the beginning, they will lose and the one shot is over. I plan to make it as clear as possible that the solution is to run, but I'm not sure what to do if they still don't do that no matter how clear I make it that there's no winning the fight. The point is to set the mood and make things feel dangerous, not to have them jump in and win a big fight off the bat.
2. I worry that it will feel a bit lame to have to be rescued in the end, essentially. I don't want to take away their chance for a big final fight, but I'm thinking more along the lines of them leading a charge into a full battle rather than their characters murdering everything on their own. Any tips for making them still feel like the heroes even if they need help to finish the fight?
Any advice for these issues? Ever run something similar and how did it go?
The concept is based around hearing about games where players are dropped into the world with premade characters that have amnesia. In my game, all of these characters will have a tie to the Seelie Queen, and have been kidnapped by the Unseelie Queen to be the prey for a wild hunt, as a way for her to make a blow to her sister.
I want to start the campaign with them being teleported into a dark forest with no idea who they are or what's going on. Then they hear hunting horns and the thunder of footsteps. The goal here is just for them to run.
They escape the preliminary chase, which starts the real hunt. They can go wherever they like, to nearby cities or deeper into the wilderness, to try to escape the hunt. Along the way, depending on what paths they choose, they will get hints at who they are and what's going on. Periodically some of the fey hunting them will catch up to them and they'll need to fight. If they find out who they are, they can get help from the Seelie Court to fight off the hoards that have been chasing them and end the hunt. The one shot ideally ends with them figuring out who they are and facing off with the hunters with the help of their queen's court.
Obviously this needs a lot of fleshing out, but my concerns here are:
1. I've got some all-mechanics, little-to-no roleplay type players in the group. I'm not sure they'll even consider the option of running when faced with an insurmountable hoard of enemies chasing them down. They might just assume its supposed to be an encounter and that fighting is the answer. If they turn and fight the hunting party at the beginning, they will lose and the one shot is over. I plan to make it as clear as possible that the solution is to run, but I'm not sure what to do if they still don't do that no matter how clear I make it that there's no winning the fight. The point is to set the mood and make things feel dangerous, not to have them jump in and win a big fight off the bat.
2. I worry that it will feel a bit lame to have to be rescued in the end, essentially. I don't want to take away their chance for a big final fight, but I'm thinking more along the lines of them leading a charge into a full battle rather than their characters murdering everything on their own. Any tips for making them still feel like the heroes even if they need help to finish the fight?
Any advice for these issues? Ever run something similar and how did it go?