DM Assist - Lizardfolk vs Pirates

[Benejeseret]

Hi all

I am looking for some ideas of how to make a Pirates Vs Lizardmen PvP one-off campaign top class.

Premise: Lizardfolk assault on a pirate bay city
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City: in a costal town on a cliff island with bridge to mainland. For the WOW buffs, picture Thundering Bluffs combined into a Booty Bay tropical town with ocean around the plateaus.
Trails down the sea-side lead to docks and ships

Lizardfolk tribes are assaulting from the water, climbing cliffs, and trying to ransack/exterminate town.

Factions: Pirates, Slavers, and city guard defend the town.
Lizardmen, Blackscales, and Poison Dusk Clans assault from the sea

Mechanics: Two players per side (Lvl6) and each player also controls two squads of low level (ECL 1-3) defenders or attackers. So some tactical warfare as the two sides try to wipe each other out.

Where I need help
How do I make this a vibrant, real town that the players on both sides can interact with throughout the battle??

[Benejeseret]

My first examples:

1) The bridges in town can be destroyed by either side to limit the movement and cutoff the other faction.

2) One of the shops in town is an alchemical warehouse in back. Neither side knows about that, but if the building is even lit on fire during the fight around town = BOOM

3) Loading Crane - either side can cut the strings to the crane and drop a net and heavy items onto those below the crane.

4) Stable upgrade/stampede - Humans can find the horses and mount them. Lizardfolk can scare them and start a stampede.

[Vorpal word]

Maybe have the slaves in the city escape and start their own faction? Then the players get the extra option of either hunting down slaves or joining them.

[Glyphic]

Innocents and a Victory point system.

Use the innocents as 'shields' protect em, slaughter em, have em break and run in fear. Which ever suits your boot.

The victory point system gives the battle more options that 'exterminate'. Perhaps the pirates have to protect the supply or rum, or the lizardmen really need to recapture that holy relic. Find a bunch of little things (defend this space, kill this person, don't lose this person, ect). If the battle comes to an end, VP determine who really was the winner, short of total annihilation.

[BRC]

Each micro-faction has it's own agenda. Pirates are most concerned with protecting their ships,and therefore the docks. The Slavers want to protect the slave pens, and the City Guard wants to protect the Mayoral mansion.
Meanwhile, Citizens take up arms to defend their homes. Maybe they just cower there, or maybe somebody inspirational enough can get them into the street and change the course of the battle.

[Benejeseret]

Thanks

I'll look into Victory Points a bit more. Seems like a good way to encourage some level of character driven priorities (ie. RP) in an otherwise tactical battle.

The Slaves are already their own playable faction. If a PC does not take them over however I'll add in the escape option.

The other thing is that the Infiltrator wants some time at the beginning to sneak into town and start eliminating guards or preparing to open games or blow up bridges. Which is great

But, what can I have the other three players doing while the infiltrator goes to work?

My thoughts are:

A) have the pirates start in the bay fighting/boarding a small NPC merchant vessel while the Infiltrator works in town. Gets extra items if they succeed before they need to rush back to town.

B) the other lizard player swarms a small forward guard post long to road leading to town prior to PvP battle to gain some extra weapons/armour.

Other ideas on how to keep the three other players interested and helping their cause while the Infiltrator sneaks around?