Running Keep on the Shadowfell, Episodes 2&3
We’re learning - All of us are. Session two was a bit of a miss - everyone was tired, and we had to draft a temporary wizard, who promptly proved to be an incompetent liability (melee wizard FTMFL). We ran the second encounter, and after I rolled high a lot and they rolled low a lot, they all went back to town tail betwixt legs.
Strategy sessions at work produced new resolve. Session three was the raid on the Kobold Lair, and through caution, guile, and tactical mobility (as well as a few very nice rolls), the party neatly annihilated Irontooth. Wizard problems continued. Even with a baby debuff, our wizards continue to execute poorly in their roles, playing in melee traffic with a 13 AC leads to being dropped and Coup de Grace’d in one round.
All in all, we’re beginning to learn the system. I made several tactical errors (at least as far as the instructions in the encounter specified), and may have given the party a little too much leeway in some situations. I’ll be studying concealment rules closely for the next session. RP is light and fluffy at this time, particularly given the constant party retcon while we settle towards stability. We’re having fun, and that’s what’s most important.
The core players are considering a bit of a reshuffle - one of our strikers thinking of taking up a Defender mantle, Swordmage, perhaps, but we’ll see. In turn, our Paladin - who’s also the newbie who hasn’t played PNP RPGs ever before - is contemplating making a wizard. Not sure what we’ll do about the stupid player. Maybe turn him into a potted plant.
Said newbie has always been a closet geek, and moderately derisive towards us gamers. Tables are turned now - he was making noise about continuing till dawn last session. Bwahaha, we’ve corrupted another one. He’s turning out to be tactically sharp, and is quickly picking up the system.
I’m looking forward to the Keep, but may oblige the party with an extra encounter to push them over to 2 before they hit the keep; they’ve got a plan to smoke out a rat in Winterhaven.
(crossposted from The Dream Library)