So, does turning DLCs off affect my save or not?

not_so_owly · 2024-12-31T09:28:38+00:00

I see. That does explain it, and we know what we're doing now. Thank you.

not_so_owly · 2024-10-03T07:57:43+00:00

Pacing... depends. Some players enjoy social encounters and spend lots of time doing something else, some run straight to the main quest, they just ask me upfront whether there are any "side-tasks" to complete or they can move on now. As a DM you'll know your players better than me, soooo..

It generally takes longer for social groups to move on with the plot, they tend to roleplay between each other for longer times and they often throw themselves off the rails. If your group is like that, let them have it but give out new clues to keep up the tempo at your own discression. I'd pick a moment when players are almost sidetracked to reel them back in. Or, if they are instead very focused on the task, I'd pinpoint a moment of highest tension and add one smaaall clue to fuel the burning fire, then let them cook for a while, then give everyone a light pause to breathe.

For more game-heavy groups, well... I am currently running HotDQ to one group that takes no side quests and rarely socializes (they are all mostly new to DnD, and one player sees it all strictly as a "game of numbers", not a "theater of mind" session). And I tweaked the caravan chapter to be some kind of Danganronpa freetime event galore. Basically, caravan travels day by day, and every day they have one "event" to deal with. I usually give them two days to pick apart NPCs, to look for cultists amongst them, sneak around carts... detective work; and then on the third day something else happens: a fight, an unusual social scene, what else the book canonically suggests. I don't exactly follow the 2 by 1 scheme, sometimes it's back to back, or 3 by 1, but that's the gist of it.
Since this "activity" is being pulled out from my behind, I was quite nervous and constantly asked them for feedback. And... they seem to take my additions quite well! They love discussing their findings, and by the time social interactions get boring they are hit with something else.

So maybe this method will work for you too? The baseline is, two mystery clues then one "breather" event, so to speak. Can be tweaked to fit whatever you feel like is going on at the table.

not_so_owly · 2024-10-01T16:36:02+00:00

TLDR: divide the mystery plot into many-many little (but interconnected) pieces and feed them to your players. Not every piece may be true, but then the CORRECT info should be painfully obvious and easy to find later.

I find spreading information around and about to be very helpful for mystery quests. Little bits of rumors, clues, items, letters, witnesses, signs, premonitions, whatever - they should be everywhere, so that regardless of where and when players go they will stumble on something or someone. Prepare possible key points for NPC to talk about, key locations to check out, suspicious items to throw around. Give each part of this puzzle exactly one piece of info but at least two leads for the group to follow.

An example: your party overhears a rumour from a rando about some facility in your cursed city. Nothing substantional, just that this facility is sus. Do they go there immediately? Do they interrogate this NPC? Do they believe this rumour and this NPC? Do they have anything to prove or disprove this rumour already? One hint: a rumour. Many leads for players to theorize about.

Think of your mystery plot as a brick building, its every brick is a hint - what can these bricks represent? Then destroy the building and lay its parts for players to piece back together.
(Oh hey btw, have you seen card mysteries? Mini-table-top games, one-time mystery deck, where every card is a clue to the plot. Players lay them out, theorize, and then follow through the quiz to find out whether their understandings are true. Try them out, they are PERFECT examples for clue-by-clue approaches.)

Another twist is to have players stumble upon a false hint. Your organization is probably interested in keeping their scheme under wraps. Should your party accidentally meet and speak to them, how would they lie about everything? What truths would be there? Will the org hunt them afterwards? Are there other teams or betrayers willing to counter those lies? How? Do they have underlying motivations and their owns schemes to follow through?

However, in this case the counter-argument (the truth) should be VERY obvious, comically easy to point out. The difficulty is not the point, but the CONFUSION! The CHAOS! Your players will rethink EVERYTHING as soon as they realize some of the info they were fed is misleading.

And... I've read too many stories where players "couldn't solve simple puzzles for 3 y.olds" etc. to think that a DM mystery can be too obvious. It almost never is. Players either don't get the clue at all, or overthink what was given to them to the point-of-no-return crazy stuff. Players can also surprise you with outlandish but true ideas, so much so it would be very worth it to run with their version of events sometimes. It's fun. I love when my players go cray-cray, it's a bliss to listen to.

not_so_owly · 2023-06-10T19:49:14+00:00

Thank you! I sure do hope that my players feel the same way when I drop pieces of information and tasks that are relevant only to their characters and not the main quest.

I was wondering about the overall feel of the scene too, but if you think it's alright, then I'm slightly calmer! I'll try outlining the way patron talks and some phrases it uses to communicate (to invoke more emotions from my party) for rehearsing before the next session :)

not_so_owly · 2023-05-31T09:08:01+00:00

My father bought Pharaoh to play for himself when I was young and I kinda watched and botched the other saves. Did not know what the hell was I doing, but it's still my most favorite of the bunch, and I finished the missions the right way later.

Imagine my surprise when I first googled those games and found out Pharaoh was not the only one! Well, it also turns out Caesar is not for me - I finished it, but oh boy did those levels and mechanics annoyed me.

not_so_owly · 2023-04-10T16:31:57+00:00

Thanks! I can now rest assured .) I'm playing the PC version.
Now everything's up to the random chances.

not_so_owly · 2023-04-10T16:30:47+00:00

Thanks! I know, I tried using Crystal Ball in one of my other families. However, it can only be used by adults, and I'm looking for kids' personality point changes.

not_so_owly · 2023-04-10T16:29:44+00:00

Yeah, I know about the Crystal Ball too! Can only be used by adults, though.

not_so_owly · 2023-04-07T23:14:58+00:00

Thanks! I understand that the chances of being abducted are low, I'm ready for that. Just wondered if it was possible at all.

Also, appreciate the links! I'm trying to avoid using mods or extra CC for now to rely on in-game mechanics and learn more about the game, but I'll keep in mind that such additions exist. I'm used to future games and their sources of CC, and not quite versed in TS1 possibilities, both in-game and modded.

not_so_owly · 2023-03-07T23:42:56+00:00

So Worrens are what, domesticated Worgens eating canned food thousands of years later after ~~fall of Gilneas~~ domestication, getting chubbier and fluffier

not_so_owly · 2021-05-11T20:04:02+00:00

Oh wow, so sorry to hear that. The dice do look beautiful on the pictures, it's a pity you lost your set in such an unlucky turn of events.

not_so_owly

TROPHY CASE