Quote of the Week from my gaming group...

[Drhoz]

Re: Quote of the Week from my gaming group...

 

Is your brother one of those who left? Last I recall he was playing the perpetual student' date=' but I lost track of the name long ago. Sorry, I missed a few posting and lost track of who was there and who wasn't. Quinn, Einstein, Frontbottom, Rondale (though in the USA and sending messages over the Atlantic), and the student were the last ones I knew of. Though I kept reading and wondering which one the student was and thinking he may be gone.[/quote']

 

Ian hasn't shown up for a few months now, and yes, he was playing the Eternal Student. But then, his absence has been understandable - he's got a third kid now. But hopefully he'll be back next week.

[Drhoz]

Re: Quote of the Week from my gaming group...

 

Err... what went wrong?

 

That's too bad. Sounds like things went wrong in an especially bad way. Here's hoping you can pick up the pieces.

 

Basically they've screwed up since the first session, and it finally all came to roost. To whit...

 

Right from the very start, and pretty much one of the first clues they got, which they read out to each other and still ignored.

They kept the handouts with your character sheets, and even on the single occasion they double checked them, STILL ignored them.

I put the clues in the campaign journal, on LiveJournal, on the HERO forum, on Yog-Sothoth and not one of them noticed the VERY IMPORTANT DETAIL THAT WAS RIGHT THERE.

I put clues they missed at the end of the journal and none of them read to the end.

I emailed them clues that they missed and they didn’t take the hint.

I gave Abbagale the chance to do basic research before she left New York (since nobody else had bothered) and she decided not to, thus wasting their last chance to discover some extremely important facts about the Carlyle Expedition.

I suggested multiple times that they consider what Elias may have missed, and they ignored me every time.

Even cult leaders were suggesting other leads to them and they ignored them.

At any point, a single Library Use check could have saved them from disaster... but despite all my hints that using the British Library or pretty much any newspaper on Fleet Street, they didn’t make a single Library Use check. Despite me having told them repeatedly over the last few years that :Library Use is one of the most important skills in the game.

I gave them Miles Shipley’s paintings, which might have warned them they were heading into a trap, and they never went back to look at the rest

I gave them a spell that would protect them from the minions of Nyarlathotep, reminded them about it twice, and they never had the medallions made.

They let a cult leader escape in New York and make zero effort to hunt him down or even find out who he was. Despite having had a bar full of people that could have identified him arrested, and then ordered released with asking them anything. And a truckful of corpses they could have magically interrogated.

Thanks to this gobsmacking incompetence they ended up telling a cult leader all about their plans to raid his cult - and kept him safe from the cultists!

And when they actually checked for the cultists that have been following them around London since shortly after they arrived, they assumed they were police tails... And never asked the police to confirm it, when they met the Inspectors a few minutes later!!!!!

[Ian Mackinder]

Re: Quote of the Week from my gaming group...

 

Basically they've screwed up since the first session, and it finally all came to roost. To whit...

 

Right from the very start, and pretty much one of the first clues they got, which they read out to each other and still ignored.

They kept the handouts with your character sheets, and even on the single occasion they double checked them, STILL ignored them.

I put the clues in the campaign journal, on LiveJournal, on the HERO forum, on Yog-Sothoth and not one of them noticed the VERY IMPORTANT DETAIL THAT WAS RIGHT THERE.

I put clues they missed at the end of the journal and none of them read to the end.

I emailed them clues that they missed and they didn’t take the hint.

I gave Abbagale the chance to do basic research before she left New York (since nobody else had bothered) and she decided not to, thus wasting their last chance to discover some extremely important facts about the Carlyle Expedition.

I suggested multiple times that they consider what Elias may have missed, and they ignored me every time.

Even cult leaders were suggesting other leads to them and they ignored them.

At any point, a single Library Use check could have saved them from disaster... but despite all my hints that using the British Library or pretty much any newspaper on Fleet Street, they didn’t make a single Library Use check. Despite me having told them repeatedly over the last few years that :Library Use is one of the most important skills in the game.

I gave them Miles Shipley’s paintings, which might have warned them they were heading into a trap, and they never went back to look at the rest

I gave them a spell that would protect them from the minions of Nyarlathotep, reminded them about it twice, and they never had the medallions made.

They let a cult leader escape in New York and make zero effort to hunt him down or even find out who he was. Despite having had a bar full of people that could have identified him arrested, and then ordered released with asking them anything. And a truckful of corpses they could have magically interrogated.

Thanks to this gobsmacking incompetence they ended up telling a cult leader all about their plans to raid his cult - and kept him safe from the cultists!

And when they actually checked for the cultists that have been following them around London since shortly after they arrived, they assumed they were police tails... And never asked the police to confirm it, when they met the Inspectors a few minutes later!!!!!

 

Hooo, boy.

[Steve]

Re: Quote of the Week from my gaming group...

 

CofC has always struck me as more of a thinking man's rpg when run right.

 

Did they leave because they felt stupid at missing the clues? Did a TPK happen?

 

I'm not quite understanding why two players just up and left your CofC game, even after that description of player goof-ups.

[Major Tom 2009]

Re: Quote of the Week from my gaming group...

 

I've got something she could be in charge of.

 

 

 

Prevert.

 

 

 

 

Major Tom 2009

[Major Tom 2009]

Re: Quote of the Week from my gaming group...

 

Basically they've screwed up since the first session, and it finally all came to roost. To whit...

 

Right from the very start, and pretty much one of the first clues they got, which they read out to each other and still ignored.

 

They kept the handouts with your character sheets, and even on the single occasion they double checked them, STILL ignored them.

 

I put the clues in the campaign journal, on LiveJournal, on the HERO forum, on Yog-Sothoth and not one of them noticed the VERY IMPORTANT DETAIL THAT WAS RIGHT THERE.

 

I put clues they missed at the end of the journal and none of them read to the end.

 

I emailed them clues that they missed and they didn’t take the hint.

 

I gave Abbagale the chance to do basic research before she left New York (since nobody else had bothered) and she decided not to, thus wasting their last chance to discover some extremely important facts about the Carlyle Expedition.

 

I suggested multiple times that they consider what Elias may have missed, and they ignored me every time.

 

Even cult leaders were suggesting other leads to them and they ignored them.

 

At any point, a single Library Use check could have saved them from disaster... but despite all my hints that using the British Library or pretty much any newspaper on Fleet Street, they didn’t make a single Library Use check. Despite me having told them repeatedly over the last few years that :Library Use is one of the most important skills in the game.

 

I gave them Miles Shipley’s paintings, which might have warned them they were heading into a trap, and they never went back to look at the rest

 

I gave them a spell that would protect them from the minions of Nyarlathotep, reminded them about it twice, and they never had the medallions made.

 

They let a cult leader escape in New York and make zero effort to hunt him down or even find out who he was. Despite having had a bar full of people that could have identified him arrested, and then ordered released with asking them anything. And a truckful of corpses they could have magically interrogated.

 

Thanks to this gobsmacking incompetence they ended up telling a cult leader all about their plans to raid his cult - and kept him safe from the cultists!

 

And when they actually checked for the cultists that have been following them around London since shortly after they arrived, they assumed they were police tails... And never asked the police to confirm it, when they met the Inspectors a few minutes later!!!!!

 

 

 

Sounds like this outfit was the CoC equivalent to the party in the movie Primal.

 

Only this group was even more Too Terminally Stupid To Live (or they were wearing their +5 Neutronium

Helmets of Protection from Clue-Bats).

 

 

 

Major Tom 2009

[Drhoz]

Re: Quote of the Week from my gaming group...

 

The Gamer's Guild Masks of Nyarlathotep Part 11 - Essex

 

February 22nd – The Day of the Raid. The investigators and the police have all day to prepare for the evening’s strike against the Brotherhood of the Black Pharaoh. This is probably just as well, since Dr Briggs proves entirely uncooperative, merely repeating dire threats against his captors and ranting and raving in fine old fashion.

 

And before they raid the Brotherhood, they’re going to want better armaments, an aim complicated by the local authorities’ ignorance of the Mythos, gun laws, and Customs. Johnson trying to explain his cases of dynamite, ammunition, and late 20th Century machine pistols might be difficult.

 

 

 

Johnson

: It’s mining equipment.

GM

: Tractor Parts?

 

In the end the investigators leave Einstein to terrorise British physicists, and Timmons drooling peacefully into his translations of the Livre d’Ivon.

 

Fakebottom

: It’s like any Friday night for him, then.

 

At least Johnson has had time to peruse the Africa’s Dark Sects book, even if he fails to learn the zombie-raising spell contained within. McGinty will just get to keep that knowledge to himself. After all, if he ever wants a drinking partner, he can head down to the cemetery and raise one.

 

 

Quinn

: He already did. But his drinking partner doesn’t drink... wine.

 

Customs

: Why do you have 50 feet of rope in your luggage, sir?

Fakebottom

: You never know when it might prove useful.

Customs

: Most people carry string for that, sir.

 

Customs

: So why do you have 50 feet of rope in your luggage, sir?

Johnson

: The question is, why don’t

you

?

 

They decide to wait in an unremarkable lorry down the road from the Blue Pyramid Club, until Yalesha can identify the vehicle the cultists use, then have her taken back into protective custody while the investigators, a dozen armed police, and Inspectors Carlton and Barrington, tail the cultists to wherever in London they’re having their monthly meeting. Then they’ll fire off a flare and police will converge to assist in the mass arrest.

 

 

They can easily fit twelve police and one woman in the back of the lorry.

 

Quinn

: Typical evening for you, Abbagale?

Stants

: ಠ_ಠ

Spoilers ahead for Masks

 

 

This plan goes off the rails almost immediately, since rather than heading to the London Docklands as expected, the truck heads out of the city and into the countryside of Essex. This makes the pursuit much more difficult, since they’ll need to drive without headlights in order to avoid being spotted.

 

Happily, however, Aldous’ long experience at dubious trucking jobs – many related to evading Prohibition laws - proves sufficient for them to track the cultists to somewhere near the coast in the maze of levees, channels, sunken fields and hedgerows east of Colchester. Barrington speculates that they’re meeting a ship – the new moon being ideal for smuggling. They cross over a small bridge with a hut half-way along, and see the light of a bonfire somewhere a half-mile ahead.

 

The police disembark, and Aldous and Fakebottom drive on towards the two-storey mansion they can now see – so Aldous can pretend to be an innocent driver making a U-turn if necessary, and Fakebottom to jump out and scout around in the event this actually is a cultist gathering.

 

Sad to relate, this scheme too goes straight to hell, when something huge smashes into the side of the lorry, tearing the entire rear compartment off the frame. Aldous frantically tries to bring the truck around, and the headlights neatly illuminate the gigantic skull-faced bird-thing that’s coming back for another go.

 

The police, Abbagale, Johnson and Sir Wellington have their own problems, since two more of the things, shortly joined by fifty armed cultists and two appalling tentacled frog abominations, are converging on their own position.

 

With the truck being rapidly torn apart around them, Aldous decides he may as well ram the building, wedging the truck’s wreckage into the doorway of the apparently empty mansion long enough for them to catch their breath and fight back. Aldous headbutting the giant bird-thing startles it so much that Fakebottom has time to unleash hell in the form of Dragon’s-breath shotgun rounds, and the burning creature is suitably distracted – and alight – when Aldous bravely if insanely launches himself off the back of the wreck, at the neck of the thing, in a flying kick.

 

This, incredibly, seems to work, and the pair leg it for the bonfire and Egyptian-style stele nearby in the hope of disrupting whatever ceremony summoned the things.

 

 

 

Fakebottom

: Remind me, next time, to just hire a plane and bomb the entire area.

 

Alas, the ritual is long over, four murdered victims chained the monument’s base. And blowing up the stele does nothing but distract the distant cultists for a moment. Aldous and Fakebottom decide this might be a very good time to steal the cultist’s lorry and get the hell away.

 

The fighting retreat by the police lasts much longer than many observers might expect, despite the depredations of the bird-things, and the way Inspector Carlton bursts into flame and burns alive. This might be because of the stalwart nature of the British Police, or the leadership of Sir Wellington, but by the time the surviving cultists reach melee-range it is obvious that they are still gravely outnumbered, and the rest of the police soon succumb.

 

Johnson’s exceptional reflexes keeps him safe even as those around him fall.

 

 

GM

: You are the Jammy Dodger

Johnson

: There's certainly nothing artful about me

 

Despite his own injuries Sir Wellington grabs the gravely wounded Abbagale and legs it for the bridge, closely pursued by the ONI agent, and all pursued by the bloodthirsty mob. Which is when they discover that the bridge they crossed was a swing bridge, and the cultist operating the crank at the midpoint gives them a cheery little wave.

 

Plunging into the icy slough and climbing up the bank on the other side does, in fact, buy them some time, especially after Sir Wellington shoots the cultist on the bridge. Unfortunately, he is then blown apart by a magical attack, and Abbagale and Johnson flee across the fields, only minutes ahead of their pursuers.

 

Abbagale twists her ankle running in the darkness, and in a desperate move, Johnson pauses long enough to summon an invisible alien predator to carry them to the London Hospital. Luckily for them, it arrives before the cultists do. Even more luckily, it doesn’t consider the investigators an easy meal when it does, despite Abbagale’s blood all over the place.

 

 

Johnson

: I've never been happier to see an eldritch horror.

 

Aldous and Fakebottom are racing back towards the bridge when they see cultists and one of the frogtopus creatures coming back the other way. Aldous’ carefully maintained policy of selective ignorance rudely shattered for the second time this evening, he goes into a screaming foetal jag, and lets go of the wheel. Fakebottom leaps from the truck and escapes into the night, eventually staggering to Little Clacton and the authorities, leaving the catatonic Aldous to be dragged from the wreckage by the Brotherhood....

 

To Aldous’ own surprise, he wakes up manacled in a pitch black cell, by the noise of somebody being thrown into the cell next door. This somebody is revealed to be Edward Gavigan, who expresses his dismay when Aldous admits he has no idea where they are, that all the police involved in the case are probably dead, and that nobody knows they were in Essex anyway (unless, of course, somebody managed to get away).

 

Gavigan is considerably startled when Aldous proceeds to snap his chains, grab the guard’s shotgun, kick open the cell door and force the cultists back long enough to barricade himself into the dungeon.

 

 

Quinn

: Here's the funny thing - this was the last one. The last time I was getting involved in this stuff. I was only supposed to be the driver. I'm starting a business, I’ve got a girl back home I'm sweet on ... I am Not. Putting. Up. With. THIS!

*breaks free and goes on rampage*

 

Quinn

: Back in a minute Mr Gavigan.

 

But possibly not quite as surprised as Aldous himself when Gavigan thanks him for all the good news about the collapse of the police investigation, and blasts him with a burst of deadly magic.

 

Perhaps, when they spotted that person following them a week ago, they shouldn’t have assumed it was a police tail...

 

 

[Ian Mackinder]

Re: Quote of the Week from my gaming group...

 

Hoooooooooo, boy.

[Drhoz]

Re: Quote of the Week from my gaming group...

 

CofC has always struck me as more of a thinking man's rpg when run right.

 

Did they leave because they felt stupid at missing the clues? Did a TPK happen?

 

I'm not quite understanding why two players just up and left your CofC game, even after that description of player goof-ups.

 

Information overload, apparently.

 

Sounds like this outfit was the CoC equivalent to the party in the movie Primal.

 

Only this group was even more Too Terminally Stupid To Live (or they were wearing their +5 Neutronium

Helmets of Protection from Clue-Bats).

 

Given all the work I put into index cards, and What You Know So Far Sheets, and making sure they all read the book summaries I prepared... Weldun even corrected details on one of them, so I KNOW he read it - the Command Ghost spell was right there in front of him.

[Klytus]

Re: Quote of the Week from my gaming group...

 

I remember back when I was introduced to CoC - were were very clearly told by the GM that making a party of combat monsters was going to get us killed, or worse. Yes, one or two would be handy, but we *had* to have characters capable of doing research, or there was no point in playing.

[Matt the Bruins]

Re: Quote of the Week from my gaming group...

 

I've always thought that Call of Chthulhu was the game where there was no point in trying to design a character that would be able to fight his or her way to survival, and it was better to build with the goal of dying in unique and entertaining ways.

[Steve]

Re: Quote of the Week from my gaming group...

 

I've always thought that Call of Chthulhu was the game where there was no point in trying to design a character that would be able to fight his or her way to survival' date=' and it was better to build with the goal of dying in unique and entertaining ways.[/quote']

 

And there are certainly plenty of unique and entertaining ways to die when going up against the Mythos. Getting blown up or riddled with bullets is probably one of the more mundane ways a character could die.

[Drhoz]

Re: Quote of the Week from my gaming group...

 

I remember back when I was introduced to CoC - were were very clearly told by the GM that making a party of combat monsters was going to get us killed' date=' or worse. Yes, one or two would be handy, but we *had* to have characters capable of doing research, or there was no point in playing.[/quote']

 

indeed.

[Ian Mackinder]

Re: Quote of the Week from my gaming group...

 

Getting blown up or riddled with bullets is probably one of the more mundane ways a character could die.

 

Given how things usually roll in CoC, these are arguably UNcommon causes of character death.

[TheQuestionMan]

Re: Quote of the Week from my gaming group...

 

Our GM never killed a PC, but none of us regained our sanity.

 

 

LOL

 

 

QM

[Steve]

Re: Quote of the Week from my gaming group...

 

Given how things usually roll in CoC' date=' these are arguably UNcommon causes of character death.[/quote']

 

In my experience, dying at the hands of cultists with guns or explosives tended to be pretty common ways for a character to buy the farm.

 

Of course, getting ripped to pieces by a pack of Hounds of Tindalos or ghouls was a close second.

 

The epic end is to have Cthulhu eat you.

[Kal'El Wayne]

Re: Quote of the Week from my gaming group...

 

Honestly, I always played Call of Cthulhu as a Jackie Chan style 'normal man in over his head' action game. If I know that I'm going to die or go insane anyway, I might as well have my bookworm professor try jump-kicking zombies in the head...tentacle...thing. If I fail, I get beaten up and eaten the way I would have anyway. So I get a typical Call of Cthulhu ending and have had a few laughs. If I miraculously succeed against all odds? Woohoo! I've miraculously succeeded against all odds! Whereas, if I just ran from danger and kind of avoided people who seemed shifty, I get bored until the plot inevitably happens and I die anyway. But with no chance at all of succeeding, 'against all odds' or not.

[Mjolnir74]

Re: Quote of the Week from my gaming group...

 

Drhoz,

 

I feel your pain. I've never had players walk out on me, but I have had players complain badly enough to ruin everyone else's enjoyment of a game because they come upon a situation where they have to use their brains. Some of my players just want to blow stuff up and not think about it too much. I have had to give up on otherwise awesome systems due to this phenomenon. Millenniums' End is a great, if dated, game, however it was doomed to fail for my group because it requires the ability to investigate, follow leads, and deduce probable scenarios. Just the kind of thing a D&D 4 player never has to do. Eclipse Phase died on the vine because my players couldn't handle the cerebral aspects of it. Luckily, my Shadowrun players thrive on that sort of thing, so I can make them think a little.

 

Like you, I give them plenty of clues, and even out right suggestions as to what might help them out, but like you, I get ignored. Then they complain that it's impossible to complete the adventure because they've been out maneuvered, or out gunned. Had they had the capacity to use common sense earlier in the scenario, they would not have painted themselves in to a corner in the first place. I commiserate with you.

 

I think your players will come back to the table eventually. Give them time to cool off. It's hard loosing a character you have spent so much time developing, even in a system where you are expected to loose your character, like CoC.

 

Mjolnir74

[Drhoz]

Re: Quote of the Week from my gaming group...

 

Drhoz,

 

I feel your pain. I've never had players walk out on me, but I have had players complain badly enough to ruin everyone else's enjoyment of a game because they come upon a situation where they have to use their brains. Some of my players just want to blow stuff up and not think about it too much. I have had to give up on otherwise awesome systems due to this phenomenon. Millenniums' End is a great, if dated, game, however it was doomed to fail for my group because it requires the ability to investigate, follow leads, and deduce probable scenarios. Just the kind of thing a D&D 4 player never has to do. Eclipse Phase died on the vine because my players couldn't handle the cerebral aspects of it. Luckily, my Shadowrun players thrive on that sort of thing, so I can make them think a little.

 

Like you, I give them plenty of clues, and even out right suggestions as to what might help them out, but like you, I get ignored. Then they complain that it's impossible to complete the adventure because they've been out maneuvered, or out gunned. Had they had the capacity to use common sense earlier in the scenario, they would not have painted themselves in to a corner in the first place. I commiserate with you.

 

I think your players will come back to the table eventually. Give them time to cool off. It's hard loosing a character you have spent so much time developing, even in a system where you are expected to loose your character, like CoC.

 

*nods* I hope they come back. But there's a chance that Sue Isle - the author who used to play Amy Wells - will be coming back, and Ian should be back next session too

[psyber624]

Re: Quote of the Week from my gaming group...

 

Hrm that would be a really excellent thread on here (im sure its been done before) How do you handle players with extra "clue bat" defenses, or absolutely no tactical aptitude (for instance, MA characters that NEVER abort to their Martial Dodge)) And how can you tell the difference between that, and GM Player Knowledge problems (IE It seems obvious to me because I created it, or I know how they could beat this guy because I designed him to be able to be beat like that and its my fault that they don't know how I planned for them to win)

[pinecone]

Re: Quote of the Week from my gaming group...

 

Well...the noble heros have been in hiatus, I got moved back to Swing shift for a few months minimum. So I had a little beat up thugs and call it investigating session with Kestral (Aka; Jay bird ...)

 

Kestral is a light brick who flys and has some sonic powers (Distinc looks : Constantly ends up in a state of undress.) But I did learn some new interrogation techniques, apparently the Wedgie power dive trick Works Wonders! We were heading into the tough bar/ clubhouse "OK, Try to keep your clothes on...." "Guys if you don't level with me I'm going to let the girl hurt you as much as she wants..." (the look on her face as she drilled a hole in the back of my head was no little help)

 

Turns out the Bikers are working with/for the Pipers (of Azathoth) the most bad ass bikers on the planet...possably the Galaxy.

 

So the "Girls night out" is looking promising, if they can handle playing on the day shift...

[Susano]

Re: Quote of the Week from my gaming group...

 

While our pest few session have been fun, I've not a lot of quotes and comments written down.

 

That said, I have this gem from our Fantasy Craft game.

 

"No, no. You rolled a 1 [on a search roll], that means you just found Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.

 

Session Six of our Saturday IronClaw game.

 

The Cast:

Captain Fancy, Horse Paladin

Trake, Tiger Mercenary

Sigmund Kinsbrough, Tiger Agent of the King

Zepherine LeFleur, Red Fox Ranger

 

(For those keeping track at home, Koda the [vampire] Bat wasn't present.)

 

GM: "You can watch him chink it up."

Zepherine (OOC): "Hey, no racist jokes!"

 

Trake: "We have to Get. Out. Of. Here."

Zepherine: "It's the smell."

(bonus points in that Trake's player really is from Australia)

 

Trake: "I just drowned a bear."

 

GM (as an evil necromancer... thingy...): "Feisty, isn't he?"

Captain Fancy: "I would be too, if I just drowned a bear."

[Egyptoid]

Re: Quote of the Week from my gaming group...

 

DEATH WATCH 40K RPG:

On Delta Gamma, our DW heroes are trying to save an Imperial Capital from the combined ravages of Chaos and Tyranids.

Due to the dire circumstances, we must cooperate with a Rogue Trader cadre, and also a crew of Eldar envoys.

 

(a Rogue Trader Blusters on how he is saving the planet...)

(then silently on the deathwatch comm link) "Men, Let the Rogue Trader think he's in charge, it benefits us all"

 

"Sir, What is the plural of Apocalypse?"

 

"Since the squad upgraded their chain-swords, I also had to upgrade my helmet with new face plate wipers"

 

"No, no. Honor and Deeds are the true currency of the Eldar. Arrogant comments are merely how they make change"

[Egyptoid]

Re: Quote of the Week from my gaming group...

 

>>>the ability to investigate, follow leads, and deduce probable scenarios. Just the kind of thing a D&D 4 player never has to do.

 

Sweet. Totally repped.

[Christopher]

Re: Quote of the Week from my gaming group...

 

Like you' date=' I give them plenty of clues, and even out right suggestions as to what might help them out, but like you, I get ignored. Then they complain that it's impossible to complete the adventure because they've been out maneuvered, or out gunned. Had they had the capacity to use common sense earlier in the scenario, they would not have painted themselves in to a corner in the first place. I commiserate with you.[/quote']

Group:

Haldor Beledor, Human Paladin (HB)

Elven Ranger (ER)

Halfling Druid (HD)

Had a similar problem with a D&D Campaign some time ago. Character are underground, resting and are attacked by a pack of Carrion Crawlers. (I might have played them a little bit to smart however). Paladin and Druid are awake, Ranger is "not sleeping" (doing his elven sleep replacement).

And they decide - to not wake the Ranger.

First Round: Characters wound and kill some Crawlers, but most of them go for the easy prey - the Ranger - with thier touch attack. They have multiple touch attacks each - against a totally totally helpless Ranger. Needless to say he was now awake, but also paralized (so not really an improvement of his defense).

The next round they still held back and what did the surviving mosnters do (of coruse)? Coup de Grace on a paralized Elven Ranger.

Chalk up one totally needless character death.

 

One revive and a little further on the road, they have to get a McGuffin and the best route leads across the "Route of the Elements". (And yes, I meant the magical ones). Thier NPC-Guide (who went there before) advises them to to get one Staff of "Endure Elements" (the 3.0 version - 24 hour 5 point elemental resistance to an element, including heat and frost; dirt cheap because Spell Level 1).

I did reminded them about it when they were shopping. Every character in group would have been able to use it. And of course they did - not buy it.

I figured that could be an issue once they entered the frost area, but the group sadly never made it that far.

 

The "boss" battle for the earth path was thier undoing (double gravity and a small path, left and right a deep fall and pointy spikes). There were three earth elementals - 2 relative pushovers and one bigger baddy (but still nothing they could not have handeled). Everyone was given a riddle and if he failed to solve it, he had to fight the big guy. Everyone else only had to fight the little guys. It were the easiest riddles I could find at that time.

 

The Riddle where the Druids Player totally stumped was: "You will have to give me a statement. If the statement is true, I will kill you with my bare hands. If it is wrong, I will smite you with the force of my element. What is your statement?"

The correct answer would have been "You will kill me with the force of the earth" - it would cause a logic flaw so neither way of killing was allowed (the original is with a death row candidate and how he will be killed). He did not get it. I allowed the player to ask his fellow players or make an int Check - he declined to do either and choose to say "Please don't kill me". Still, not a dealbreaker - the big guy was tough, but together (and with the NPC guide who intentionally failed the riddle) they should have pulled it of. But as the saying goes "people who invent foolproof things, underestimate the ingenuity of the fools"

 

Anyway, only the big elemental has some luck hitting his foe(s), the others have simply too much AC for the small fry. But you see, earth elementals have a rarely used ability to make a bull rush without provoking an attack of opportinuty. The human paladin was currently a halfling or gnome (long story) so he was easily pushed back. Round by round. All he would have had to do to defeat the enemies entire battle plan (turning this battle into a simply wipeup) was to make a half move back to the middle of the path, thus negating every inch of progress the elemental had gained. I asked him to do it when he was only 5 foot away from the cliff. Of course he choose - poorly.

One meeting of halfling paladin, double gravity, terminal vellocity and spikes later, the group managed to end the fight, grab thier fallen comrade (pun intended) and left the campaign.

 

Who needs helmets against clue bats? My players had persistent, 0 END Desolidifcation vs. Clue bats.

 

Hrm that would be a really excellent thread on here (im sure its been done before) How do you handle players with extra "clue bat" defenses' date=' or absolutely no tactical aptitude (for instance, MA characters that NEVER abort to their Martial Dodge)) And how can you tell the difference between that, and GM Player Knowledge problems (IE It seems obvious to me because I created it, or I know how they could beat this guy because I designed him to be able to be beat like that and its my fault that they don't know how I planned for them to win)[/quote']

Frankly as with my group (the one that failed abve) it was simply a total difference in playstyles. The only solution was to walk otu of the group.

 

But generally, it helps to have multiple ways to archieve the next step. I would also only loosely write down the possible paths and don't mind to "skip" a step or lower the enemies numbers if the players are just too stupid to be prepared.

I think Champions 6E under the Plot generator mentions something like that:

Generic Evil Professor want's to built a time machine, but needs a specific meteor material. Only two sources are in two museums. He attacks the better source first, in a self built tank. The plan is that he get's the item, the heroes defeat the tank but he escapes (with the McGuffin) by teleporting his cockpit home. Thorugh investigation of the wreckage the heroes can figure out who he is and through investigation of the the meteorite (and especially the second meteorite) they might learn something about his nefariuos plans.

Of course it could be that the GM overlooked that a player lives close to the museum, thus he foils the plan before the GEP manages to get the McGuffin - in that case, the GEP will go for the other one.

Or the heroes fail to beat the tank, wich would leave no clue at all. Unless the GM just "drops" one right in the path of the players - maybe he wasn't that carefull when staking out the museum with the other meteorite and left his calling card there.

And if all else fails and they still have no clue where he is: "the bat computer picks up temporal distrubance, dowtown. I have a mobile scanner, we can pinpoint it as we get closer" or "the chief comissioner called, there seems to be temporal disturbances in downtown. (sings of him working on his machine).

And if they somehow should not manage to defeat him in time - they have to follow him into the past.

 

Having an alternate McGuffin helps against too much sucess. Blatantly dropping the enemies calling card/finger print/picture that can be found in the local criminal records helps against underarchieving. If you have a investigative chain like D'horz had - just place an NPC there that did some research on his own/overheard a conversation and blatantly tells them the information and they should get damn protection.

 

Remember:

"No plan Survives the first contact with the enemy"