Problems with: - Those who - Tarry no Longer

[Khamul]

Guys!

I dont like the first part of this adventure. My players has already been to the High Pass in the episoden Of Leaves & Stewed Hobbit. It feels very repetitive, and the fight which they cant win and then get saved but the Great Eagles it's not good. Did any of you do this adventure in another way? if so what did you do? Right now my players are resting at Beorns home and the Easterly Inn.

Any thoughts?


/Khamul

[Rocmistro]

Kamul:

I recommend skipping the adventure. We played it through with my IRL group and they also had a miserable time of it. There are a lot of problems with the adventure. It would work well as a movie/novel, but not really an RPG adventure. I don't want to speak too critically of it because it's not necessary to poop all over it in a public forum, especially given that the authors and editors often visit the forum. I just chalk it up to being a bit of clunker amidst an otherwise stellar book.

[Khamul]

Yes I really like the campaign too. But this episode is very frustrating.

[Murcushio]

I, fortunately, am not hesitant at all about dumping all over it in a public forum.

Those Who Tarry is awful unless you're running with a group that's totally okay with being railroaded through a series of fights they can't win.

And there's at least two of those in a row! In fact, I think there's something like three total no-win scenarios in that entire adventure. Not only that, the advice given to GMs in said adventure is to actively work to make their players think they can win when in truth they really cannot. Because every player likes rolling dice and spending hope and desperately trying to think of solutions to the problem the GM presented them for an hour plus when in fact there's no chance anything they do is going to matter, am I right? That's not usually a violation of the social contract at work at many tables at ALL.

It's a good concept poorly executed. I would skip it entirely and move straight to more Gibbet King action.

[Rocmistro]

Yeah it really doesn't make any sense for the Gibbet King to get his hooks into Irime. She's leaving Middle-earth; her power will soon be completely out of your sphere of influence. So why mess with her? At best you (speaking to Senior Gibbets), hurt/kill her before she leaves Middle-earth. At worst, your plan backfires, and your attack rekindles her will to see you destroyed and now you've stirred up the hornet's nest of a powerful Noldor princess.

Good plan, Gibbets, good plan.

[Glorelendil]

Yeah it really doesn't make any sense for the Gibbet King to get his hooks into Irime. She's leaving Middle-earth; her power will soon be completely out of your sphere of influence. So why mess with her? At best you (speaking to Senior Gibbets), hurt/kill her before she leaves Middle-earth. At worst, your plan backfires, and your attack rekindles her will to see you destroyed and now you've stirred up the hornet's nest of a powerful Noldor princess.

Good plan, Gibbets, good plan.

Well, similar things could have been said of Melkor's "plans".

[Mim]

Yes, the adventure is (IMHO) too linear & railroads your players. I have no intention of ever running it as written.

That said, however, the initial theme of a servant of the Enemy - be he the Gibbet King or someone else - intercepting Irimë is simply brilliant & fits well with the feel of Middle-earth. I can easily envision Sauron or one of his minions seeking to ensnare her before she leaves. They just enjoy corrupting/enslaving their victims too much not to seek such dominion.

Thus, I hope to someday run some players through an adventure where we play through bits of the first several parts, but then attach it to another adventure - one that offers them the freedom to do what they will. It's additional work, however, & I haven't started writing it.

[Rich H]

Thus, I hope to someday run some players through an adventure where we play through bits of the first several parts, but then attach it to another adventure - one that offers them the freedom to do what they will. It's additional work, however, & I haven't started writing it.

In my campaign, I introduced Irime a few adventures back to the PCs and they conducted themselves in the ensuing social encounter which she observed in a positive way; they impressed her very much and she decided to aid them in their request. In an adventure or two's time I'll be re-introducing her where she'll be calling upon them to escort her west. I'll be using elements of 'those who tarry' and will be dovetailing it into 'of leaves and stewed Hobbit'; that way I'm picking the workable bits from the first adventure and feeding into the second to reduce repetition. I'll PM you what I did and how it worked out if you want, Mim.

[Khamul]

I would be very interested too Rich H.

[zedturtle]

In my campaign, I introduced Irime a few adventures back to the PCs and they conducted themselves in the ensuing social encounter which she observed in a positive way; they impressed her very much and she decided to aid them in their request. In an adventure or two's time I'll be re-introducing her where she'll be calling upon them to escort her west. I'll be using elements of 'those who tarry' and will be dovetailing it into 'of leaves and stewed Hobbit'; that way I'm picking the workable bits from the first adventure and feeding into the second to reduce repetition. I'll PM you what I did and how it worked out if you want, Mim.

I'm interested as well... I introduced Irime when the PCs stopped at Thranduil's Hall back in "Don't Leave the Path" but then I gave them hooks for both "Of Leaves..." and "Kinstrife..." and they chomped down on Kinstrife. So we haven't done either of those. We're in the middle of "A Darkness in the Marshes"... I was planning to push them straight on to Dale, but we could be distracted...