The Viglunds

[Cleggster]

So I have been running a TOR game for a while. They have gotten to the second chapter in TDOM and almost halfway though TFW. What I plan to do next is run adventure a year. One from TDOM and the other them dealing with the Viglunds and defending the Easterly Inn. (They took it as a sanctuary and one of them worked in as a holding). So I have two questions that maybe some more experienced lore masters might help with.

One is stating the Viglund's themselves. I have been designing them with slavery in mind. So they will be using things like whips that give them Seize Victim and Savage Assault. The idea that they want to bludgeon you, not kill you. It's coming up with Attribute Levels that is giving me difficulty. I know this has been discuses before, but anybody feel confident in figuring out how to make them dangerous enough to be challenge while not causing a TPK?

The other has to do with the way I am running the campaign. Since I have been running both concurrently, the party has gained some not insignificant power. Is this going to be a problem later on? I am worried that by the time I finish TFW, it might be something of a cake walk for them. Or TDOM as well when we get later into the years. So far only one player has a point of permanent shadow and the rest have been very good a marshaling there strength for when it's needed. I don't want to punish them for playing well, but I could see them playing the same characters all the way through.

Essentially my question is has anyone else run both campaigns like this and how did it play out more then halfway through? Both story wise and toughness of adversaries?

[Majestic]

I like your idea for the Viglundings. As far as Attribute levels, I'd look at the wild Outlaws given in TFW as a guide. They're competent and tough without being so strong that they'll wipe out the PCs. Then of course tweak them with the weapons you mentioned.

I've run the entire TFW and about the first 10 years worth of Darkening. My players have become quite tough, but then our most prominent PC was just retired. It's my experience that even newer PCs, especially those drawn from Rivendell, can still hold their own alongside more experienced PCs. It is an issue, as they become better and better, but then it doesn't take much for things to go downhill quickly. For instance, when I imposed Weary on the entire party (due to a Revelation Episode), my PCs struggled greatly.

[farinal]

One of my players is a Beorning who has a high standing and a good relationship with Beorn. I recently started to feed him some rumours and news about the activities of the Viglundings but I don't know how to use them. I am sure he will want to take them head on and it will be a big part of our campaign. He has a nice, big inn north of the House of Beorn and the Hobbits from the Easterly Inn work there as their own inn was destroyed during a raid by the goblins from the Mountains.

It might be possible that they also attack his inn and make everything personal. Even take one of the hobbits as slave. How do you think this should be handled? The DoM as far as I know doesn't include an adventure about them but give all the details about this storyline as summaries in each year.

[Glorelendil]

Am I the only one that thinks "The Viglunds" sounds like a reality TV show set along the Anduin?

[Finrod Felagund]

One of my players is a Beorning who has a high standing and a good relationship with Beorn. I recently started to feed him some rumours and news about the activities of the Viglundings but I don't know how to use them. I am sure he will want to take them head on and it will be a big part of our campaign. He has a nice, big inn north of the House of Beorn and the Hobbits from the Easterly Inn work there as their own inn was destroyed during a raid by the goblins from the Mountains.

It might be possible that they also attack his inn and make everything personal. Even take one of the hobbits as slave. How do you think this should be handled? The DoM as far as I know doesn't include an adventure about them but give all the details about this storyline as summaries in each year.

I think the idea of capturing a hobbit(s) as a slave is a good one. That gives the players plenty of choices such as launching a rescue mission. If the PCs are also upset with the Viglundings it means they could also start to interfere in Viglunding politics (supporting Aestrid/Thunar) in a more long term fashion, and also persuading Beorn to invade and rescue the slaves captured from his folk. This might lead up to a big battle which might be a fun climax to that mini-campaign. It might also lead to setting up Aestrid as the new Viglunding leader, and the ending of slavery in the Upper Vales which is a nice satisfying moral element to that story.

Edit: Or another idea. How about having Viglund's son capture the Hobbit(s), and he is wounded/killed in a rescue mission. This sets up long-term conflict with Viglund. On their own, the PCs can't defeat him, hence the need to get Beorn involved (which he probably would do bearing in mind they've kidnapped his folk).

Hope that helps

FF

[Cleggster]

Heh, "Meet the Viglunds, tonight on the Worg Channel."

Yeah, this one will be about a kidnapping followed by a chase down the Elf Path. Next year they will be involved with the fight for the Forest Gate. Plot wise the Viglund's kinda write themselves. Only little issue I have is in The Heart of the Wild, they are described as a "key element" in Darkening. But (spoilers) they don't play a part in any of the adventures. But we do get some nice descriptions of event surrounding them, so I will have my players involved with those. I would also like to maybe get them involved with the Viglunds who are described as not involved with slavery. They sound like a complex people. I like the idea of killing Vigund's son though. Makes every more personal. We will see how it plays out tonight.

Has anyone given any thoughts to the Cottars in the area? Who are they and what kinda of people. I am mostly curious as to how prevalent they are in the region.

[Finrod Felagund]

Heh, "Meet the Viglunds, tonight on the Worg Channel."

I would also like to maybe get them involved with the Viglunds who are described as not involved with slavery. They sound like a complex people. I like the idea of killing Vigund's son though. Makes every more personal. We will see how it plays out tonight.

Edit: On re-reading your post I think I misunderstood - I've deleted my post.

[Cleggster]

So for those whom might be interested in trying them out, here are the stats for the Viglunds I used last night. I might consider raising the guards Attribute Level to 5 in the future to make them more of a threat. The first round went well for them with everybody but one member in the party being seized. But afterwards the party made short work of them with one almost becoming weary. I had 1 Slaver for every party member and 1 guard for every second slaver.

So what do you, the viewers at home think?


Viglund Slavers

Attribute
4

Edurance 16
Hate 3
Parry 4
Armor 2D
Skills
Personality 2 Survival 3
Movment 2 Customs 1
Perception 3 Vocation 0

Weapon Skills
Whip 3
Cudgel 2

Special Abilities
Seize Victim
Savage Assault


Viglund Guards

Attribute
4

Edurance 17
Hate 3
Parry 4
Armor 3D+1

Skills
Personality 2 Survival 3
Movment 2 Customs 1
Perception 2 Vocation 1

Weapon Skills
Long Sword 2
Bow 3

Special Abilities
Snake-Like Speed
Hatred (Beornings)


/damage /edge /injury /called shot
Whip / 2 / 10 / 16 / Knocked Prone / instead of Wound, same as called shot
Cudgel /5 / eye / 14 / 2X EDU loss

Sorry, the formatting from my document didn't survive the forum.

[farinal]

Thanks for the stats. My plan actually is starting to happen since my player with the Inn rolled a Sauron for the holding roll of the year. So now there is the big trouble with the Viglunds, a vulnerable inn with the two hobbits inside and my player already interested with the conflict. It seems like the perfect time to introduce them as they attack and possibly take Hobbits as prisoners... The one thing I am thinking about is that my player is in a very good standing with Beornings and also with Beorn himself. So I think if something like this to happen, he would directly go to Beorn and try to get some help. Unless Beorn is unavailable for some reason, possibly already dealing with Viglunds ("as they run away when they see a bear coming their way" from the tales of the years part of DoM)

So any new ideas on this?

[Cleggster]

Wow, funny you should bring this up. I am running the second part of that very story tonight, seeing as the Dwarf who has the inn as a holding rolled the same thing. Last week, I had the Hobbits all worried as the Viglunds were coming. So the group prepped the inn best they could and patrolled the area. When the force did arrive, I was all set to run a siege. But one of the player got an extraordinary success to convince the leader, Viglar, to a personal fight. Lose and the company would surrender themselves as slaves. I was not expecting this and had to come up with some quick dueling rules on the fly. Well in the end, Vilger rolled TERRIBLY. So the Viglunds retreated for the moment.

So, yes I think it's a great idea. Afterward they could go out and meet some of the Cotters and other folks of the Upper Vales.