intrigue, murder mystery adventure

[Khamul]

Is there anyone that has a intrigue (murder mystery) adventure set in Dale or maybe Dorwinion? I would love to play a intrigue adventure after all adventuring in Anduin Vale, Mirkwood and Grey Mountains.

[tomfish]

Just here, let me know if that inspires you

viewtopic.php?f=7&t=4503

[TheMonarchGamer]

I'm at the end of running one set in a client-state of Gondor, but I'm sure it could port fairly easily to whereever you choose. If you're interested, I'll try to post a brief description of the adventure when my group is done with it (probably a week or 2).

The basics, however, are that a merchant hired them to investigate the death of his 'co-worker.' Turns out that it gets more mysterious as they uncover more information, and that it involves a conspiracy that goes all the way to the top.
-TMG

[Yepesnopes]

I have to put my hands at work for something like this set in Middle-Earth.

Me and my players are used to games like Warhammer Fantasy RPG and CoC, where there is a lot of investigation, treason, murders, plot twists etc. While I enjoy TOR a lot, both as a LM and as a player, my players are complaining that the plots of published adventures lack a bit of substance, unforeseen twists, and complications. While I think that published adventures do a good work catching up the flavour of Middle-eart, it is indeed true that the plots are quite simple. I will have to find the time to brew something by myself

[Glorelendil]

It might be fun to brainstorm about how TOR rules could be applied to such a scenario in creative ways. I mean, it's fairly obvious to simply use the Encounter rules as each potential witness or suspect is questioned, but what else could be done that would help the rules fit the genre, and the genre fit the setting, in non-obvious ways?

[Falenthal]

It might be fun to brainstorm about how TOR rules could be applied to such a scenario in creative ways.

Eye of Mordor a.k.a. "You've been asking too many questions!"

The characters investigations are drawing the attention of the responsible of the crimes/hijack/robbery/... He will try to disuade the heroes from discovering too much.

Starting Eye Awareness Score: Might not be influenced by the Culture, but by the Status in your own culture (a noble elf asking around the harbours might arise a lot of suspicion, while a raft-elf doing the same might not).

I don't have an idea of how the Awareness Score might get up, but rolling Eyes while investigating might do, as is Using Magic or entering fights.

The Hunt Threshold might be associated with the quarters of the city: the quarters less influenced by the Crime Lord (maybe the noble ones and those of merchants and artisans, unless the Crime Lord is a noble himself or a Guild Master) will have a higher Threshold, while the harbour, outer quarters, etc will usually get a lower one.

Once a Revelation Episode is triggered, the company might find themselves attacked by thugs in a dark alley, a witness they're going to meet can appear dead, an evidence they had might be stolen, their rooms will show up stirred, they might go ask for help to a bribed guard,...

Travel Rules a.k.a. "Keep a low profile"

For every day of investigation, the group has to roll to see how smooth their investigation went in general terms. Each one has to roll Stealth (as per the Travel test for Fatigue). Each failure raises the Eye Awareness by one. If a failure AND and Eye is rolled, then a Hazard is triggered.

Every hero can adopt a role during the investigation, and Hazards affect a certain role, choosed by rolling a Feat die, as in Travel Hazards.
The roles are:
Detective (only one hero, who guides the overall investigation, as a Guide during a Travel) - Uses Riddle
Thug (protects the investigators and menaces those who don't share their info easily) - Uses Awe
Bookworm (the hacker in other settings, or technical staff) - Uses Lore
Burglar (enters places unseen, hears rumours from the shadows) - Uses Stealth
Psycologist (identifies liers and those who don't tell the whole truth) - Uses Insight

The Travel Hazards Effects table should be revised, but something like this could be interesting.


Of course, all names should be changed for more thematic ones and the numbers and mechanics would also need some serious rethinking.
But Glor just said "brainstorming", and that's what you get!

[Khamul]

Thanks Tomfish, I will set my claws in this hehe. Thanks! I was thinking something like Warhammers The Enemy Within. We also have played alot of CoC and wants something more of TOR.

Would be great if we could make of find these kinds of adventures too.

[Arthadan]

I played something like that. The starting point was a group of brigands from the Toft persuaded to steal the Lamp of Balthi during a festivity. They were stopped by the the heroes and when interrogated, they revealed they told they have been hired by a middle man and they were suposed to deliver the Lamp in Lake-town in the next Dragon Tide festival. The Heroes got a date and a tavern name in the fishermen area of the city where the meeting was going to took place.

At the same time this mysterious buyer is known to have a medallion embossed with a black dragon, which is a distinctive feature of the man who commanded the forces who killed the father of one of the characters (who turns out not to be dead but driven to madness, be the crazy man bearer of the mighty axe Wolf-bitter, but that's another story).

In short, my bad guy was a wealthy merchant from Dorwinion working as an agent of Sauron and his current mission was neutralizing the Lamp. In the city, they ask Glóin for help to get an interview with one of the city Counsellors (a collector of antique and strange objects who knows the evil merchant). There they got the name of the merchant's ship, then they got to the docks and find out his arrival date but they were too obvious and they got ambushed on his way to the tavern for the meeting. In the end the merchant escaped and the heroes got no proof of his involvement on the theft, so he will be back when things calm down.

[Falenthal]

I had plans (and rough ideas) about a short adventure in Lake-town for demos and cons. I think the Lake-town supplement lacked a city adventure. Also for a demo of TOR the city is well known to anyone (either from the book or from the films),at least more than the Woodmen, and the amazing drawing by Hodgson for the LM Screen should be profited.

Your ideas and adventures both are giving me plans to write my own.
Thanks for sharing your works.