First session funnel

This forum is for finding other players, announcing games, sharing actual game play reports, organizing online games, and so on.

Moderators: DJ LaBoss, finarvyn, michaelcurtis, Harley Stroh

Post Reply
Bercilak
Far-Sighted Wanderer
Posts: 15
Joined: Thu Mar 29, 2012 5:30 am
Location: NC, USA
Contact:

First session funnel

Post by Bercilak »

My group played our first game tonight. 10 of 18 characters survived the Portal funnel. I ran the game as everyone started in Saxon England as humans, and the portal moved while the party was inside. In the dungeon, the demi-humans started to have manifestations of their new forms, but it wasn't until they stepped out of the portal that they became their new race (along with the armor of the elf shifting into mithril). They stepped out of the dungeon into a new world they have never seen--which also means we didn't have to worry about player's knowing anything about the world.

Everyone seemed to have fun watching their pool of characters dwindle, but we did wind up with a strange party in the end. None of the characters who were left had a high enough Intelligence to make a good Wizard, so the party heading in to Level 1 is made up of 1 elf, 2 halflings, 2 clerics, 1 rogue, and 2 warriors. The players are a little nervous about this group composition, and I (as GM) am a little sad about not seeing more corruption chances, but I think we'll make the best of it.

-Berc
User avatar
Ravenheart87
Tight-Lipped Warlock
Posts: 903
Joined: Wed Jan 05, 2011 3:34 pm
Location: Győr, Hungary
Contact:

Re: First session funnel

Post by Ravenheart87 »

Nice way to begin your campaign.
Bercilak wrote:None of the characters who were left had a high enough Intelligence to make a good Wizard, so the party heading in to Level 1 is made up of 1 elf, 2 halflings, 2 clerics, 1 rogue, and 2 warriors. The players are a little nervous about this group composition, and I (as GM) am a little sad about not seeing more corruption chances, but I think we'll make the best of it.
I wouldn't bother, every class has enough fun elements and mechanics to make things interestings. Clerics have deity requests and disapproval. :wink:
Vorpal Mace: a humble rpg blog with some DCC-related stuff.
goodmangames
Cold-Hearted Immortal
Posts: 2703
Joined: Sun Dec 01, 2002 12:41 pm
Location: San Jose, CA

Re: First session funnel

Post by goodmangames »

Cool idea for a starting world. I like the way you limited PC knowledge and integrated demi-humans.

In regards to the wizard pool, did any of the characters have an Int that would make for a "passable" wizard? I have tried to get my players out of the habit of assuming every character has to be optimized for the class. No one wants to play a totally gimpy wizard, but an "okay" wizard with Int 11, 10, even 9 can still be a decent character.
Joseph Goodman
Goodman Games
www.goodman-games.com
User avatar
finarvyn
Cold-Hearted Immortal
Posts: 2599
Joined: Fri Jun 26, 2009 3:42 am
FLGS: Fair Game, Downers Grove IL
Location: Chicago suburbs
Contact:

Re: First session funnel

Post by finarvyn »

Bercilak wrote:My group played our first game tonight. 10 of 18 characters survived the Portal funnel.
That's a pretty good percentage. I don't think I've ever run an adventure for zeroes where more than half survived.
Marv / Finarvyn
DCC Minister of Propaganda; Deputized 6/8/11 (over 11 years of SPAM bustin'!)
DCC RPG playtester 2011, DCC Lankhmar trivia contest winner 2015; OD&D player since 1975

"The worthy GM never purposely kills players' PCs, He presents opportunities for the rash and unthinking players to do that all on their own."
-- Gary Gygax
"Don't ask me what you need to hit. Just roll the die and I will let you know!"
-- Dave Arneson
"Misinterpreting the rules is a shared memory for many of us"
-- Joseph Goodman
User avatar
Raven_Crowking
Cold-Hearted Immortal
Posts: 3159
Joined: Fri Mar 16, 2012 9:41 am
FLGS: The Sword & Board
Contact:

Re: First session funnel

Post by Raven_Crowking »

finarvyn wrote:
Bercilak wrote:My group played our first game tonight. 10 of 18 characters survived the Portal funnel.
That's a pretty good percentage. I don't think I've ever run an adventure for zeroes where more than half survived.
I have.

The first time I ran Portal Under the Stars, only 2 PCs were lost. They did sacrifice a lot of livestock, though.

The second time, no one made it past the third encounter.
SoBH pbp:

Cathbad the Meek (herbalist Wizard 1): AC 9; 4 hp; S 7, A 7, St 10, P 17, I 13, L 8; Neutral; Club, herbs, 50' rope, 50 cp; -1 to melee attack rolls. Hideous scar.
User avatar
Vanguard
Mighty-Thewed Reaver
Posts: 305
Joined: Sun Apr 08, 2012 3:27 pm

Re: First session funnel

Post by Vanguard »

I ran a solo dungeon the other night for a friend and let him roll 10 characters. By the end of it, only two were left.
My Gaming Blog: The Earthlight Academy
http://earthlightacademy.blogspot.com/
Bercilak
Far-Sighted Wanderer
Posts: 15
Joined: Thu Mar 29, 2012 5:30 am
Location: NC, USA
Contact:

Re: First session funnel

Post by Bercilak »

goodmangames wrote:In regards to the wizard pool, did any of the characters have an Int that would make for a "passable" wizard? I have tried to get my players out of the habit of assuming every character has to be optimized for the class. No one wants to play a totally gimpy wizard, but an "okay" wizard with Int 11, 10, even 9 can still be a decent character.
Aside from the demi-humans, whose classes were locked by their occupation roll, we only had one character with a 9 Int, but he was also a Seventh Son with a negative Luck modifier. :lol:

I still have an elf to kick around with the corruption rules, I suppose.

Berc
shadewest
Hard-Bitten Adventurer
Posts: 122
Joined: Wed Jan 12, 2011 7:46 am

Re: First session funnel

Post by shadewest »

One of my players has a warrior with only a modest strength. He has good luck, though, so that contributes with his chosen weapon. He's clever with the deeds so he does just fine..
...unless the judge rules otherwise.

Steven Thivierge
Playtester and additional design for:DCC RPG.
meinvt
Deft-Handed Cutpurse
Posts: 261
Joined: Thu Jun 09, 2011 5:05 pm
Location: Central Vermont

Re: First session funnel

Post by meinvt »

When I get a high constitution score, I immediately check to see if I'm smart enough to be a marginal wizard. I don't have enough DCC experience, but in most systems I find that it is actually the wizard's hit points, not spell adjustments for intelligence, that determine effectiveness and survivability.
shadewest
Hard-Bitten Adventurer
Posts: 122
Joined: Wed Jan 12, 2011 7:46 am

Re: First session funnel

Post by shadewest »

meinvt wrote:When I get a high constitution score, I immediately check to see if I'm smart enough to be a marginal wizard. I don't have enough DCC experience, but in most systems I find that it is actually the wizard's hit points, not spell adjustments for intelligence, that determine effectiveness and survivability.
This strategy will work well in DCC, since your not limited to a certain number of spells per level. There's a cap to the highest level you can cast, but you can stock up on lower levels spells, and still get decent effects on a high spell roll.
...unless the judge rules otherwise.

Steven Thivierge
Playtester and additional design for:DCC RPG.
Post Reply

Return to “DCC RPG Community”