Rialacha Teach Mhorgunna

Vote For Pedro. He will make all your wildest dreams come true …

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Two Christmases ago, the Wilsons, knowing my situation and my craving for game play sent me as a present the 5e Starter Set. I can't tell you how many times I perused and took in the adventures held in it's thin tome. Each time I thought how my fellow players, who in past had surrounded my table would play this. I think it was Kevin that told me that people ACTUALLY watched other people playing D&D on YouTube. I was soon rewarded with multiple versions of the same dungeon. I watched as many as I could find. I was amazed watching the various permutations. There were even a couple of TPKs. I was shocked.

As of last night, one of my dreams is coming true. Finally I am running “the Lost Mines of Phandelver.” (Why did they give it such a hard name to say?) It sounds like the start of a bad joke. A barbarian, cleric and a fighter are hired to escort a wagon load of supplies to the settlement of Phandelver.

I added … for color … a dwarf, Gundren's grouchy strange Uncle Goggle. UG is the family embarrassment having in what should be respectable old age … run off and become a druid. He now is traveling the surrounding area of Neverwinter with the likes of a gigantic bear named Ursula. If this strange pair wasn't bad enough but Goggle talks to the bear … constantly. Stranger yet … Ursula answers back in bearese giving the impression that she understands the conversation that surrounds her. The players have assumed that the bear is Goggle's familiar. (In truth, Ursula is a kind of were-bear crossed over from the Feywild. An elf maiden under a curse, who only assumes her true form on the days of the full moon.)

The party has reached the “Goblin Ambush,” with Jim's barbarian already dispatching one of the beasties. I am, at present, thinking of adding more goblins. First off because, Jim plays a barbarian like a Stradivarius. He is so aggressive and luck at rolling, he constitutes a DM's worst nightmare. Sometimes I think he could go through this as written, all by himself. Secondly, because it makes sense to me. You have a back up force close at hand for tougher targets. It also allows me to add a stress die. This is where I randomly ask one of the players to roll in the tower a d4. I add 1 and in what ever adds up to that is how many turns that it takes the second wave to answer the goblins' warning horn.

The battle is only secondary. Goggle and Ursula stay to protect the wagon. Unless the party members instruct them to come forward. What I am waiting for is the aftermath … the moment that the players discover that the horses blocking the road once belonged to their employer, Gundren and Sildar Winterhall. Now comes a point as to where what I feel is an important decision is to be made.

And every decision has consequences.

Or should. I wonder how many leave the wagon totally alone and find it nice and safe and sound. Shouldn't you check out other options. Isn't there a chance that some one finds the wagon. There mission is after all to get these important supplies to the warehouse in Phandelver. I made Will, who is running the cleric choose a deity. Since we are playing in the Forgotten Realms, I made him choose from the “Sword Cost Adventurer's Guide.” I was hoping he would choose Amaunator. He is concerned with celestial order and so, keeping a bargain is paramount. If this had happened, Will would have been forced to choose to complete the task of delivering the goods. Alas he chose Selune, the Moon Goddess.

So as it stands here are my thoughts to as how this pivot point will play out given the party's choices:
1.) They hide the wagon I will roll and see
a.) if it is still there
b.) if the oxen have been eaten and the supplies still there.
if the oxen have been eaten and the supplies are scattered and destroyed
d.) the wagon has been stolen/ salvaged.
2.) They leave Goggle and Ursula guarding the wagon
a.) which will leave them and the wagon unharmed
b.) or they returned to a wounded Goggle and Ursula having fended off monsters or other beasties.
3.) They let Goggle and Ursula continue unescorted, then the Red Brands waylay Goggle. They capture him, wound Ursula and take him and the wagon back to Glassstaff's hide out. When the party makes it to the cells within the manor house, they will find Goggle imprisoned.
4.) If they go to Phandelver … They deal with the Red Brand bully party … Deliver the goods. If they want to they can rent horses … well … we would have to check on their survival. After all a DM needs to look for ways for the players to spend money.
So I will find this out come Thursday. I am anxiously waiting to see how this plays out. Is there anything I've missed? Anything I can add? Give us a comment! Thanks!