Kidnap the Archpriest

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• I've been following these reviews for awhile but I must have missed something along the way. What does this mean? "Disclosure: This went through my content partner service."

  • Here: https://tenfootpole.org/ironspike/?page_id=3411

• Impressed! I just bought it. It's particularly interesting to see how the can-go-in-all-directions heist and social aspects are handled, vs. much easier "Here's a dungeon- Get the gold- Kill the monsters" adventures where DMs and Players know what to do without too much thinking. It's also interesting to see system-neutral stuff done well. 54 pages of material for $4.99! Beautiful clear layout. Detailed but not ponderous timelines for what NPCs are doing at particular times when PCs might be heisting. It inspires me to make my own stuff better.

• I love the premise of this adventure: the heist/kidnapping/prisoner rescue type scenario is an enjoyable break from the norm. It is stripped down to details that are actually important; the minimalist key for the castle is appropriate; the "Black Endoguards" sound and act in a terrifying way. When I read the adventure, I thought "Bryce might like this one, it isn't smothered in the wrong sort of detail". Then I saw Bryce had been consulted.
  There is one area I think it could be improved: the author claims that PCs are gradually taught the necessary deceptive and planning skills, but how? I suggest a notoriety system. (See next comment.)
  I bought this and I'm happy with my purchase.

  • Continuing: one of the best prisoner rescue scenarios is a 2e Greyhawk adventure "City of Skulls". A key mechanic is notoriety: you gain points for looking out of place (e.g. elves in an evil kingdom), but more for what you do (e.g. leaving witnesses, corpses lying about, broken locks). And if you accumulate enough points, hit squads seek you out. This could be adapted to "Kidnap the Archpriest". Asking questions without subtlety e.g. "Where does the Archpriest live and when is he least guarded?", or sticking out like a sore thumb, would gain points. The hit squad leader could have a written order "Apprehend the foreign merchants asking questions in the Market Square". In this way the PCs might realise they need to change disguises, ask less direct questions, or have some decent cover story. If they really attract attention, time for the Black Endoguards!

    • Hi! So I considered an escalating series of "Danger Points" for PCs who caused too much trouble. The issues I ran into were:
      -assigning points to individuals vs groups
      -when to assign points
      -when to remove points
      The draft ended up being 3 pages long and featured a lot of really silly examples, so I cut it. Instead, the entire issue of blowing cover was moved to the Escape section and replaced with a binary "Raised/Not Raised Alarm."

      I also like tight economies (possibly too much.). Money, Time, and Information are hard-coded into RPGs already. "Notoriety Points"... aren't. Given the choice, I'll try and use an existing subsystem rather than invent a new one. There are downsides, but I think, given the scope of the module, that not including a strict notoriety system was the right choice. There are simply too many ways to approach the heist.

      • Nice to have a reply from the author. Congratulations on your creation. However you have yet to convince me regarding the lack of "danger points". Regarding asking questions, surely the constraint should be asking too many or asking too obviously, rather than not enough time to ask. And if you are dropping lots of bribes, again that ought to draw unwelcome attention no matter how deep your pockets. I think you might find material of interest in City of Skulls; the pdf is cheap on rpgnow. It is more of a high magic high level affair (with lots of notes on spell/magic item use), but it does have useful examples of how and when to assign notoriety.

        • Here's my thoughts, just from the design notes of KtA.
          The first issue is "how can the GM define an obvious question?" or an "unsubtle move?". One or two paragraphs of guidance (that say nothing of value).

          Then, how can the GM track these using "danger points"? They'll need some sort of tracking mechanism or sheet or framework, adding to their already hectic workload. Is the payoff worth it?

          There should also be a mechanism to gain "danger points" by flashing money around. How much money, spent in what way? This adds a whole new variable to the "money=time" market equation and something else for the GM to track. Is the payoff worth it?

          Then, a bit about results. What do certain danger point thresholds mean? Doubled guards, extra defenses, all that. Does this add value? Are these things a GM /couldn't/ do on the fly, just based on a realistic view of the heist and the PCs, without requiring guidance?

          Basically, I've spent all this time telling the GM "increase the guards or send a few Endoguard after the PCs if they are being unsubtle". This is information that's already baked into the NPC descriptions. It's also such an obvious statement that it's hardly worth saying... so I didn't.

          Every subsystem had to fight for its life in this module. This one didn't make the cut.

• Is there a reason why this isn't categorised under "The Best"

  • Because I'm a mess and fail at routine admin tasks. From the Volcano Lair, Death Ray constructions is more fun than FMLA paperwork. But, fixed now.