We didn't do a session 0. That's primarily because these aren't strangers but rather players that I've been gaming with for at least a couple of years now. I have some pretty consistent gaming rules, but they've never had to be enforced.
- No cheating
- No intolerant behaviors (homo or transphobia, no racism or sexism, etc)
- No sexual content
- Keep to a tone closer to LOTR than Monty Python.
- If you have an hard limits on content, let me know, and if you have a concern about something that’s happening in the session then ping me privately.
I've typed them out so many times that my phone's auto-correct predicts them.
Instead of a session 0, I followed my game setup checklist to get ready. It’s a simple checklist that boils down about 6-8 hours of concentrated prep time. I'll post the whole checklist in another post.
In the first session, I introduced the town of Absolution and got the players to the box canyon that forms the entrance to Stonehell. If you've not read the module or run it, here's the breakdown. About two hundred years ago, Stonehell was a prison used by a tyrannical ruler. The Potentate would send prisoners here, give them hand tools, and force them to build their own prison out of the living rock. If the prisoners worked, they were fed. Otherwise, the prisoners were allowed to manage themselves and the guards only intervened if work was not proceeding. Eventually the government was overthrown and the doors of Stonehell pulled down. The population was liberated, but a substantial portion of them were not interested in life on the surface. Since then, it's become a haven of monsters of all stripes, including many descendants of the original residents. Adventurers go there in search of the treasures horded by the monsters who have made the former prison their home. There are some… darker things that are going on down there, but I won't get into spoilers.
On to the adventure!
It's spring. The weather was cool and overcast when the party set out to the mountains to the west. The magic user Veigar, the Elf Solvan El'Spring, Novice Cleric Skiaw Muclu, and the thief Tuesday Hardwick made some last minute preparations before making the half-day hike to the box canyon. Upon arrival there, they discovered the old gatehouse and its broken down walls, the last the barrier which kept the prison of Stonehell separated from the outside world. As it was the middle of the day, all seemed quiet and tranquil.
They passed through the broken gates and bent portcullises, under murderholes and arrow slits and got their first glimpse of the canyon proper. It was wide, with tall, craggy limestone walls that rise up over 200ft. As they passed the second portcullis, a rabbit hopped up onto a tree stump and watched them until they approached closer, then hopped away and darted into the tall grass of the canyon. They heard splashing water coming from the western end of the canyon. To the right and left, where the broken down wall would have met the cliffs of the canyon, they can see entrances into the rock, carved and square.
The party decided to scout the gatehouse more closely, turning right and discovering a ground-floor entrance. Lighting a torch, they entered the stone halls. The ceilings were twelve feet high and supported by fat beams covered in creosote. In the first room, they discovered an encampment of goblins, sleeping through the day. After a brief discussion, they roused the sleeping monsters. Surprised and frightened by the armed men, there was a brief exchange that turned into an attempt to negotiate with them. Tuesday posed as a member Ghost Beggar gang - a group of brigands that reside nearby.
The goblins of the Wolf Gang were not swayed and were prepared to let the party leave until someone mentioned that they are 'missing out on all the gold.' This turned the negotiation into a hold-up. The goblins felt emboldened by the mention of wealth and decided they would like to have some-- without working for it nor taking up arms with these bandits. Combat erupted. Blows were exchanged, arrows flew. Tuesday Hardwick fell, his life cut short by a goblin short sword. His allies slain, the last goblin surrendered to the adventurers and sang like a canary in exchange for his life.
The party wanted to know what factions of monsters awaited them in the depths, which the goblin was more than happy to illuminate:
- The Cold Sore Orcs, currently in conflict with the rest of the Wolf Gang goblins;
- The Wolf Gang Goblins, the main group that him and his friends were a part of;
- The Kobolds of Kobold Korners, who maintain a kind of tavern and neutral ground;
- Lizardfolk, who are 'crazy cultists'
This goblin was as forthcoming as he could be, but didn't have perfect information. The party honored their end of the deal, and the goblin fled through the main passageway and out of the canyon to parts unknown.
In the aftermath, they looted the bodies. It's what you do, after all, whether you have casualties or no. Equipment and gold are the lifeblood of an adventuring party.
All told, the players spent about an hour making characters and buying equipment (it is only their second time playing this game, so character generation is naturally going to take longer than normal) and then 2 hours exploring the game world, and were excited to continue. They only really saw one room of the gatehouse and fought the goblins, so there's still a lot of rooms in the gatehouse and some secrets there to uncover, such as a wizard's cache and a the identity of a corpse on the second floor.
I will be posting the random hooks I used, my house-rules, as well as the details about Absolution, the kingdom Myrrah, and the general background details I shared with my players. If you'd like to know more about anything, leave a comment and let me know!
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