After 13 years of waiting, I'm finally getting to play G1: Steading of the Hill Giant Chief in 1st edition AD&D with a group of people who have NEVER experienced this Gygaxian classic adventure! It took forever to get them to agree to do this, but once I explained the XP and treasure that accompanies high level adventuring, they decided to go for it. They planned for 2 whole weekends before setting out from Specularum north to the Black Peaks and the town of Threshold. I set the steading in the mountains south of the road between Threshold and Verge in the Known World setting of the Basic/Expert set.
The party is comprised of:
Eraergon "Eric" Patheney, 10th level half-elf druid
Chow-Lin, 10th level Ethengarian human magic-user
Falim ibn Abdul Akbar, 7th level Ylari human ranger
Myriam the Scholar, 8th level Ylari human cleric of the Eternal Truth
Katerina Katrina, 6th level Traladaran human Thief (henchman)
Hamlin Hoefurrow, 6th level halfling fighter (henchman)
Gustav Strata, 5th level dwarven fighter (henchman)
Stefan Defoe, 5th level Darokinian human fighter (henchman)
female lantern bearer hireling
10 light crossbowmen hirelings
1 crossbowman sergeant hireling
2 pack mules
Yep, that's a classic party of 20(!) individuals and 2 mules. I have NEVER had such a large group enter a module before, and this should be exciting.
I got them to the secret cave without much fuss. They spent two whole sessions setting up their cave, reconnoitering the steading using polymorph/shapechange, invisibility, and scrying, tracking ogres leaving the steading and counting up possible numbers of giants inside. I talked them out of waiting around outside to take out the giants, since that would have ended in disaster. They eventually agreed to enter the place in the pre-dawn hours and hopefully catch the giants unaware and asleep.
The 1st actual session of them entering the place occurred 2 weeks ago, near the end of the night. They entered the cloak room and took out the sleeping giants both downstairs and in the guard tower. They ended that session thinking this would be a cakewalk.
Last week's session saw them taking out the sub-chief in his own bedroom (somewhat short battle) and using tactics for like the first time ever. The giantess in the bed they polymorphed into a mule and left her in the bed. They moved on north down the corridor and found the giant's nursery, but they backed out and left the kids asleep. The next barracks room they entered contained 10 sleeping giants. They cast silence on them and then systematically killed them in their sleep (none woke up). They were making good progress, all the way to the trophy room on the east side, when they opened the chief's chamber door and pissed off his guardian cave bear! That woke up chief Nosnra who grabbed his weapon and headed for the secret door. While the others were dealing with the bear, the chief called out for help and ran to the wolf pen doors to get the dire wolves on the intruders. The party druid charmed the cave bear but the racket has roused the chief's wife who burst through the southern door with her pet cave bear.
We ended the session with the party in the trophy room + the charmed cave bear (which the druid spoke to). The chief was heading to the outbuilding to rouse the barracks and send them into the battle while the wolves were sent in to deal with the intruders. Several other giants may have heard the alarm. The chief's wife is pissed at being woken so early and she'll likely take it out on the party somehow. I intend on keeping the chief alive and safe through this whole ordeal, perhaps sending him down to the second level. I've learned my lesson with this group, not to give them an inch. They like "no save" spells and can eliminate most threats through ranged attacks. The magic-user is likely to use up her last charge on the Staff of Power she obtained last adventure so I won't need to worry about that item anymore. :)
This could be a TPK, or at least teach them not to try and circumvent the way the module is written. If they had simply entered the place when the feast was occurring they would have had a much easier time of killing the giants, in my humble opinion. They have wands of cold, fire, conjuration, paralysis, a staff of power, a djinni bottle, several 5th level spells among the spellcasters, and a host of healing abilities. I really think that entering the place with a dwarf and halfling fighter was also key since they have better AC against giants.
Can't wait to play this combat out!
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