Author Topic: Will this still work? (Secrets of Boston players keep out!)  (Read 2565 times)

Offline Wordmaker

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Will this still work? (Secrets of Boston players keep out!)
« on: October 08, 2010, 09:47:27 AM »
Bit of backstory:

In my Boston game, the group's wizard was just invited to join the Wardens and accepted. Two of my players (the wizard and a Knight of the Cross) commented that they'd previously thought of a more cool way for the wizard to join, by calling Harry Dresden for some help, Harry saying "I'm sending a Warden to you, he should be there in 24 hours." Then the next day, a FedEx guy shows up with a parcel containing a Warden's cloak. Fair, it would have been cool, but I wans't sure of how to work in such a scene since it relies heavily on anticipating player behaviour and they never came to me saying they wanted to work the scene in.

Now here's my issue:

Little do they know that I have a plan for the current scenario, of which one of the themes is whether the rookie Knight of the Cross is ready for his first real fight against the Denarians. I'm planning on hitting his family pretty hard, showing him how tough a prepared Denrian team can be, etc. All thoughout, his mother is nagging him to come home to collect his mail and go out with a nice girl she's setting him up with.

When things get really bad, and the group has to go face insurmountable odds to save the day, his family will finally get his mail to him, which will include a parcel from Chicago. Inside is a newly-sewn Order of the Cross cloak made specifically for him, with a note from Michael Carpenter apologising for it being late.

I figured such a scene was very in keeping with how the Knights get help when they most need it, but not always in the way they expect, and a reminder of his faith, and the faith someone like Michael has in him (this PC is the new wielder of Amoraccius), fits with that.

Now, in light of what the two players said about their idea for the scene with the Warden's cloak being delivered, does my idea still work? The players have no idea I'm planning this and as yet nothing has happened that would prevent my scene from taking place. I'm just unsure if it will still have the same impact?

Offline babel2uk

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Re: Will this still work? (Secrets of Boston players keep out!)
« Reply #1 on: October 08, 2010, 10:10:07 AM »
Personally I'd rethink it. It's unlikely to have the same impact as it would have had before, and the players may assume that you've just adapted their idea.

Offline Becq

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Re: Will this still work? (Secrets of Boston players keep out!)
« Reply #2 on: October 08, 2010, 06:38:46 PM »
I love the idea, but I'm a bit afraid that under the circumstances it will lose some flair.

I was tossing around ideas for a substitute scene for you, but the best I could come up with was a semi-comedic scene in which the KotC is running down a foe, does the ol' running-through-the-clothline thing and ends up draped in a sheet, followed shortly by getting slammed up against a not-yet-dry advertisement painted on the wall ("LOW PRICES + DOUBLE COUPONS = HUGE SAVINGS!" or some such).  One of the other players then notes that the white sheet has been ripped to strongly resemble a tabard, with the red '+' stain completing the image...


Offline Papa Gruff

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Re: Will this still work? (Secrets of Boston players keep out!)
« Reply #3 on: October 08, 2010, 07:10:27 PM »
Question: couldn't you do both? The idea is very cool and it is always nice to toss some familiar names in. For example. Couldn't the FedEx guy bring two parcels at the same time bye "coincidence"? Wouldn't that be awesome? Think about it. How unlikely is that?! I mean, there must be a ways to have the cake and eat it too... ;)
in omnia peratus! ... wait a minute! ... to give anybody a rucksack? ... DAMN CORRESPONDENCE COURSE!

Offline Becq

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Re: Will this still work? (Secrets of Boston players keep out!)
« Reply #4 on: October 08, 2010, 07:53:20 PM »
Question: couldn't you do both? The idea is very cool and it is always nice to toss some familiar names in. For example. Couldn't the FedEx guy bring two parcels at the same time bye "coincidence"? Wouldn't that be awesome? Think about it. How unlikely is that?! I mean, there must be a ways to have the cake and eat it too... ;)
I kinda like this one...

Heh.  What if the packages got switched, each delivered to the wrong person?

Offline ralexs1991

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Re: Will this still work? (Secrets of Boston players keep out!)
« Reply #5 on: October 09, 2010, 01:21:07 PM »
Question: couldn't you do both? The idea is very cool and it is always nice to toss some familiar names in. For example. Couldn't the FedEx guy bring two parcels at the same time bye "coincidence"? Wouldn't that be awesome? Think about it. How unlikely is that?! I mean, there must be a ways to have the cake and eat it too... ;)

Maybe he'll have a name patch that reads "Jake"  :o  ;)
Oh, hi, Mr. Warden!  How are you this fine day?  My, what a shiny sword you have there...

Offline Papa Gruff

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Re: Will this still work? (Secrets of Boston players keep out!)
« Reply #6 on: October 09, 2010, 02:15:27 PM »
Maybe he'll have a name patch that reads "Jake"  :o  ;)

Might be a bit mutch... but who knows *g*
in omnia peratus! ... wait a minute! ... to give anybody a rucksack? ... DAMN CORRESPONDENCE COURSE!

Offline Wordmaker

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Re: Will this still work? (Secrets of Boston players keep out!)
« Reply #7 on: October 11, 2010, 07:50:42 AM »
Couldn't have done both, since the wizard already got recruited and I'd had a new Warden commander for the East Coast appointed, so Harry was no longer the boss there.

In any case, I'm currently not sure of the future of the campaign, so it's a bit of a moot point I'm afraid. Thanks for the advice, though!

Offline mostlyawake

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Re: Will this still work? (Secrets of Boston players keep out!)
« Reply #8 on: October 12, 2010, 01:46:56 AM »
Given the holy powers that allow people to show up where/when ever needed, you can totally just have a dude walk up, hand out a cloak, and say "you're going to need this."

Of course, you could totally just Deux ex machina it and have an archangel come hand it over, which might make the character feel that much more special.  Especially if the angel says something weird like "I hope it fits, I really didn't know what size you'd be now back when I made it."  And then it fits perfectly of course, despite being 300 years old.