Three Out of Four Ain't Bad - Missed a TPK by > < "That Much"

So, my players launched a frontal assault on a dragon tonight in the caves above The Lost City of Baracus. I expected either a successful attack by the players with minimal casualties (not likely in the least) or a TPK. We nearly had the TPK but not quite.

What happened?

After last week's dark elf slaughter the characters knew there was a dragon nearby. While discussing plans amongst themselves, they heard the squeaking of rats and then a whoosh and a splash and no more squeaking, leading them to believe the dragon breathed acid - they were right.

Figuring now was the time to attack, the party's cleric took the lead and charged with the magical (continual light) torch. He surprised a goblin that was gathering the dead giant rats and skewering them on a stick. Then there was the matter of the black dragon head sticking out of the corridor to the north.

The party has initiative. The thief and the bard fire their dark elf hand crossbows (with sleep poison bolts) - a hit and a miss and a successful save. Cleric and fighter swing. More hits, both from the part and the dragon. Dragon's bite for a lot of damage as the cleric found out.

Next round and the dragon has initiative. Acid breath takes out the cleric and damages the other three. It would have been worse but I applied the damage inflicted to the dragon against his acid breath - he only inflicted current HP in damage, not his full HP amount. I am a kind and benevolent DM ;)

Another hit is scored on the dragon, this time from a poisoned bolt that did not hit the fighter in the way. The save is failed and we applied a -4 to the dragon's attacks, with a second failed save indicating sleep.

A new round and the Fighter falls to a claw and a bite. The bard charges in with his sword that is + 2 vs reptiles. He misses, as does the thief's bolt that goes far and wide.

Two down and two to go.

The remaining party members and the dragon tie their initiative roll. The sword strikes true as does the dragon's bite. The thief's bolt is far and wide again. The bard is chomped in two and the dragon retreats into the cave behind, licking his wounds, having lost approximately 85% of its HP. As the thief fires bolts blindly into the darkness the dragon flees the caves completely.

Paging the Lone Survivor. Paging the Lone Survivor. ;)

Not either of the possibilities I had expected but still awesome. Even omitting the successful charge through the gore, entrails and acid to retrieve the reptile slaying sword.

New PCs are ready to go for next session :)

Tonight There Will be Dragon Slaying - or a TPK - Magic Eight Ball says "Ask Again Later"

So, last Saturday night my players were on a roll, knocking down encounters, parleying and roleplaying like nobody's business. All that and they confirmed a dragon nearby in the caves above the Lost City of Baracus.

I mean - really nearby. That's where we ended the session, right after the slaying of the dark elves and before the planning of the Dragon Slaying. Of course, the slaying of the dark elves did cause a ruckus, and the steady rumble of what is believed to be the dragon's breathing has ceased. Yeah, they don't the last part yet, but they will when the session kicks off tonight (before they track down their dragon)

They are hell bent on engaging the dragon. Mind you, in the years I've had this Saturday Night Gaming Group we've never encountered a dragon before, so whether they kill it or get killed in return, it will be a first and one for tall tales to be spoken of.

Of course, we are playing Swords & Wizardry, using the Continual Light rules, and the characters range from second to fourth level. The dragon, although not ancient, is old enough to wipe them without much difficulty unless they truly strategize. They do have two hand crossbows and a number of sleep poisoned bolts they recovered from the dark elves.

Now, do I think its advisable for the characters to attack a dragon? Of course not! 

Do I think tonight's session is going to be "fun as shit!" no matter what? Hell yeah! I may just need to kick off a new campaign next week though... Or tonight. Damn. Hard to really prep for a session when you aren't sure if the party will survive the first encounter ;)

Some Further Thoughts on The Lost City of Baracus

 "As is the case with the other mini-campaign settings, this module was designed to give the characters the maximum freedom, so as much as possible, let the players dictate the action. A good way to run The Lost City of Barakus is to drop clues about certain quests and adventures and then see what most interests the characters. And then, perhaps most important of all, don’t be afraid to improvise." Lost City of Baracus, pgs 4-5

The above is part of the advice given to DMs that are about to embark on the adventure of running the adventure The Lost City of Barakus.

"Let the players dictate the action" - this is the key to any sandbox or even railroad with choice. What I like about Barakus is that even though it is a (mega)dungeon, there are hooks and plots that lie without. You don't have to go back week after week into the dungeon - there is a fairly detailed surrounding area, things to do and people to meet (or eventually kill). Actually, what I would like to do is kick off this campaign (when I do) with a DCC RPG styled (or flat out stolen and converted) funnel, tweaked to the setting.

Which leads to: "perhaps most important of all, don’t be afraid to improvise."

This.

There is no such thing as "by the book", at least not when it comes to successful and enjoyable campaigns. No adventure or dungeon writer can think up all of the things your party may attempt. If your party is much like mine are, it's quite likely your party throws curve balls not thought up by the adventure writer every couple of minutes. If so, God bless them, as your players are aces. Enjoy the exercise that comes with making sure your party's attempts to think out of the box are rewarded (although your party might not fully appreciate each such reward ;)