L5R escapism

mr_angry

Yoes,

I'm running a campaign at the moment, and the players are about to run into a major NPC for the first time. For the purposes of the overall campaign, I need this NPC to make a suitably dramatic, last-minute escape, just as their true identity is discovered. However, I'm having a bit of trouble working out how exactly that escape should play out. The players will need the help of an Otomo courtier and a Kitsuki magistrate in order to uncover the NPCs identity. When they make this discovery, however, it seems like a bad idea that the NPC in question should be in the same location - they could easily be overpowered by the group as a whole.

I could just have the NPC slip off into the night, but it seems to lack the dramatic conclusion to the game that I'm really looking for. Any suggestions?

--
Angry.

humanji

I'm generally good at ideas for stuff like this, but I've no real idea what you're saying Am I right in assuming that L5R is a game? What's the background, ie is it future, present, fantasy? and where exactly are the players?

Is it possible to have some sort of scenery get in the way aiding his escape? Maybe something collapses on the NPC and when the players investigate, they find he's gone?

Nevyn

Have the NPC kill a party memeber in thier sleep or one of thier retainers.

mr_angry

Background? Ok, here goes...

The party are on their way back from a tournament in the Crab lands, and have reached the northernmost Crab village, on the border with the Crane. Whilst on this journey, they protected another village from a bandit attack, but eventually let the bandit go free after hearing his plea for mercy.

Now, they have been put under house-arrest by an emerald magistrate who is investigating bandit activity. The twist, however, is that the magistrate is secretly the bandit leader in disguise, and is attempting to clean-up any possible links back to the wider bandit community in the area. The players need to find this out for themselves, but the leader needs to escape in order for me to run a number of subsequent plots.

I like the idea of the collapsing stuff actually... that could work.

Nevyn

If he is pretending to be a magistrate then have them all arrested on trump charges and held while he makes his get away. They will be released when he sets fire to the building they are in the the threath of the village being on fire should be enough of a diverson to keep them busy while he escapes.

" It's as true today as when I first started adventuring. When in doubt, set something on fire. ~ Belkar "

mr_angry

Meh. Things went ok in the end, although it didn't turn out to be a thrilling climax. The players ended up drafting in their magistrate friend who was nearby, at which point, the fake magistrate did a legger. Interestingly, one of the party had it figured out mid-way through the game, but had trouble finding a way to substantiate his claims. (I had prepared quite a few, but the party didn't pick up on any). His attempts to bribe some reasonably senior Scorpion courtiers into testifying against the fake magistrate were certainly amusing though!

I'd say that I had three major regrets about the game. Firstly, I should have had one of the characters executed for admitting to having aided & abetted bandits. I wasn't really expecting him to do that, and I was so taken aback, I decided to postpone his execution until the following day while testimony was gathered (which was unnecessary, since he'd already admitted to the crime).

Secondly, I was hoping to have one of the party caught in a conspiratorial conversation with a bandit, but have the bandit supply him with some key information. That went a bit awry when he failed to spot the bandit motioning to him outside of the inn he was staying at, and then smacked him around with a katana after he had attempted to gain entry to the room.

Thirdly, I was planning to have a bit of a rumble between the fake magistrate's allies and the players. However, by the end, the party were so badly split, there was virtually no point. Also, after the conclusion, the party decided that they've been d*cked-around so much in the Crab lands, they didn't feel like joining the hunt for the fake magistrate. Thats not really a problem, but they'll miss out on some key goings-on because of that.

I guess I gotta work on my climaxing... (sic)

humanji

mr_angry wrote:

I guess I gotta work on my climaxing... (sic)

Must...resist...innuendo...!

Nevyn

In ur endo ?

humanji

You leave my endo out of this! He has enough problems of his own.