Just wanted to post here my Freedom Thread from the old WOTC board (WOTC suck btw), so I can continu it. Unless nobody care?
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Today, we took a break from our old campaign and played Freedom for the first time with new character.
We had;
- One Dwarf earth-cleric fighter who is also a blacksmith-slave of House Vordon.
- One Half-giant Fighter who is a slave-soldier of House Vordon.
- And one female Human Bard/Preserver who is a slave of House Minthur (played by a girl in my group).
My first job was to introduce them to Tyr and capture them for the Ziggourat in making.
So the Dwarf and the Half-giant were tasked by Taxos Vordon to go in Shadow Square to buy a saphir from an elf who have a shack there. That gem was to be used in the making of a magic metal weapon for the upcoming Gladiator game. The Bard was in Shadow Square to buy magical component and material for poison making. After hour of role-playing, buying crap and introducing them together in various way, I played the event “Press gang” in Shadow Square. They tried to fight there way trough the half-giant. The PC half-giant was captured and the dwarf and the bard barely escaped (with 1 or 2 hit point left). So now, the party is divided. The Half-giant is captured and the two other still free but wanted, since they managed to kill a Templar in th e escape.
Also, they took the street that lead right in the elfe district near the bridge and the night is coming. The game finished when they arrived there, low on hit point and water, and with all the elf looking at them suspiciously, like vulture on a prey. Next game, I plan to capture them with the elf during the night and sell them to the Templar, so the party can be reunited.
The only flaw of Freedom I see right now is that it’s easy to break off the party and it’s sometime hard to keep them together.

Another game in Freedom tonight. I failed again to capture all the PC.
The last game ended with the PC fleeing the Press-gang in Shadow Square and entering the Elf district as the sun was setting behind the Rigging Mountain. As you know, the party was break off since the Half-giant player was captured in Shadow Square.
So, the Dwarf (really low on hp) and the Human bard (played by a girl) arrive near the Elven bridge at night. There, I introduced the new player, a guy playing an halfling Illusionist/Trader. There, I tried to trap them with elf thief Prithen and Nandlex, but the halfling got ride of them by making an illusion of a gold coin he throwed in the canal below the bridge. They then runned off while the elves were searching for the golden coin. So I could’nt capture them there.
They then arrived in my home-made Artisan quarter “Dwarven Town” (just north of the Slave pit, south of the Noble quarter on the Tyr map). That place was composed of small dwarven house and shop who were dedicated to construct the tool for the Ziggourat in exchange of limited freedom. The PC tryed to hide there, wrongly thinking to be safe there. They learned about Kled in the desert, a legend of a free dwarven village. With the Inn keeper Timroll, I tried to do the poisoning scene, but all PC succeeded there saving throw . The morning after, I made another Press-gang scene in the Dwarven Quarter, involving Torban and the PC half-giant, forced to work for Torban in exchange of water ( a way to get the PC reunited. ) Well, they won the fight ( I rolled bad dice the whole fight) and they even managed to turn the PC half-giant on there side against Torban. Then, when the reinforcment arrived, they escaped trough the city wall near by, using Dimension door. The game ended there, with all the PC still free, now running in Tyr field with no water in direction of Kled.
Well, they are getting far away from the Ziggourat and slave pit. Next game, I will send Torban (riding a plated Inix) and more templar and half-giant and cavalry to capture them before they leave the Verdant Belt. If I fail again, well, I dont think I will continu Freedom.
If anyone have good idea to share on how to capture the PC outside of Tyr without using too much obvious high level force against low level PC, I would like to hear your suggestion.

Another good game. This one was specially cool cause of my new random encounter table that work pretty well (I will post an english translated version pretty soon). The only drawback is that it’s not Freedom anymore, since the PC are now escaping in the desert.
So, the last game they escaped Tyr using Dimension Door trough the city wall. They were now running in the Verdant belt, direction east where they heard there a dwarven village (it’s in fact, Kled North east, but they dont know that , so they are going wrong direction )
I described the field of Tyr dryed and without crop cause there no more slave in the field (the city is at the edge of starving). They made a first stop 4 hour latter in an abandonned erdlu farm. They found a big pile of food there, but it was a loot made by Z’tal. I played them afraid first, and looking not dangerous, the PC did’nt care. But when they began to hord the food in the barn, 12 z’tal surrounded them, looking at them like crazed lizard. They used there scream (see mounstrous) and the PC had hard time dealing with them. I ** you not, I almost made a total party killing with 12 z’tal (I had good morale roll). They are indeed, nasty little beast. Staying 3 hour in this farm was there biggest mistake, cause while they were there, Torban (The half-giant press gang from Freedom book who I made a Templar/Fighter in my game) and his henchmen grabbed there mount and gave the chase of the PC, using a Jhakar (Torban is mounted on a big war inix, with complete chitin barding). The Pc psionic saw that using his clairevoyance. So the PC grabbed there stock and ran away to the east. They dodged two habited farm (fearing of getting captured) and they used a couple of trick to get ride of there smell (for the tracking Jhakar), so I gave them another chance. They finnaly got to the stonny barrens east of Tyr during the night. Without break, they continued there forced march trough the stonny barrens, and I made them veary dangerous with all sort of poisoning cactus, brambleweed, bloody treemiss etc (see A Little Knowledge). The next day, while they were running trough a kind of forest elf cactus (see Little Knowledge), they were chased by a pack of 4 Liirs. The Liirs were stalking them the whole time, making hit and run tactic to bring there Hp lower and lower and run there spell out. They managed to get ride of the Liirs ( I nearly made another Total Party Killing and they lost all there water during the battle). Now they see Fort Skonz on the horizon and the Sand dune behind, but Torban and his men are closing from the West and his advancing fast. They advanced to lvl 4.
Next game is a big battle they have little chance to win against Torban. If they succeed (I doubt), I will capture them in Fort Skonz with poison. I plan to bring them in the Ziggourat once and for all and finally play Freedom.

We continued Freedom.
I finally captured them in the desert with Torban and his Press gang riding plated Inix
The game was really brutal. The slave pit and working on the ziggoruat work pretty well. the two mage hidden there spell book. One used Illusion to make his spellbook (a cloak) appear as a blanket and the other used charm person on the templar to keep her spellbook (a music book, since she a bard/preserver). The PC dwarf used his weapons smithing skill to build a stone axe he hide in the pen. I used the PC half-giant instead of the NPC Urgoss, and he had to fight annoying Gith during the night that wanted to eat him. The PC mage/bard went friend with Malhanda (who is a defiler instead of preserver). I plan to eventually use her to steal the PC spell book.
The work was fun and brutal. I had them push giant stone block on top of the ziggourat with the Cruel overseer (encounter) to whip for whaterver reasons. The PC got ride of him by dropping a brickload on the Overseer and made it appear as an accident (Oops). The PC half-giant became overseer instead. He was pleased at the beginning, but he quickly changed idea, when he realised he had to be ruthless with his team to reach the quota.
The PC bard also accepted to spy for Tithian in exchange of extra water and food.She plan to give false information to Tithian (she dont know he use Zone of Truth spell, so she will regret it). The PC also made friend with Cruevax (the traitor in the slave pit) and had problem with Ramachil and his elfe, who blackmailed the PC to give them more water for there protection.
The PC dwarf encountered Hivash and Granj and he begin to plan an escape. He want to unite all the dwarf slave to slowly dig a tunnel in the slavepit during the night that lead directly in UnderTyr. He also want to negotiate with the captive elfe who know a tunnel in UnderTyr that lead outside the city (see City state of Tyr book.)
This game is going pretty well. Freedom is really a blast when you manage to keep the PC together. I think its the best DS published adventure. I can’t wait for the next game.

The game continued. For most of the game, the dwarf PC was tortured and hanged in the sun by the templar cause he was betrayed by an unknown informer(the NPC Liurgand who he talked about his plan of digging a tunnel). The PC dwarf resisted to talk about his plan.
Meanwhile, the other PC tried there best to survive and meet there quotas. They could’nt since the stronght dwarf was out, so they got deprived of water quickly. I used the mul thug to steal all remaining water the PC had.
I also runned the part where Kalak throw two noble in the pit, but the PC did’nt move, so the two noble were butchered.
They tried to have information from the elfe about the UnderTyr to start digging. The bard made a bargan with the elfe Ramachil to steal a mysterious locked chest in the templar tent on top of the Ziggourat. She succeeded using her thieve skill and lot of luck. She tried to pick lock the chest but failed. She then bargained the chest with additionnal water and the information about UnderTyr. Ramachil accepted, took the chest, give them false information and all the water and food of the elfe. They hidden the water in a hole. The next day, they were no more elfe in the Slave pen (the chest contained a ring of teleport). The templar, angry to lose so many slave, doubled the quotas and warned all the slave to report any further escape plan.
I also introduced the NPC thri-kreen Ch’kraran who worked with the PC and they had to restrain him everytime so he dont hunt other slave. They succeeded at that.
I also played the Veilled alliance attack on the pen during the night and the halfling PC (Psionicist/Trader/Illusionist) saved the wounded preserver Faldar (see Part Two) and his now a member of the Veiled Alliance who want to steal the Ziggourat plan to know what it’s about.
Next game is in two week. They will have to stole the plan of the Ziggourat from Tithian hand, try to keep the team coworker alive to meet the quotas during the day (the half-giant PC talk about stealing water to other slave) and finally, form a band of slave to dig tunnel and prevent any spy or traitor to report them to the templar.

Another game last evening.
The PC started digging there tunnel trying to reach UnderTyr. They there best to keep that secret, but they recruited one of the NPC the scenario discribe as a traitor (Cruevax). They are not aware of it.
Also, they stolen the Ziggoruat plan from Tithian tent during the night. The Veiled Alliance asked them to get in the Ziggoruat to trigger off all the trap Kalak have set in so they can attack the sorcerer king when he transform (the PC are not aware of the real reason why the Ziggourat is build, but they start to get some clue. )
Next game is a big dungeon inside the Ziggourat.

(gawd, I’ve got to fix the paragraph spacing … :P)

You just noticed?

No, I noticed long ago. just havn’t gotten to that yet.
Was actually hoping to fix the text parser, so it doesn’t replace a double line in the post text with a single BR …
but hacking the stylesheet is just as easy, for a quick fix.

pringles: Sounds like you folks are having a great time with Freedom. I like how challenging you are making it for your players (they sound like they are challenging YOU too!). I have a favor to ask of you. I would like to have that adventure but I am too cheap to buy it at the moment. Would you be willing to send me a summery of each encounter (with npc’s and motives). I have a few people that are running the intro to DS right now and would love to put them through Freedom. If you could do this please send it in an E-mail jmhsrh@comcast.net”>to-jmhsrh@comcast.net. Thanx and if you have any questions or need help with anything let me know. I had run my own DS stuff for 15 years (on and off) and have a lot of info and theories I am willing to share.