Thoughts on the "Scales of War" Prelude

The prelude Scales of War on pages 48 and 49 of Shadow of the Dragon Queen offers the characters a first glimpse at the horrors of war to come: a young farmer boy called Rhys asks them for help against black-cloaked figures that have attacked him and several soldiers he was accompanying.

Shadow of the Dragon Queen does not tell us any more about Rhys and the surroundings in which the characters meet him. I think, though, my game could gain a lot by allowing the characters to get to know Rhys and his home area a bit during this prelude. First, this will heighten the contrast between the idyllic country life and the later atrocities of war. Second, the area and its NPCs can be used later as setting for one of the Missions for Kalaman on pages 88 and 89 of Shadow of the Dragon Queen. Finally, the NPCs the characters get to know during the prelude could be re-introduced into the campaign at a later point of time, e.g., as fugitives to Kalaman or voluntaries/draftees of the defending army.

To enhance the scenario, I think it would be helpful to

• support the encounter with a map showing the surroundings, locating the encounter either along the river Inkwater, the Esker Brook;

• allow the characters meet acquaintances and/or kinsmen of Rhys, that come along the way when the fight with the draconians is winding down;

• have these NPCs take the characters along to a nearby farm to check whether everything is alright;

• use the ensuing counter for the characters to bond with some of the villagers, get to know the area a bit, and learn a bit about the world in general or about nearby Vogler in particular;

• set the scene for revisiting the area during one of the Missions for Kalaman on pages 88 and 89 of Shadow of the Dragon Queen.