The Moonbridge Raid took a different approach to the missions. The first two adventures were "on rails," while this raid was a "sandbox" crawl. In other words, in the first two missions, there was really only one way to go. 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. In a sandbox style game, the players have more freedom to explore, and the guidebook is more complex, as things can happen in different orders, depending on where they want to go.
Preparation
I read through the complete trilogy before starting Part 1. There were hex maps, and cue cards and currency tokens to cut out. I sorted the cue cards, paper clipping them together in piles by area (for example, all the map A cards in one pile, all the map B cards in another pile, etc). This helped me stay organized.
I gave envelopes to all the players to hold their inventory/money.
I also gave some thought to the special character roles that three of the characters were taking on: Raid Leader, Lion Warrior and Bear Knight.
Moonbridge Raid Part 1 was completed in 4 game sessions.
(I don't want to give away too many spoilers, so these session notes will look low in detail)
Session #1
Date in Real Life: Sunday, 6 Jun 2021
In Game Day: Days 1 and 2 of campaign
(Main land and first part of Grim island)
Player Characters:
Philip the Raid Leader: 4th mission, 1st mission as Raid Leader.
Starflower the Lion Warrior (with Regulus the Lion): 4th mission, 1st mission as a Lion Warrior.
William the Bear Knight (with Bill the Bear): 4th mission, 1st mission as a Bear Knight
and Edward the Light Raider: 4th mission.
The team had a peaceful time on the main land and found the first moon bridge without incident. On Grim Island, they made their way to the fishing village (ambushing a goblin camp on the way). They successfully tracked grims during the night to find the grim village deep in the forest. They backed off and have set up camp for themselves to get some rest.
Favorite moment: Starflower asks her lion, Regulus, if he wants to eat the goblin body. Regulus responds that he isn’t hungry and that they are “yucky”.
Session #2
Date in real life: Sunday 13 June 2021
In Game dates: Day 3 of campaign
(finish Grim island)
The team kept watch through the night, ignoring a goblin patrol that didn’t notice them. Wood sprites came to tease them in the morning. The team made their way to the Grim village, where William and Edward touched lodestones and became sin enchanted to help the grims build their cage. Starflower and Philip rescued their friends, and the party rescued Hubert the Muskrat. They traveled and encountered another Lightraider team, and were able to offer some advice. They dealt with some Goblins along the beach, and found their way to the next Moonbridge. They crossed the Moonbridge, receiving gifts, and have arrived on Troll island at 4am, after being up most of the night.
Session #3
Date in Real Life: Monday 21 June 2021
In Game dates: Day 4 of campaign
(First part of Troll Island)
The Raid Team attempted to settle down for the night, but were harassed by Goblins. The OverLord himself visited them and encouraged them. They attempted to sleep again, but were suddenly surrounded by goblins. They successfully said their team runes to make their escape, abandoning some of their gear in their flight. They found a quiet place to sleep most of the morning, then headed back into the woods. Some of their equipment was damaged, and Starflower’s bedroll was missing. They recovered what they could, then found a road to follow. As they continued along the road, they encountered Rotwort the Goblin, who took them to Tegbat the Troll. Tegbat talked with them, trying to convince them to join him, and enchanted Starflower with his smoke. Starflower eagerly followed him to his “castle”, and the others tagged along. While the team was in the castle, Regulus the Lion caught a deer, ate the whole thing, and promptly fell asleep somewhere in the woods. Bill the Bear foraged and took a nap.
When the RaidTeam had Starflower alone, they rescued her, before getting the grand tour of the castle. No one was tempted into enchantment during the tour. At night, they escaped and ran off into the night, meeting a patrol of 5 goblins on the road. Philip ambushed one, then threw his battle axe at a second, dispatching 2 goblins before the others really got started. The second goblin had fired an arrow at Edward, missed, and hit his friend in the back. William also ambushed a goblin, wielding his dagger in one hand and his hatchet in another. He hurt and then killed his opponent, then threw both his weapons into the back of the goblin attacking Starflower. Starflower and Edward finished off the last two just as Bill the Bear arrived on the scene.
The Raid Team continued their midnight escape into another patch of trees. They met a wolf who encouraged them, and suggested they had found a safe place for the night. At 2am, they decided to make camp. They made do without Starflower's bedroll by sharing: whoever was awake on night watch would not have a bed.
Session #4
Date in Real Life: Monday 28 June 2021
In Game dates: Day 5 of campaign
(Second half of Troll Island)
The RaidTeam spent the night in the forest, then followed the road East. They encountered some Goblins, which they easily dispatched, and they explored a broken down house. Regulus caught up to the team in the afternoon. As they made their way to the coast, they encountered the NPC Vanid. Edward successfully role played through the Great Rescue, and a new Twice Born happily left back home. The team found the next moon bridge without any trouble, and were given an ornate staff and a silver ring, with little idea as to what they do. They crossed the bridge early, and got a good night’s sleep. They awoke at first light on Day 6, well rested and refreshed, then heard a skeleton leading a human captive!
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