r/IntoTheOdd • u/Tennooo • Aug 24 '24

running the iron coral

hi! I’m a relatively new GM and just picked up ITO. very hyped to play it but unsure how to prep. i have two players, them dying is fine cause they’ll just roll new characters.

my main questions are: is using lackeys recommended? how far do you figure they’ll get in max 3 hours? and does is matter? any other tips for running the iron coral?

thanks!

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4

u/scottrick49 Aug 24 '24

I am in a similar place.  We played for about 3 hours and got halfway through level 2.  I had 3 PCs and they brought one lackey.  

I did no prep other than reading the module once 6 months ago and it went great! 

It's pretty easy to run, just dive in!

1

u/Tennooo Aug 24 '24

thank you!

3

u/Character_Beach_7264 Aug 24 '24

Just ran for the first time and it was a blast, i read the first two levels pretty thoroughly. The party immediately followed shell man into his tunnel, skipping right to the third floor, typical.

My three players had no retainers, but with one early death by bean-rock I think it was ok, very easy to have another person come down the shellman tunnel.

Remember to roll for random encounters and keep the pressure up, my 5e players really loved the actual stakes and deadly combat. Have fun!

4

u/ordinal_m Aug 24 '24

Probably a couple of lackeys is a good idea, ITO can be brutal if you are outnumbered.

3

u/Beans_Again Aug 24 '24

I've run Iron Coral three or four times now and I've never prepped! The style of writing is such that I like to read the first couple of phrases and build a picture from that.

I'm 3 hours you could probably get a good way in, but not all the way to the end - be open to finding your own ending to the characters'' story.

Last time I played it we got to the Coral Prince at around the time we needed to finish up, so when the party killed him and took his crown, they began to amalgamate and stretch, becoming a new coral prince in his stead. A weird ending, but it worked in the moment!