Totally agree about the trolley. The story is very evidently meant to move PCs from one set-piece to another, and we're always doing something for someone. We're expected to side with the princess, that's for sure, and then our vampirate will take us to a meeting point. I suspect we'll find there that the coalition isn't working out, and we'll need to go somewhere to see someone to make that coalition happen. But bbeg gets wind of this, and breaks it apart. We then need to fix it by doing something, before we can finally go after him. I don't think it'll be the kind of adventure where we make a moral choice about who to support. Evil villain here is likely pretty much black and white, stop the genocidal maniac. And I suspect we're supposed to ooh-and-aah over all these over-the-top characters and locations.
That's my take, I think it feels familiar because with such an experienced group here, it all feels so colour-by-number.
Last edited March 29, 2025 3:11 am