After you've created your party, you should read the Adventurer's guild lying on the main deck for some easy xp and a number of tutorials on various aspects of game play. When you're finished reading, go below deck. That triggers a slideshow narrated by the (in)famous Volothamp Geldarn (Volo for short) that ends with the Vigilant being caught in a storm with disastrous results.
Note: The party we created was a fairly generic one and consisted of an Aasimar paladin, Elven rogue, Elven mage and a human cleric. We intend to fill out the party with a druid or a ranger for a party of five, (and possibly add a sixth member for the end game).
Shipwreck
You're now shipwrecked on the coast of Samarach, with Volo and the crew of the Vigilant nearby. There's also three groups of Batiri goblins eying you hungrily. Volo thinks he can persuade the Batiri to leave you alone. Fat chance! Better we hide Volo somewhere below decks with a keg of rum and his collection of nymph porn. But Volo is determined to help here. So before Volo wanders off to put his foot in his mouth, talk to him and the crew and see if you can convince them to give you a couple of weapons, including a longsword and a bow. As Volo heads over to talk to Batiri, you should start scrounging around in the debris piles and bushes near the shipwreck. You don't have a lot of time before Volo brings the first group down on you, so be quick! Use the "Z" key to highlight them so you don't waste time hunting.
Depending on your various skills you may be able to scrounge a couple of short swords, a couple of makeshift clubs, and a makeshift dagger as weapons plus a handful of healing kits from the debris piles and bushes. You might get lucky and find 3 fireball scrolls and a wand of missiles which will make the ensuing fights a lot easier. Don't wander too close to the Batiri though as you can trigger combat from all of the Batiri groups if you aren't careful. Plus you'll want to stay close to the crew to assist in the inevitable onslaught from the cannibalistic Batiri.
What a surprise! Volo has managed to antagonize the first Batiri group. Better head off to help before the Batiri set up their own version of a beachside buffet with the crew as the main course. The Batiri aren't so tough - just focus on the head man in the first group and the rest sort of lose heart. Sleep and entangle spells work extremely well here and if you managed to find the fireball scrolls so much the better. After you've dealt with the first group, loot the bodies and heal up any wounded party or crew members.
After you've dealt with the first group, Volo will toddle off to try his diplomacy skills on each of the remaining groups in turn with the same results as before. Has anybody got a gag? *sigh* There's not much difference between the first three waves, so the same tactics apply. Again, heal up any wounded party and crew members and brace yourself for the next attack. Don't ignore the crew - if you manage to get thru all of the attacks without losing any of the crew members, you'll earn the Protector Epithet Feat. If things gets nasty, Volo might toss you a healing potion or two during the combat.
When the final group attacks, a patrol of Elite Samarrach Soldiers appears to help out. But after the Batiri are dealt with they turn around and arrest you. Uh Guys? See that big hulking wreck behind us? It's a SHIPWRECK you interbred morons! Geez, these guys need to work on their tourism skills. At least they don't rush you off right away. So use the time to loot the corpses of the dead Batiri and search the surrounding area for any remaining loot including a coin of life.
When you've fully explored the shipwreck area, go back and tell the Samarrach patrol that you're ready to leave and you'll be whisked off to Samargol.
