Venture Capital - aka A Deal with the Devil

I feel like the transition between books 1 & 2 is too abrupt, and I can't help but ask the question "where does that 50 BP come from?" Since I just got to that point in my homegame, it's high time to do something about it.

They're heading back to Restov this session, and this is where they will meet Varn and Drelev. The festivities will be delayed while they wait for the Iron Wraiths. (Yea, I know the whole settlement thing is written as being on the down-low, but I'm making it a big public todo.)

Anyway, I'm thinking the Swordlords themselves will only be able to pony up about 15 BP to the PCs. To get the rest of the BP, the PCs will have to look to various other groups within Brevoy to get funding. And these funds with definately come with strings attached. Some obvious, some not-so-much.

(Will make follow up post later with specifics.)

One of the things you should think about. BP is not cash. In the case of the initial BP, I am treating it as mostly labor. Brevoy is offering a small incentive to move out, on the order of a donkey and some seed, to people and the lower class is moving out in droves. Combined with a couple shipments of wood and nails, and you are looking at a huge ammount of ecconomic activity. The PCs are just dirrecting the manpower where it needs to go.

That being said, I like the idea and will likely steal it. I will probably start them off at 25 though. 1 of my players has underworld ties and annother is a noble, so I will probably let them pull strings to get some BP early on if they don't mind where it is attached.

One of the other options I have floated arround is starting them with 25 BP and giving them an extra 5 each turn from Brevoy. That way, when Brevoy cuts its ties there is a tangible ecconomic effect. Hopefully, this would give the players a little more loyalty to Brevoy (if I word it as a "you are good enough to stand on your own" instead of a "we are too disfunctional to support you anymore", even if its not true.)

Fun idea, and I think I can link additional BP to some backstory elements for some players that should add to the RP element. Thanks.

Here's what I have so far: the major organized faiths of Brevoy

Legend:
Offer - how much BP they will give you
Stated - what they tell you up-front that they want from you
Hidden - the favor they are planning to ask for in the future, but they won't mention it until the time is right (thus discoverable via investigation)
Delayed - the favor that they aren't even thinking about right now, but once you become large/successful, will realize they should ask (thus not discoverable until later)

It's important to note that the demands are not binding on a rules-level. Meaning, I as Game Master have no intention of "forcing" the PCs to pay up on their dues. I fully expect the PCs to blanch at the demands, and then have to engage in some emergency diplomacy or face the in-game wraith of their financiers.

Church of Abadar, Lesser Offer
Offer: 5 BP
Stated: have your country's alignment be non-chaotic, and build a temple to Abadar within the first 5 years
Hidden: never let tax level be "none"
Delayed: none

Church of Abadar, Greater Offer
Offer: 10 BP
Stated: have your country's alignment be lawful, and build a temple to Abadar as soon as realistically possible (within 12 months at latest)
Hidden: never let the tax level be "none" or the 2nd lowest level
Delayed: none

Church of Pharasma
Offer: 5 BP
Stated: never raise your tax level to the highest level
Hidden: never raise your tax level to the 2nd highest level
Delayed: after you gain official "kingdom" status, the church realizes it wants a more direct presence, and decides it too wants a temple
(since this is more the church of the common people, I figured it wouldn't have the resources to make a 'greater offer')

Church of Gorum, Lesser Offer
Offer: 5 BP
Stated: whomever fills the role of Marshal must be a follower of Gorum
Hidden: none
Delayed: once Ovirinbane is discovered, they demand it be returned to them

Church of Gorum, Greater Offer
Offer: 10 BP
Stated: whomever fills the role of Marshal must be a cleric or paladin of Gorum
Hidden: none
Delayed: as lesser offer and once war breaks out in Book 4, demands that armies be raised and that diplomacy not used to diffuse the situation with Drelev (and later Pitax)

Noble Houses to follow.

Noble Houses to follow.

This interests me. Hurry up! :p

I think I like this, especially that there are prices attached to the BP offer.

Agreed - this is very cool... adds a real sense of diplomatic and power brokering to kingdom making. Interestingly as the PC's kingdom grows in power then the tables would be turned and they'd be courted by these powers for footholds in the new realm... ambassadors and envoys abound :)

Also like the idea of the party rubbing shoulders/hearing tale of Varn, Drelev and the Iron Wraiths before coming across them [or not as the case may be...]

Agreed - this is very cool... adds a real sense of diplomatic and power brokering to kingdom making. Interestingly as the PC's kingdom grows in power then the tables would be turned and they'd be courted by these powers for footholds in the new realm... ambassadors and envoys abound :)

Also like the idea of the party rubbing shoulders/hearing tale of Varn, Drelev and the Iron Wraiths before coming across them [or not as the case may be...]

If you want to bring the war in Brevoy into the game more, this would be a really cool way of doing it. The PCs can funnel money back into Brevoy to support the side they want to win. Of course, those sides all have differing oppinions on what to do with the money.

I like the idea. I am running it in Eberron so the Aurum, Dragonmarked Houses, and other factions will be trying this.

Erik, what happens when PC's scoff at the delayed favor?

I'd spin this idea slightly differently because, as noted, BP isn't just money, but capital-C capital. Whom the PCs call upon will matter in terms of what the sort of support looks like. What the support looks like will change how the kingdom is made up.

The sort of kingdom that's built from a church sending a few priests and a lot of pilgrims is going to look different than one that's built from a consortium of merchants granting the rulers a bunch of cash and some highly skilled craftsmen.

The "offers" could also come in the form of personal favors+BP. J.S. I like your idea too.

This is definitely a cool idea. I have no idea when I'll actually get to run a Kingmaker campaign, but I'm tucking this away in my notes against the time I will be running it.

I like this idea. Here are a few commerce options. the format is:

Commerce Group Offering the Deal
XXBP - the amount offered to the kingdom to enter into the deal followed by a brief description.
Game Mechanics: The kingmaker kindom modifiers or consequences.

Farmers and Merchants of Rostland
15BP - Annual rights to cultivate a farmland for export, tax free
Game Mechanics: Kingdom does not reduce consumption by 2 BP for the negotiated hex

Merchants Guild of the One Eyed Witch
10BP (Used only for Black Market) - A special tax free zone (including import and export duties) and a hands-off policy by the local spymaster for a period of one year.
Game Mechanics: Instead of the +2 Economy benefit of a Black Market, the kingdom incurs a -3 Economy penalty for one year.

Lumber Consortium
70BP/year - A ten year contract with the Lumber Consortium for exclusive logging rights to a woodland hex which lies within one hex of a water source capable of accommodating a large transport ship. The Lumber consortium will have the option of renewing the contract at the end of the year. The woodland hex must be cleared of all inhabitants and the kingdom must continue to secure the hex. The Consortium will build a mill on the water. The Consortium will also build a pier on the water. The kingdom may not build another mill in the kingdom but will have the option to purchase the mill if the contract is not renewed. The kingdom agrees to purchase all lumber from the Consortium while under contract, however the Consortium guarnatees only locally harvested lumber will be sold to the kingdom. Building an additional pier is subject to the approval of the Consortium and the use of the pier by the kingdom will be subject to usage fees. The Consotium will build and maintain a road through the woodland hex and the hex in which the water source is located. The 135 initial lumberjacks will not be subject to military service for the kingdom and will work with representatives of the Consortium in the case of violations of law in the kingdom's cities prior to incarcerating any Consortium employee. The Consortium will appoint a separate Marshall with jurisdiction for the hex under contract.

Game Mechanics: The kingdom may not build a mill and incurs a -2 Economy penalty monthly to pay the Consortium for local lumber processing. The kingdom does not incur the base value for the Pier and costs to the Consortium for the use of the Pier incur a -2 Economy penalty monthly. If the kingdom builds a city in a hex adjacent to the wooded hex under contract, the kingdom incurs a -1 Unrest penalty monthly for the first year due to the unique nature of the Consortium relationship with the kingdom, especially the presence of a separate Consortium law.

I don't think this would work with many adventuring groups. The adventuring is the thing and the kingdom building needs to be eased into. Particularly if they are suddenly expected to get into politics - that just ain't going to happen - or it will suddenly switch to politics railroad from the sandbox it was meant to be.

I expect my group would have said no thanks to the sword lords and just carried on adventuring or tried to make it with the initial BP only and the whole thing would fall apart.

So you need to be sure your group is fully up for this.

There's a book from Atlas Games available at the Paizo store that would be a fine resource for Kingmaker GMs interested in this sort of stuff (and I am--thanks for the ideas and inspiration!):

Dynasties and Demagogues

There's a book from Atlas Games available at the Paizo store that would be a fine resource for Kingmaker GMs interested in this sort of stuff (and I am--thanks for the ideas and inspiration!):

Dynasties and Demagogues

Gotta admit I balked when I first saw the price for the PDF, but it does measure out to a LOT of pages of material, so it could very well be more than worth the price. I'll definitely look around for some reviews on this product and will probably give it a shot, just for food for thought on the topic.

Thank you.

I haven't gotten the chance to look through too much of that one, but I love that it has a Random Bureaucracy Encounter Table. It's a brilliant piece of game design. And terribly cruel to your players.

"What do you mean we have to file a form at the housing office? We were there three steps ago, and they never mentioned it. And this still has nothing to do with housing anyway. We just want to buy a +2 Flaming Sword."

Some feedback on how the first session of this went for my group:

They really liked it. I told them every major church had an offer, and every major noble house had an offer. I hinted that there were more secret offers, but they failed those checks (sorry Duma the Sly!).

They talked to all of the churches first. I roleplayed out the interactions, and got to describe what it was like visiting the churches, and they enjoyed seeing the various faiths "come to life" in ways that simply reading the Brevoy article couldn't do it for them.
(This made me feel good: it was a great way to flesh out the setting in a way they cared about.)

Then they went and talked to the various noble representatives. This was a little less evocative than the churches, but still went pretty well. They definately got the "there's more going on here than we're seeing" vibe.

One of the players then declared OOG: "So, there's two mini games going on right now: the religions minigame, and the nobles minigame." And she asked me to write up the list of all the dieties in a relationship map on the whiteboard. I did so. (Note that I am only including the following in the campaign: Abadar, Pharasma, Gorum, Erastil, Green Faith, Lamashtu, Gyronna, and Hanspur.) They really liked how only three "churches" were offering up resources but they intuitively knew that the other religions were important not to upset, and had to be taken into consideration. ("Who knows what crazy surprise bonuses we'll get from Erastil if we keep him happy?") I decided to make all of these assumptions correct. I mean, why not?

As far as the "noble's minigame" (as they put it): they're still working on that one. They plan to do more cloak-and-dagger next session to figure out which houses to trust, and which to play against each other. They already are planning on trying to drive Surtova and Orlovsky into a bidding war to see who can offer up the most BP and thus get the most prominant statue in the capital city. They are convinced that Lebeda's proximity makes that house a liability, and are trying to make sure that they are appeased, etc.

I'll let you know how round 3 of venture capital fundraising goes down. However, the session is currently planned to start with a formal dinner with Hannis Drelev...

Don't forget to have a coalition of merchants show up at the last minute, offering great bank at the risk of basically offending absolutely everyone else.

Erik, really cool to hear how your players (and their characters) reasoned through the situation and are taking things in fun directions. I think there's some good source material for "noble's houses" that can be reflavored from both 'Curse of the Crimson Throne' and 'Council of Thieves' if you have access to them.

Please keep us posted!

I haven't gotten the chance to look through too much of that one, but I love that it has a Random Bureaucracy Encounter Table. It's a brilliant piece of game design. And terribly cruel to your players.

"What do you mean we have to file a form at the housing office? We were there three steps ago, and they never mentioned it. And this still has nothing to do with housing anyway. We just want to buy a +2 Flaming Sword."

That table is my single favorite one in ALL the RPG materials I own, as I've told/warned my friends many times. They've never had to deal with it. Until this campaign. :)

The prestige classes didn't age well even in 3.5 and especially not in PFRPG, but some of the spells and magic items are still ultra-cool. I also like the material on debates.

<incredibly cool stuff>

Teriffic idea! Very, very cool.

<great ideas>

Great ideas.

I was a fan of the kingdom-building rules but hadn't had an opportunity to do much with them.

These are great ideas & considered them pilfered for my game!

I am so going to use this! Great work Erik.

I will also come up with other NPC affiliation deals as well to continue with the political intrigue etc.

My players and I are loving that aspect of the kingdom building.

Robert

Okay Erik - so lets say I'm a player in your game; we made the deal w/ Abadar and later the hidden restriction comes to light: "Never let tax be X"

But I and my fellow players feel that was not part of the deal and i have no intention of adhering to this.

So now what?

Robert

There's a book from Atlas Games available at the Paizo store that would be a fine resource for Kingmaker GMs interested in this sort of stuff (and I am--thanks for the ideas and inspiration!):

Dynasties and Demagogues

That book is worth its weight in solid gold for this kind of campaign. You definitely want it. I ran a very successful debate using combat mechanics with it.

Okay Erik - so lets say I'm a player in your game; we made the deal w/ Abadar and later the hidden restriction comes to light: "Never let tax be X"

But I and my fellow players feel that was not part of the deal and i have no intention of adhering to this.

So now what?

Robert

One thing I try to focus on is that BP represents "morale" just as much (if not more) than it represents fresh-cut timber. So when the PCs get 10 BP out of Abadar, that's not Abadar forking over 40,000gp worth of wood and tools. That's Abadar invoking a proclamation unto his flock that it is their divine mission to go forth and spread civilization for the glory of their god. He then pushes his faithful to be, in effect, pilgrims going on a crusade to create cities where there were none beforehand. And it's pretty awesome ruling over people who believe it is their divine calling to obey you... until it's not.

If you use my rules and interpretation, that means that a certain segment of your population is loyal to Abadar - more loyal than they are to your crown. So let's say Abadar makes a demand the PCs don't find acceptable:

1st step: "Reason With Them"
The PCs can try and get them to back down. This may require a quest, a Diplomacy check, or just be impossible. Depending on what they do, Abadar might reduce the demands in comprimise, or not. Switching up the High Priest to be a Cleric of Abadar might be useful, for example. Whatever makes for an interesting story.

2nd step: "How Bad Will This Get?"
Abadar tells his faithful that their pilgrimage is over and it is time to return home. The GM should figure out approximately what percentage of the population is loyal to Abadar. (Going back to the "venture capital" theme: how much "stock" does Abadar "own" of your country?) Based off of events, the GM is strongly encouraged to nudge the number higher or lower, depending on how they've run their country (for example, specifically promoting Erastil as the official deity of the country may have won some converts). The initial "investment" gives you a percentage figure. Then look at how much BP is tied up in the kingdom currently (ie how much spent BP there is, plus unspent BP) and apply the percentage. (If this is too onerous to calculate, as it will be come mid-to-late-game, then eyeballing it is acceptable; these things aren't exact anyways.) Let the PCs know how screwed they are, and give a chance to reconsider. Really roleplay up the sense of feeling trapped. You never want to get to the next step. You want to roleplay here, and then go back to step 1 or just give in.

3rd step: "Pullout"
This step should never be reached, but only exist in theory as a way to scare and frighten the party. Actually getting to this step is the nuclear option, and will dramatically effect the kingdom (it might survive, but it will be a huge set-back). At the very least, this will be a defining event in the kingdom's history.
Based on the percentage above, Abadar begins pulling out: the pilgrimage is over, time for the folk to return home. Businesses shut down. Homes become abandoned. Merchants stop selling. The kingdom starts hemorraging BP. All of the BP you calculated above (spent and unspent) is lost. This will likely put your Command DC unacceptably high, and you'll be forced to shed hexes just to manage Unrest. (Though "the pullout" does not in-and-of-itself cause unrest, otherwise this is unrecoverable.)

Alternatively, this becomes a quest in-and-of-itself, where the party tries a rapid hearts-and-minds holy-war against Abadar. I'd say let them do it if that's fun for them!

The trick here is to let the PCs know what they're doing by getting in bed with all these various factions. Don't just surprise them with getting screwed over once it's too late. When I've been doing this with my party, I make sure to play up the various nobles like snakes, and to mention ominiously "if you can't see any strings attached, that's your surest way of knowing that they're there." My party has definately "gotten the hint" and chose their alliances accordingly. If your PCs wouldn't enjoy navigating a tense political situation: then please don't do this to them!!

LOTS OF GOOD STUFF

Okay thank you for that explanation, Erik. That's very good info. Thanks for taking the time to share.

Robert

I've only briefly skimmed this thread, and I got no good ideas to add; my PCs were happy for the BP pile and began building with aplomb. They understood that a good amount of it was from skilled builders and assistance from Brevoy, not just piles of gold. But we hand-wave a lot of stuff, so maybe it's just us. :P

All the same, I mulled these issues up all alone in the dark, and I've been tying some of this in with my group's kingdom, in small ways. For instance, out of boredom, I rolled up 7 1/2 years' worth of random events, and got a goodly-sized number of Outstanding Success results, so I've decided that the PCs were blessed (cursed?) with an amazing-but-hard-to-deal-with stonemason. Man's a genius, but obnoxiously self-assured, and I hope to have some minor issues crop up as their kingdom expands.

Just a mention. Continue as you were.

This seems like a great idea and I'm planning on using it for my own campaign now that our group is just wrapping on Stolen Lands. Just wondering whether the Brevic noble house offers' were ever written up. It's all that's missing to fully flesh out this idea.

Hmm, looking over this (thanks to the necro-post), I also kind of like this idea.

Is there some sort of conglomerated thread or website that contains a collection of the little GM-created enhancements, changes to the AP and extra touches that people have made? I browsed through the GM reference threads and they seemed more about rules clarification than fleshing out the AP.

Bump.

This is a great idea. Brevoy's politics are a big part of my PBP campaign, which is getting close to finishing Stolen Lands. I think I'll have them politicking for the first year to secure funding, especially since Restov is likely not going to help much once the revelation that the Lord Mayor tried to have the PCs assassinated comes to light. I'll brainstorm and post some ideas for the nobles, though my houses are a bit different.

Great ideas! I just have two questions.

1. Is the church of Abadar really likely to have secret expectations, or to try and change the deal without notice? It doesn't seem to follow that he would play so fast and loose with the terms of a contract and try to force the PCs to do things that were not agreed to before hand. I can see them coming to the players and requesting more with an offer of something extra, and then striking harder and harder deals should the players need them, but to try and strong arm them? That's one way to ensure that they lose any chance of spreading their influence throughout the region and not a great business practice.

2. Paladins of Gorum???

House Surtova Surtova will likely offer up to 20 BP, in order to maintain good relations with the PC kingdom. They will want them to swear fealty to Brevoy, though not necessarily immediately. Accepting their aid will strain relations with Lebeda and Orlovsky, but increase the amount offered by Lodovka. Garess and Medyved probably would be unaffected.

House Lodovka They won't offer much unless they gain Surtova's favor first. Even if they do, they're more strapped than some of the others and wouldn't offer more than 10.

House Medyved They have less income, but can offer direct assistance of military protection. Accepting their aid can grant them a garrison of a Huge army (500 soldiers). This will likely not strain relations unless Medyved and Surtova grow closer, which would upset Lebeda to have an enemy army on their southern border.

House Orlovsky They can offer up to 40 BP, but Lord Orlovsky is known to be demanding and ruthless. His attention is bound to come with strings of all sorts. Lebeda will almost surely match them BP for BP, which will further strain relations with Surtova. Orlovsky's desire for the throne of Brevoy is well-known, so he would use the financial benefits of his patronage to push the kingdom as an ally or a pawn.

House Lebeda Lebeda is the richest of the houses, capable of offering up to 40 by themselves. However, this amount may strain relations with Surtova and their allies. They will want the kingdom to build a good trade infrastructure to better reach Pitax and Mivon. If they do, they're very likely to sign a trade agreement that will add a decent bonus to Economy checks.

House Garess Garess is hurting financially, to a huge extent reliant on its arrangements with the other houses. However, good relations with them might present an opportunity to enter the currently-untapped mines in their mountains. They may allow the kingdom entry, but not if it considers them vassals of another House, because they fear an invasion for their resources by the others.

The Fanged Legion
Offer: 5-10BP
The Fanged Legion, the mercenary company made of the remnants of House Rogravia's favored para-military police group, lacks a lot of resources but could provide minor assistance to the PC's kingdom. Agents are widepsread in the Stolen Lands, around the River Kingdoms, and in Brevoy.
Stated: Safe base of operations. This will provide a bonus to stability checks as well as a possibility of fielding extra armies at a reduced BP cost.
Hidden: Will ask the PCs to assist with a quest to help find a Rogravian Heir.
Delayed The Fanged Legion will petition the PCs to not accept House Surtova as legitimate rulers of Brevoy. They will ask the PCs city to be true neutral and adopt the legions style of everyone working in balance and to eachother's strengths. Doing so will provide extra stability and loyalty as well as allow access to the deadly gnome assassin network. Failure to do so increases the likelyhood of assassination events in your kingdom as well as penalties to stability.

The Fanged Legion

Offer: 5-10BP
The Fanged Legion, the mercenary company made of the remnants of House Rogravia's favored para-military police group, lacks a lot of resources but could provide minor assistance to the PC's kingdom. Agents are widepsread in the Stolen Lands, around the River Kingdoms, and in Brevoy.
Stated: Safe base of operations. This will provide a bonus to stability checks as well as a possibility of fielding extra armies at a reduced BP cost.
Hidden: Will ask the PCs to assist with a quest to help find a Rogravian Heir.
Delayed The Fanged Legion will petition the PCs to not accept House Surtova as legitimate rulers of Brevoy. They will ask the PCs city to be true neutral and adopt the legions style of everyone working in balance and to eachother's strengths. Doing so will provide extra stability and loyalty as well as allow access to the deadly gnome assassin network. Failure to do so increases the likelyhood of assassination events in your kingdom as well as penalties to stability.

Olondir I like your Fanged Legion. I believe my group will want to take it over or destroy them. Assassins are not high on their trust list. Where are their bases?

House Surtova

House Lodovka
House Medyved
House Orlovsky
House Lebeda
House Garess

These are some good write-ups. I haven't gone beyond Book 2 in purchasing/prep for the AP; do these come into greater significance later, or are you actually introducing the cross-house dynamics yourself?

I like your Fanged Legion. I believe my group will want to take it over or destroy them. Assassins are not high on their trust list. Where are their bases?

They are currently located and struggling out in the Wasted Lands somewhere. They have rangers and agents all over the place in the region, though. It will take some time for word to reach the higher-ups that the PCs have staked out a little town in the Stolen Lands.

Thinking about it some more, I think they may be better saved for an early kingdom event. Imagine during the first few months of kingdom building, or whenever the PCs are hardpressed for some BP, a band of wyvern riding emissaries arrive who wish to discuss establishing a presence in the PC's kingdom or establishing their own permanent encampment nearby.

The Fanged Legion could be a great asset for or against Hargulka. The Fanged Legion appreciates the "survival of the fittest, rugged, band together to maximize strengths mentality" of Hargulka's kingdom. If the PCs are clearly bringing civilization to the region and ignoring even minimal conservation while Hargulka is bringing back the wild, the Legion would be a great neutral party in the upcoming conflict.

PJ wrote:

I like your Fanged Legion. I believe my group will want to take it over or destroy them. Assassins are not high on their trust list. Where are their bases?

They are currently located and struggling out in the Wasted Lands somewhere. They have rangers and agents all over the place in the region, though. It will take some time for word to reach the higher-ups that the PCs have staked out a little town in the Stolen Lands.

Thinking about it some more, I think they may be better saved for an early kingdom event. Imagine during the first few months of kingdom building, or whenever the PCs are hardpressed for some BP, a band of wyvern riding emissaries arrive who wish to discuss establishing a presence in the PC's kingdom or establishing their own permanent encampment nearby. The Fanged Legion could be a great asset against Hargulka.

Olondir, where would the wasted lands be in relations to the stolen lands?

The blank space below Brevoy/Restov/Iobaria and above Galt, I think.

The blank space below Brevoy/Restov/Iobaria and above Galt, I think.

So,pretty much the River Kingdoms then? Just not in the established fiefdoms?

You got it!

These are some good write-ups. I haven't gone beyond Book 2 in purchasing/prep for the AP; do these come into greater significance later, or are you actually introducing the cross-house dynamics yourself?

They're the particular dynamics for my game. There's a lot of political intrigue going on. Orlovsky isn't such a power hungry noble in the write-up, but evolved that portrayal as reflected in one player's backstory. The youngest daughter of House Lebeda is one of PCs. Lord Mayor Sellimus of Restov made arrangements for Happs and Kressle to kill the PCs, giving him the chance to push for an invasion of the Stolen Lands. (They have yet to prove it. They need the backing of nobles from three houses to bring the charge forth. They have Lebeda and Garess (via Kesten, who was unknowingly sent to Oleg's to find the burned corpses and give the justification), and will have to secure the third. They also met with the Bishop of Restov's Abadaran Church, who gave them 10K gold. They think that he's trying to get them killed by drawing more bandits looking for the gold. (In actuality, he is trying to use his resources to draw them into the Surtova camp.)

You got it!

So they could be on their way/ near to Jovvox, the town of Gnomes specialized on manufacturing weapons, East of Mivon?

Our DM put a "Hills have eyes" Landscape south of there towards Galt with a large family of ogres and refugees from Galt- Craftsmen (-2BP on building a exotic craftsman).
He also came up with a Luxury-manufacturing Gulag at an old mining site, which one can raid for Master-Craftsmen...

Edit: PS: Half a day North of Jovvox he put an old Dwarven Monastery, recently taken over by Kobolds of the BloodScale-Tribe. Gnomeknapped some children to sacrifice them and held up the weapon-production.
My DM used Crown of the KoboldKing for a spin-off-Campaign.
The EAST-SELLEN Trading Company will clean out the rest of them soon and establish a base there;):

Not to necro an old thread, but my party just ran through this excellent addition to Kingmaker (thanks Erik!)nd I wanted to share my experience and additions, which I thought might be helpful to others.

I gave the PCs a 30 BP stipend to begin with, and a number of factions at the ceremony in Restov to earn additional BP

Factions

Lady Vellara: a beautiful elven noblewoman Kyonin ex-pat who is well-versed in politics and general counselor to my politically un-savvy PCs. She wants to start a vineyard and the opportunity to buy some land on the cheap, and maybe to be a big fish in the PCs little pond.
Offer: 5 BP + free Noble Villa + her political advice
Stated: She wants ownership of one hex (her choice) to develop as she sees fit

Count Addar Arnovski: a broad-shoulder retired general with an impressive beard who owns a substantial portion of Restov's riverfront and warehouses.
Offer: 10 BP
Stated: He wants to create a loch system to bypass the falls and rapids along the Shrike and open it as an alternative to the boggard-infested Sellen (thanks RedRamage!) in exchange for exclusive shipping rights
Hidden: Count Addar is a prominent agitator in Restov, descended from old Rostlandic stock, with ancestors who fought and fried on the Field of Fire. He wants to entice the Surtovans to send forces against the PCs, giving him an opportunity for Rostland to rebel while the army is otherwise engaged. Giving my PCs a heads-up on his motives let Lady Vellara endear herself and gave them a glimpse of the cutthroat maqsquerade of political intrigue.

Count Dhavern Mollarch: a thin man with a snow-white moustache, unfailingly polite, from an offshoot-branch of House Medvyed who owns the Gronzi Lumber Consortium.
Offer: 5 BP
Stated: wants logging rights to the Narlmarches
Hidden: Lady Vellara can tell the PCs that the Consortium has garnished a reputation for efficiency, with little regard for the health of the forests they harvest. They made sure to extract promises of replanting and control over where in the Narlmarches. Should be a good setup for later events.

Thalnoros Vindarn: a finely-dressed, portly man with a prominent gold holy symbol to Abadar, representing the Church of Abadar
Offer,Lesser: 5 BP
Stated: Temple to Abadar built in one years time and non-chaotic kingdom

Offer,Greater: 10 BP
Stated: Make the Church of Abadar the official religion of the kingdom and have Thalnoros or another follower of Abadar as High Priest

Irig Svenson: a middle-aged Ulfen man with a weatherbeaten face, wearing simple gray and brown clothes, patched leather overcoat, and sturdy watertight boots. He is a representative from the River Kingdoms for the Church of Hanspur, the Water Rat
Offer: 5 BP
Stated: Wants freedom of worship for the church, and protections in the kingdom for the Six River Freedoms
Hidden:

Nhal Banbrook: a stern-faced Pharasman cleric in black robes, a member of the minor Pharasman sect called The Order of Repose
Offer: 5 BP
Stated: He wants the kingdom to outlaw necromancy and make undead creatures kill on sight, as well as allow the Order a free hand in carrying out this mission.

Nirion Surtova a charming man with slicked-back dark hair and angular features, he is a cousin to King Noleski Surtova and is at the ceremony to make allies among the new colonies.
Offer: 10 BP and free fort garrisoned with Surtova's finest, can offer up to 20 BP
Stated: He wants a formal declaration of friendship and aid between the PC kingdom and House Surtova, the permission to carry out Surtovan business in the kingdom unmolested
Hidden:

Serani Orlovsky: a beautiful blonde-haired, rosy cheeked girl not a day over 20, she is the grand-daughter of Lord Poul Orlovsky.
Offer: 10 BP and half the cost of a guildhall in the capital
Stated: She wants the Orlovsky's to have freedom to conduct business in the kingdom and first dibs on new contracts in the kingdom, and wants the PCs to reject any Surtovan offers
Hidden:

Lady Nina Kitalla: a fragile old woman with dishevelled hair and an elegant but moth-eaten gown, she represents old money in Brevoy and now uses her wealth to pursue her particular brand of philanthropy. Astute PCs might note she has a particular air of the First World about her.
Offer: 5 BP
Stated: Lady Kitalla uses her wealth for various eccentric activities in her somewhat demented old age, including her favorite: fae equality. She wants the PCs to extend all fae basic rights and citizenship, and treat them equal to all others in the laws of the land. She wants assurances that the PCs will not just take her money and then change the laws when convenient, and may seek a position on the council if she thinks she can get it.

Of course, the Swordlords will be displeased with any deals struck with the Surtovans or Orlovsky, seeing as they were the original architects of the expedition (and in my game, Lady Aldori pulled quite a few strings to make sure their charter didn't end up in the hands of some ambitious young nobleman from Brevoy).

Thanks again for these great ideas to add to the flavor of my game. I'm looking forward to trying out Hargulka's Monster Kingdom in Book 2!

Here are a couple that I made up because of the need for some dwarven RP stuff in our campaign. Working on a few more that I will share.

Priests of Torag
Offer: 5 BP; and will aid in the construction of all smithies and watchtowers in settlements where there are none (discounting cost to ½ ).
Stated: Demand a seat upon the council for the church of Torag. Must outlaw the worship of Rovagug. Must not let a worshiper of Sarenrae sit on the council because they perceive their forgiveness as weakness. Must celebrate a famous dwarven battle holiday once per season with an Edict. Kingdom must retain a Lawful Alignment.
Hidden: none
Delayed: In 5 years if all requirements are met completely the Priests of Torag will assist in the construction of a Cathedral for ½ price in a kingdom settlement closest to the mountains.

Priests of Bolka (The Golden Gift)
Offer: 2 BP; and provide ½ cost discount on one temple of Bolka in capital city.
Stated: Ruler or Consul must be wed within a year of founding of the country.
Hidden: none
Delayed: All council members must take husbands or wives within 5 years or Bolka will withdraw her support.

My 2 coppers:
I think my players would more appreciate buildings-improvements-hexes that can be added outside the 1 per month limit. That's probably holding them back more than the BP costs.

I will cogitate upon these NPCs, and see if some pop up in my game eventually. Someone like Count Arnovski has already appeared, and is about to marry the Baroness. His goal is a river-based trade route to off the southern edge of the map. Once the trolls are defeated (2+ sessions away), it's a possibility.

Wait, 50BP? Where's THAT come from? I don't see it anywhere in the adventure path.

Wait, 50BP? Where's THAT come from? I don't see it anywhere in the adventure path.

It comes from the Swordlords as a start-up stake when the PCs are given