Alternatives to joining the Guard?


Curse of the Crimson Throne


My players have been talking lately about urban characters and, just in case, I started flipping through my CotCT.

The primary roadblock I’m seeing, though, is the assumption that all the PCs are going to want to join the Guard. In the very, very general discussion on urban adventures we had, there was no mention of wanting to be part of the city guard. Instead ideas seemed to be skewed to burglars, college mages, and out-of-their-element barbarians or the like.

Assuming that Ileosa would even make the offer to these characters, what would I do when these characters say “no thanks”?

My favorite option right now is to replace Kroft with Orisini since he seems like a more key patron than the Field Marshall. Perhaps Grau could introduce them or, better yet, I could replace Grau *with* Orisini as the recovered drunk.

For those of you with play experience, is there anything I’m in danger of missing out on if I cut the Guard connection? Any suggestions for making sure I hit those points without that tie?


Heh, my players are the unlikeliest types to be part of the guard. They consist of:
A criminal strongarm (also a half orc)
A former street urchin who is not much better off at the start of the campaign
An information "garnerer"
A part time con man/revenge seeker

They kind of just "fell" in it. By the time they went to the Queen the situation had developed that staying with the guard and getting paid huge sums of gold to work with them seemed like a great idea, even though they weren't really the types to do it.
You see they made enemies of a particularly bad dude, one whom the strongarm was working for, who found out that they had recovered the queens brooch and wanted it for himself to curry the queens favor. When they didn't turn it over them became wnated men and working for the Queens guard and staying at their barracks ended up being a bad idea.
They could have given the brooch to the baddie, but they were too selfish to consider such a thing.
There are always "creative" ways to get them to come to this one their own without making them do it. It was actually kind of fun letting them come to it on their own.
Also when they found out how much they are willing to pay, it was way more than any of them had ever seen in their entire lives, which doesn't hurt in the decision making.

Sczarni

Terok the Sly wrote:


They kind of just "fell" in it. By the time they went to the Queen the situation had developed that staying with the guard and getting paid huge sums of gold to work with them seemed like a great idea, even though they weren't really the types to do it.

I felt that Kroft wouldn't want to give these types of people full guard status, thus her offering them larger than normal pay, but non of the benifets (IE no badges or tabbards or having to follow the laws) They consider themselves "the ends justify the means without calling the hellknights" squad


I don't interpret the party's relationship with Kroft as joining the guard. Instead, they are a party of specialists hired by Kroft to do things she needs done, but can't use the Guard for. The Guard is too busy with riot control and what not, so she hires these highly capable people. Nothing prevents the party from doing their own thing in addition to her quests.

At the same time, if the PCs don't bite, then you can always use another NPC (Orsini is a good choice as you mentioned) to hire them to do the exact same thing. Why does he want it done? Well because Kroft asked him if he knew anyone who could do task X because the Guard is too busy. Or perhaps he personally knows Thousand Bones, or whatever.

So I don't see Kroft as being a problem in terms of party patron, but if your group resists, you can easily have someone else do it.

Dark Archive

The Black Fox wrote:
At the same time, if the PCs don't bite, then you can always use another NPC (Orsini is a good choice as you mentioned) to hire them to do the exact same thing. Why does he want it done? Well because Kroft asked him if he knew anyone who could do task X because the Guard is too busy. Or perhaps he personally knows Thousand Bones, or whatever.

It's noted in "A History of Ashes" that Orisini is a "retired" adventurer. He and his friend in Harse could've met Thousand Bones (described as "ancient" in the first adventure's text but pictured as more spry than that) in their days of kicking around the region back-in-the-day. So, that connection is consistent with what's already included in the campaign.


The Black Fox wrote:
I don't interpret the party's relationship with Kroft as joining the guard. Instead, they are a party of specialists hired by Kroft to do things she needs done, but can't use the Guard for. The Guard is too busy with riot control and what not, so she hires these highly capable people. Nothing prevents the party from doing their own thing in addition to her quests.

I agree with the above, to clarify one point, my group doesn't interpret themselves becoming part of the guard, more like well paid mercenaries to do things the guard is not up to. Staying at the barracks is just a bonus to help them stay alive.


The Black Fox wrote:
I don't interpret the party's relationship with Kroft as joining the guard. Instead, they are a party of specialists hired by Kroft to do things she needs done, but can't use the Guard for.

Hey, that is pretty clever. I hadn't thought of it that way but it could certainly work if my players do go the route of underhanded cad PCs.

Now my only fear is that they go both ways with some underhanded cads and some shining paragons of nobility.


If they go both ways, try this. Keep Kroft for the shining exemplars. Then give the underhanded cads some other contact - an NPC you make up. However, this NPC is like an undercover agent for Kroft. Maybe a former student of Orsini's academy, a secret agent known only to Orsini and Croft (this is so the agent won't be compromised once Ileosa controls everything). He's some dubious guy in a barely legal business in Korvosa who streetwise people know is connected and dangerous.

This guy can be the mentor/contact/patron for the underhanded guys. He's on the same page as Kroft because Kroft gives him his orders. Have him give the same assignments as Kroft gives the shining knights. But word it just enough differently so that people don't know it's a set up.

For example, Kroft asks the shining knights to investigate Verik Vancaskerkin. NPC dude simply tells the PCs that food prices are skyrocketing, and he hears that someone in Northgate is hoarding food supplies. He wants "in" and asks for help to figure out what is going on. He never mentions the name Vancaskerkin, but the only reason he asks the PCs to investigate the butcher's shop is because he knows Vancaskerkin is there.

Likewise, dealing with Eel's End is rather easy too. NPC wants to know why the Spider King has gotten so powerful, what is the origin of his power? Doesn't mention anything about the ambassadors at all.

If done right, the underhanded PCs will see the shining knight PCs as a source for more information, and the two can work together while pursuing their "own goals." You probably only need to do this during Edge of Anarchy as soon the party will simply be used to working together and won't argue too much.

For Trinia, I'd let it be only Kroft. See if the underhanded PCs object. If so, prompt the PCs to cooperate, and in return the shining knights can agree to help them on their own "solo" quest. Introduce Thousand Bones via the NPC who needs the Shoanti's assistance in smuggling or some such. He sends them to his old friend Orsini, who makes the official introduction. That way you can eliminate Kroft entirely. That's pretty much the end of the adventure, and only Edge really uses Kroft to hand out quests.

RPG Superstar 2009 Top 16

My party gave me a similar problem. Soon after dealing with Gaedren, two of the four were asking "why keep together" and "why join the guard".

The elf ranger was easy. As part of the Mierani forest hunters, recently arrived at Korvosa to find her fiancee's murderer, he ended up as honour guard of the elven ambassador on a visit to Queen Ileosa (an alternate version of the brooch meeting... my players never got to return the brooch for some reason). By the end, the ambassador told the elf ranger it was good to have Korvosa on their side for future needs on retaking Mierani, so the character should help the guard

The other case was the gnome bard who came to Korvosa to learn what happened to his friend, who ODed on Shiver thanks to Gaedren. He's the most pacifist of the 4 and spent most of the 2 sessions asking people to "wait! lets be civilized!" and trying to capture the enemy alive. After All the World's Meat, he had two "visits" on his room. A certain silver dagger with vudran design appeared on his room and, seconds later, Zellara's harrow deck appeared on his bed with cards drawn out. They releaved a truth to be found about his friend's death soon ahead (at Eel's End)

Ive been using Zellara more discreetly and mysterious, without harrowings, Obi wan-like appearanced and such. I've noticed it got that player's attention

I'll also be connecting the 4 characters' stories with the AP itself, using things like the Arkonas, Eel's End and one or another Gamemastery module to do what Gaedren's hunt was too short to do: bound them together


When I first read Edge of Anarchy, I already knew that the queen was the BBG, but I was still under the impression that she was the one who initially recruited the PCs into service. After all, she sends them to Kroft with no obvious reason, so I kind of expected this to develop into a "BBG manipulates PCs, they eventually figure it out, but it's almost too late" situation. Unfortunately, it didn't turn out that way. But I still think it's possible to replace Kroft with Ileosa as patron.

The first part of the AP would go pretty much as written, they would run around doing errands, capture Trinia, get interviewed by Orisini (who sees crown-traitor potential in them)...

In the second part, Queen Ileosa would have the PCs "investigate" the breakout of the disease to appease the public, ghost-chasing most of the time, but eventually they'd pick up the hints that she's behind it. This may lead to a premature confrontation, but Kroft or Blackjack would intervene here, prompting a search for the missing seneschal instead of a suicidal strike at the palace.

From the third part on, everything would go as written, plus the PCs would have the extra motivation of exposing their patron and clearing their names of any association with the tyrant.

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