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A big preface - I've run Kingmaker 'straight' once before, deviating only narrowly from the original plot, which is pretty open-ended and fairly good.
Now, I am going to try to run it again with a completely different group.
This time around, I'm going to be using the Fate system, with some of the rules from the in-development "Wrath of the Autarch" as my kingdom-building engine. (If you have any other favorite systems to help simulate the development of a polity, please tell me - I'm all ears!)
However, a lot of Kingmaker's explortion ends up being a little same-y. Strange villages of enemies that you can either kill or ally with. Odd temples and ancient locations that basically end up being combat encounters. Lots of hexes with fairies.
I want to maybe change some of the subplots and elements. I want to add more stories that focus on the exploration (maybe new events and encounters in hexes) or add in new longer-term events. I'm not entirely sure how this might mesh with the 'on-map' nature of Kingmaker.
I guess that's really what I want; more events, more things to find in the wild, and more decisions. Also, I'm not too picky; don't worry too much about fitting them into the campaign, as these stories could probably fit into pretty much any game where you run a kingdom or do lots of open-world exploration.
After reading through Ultimate Campaign, I wrote a couple notes in my book.
I'm going to expand a few of the places with caves to have sprawling cave systems underneath, perfect places for underworld creatures. These systems are going to be on separate hex sheets, using hills/forest exploration speed per hex; but each hex won't necessarily follow the 12-mile-hex system used for above ground since the vertical axis allows for a one hex to contain a lot more ground then it would seem. I'm considering doing the same thing with portals that link to the fey plane, but which only appear at certain events or times of the year, which the players must puzzle out.
I've also created more travelling NPCs to populate the area more. These range from mere hunters that happen across the PCs on occasion, to other wandering adventuring parties. Befriending them might get them boons like bonuses to searching for special resources, or even pointing them out other resources they might not have found when exploring (either secrets in hexes, or even ones you make up and retroactively place in the hex). They can be used for magic item trading as well; one of my players told me she wants a Ring of Sustenance, so planning on having an adventurer with one accept a trade for it.
Go look up RedCelt and Dudemeister's changes, especially Hargulka's Monster Kingdom.
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Pathfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Adventure Path Subscriber
You can find my Kingmaker expansions in my profile.
My players are nearly through the first module, but they're taking their time about taking on Staggy. It's tempting to make Staggy a more proactive villain, but for some reason I really like the "Drunk Achilles in his tent" vibe I get off the guy. I also want my players to meet some bandits before they storm the castle.
Soo ...
Encounters.
Akiros's Regrets. Akiros Ismort is the Stag Lord's second-in-command, but he's also dissatisfied with his life as a bandit. As he's languished in the Stag Lord's employ, Akiros has begun to reflect on his past, including his former service to Erastil.
The players will encounter Akiros either at the statue of Erastil or at Erastil's hidden temple (with the bear guardian). If they surprise him, they will find the bandit praying, sort of. Akiros will offer a very angry prayer, to the effect of "I was there, but where were you?!" If players interrupt him, he will be wary (attitude: unfriendly) and cagey about his vocation as a bandit, but he will speak with PCs regarding Erastil. If they can get Akiros to Helpful, he might give them some details about the Stag Lord's castle that they don't already have. If one of the PCs is a cleric or paladin of Erastil, Akiros will initially be hostile to such persons, but such a PC will gain a +5 bonus to a Diplomacy check with Akiros. If Akiros is brought to Friendly, he will share details about the Stag Lord's hideout, and even imply that he might help them should they attack the fortress.
If a cleric of Erastil is particularly lucky with his Diplomacy roll, Akiros may hint at his past.
Even though he has turned from worship, Akiros still considers the temple a holy place, and he will not fight the PCs unless they attack him first.
Ambush!
With the Stag Lord drunk most of the time and Akiros something of a moody leader, Dovan of Nisroch sees opportunity. Teaming up with an experienced tracker (a level 4 ranger), Dovan trails the PCs for several days, then springs an ambush on them. After the PCs have a particularly tough fight (for example, Tuskgutter or a wandering troll), Dovan will lead a small group of bandits in an attack. Dovan's goal is to capture or kill the PCs, then take them (or just their heads) back to the bandit camp. Right now, Dovan's focused on displacing Akiros. In the long term, he may have designs on becoming the new Stag Lord himself ....
Trapped fox.
The players come across a fox. It's caught in a cage trap and whining to be released. If the players release it, then later that day they will encounter an irate trapper who demands compensation for the loss of the fox.
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If you're looking for adventures and creature, character, and event supplements for Kingmaker, may I humbly suggest you check out the Kingdom-Building Adventure Path Plug-Ins from Legendary Games!
All are available right here at Paizo.com as well, if you want to check out the reviews people have posted.
On top of the Hargulka's kingdom, may I suggest having the Dancing Lady try to form her own fae kingdom in the forest. Make her more active, than sitting back and doing nothing.
Quote: I suggest having the Dancing Lady try to form her own fae kingdom in the forest She could be a Dancing Queen!!!
Google the One Page Dungeon competition :)
Each year hold a competition for the best dungeon / scenario that can fir on one sheet of A4. Then they publish all of the entries. They are a marvellous source of material that can serve as inspiration for all sorts of things.
Some can just slot straight in - I used one, way back in book one, when I wanted a bit more challenge for a practically unguarded treasure. Others need a bit of work to make them fit.
Many people like the Realm of the Fellnight Queen module. It looks great, and I plan on using it.
Other people also recommend Carnival of Tears, but I can't recommend it after reading through it. It's a shallow slasher flick storyline. Lots of your PCs' citizens suffer unavoidable, horrific deaths. I'm sure some people love it, but it's not my style.
Andostre wrote: Many people like the Pathfinder-Module-Realm-of-the-Fellnight-Queen] Realm of the Fellnight Queen module. It looks great, and I plan on using it. I'm running this at the moment at the end of RRR, before the next lot of
Kingdom Building & then VV.
For me it's a great way to get the PCs more into wanting to do something
when VV sets off, as well as foreshadowing N. I've made Rhoswen be her
daughter - Princess to her Queen...
If you run this, it would pay to figure out where it's set in your version
of the world. In mine it's in the region of what will become Varnhold Pass
sometime during the next lot of Kingdom Building.
It's also allowing me to introduce my PCs to a lot more fey friends, as
although I didn't start of pushing the fey aspect...I am definitely starting
to ramp it up now - after having bought several TP fey oriented products...
Including the Kobold Press' - Dark Fey & Alluria's - Clans of the Fey
Something had been tickling the back of my mind since I saw this thread, then I remembered what:
Kingmaker as a Spaghetti Western. For this to work, I'm thinking that you'd want the "guns everywhere" firearms campaign setting. And you'd probably also have to rewrite a lot of it.
Replace mites with goblins, I think, and make the Stag Lord a master gunslinger ...
Philip Knowsley wrote: Andostre wrote: Many people like the Pathfinder-Module-Realm-of-the-Fellnight-Queen] Realm of the Fellnight Queen module. It looks great, and I plan on using it. I'm running this at the moment at the end of RRR, before the next lot of
Kingdom Building & then VV.
For me it's a great way to get the PCs more into wanting to do something
when VV sets off, as well as foreshadowing N. I've made Rhoswen be her
daughter - Princess to her Queen... I plan on just making her Nyrissia. The two are already pretty similar, and the end of Fellnight talks about ways Rhoswen could return some day. It makes Nyrissia a recurring villain, which somewhat offsets the AP's lack of foreshadowing about her.
Quote: If you run this, it would pay to figure out where it's set in your version
of the world. In mine it's in the region of what will become Varnhold Pass
sometime during the next lot of Kingdom Building.
I really like this idea. I'm worried that my PC's aren't that big on the aimless exploring, so this is a great reason to explore towards Varnhold.
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Heh, glad to be of service...
Also, in the current version of the world what will be Talon Peak is
currently known as Farsight Peak. Elves live there, the group from
Fellnight Queen.
However, when the PCs go into the Fellnight Realm, they'll let loose the
Roc, which will make it's home there...& then the name will change due
to her hunting habits... ;)
Wait, which one is VV again?
Varnhold Vanishing is #3 in the series. :)
What someone really should do *hint-Jason-hint* is make a book or PDF collection of short-ish adventures (between PFS scenario and typical module size) that correspond to events. A Legends of the Hero Kings for the Rulership rules.
I think someone, Paizo even, could publish an entire hardcover of modular locations to insert into the hex crawl portion of the game. Ultimate Exploration maybe? For the time being I think the one page dungeon will have to serve this purpose.
Andostre wrote: I really like this idea. I'm worried that my PC's aren't that big on the aimless exploring, so this is a great reason to explore towards Varnhold. Heh. Be careful with that. My players decided that they had to claim all that territory before Varn did, so they headed off that way in the middle of Book 2 when I didn't have the map ready.
Thrund wrote: Andostre wrote: I really like this idea. I'm worried that my PC's aren't that big on the aimless exploring, so this is a great reason to explore towards Varnhold. Heh. Be careful with that. My players decided that they had to claim all that territory before Varn did, so they headed off that way in the middle of Book 2 when I didn't have the map ready.
Ha! Thanks for the tip.
It's just a random thing, but I always thought it'd be interesting to encounter a witch or hexcrafter with the Prehensile Hair hex. They'd come across this person busily mixing potions ... and holding the beakers with her eyebrows.
pennywit wrote: It's just a random thing, but I always thought it'd be interesting to encounter a witch or hexcrafter with the Prehensile Hair hex. They'd come across this person busily mixing potions ... and holding the beakers with her eyebrows. Hah! You've just given me an idea to import an old Half-Orc Witch PC of
mine - who had prehensile hair... ;-p
Recent threads in Kingmaker
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RPG Superstar 2008 Top 4; Contributor; Publisher, Legendary Games
