Olondir's page

I have my own half-baked idea of Iron Gods being done in Eberron. Terminator meets Bastion meets The Matrix meets Bioshock meets Fringe.

Unity is an AI built by House Cannith during the last war to handle Cyre's top secret defensive grid: Project BASTION.

Something happened and Bastion was initiated causing the Day of Mourning. It basically ripped Cyre outside space and time and into an alternate reality: To Cyre, the rest of the world is Mournland. Unity runs Cyre now from this alternate dimension. It ultimately brainwashed Cyre into believing it saved them from the end of the world and must preemptive strike the rest of the world before they do it to them! The entire nation has a sort of Big Brother "all for Unity" (Thanks Barcas for this idea) idea.

Unity has found, for a lack of a better term, rifts into this world and strange phenomena has been occurring to former House Cannith members. House Cannith knows what's going on and is desperately trying to get leg up on technological progress causing crazy world spanning no-holds-barred science experiments. This is where the PCs come in.

The PCs are a multinational task force covering bizarre phenomenon that's being caused by a shadow war between House Cannith prepping and capitalizing on this impending robotic super army.

This game is brutally fun and hard to master. It has one of the best narrators in a game since Bastion. It's worth buying for the narrator and artwork alone!

There are a lot of tactical decisions to make based on your adventure location decision. The length and place means different compositions are useful. This is especially true after your roster starts getting full.

The only things I don't like are how buffing and debuffing aren't worth it 9/10 times. Monsters big enough to warrant debuffing are usually resistant! Trinkets also are usually paltry profits.

For newcomers, heed these words!

Stress is more deadly than combat. Kill the stress makers first and foremost. Focus your hits. It is always better to remove incoming attack potential. I live by this: Less monsters = less attacks = less crits = less insanity and damage.

Advanced courses can cover stunning creatures who haven't acted yet to maximize that formula.

The best piece of advice I can give is to save money. Bring only 8 torches and 8 food in short, double and triple for medium and long. Don't fix dudes until they are level 2 and earned their health care. :P

I can talk forever on this game! Apparently the makers of the RPG torchbearer (the makers of burning wheel) might make a darkest dungeon tabletop RPG. Also in March, blade in the dark is a new RPG that handles industrial fantasy, stress, and vices that might warrant examination for those who wanna bring this style of play to their tabletops.

My initial idea was how a socially and economically charged protest swirled and churned into riots against the Queen. So this protest for the Justice against this slain guy and the guards overreacting their attempts to protest then turns into demonstrations against the guard for overreacting and the government sanctioned authority. But now with the king dead.. Well now it's the perfect time and all sorts of people to protest.

To me, the death of the King was more like the reason why this incident went massive. The lack of confidence and uncertainty of future with the Queen and pent up frustration is really what caused this... Which is what I wanted to have the original protest be about. An outlet for pent up frustration.

That was my plan but perhaps this is too complex for the game.

Hey you're on a great start!

I'm in the process of crafting my changes to the riots and would love some feedback. This might be useful to you.

I'm trying with having a protest problem happen before the riots that can look bad. Like the riots in the USA in Ferguson, Missouri. I'm scared because the consequences of pc failure or inaction might be really bad. Anyways here's my ideas about returning the brooch and the initial protest. I'm gonna chew on this for a bit. Just how I posted my changes to taking down Gaedren, I'll do a long post about the riots.

Returning the Brooch
Once the PCs have the Brooch and learn it is the Queen’s (any jewelry store will know this brooch is hot and will not buy it) and there’s a reward already out for it.

Meeting the Queen will have them wait in the main castle for a while. Also waiting with them is the Chelish Ambassador who is prone to complain about how he’s tired of wearing down the floor of this castle and demands to speak to the king at once. When Sabina enters the hall and asks that the PCs come with her, he gets uppity. How dare this riff-raff show up and be heard before myself? He threatens them with a nasty word to Cheliax about how rude they are, and Sabina tells him that no matter what he says, the king is indisposed and is not taking any visitors and he can take his threats and shove it up his ass! He storms out.

The PCs have a chance here to meet Sabina and the Queen and have them be rewarded for returning this brooch! Perhaps word of their involvement with the Guard and/or taking down Gaedren Lamm will mean she will ask them to meet with the newly appointed Field Marshall, Kroft. She sees her as promising and hopeful. Someone who can really amend this stressed city.

The Initial Riots

Read this in your favorite news reporter’s voice

Breaking news in Korvosa this evening; a young Korvosan was stabbed by police outside the Wounded Wretch Taphouse which some are calling a “Gross Miscarriage of Justice.” The Guardsmen in question was responding to a disturbance call inside the Taphouse where, according to observers, proceeded to fatally stab the victim. It is unclear at this time if the victim was, indeed, armed or a threat, but the crowd seems to be organizing an ad-hoc protest in response.

This is the first battle of a very long, bloody war for the soul of Korvosa.

The Protests start in Endrin Square and they’re going across the high bridge to Eodred’s Walk. The Guards have the other side of the bridge barricaded and the Guard are fully armed and armored. With archers set up in the towers and across the western gatehouse of the bridge.

• It’s readily obvious that the Guardsmen are under orders to not let any protest reach Eodred’s circle. They are armed and under orders this is an “unruly mob” and “violent”
  
• The marchers are armed only with their beliefs and cries. They are led by a few Varisian religious (Desnan acolytes) and cultural leaders. Among the ranks of marchers are Shoanti and Chelaxian Korvosans who are outraged.

• As the Marchers cross the bridge a crowd gathers near the guards. The Guard is ordered to stand, knock arrows, and orders the crowd to disperse or be fired upon as armed militants.

• The marchers will do no such thing, but will not proceed across the bridge. They chant they are unarmed and come with a peaceful message. Signs and portraits of the slain Korvosan are seen in the crowd. The first row of protesters are armed with flowers.

The PCs can influence the Korvosan Guard here with a successful diplomacy check to not respond with force. The Guard’s leader here is now Captian Jalento. He’s under orders that this crowd is armed and hide in wait in the middle of that crowd as cowards! He knows in her heart this isn’t the case and a lot of these guardsman are neighbors to folks in this crowd. Appealing to the notion these are your neighbors and not to respond in force will be successful.

Should the PCs do nothing, have Field Marshall Kroft ride out at the peak of tensions and have her arrive and her order blare out that the guard is to stand down at once. She orders the guard to rally at the Citadel and invites the PCs should they be around.

I'm afraid of using her as a dues ex machina here but like.. Idk.

You actually shouldn't do that tally up and do the net advantage/disadvantage math, guys.

I think everyone makes this same thinking. I know I was in that camp! It seems like an oversight and it really should work differently but here's a time where the designers know best.

After playing that way, I realized this can't be the right way because it always provide advantage to things and reduces the real threat of disadvantage and/or the negation of advantage.

This comes into play against monsters that will get advantage on your players a lot. At higher level play it isn't surprising to have things get cancelled out from spells, etc.

As a player, you almost come to expect advantage a lot of the time. You roleplay your Ass off out of combat for inspiration. Those times where it's a struggle and your actions bring you out of disadvantage to straight dice feel more meaningful and dangerous.

That's a really good idea! I have a similar plan.

I will be following Mr. Vergee's footsteps and letting my players earn the old Chelish Ambassador's manor after they've forced him out and uncovered his plot.

Whichever way it happens I think giving your players a house really helps reinforce reasons to stick around and save their city.

So I wanted to elaborate on the taking down of Gaedren Lamm in my rebooted CotCT campaign. This is an incomplete collection of my half-baked ideas and schemes for running the intro to this marvelous AP in a bigger way. I think this deserves its own thread.

This is pasted from my phone so. I apologize for the formatting.

The flow of this adventure will proceed roughly as follows:

1.) Zellara’s
2.) Shakedown of one of his dealers
3.) Rob Gaedren’s Stash in the Old Fishery
4.) Take down a dream spider shipment
5.) Fight Gaedren in his warehouse

Additionally here are some other non-linear events/things to splice into this adventure about the city.

a.) The Loss of the Muses ( See Adventure Background of CotCT AP-3)

b.) Opening of Mad Gods Key (Dungeon Magazine – 114) (Irontusk selling the key to a sick gang in old korvosa who sold the key to a disguised Lady Andaisin.)

c.) More beggares/folks looking for work

d.) For Whom the Bell Tolls (See my post here)

e.) Zenobia Zenderholm volunteering at an orphanage your players might be dropping off former Lambs to.

f.) Foundation Day Festival – The annual king’s announcement has been cancelled for his illness but the festivities, food, and drink still go on!

g.) Trips to Eels End – Drinking, Gambling, and more! Perhaps they run into a drugged out Salvatore Scream?

h.) Long lines at food banks

i.) Talk of the dwarves of the Ironworks wanting to Unionize

At War

Consider having The King of Spiders in Eel’s End and Lamm be in a drug war/rivals. With Devargo’s work in Old Korvosa with Lamm growing his business out on the mainland.

Mounting Tensions

The tensions of the city are tied to the health of their king. Talk amongst the townfolk whisper that of rebellion should the king’s health go south. “She’s not OUR queen, you know” is commonly muttered. Having small things like this around while the PCs are hunting down Lamb’s gang should be enough of a blinder to the point when the King dies.

Bringing in the Law

If your players tip law enforcement regarding any particularly structure, there’s a good chance that the players will meet the same bureaucratic slowness everyone else has. It’s up to you about how the Guard feels about vigilante justice too.

But consider having their efforts be partially rewarded. Consider having them approached by Grau Soldado and his friend Neffi who are two Watch Seargeants who cut through the crap and express concern with how slow the guard is on such matters. They arrange a meeting with their lieutenant Cressida Kroft who, like them, is a doer. She assures she’ll follow up on this.

What’s that Smell?

Consider giving Shiver a smell of something. For me and my game? I like the idea that Shiver has this dreamy quality. Like incense or potent vanilla. I’m considering having some burning when we play this game for that immersion.

The Story

The game begins as normal. The players all have a reason to hate Gaedren and got their notes to meet at 3 Lancet Street at sunset.

1.) Zellara’s Home (Curse of the Crimson Throne AP – 1)

Zellara wants the players to do the leg work.

“….Eran tracked them down and in return for this Gaedren murdered him. My only son. In cold blood. He has torn down my life and now I will stop at nothing to tear down his.

He has robbed me of my only child and now I will rob him of his one true love: himself. I cannot go to the Guard. They move so slow and this man has evaded the law for decades! What guarantee would I have that he would be duly punished?

I sought my harrow deck for advice and was rewarded. But the cards work in mysterious ways. They can’t always tell you what you wish to know, only what you need to know. It told me to find you and how to begin this man’s permanent unraveling.
The cards have blessed me with our first target in Ridgefield. But Gaedren is a weed and it is unclear to where his roots truly lie. His gang’s has sprouted from some old poor house called St. Casperian’s Salvation. I doubt Gaedren is there personally, but his henchmen must be. Find this place and uncover our next clue. Should things become unclear, bring me a focus of one of his henchmen and I may be able to divine our next target. “

2.) St. Casperian’s Salvation (From the end of Second Darkness AP – 1)

Run pretty much run as written. The only modification involves making this place a shiver den. Perhaps describe this place with a bit more broken needles and stuff. (see my advice about giving shiver a smell.)

Optionally, add a few of Gaedren’s Little Lambs as lookouts. (Think about the kids and what they do in HBOs the Wire.)

Really though, nothing really changes here except in the treasure, I’d include some doses of shiver, a few fishballs, and perhaps a note about fishery location in Westpier 17 for a reup.”

What the Splithog Pauper knows:

-Gaedren moves around a lot

-splithog reups in the Midland docks on the Westpier.

-Splithog gets his drugs from an alchemist named Yargin.

3.) The Old Fishery (Curse of the Crimson Throne AP – 1)

So this place will have the most changes to it. (Even then—not a lot.) The old fishery’s current purpose is the stash. This is where Yargin hides the Shiver and could be well guarded if the PCs weren’t careful. Thanks to the acrid smell of fish slurry, it masks the otherwise pungent odor of the Shiver.

I’d put more guards/thugs/whatever on duty here. As appropriate as you think. More so if the PCs weren’t careful if they know something is up. Lamm’s crew thinks the party is a drug robber (Think Omar from HBO’s The Wire), a new gang moving in on their turf, or sent by the King of Spiders (See “At War”)

Lastly, remove all instances of Gaedren himself and his room from this encounter. Instead have Yargin as the big cheese here and his room is now Gaedren’s old room. Also, Zellara’s head and harrow deck shall remain in a box with a note to Rolth that this might be useful for one his “experiments”

The treasure here should still be the same with one extra addition: A golden key and a piece of paper. On the paper is a name “Vancaskerkin” and the passage,
“Chimera looks to sunrise,

Cyclops looks to Sunset,

Medusa look to sunrise,

Umber Hulk looks to sunset,

Basilisk looks to Sunrise”

This is a key to a safety deposit box in the Bank of Abadar. Verik Vancaskerkin is a fellow sergeant on the Korvosan Guard. He watches the harbor. His interactions with his Vuldran lover have had him look the other way regarding a few inbound shipments before.

The Bank

The players will be granted access by providing identification and their key that they are of the Vancaskerkin. Run the portion of the Vanderboren Vaults in “There is No Honor” adventure of Dungeon Magazine-139. Inside the Vancaskerkin vault, though, is no gold or riches. There’s a single, sealed envelope sealed with Vuldran Wax. Inside the envelope is a message written to a lover about a “dreamy” shipment from Vuldra to arrive in a week on “The Blue Nixie.” The message is unsigned, but clearly written with a certain female elegance.

(What’s going on here is that Vimanda secured for Gaedren a bunch of Dream Spiders and they’re en route to Korvosa! Using Verik as a pawn, she’s using his family’s vault as a secure drop point. This sultry note is for Verik to know to let the Blue Nixie go unmolested. I leave the connection between Vimanda and Gaedren’s drug ring open to you guys to think of a why. It comes into play in part 5 though)

Time at the University Library

If your PCs ever need to research anything, at one point go ahead and drop this:

Two guards are stationed outside Jeggare Library. There was a robbery earlier this morning. Someone ran off with a magical book. The book was rumored to be magically shut and no one alive knew how to open it. This is a follow-up to the Mad Gods Key adventure. Add-in if you wanted.

These guards could be the Watch Seargeants described in Bringing in the Law.

4.) The Blue Nixie (“There is No Honor” Savage Tide Adventure Path – 1 part 2 – Dungeon Magazine – 139?)

Modifying this part, have Gaedren’s thugs in the process of collecting their dream spiders off the Blue Nixie when the PCs show up. Use the Rhagodessa stats, but describe as a dream spider queen. The fire below deck not only panics the dream spiders into attacking, but any sort of webbing it may have had that catches fire may cause sailors, thugs, guards, or PCs into a crazy, hallucinatory fight! I leave this to your discretion what happens. Soller Vark has the name of a warehouse written on a slip of paper on his person. This is the destination he’s to bring this dream spider queen.

5.) The Final Showdown – Gaedren’s Warehouse

Technically owned by House Arkona. This is the warehouse that will become the Hospice of Seven Days to the Grave! (The one that had to be sold by House Arkona.) So use those maps! Just modify them to fit the theme of a drug manufacturing plant.

There’s boxes and boxes of spices and various plants, textiles, furniture, and other miscellaneous foreign bric-a-bracs. F3 for example Stays the same. All the work is done in the basement. F7. And F8. Are official offices and meeting areas and everything looks like a regular office. Paperwork regarding shipments between Korvosa and Vuldra are shown.

Feel free to have spaces here full of dream spiders, tubes, webbings, run by zombies/skeletons animated by Rolth which go in there and extract the venom. Rolth, of course, has better things to do, like cause a pandemic.

Additionally, the secret basement of House Arkona is currently a Shiver manufacturing plant. The blood vats are full of various stages of shiver. (G13/Temple Center is not yet constructed at this time!) This is where I’ll have my party fight Gaedren.

In conclusion, Arkona denies knowing this foul man has taken over his warehouse and denies ownership. In fact, he issues a statement in the Korvosan Herald (whatever paper circulates in your game) about applauding the PCs for their efforts to rid this crime. He donates the Warehouse to the city so it can become an public space for like a soup kitchen, poor house, etc.

My own korvosa game died but a new one will likely form from its ashes.

It'll utilize the angle that Zellara needs focii of Gaedren in order to see clearly where he's hiding. So the PCs will be slowly but surely dismantling his shiver empire getting clues. I'm brainstorming how. I'm thinking of bashing down some drug lieutenants in a flop house, waylaying a shipment of dream Spiders, the warehouse and underground alch lab foreshadowing Rolth, leading finally into a showdown against Gaedren.

Ironically this will be something the King of Spiders will relish in. His top competitor is gone.

So if you can hang on for a smudge, I might have a crazy plan you can use to emphasize Gaedren more!

Mr. Vergee’s campaign journal is an amazing resource for fleshing out how to start this campaign.

I strongly encourage everyone who wants to run this AP to check out his work.

I’ll go ahead and say that Gaedren gets away the first go around the Fishery, but later on the PCs have their revenge!

Whatever you do, I wouldn’t beholden your plans for Gaedren in one way or another. When they find him at the fishery, If the PCs catch him off guard or whatever, have him go down. Rolth can always find a purpose for him in his death!

Olondir wrote:

There Is No Honor, the first installment of the Savage Tide Adventure Path is pretty great.

Savage Tide has some great bits to it. I haven't looked too closely but I bet the Isle of Dread segments could be used as a big, island sandbox.

Oh indeed. That was the definition of sandbox in an AP for a long while.

There Is No Honor, the first installment of the Savage Tide Adventure Path is pretty great.

I play with a lot of new players and nothing saps the immersion more than character generation and level progression. The hype dies the minute you get into skills, feats, and traits and how some concepts simply don't translate well into Pathfinder. I literally observe the fun of the game being sucked out of them as they look at feats and traits.

The fact I have to watch all these great and amazing ideas from people just getting into the hobby get deferred is heartbreaking. My good friend has been struggling since level 3 trying to play an arcane trickster. He's eclipsed by the slayer and witch in the party in his two fields of expertise. How is one supposed to express playing this amazing concept isn't "viable" ? It's sad.

I'll still play pathfinder but I'm done running it. Alan nailed it. The first time I made a 5e character it felt like I was making that. A character. Not a build trying to optimize a mechanic but a real character. Now stormwind fallacy blah blah blah sure enough but what about the times when you're playing with new players who are your friends? New players require much more rigid bearings to bridge the link between sheet and fictional character. it's super hard to get them excited for playing a fantasy rpg with more convoluted rules than the US tax code. I even have to use a turbo tax software just so character generation doesn't take hours.

I think that's super important. When was the last time a new person joined your game? I mean brand new to dnd. What did their face look like when you showed them all those feats? When you said OK pick one! Oh and it's super important to pick the right one...

5e has been much much easier for players to get the concept of their characters personality and mechanics. That's why I'm using it. Less rules talk and more play.

One of the numerous additions and changes to my upcoming CotCT game is getting the history of Korvosa to my players in more exciting ways than the usual text dump or "just read the wiki article on this". I hope you guys enjoy this attempt at telling my players about the history of Fort Korvosa as told in the Guide to Korvosa on page 49. Note: This is a play that should occur early on...possibly a prelude for players..before people lose their muse.

So a lot of this is editable and customizable. I'm really only laying the ground work here and providing some suggestions.

I hope you all enjoy my scatterbrained idea!

A crumpled yellow flyer stapled to a poll or message board, floating capriciously down the street, maybe stuck to the bottom of your shoe, or even reverse pick-pocketed on you, reads:
------------------------------
Friends! Women! Korvosans! make time this week to relish in our delectable history! Here the uncensored, 100% true story of the 12 men who survived and the back of the Shoanti aggressors.
Blood! Bravery! Betrayal! MORE BLOOD!
FOR WHOM THE BELL TOLLS
FROM: (DM choice) TO:(DM choice)
Directed by Pilts Swastel, Owner of Exemplary Execrables
Written by: (DM choice)
With music by: (DM choice)
Art by: Salvatore Scream
--------------------------------

Describe the gaudy former temple of Aroden with its graffiti'ed stained glass windows, it's plastic/glass giant gem encrusted doors, dirty red carpet, skull-adorned chandeliers, graffitied bathrooms with things with skulls and sayings like "LIVE AND DIE FREE", etc.

Play this when the play begins. The musicians are all adorned in tight, spiked leather suits with various skull and undead makeup on with long or spiked hair of various colors. Some combination of GWAR/Misfits/80s Glam Rock.

(The play opens with a view view of several black chelish sailing ships coming into Conqueror's bay and seeing Endrin Isle for the first time. You can hint that the backdrops and art is INCREDIBLY detailed (foreshadow Scream!))

Narrator aka DM: In 4407, the flotilla of ships commanded by Admiral Kiamelu land on the island of Conqueror's Bay. The Chelish marines and nobles are instantly attacked by an awaiting force of Shoanti savages.

(The music picks up and the play cuts to the landing of several Chelaxian marines getting attacked on the beaches and become under attack. Describe this opener as one that'd make Saving Private Ryan look like The Lego Movie. Describe the hero, Waydon Endrin, saving his marine brother's lives from the naked, caricatured Shoanti horde.)

Narrator: The Admiral losses his nerve and orders a full retreat stranding several dozen marines on the island. Only the Frigate Merciless disobeys orders and stays behind to provide support.

(Ham up the actors describing intense scenes about the drama with stuff like men saying "DAMMIT ADMIRAL WE STILL HAVE MEN ON THAT ISLAND." "MY SON IS ON THAT BEACH, GODS DAMMIT." With the stern admiral being, like, "AND THERE HE WILL DIE." and walk off. Include the captain of the Merciless being like "SCREW THE ADMIRAL. I'M NOT LEAVING THOSE MEN TO DIE." Really play up the machismo.)

(Cut to Jeggare and his men coming down the river)

Narrator: Many days later, Montlarion Jeggare and his famed expedition's return down the river that will carry his name to find the smoke and besieged marines on Endrin Isle.

(Jeggare takes off his glasses in a "Mother. Of. God." moment before cutting back to the stranded marines.)

Narrator: The stranded marines hold up on the hill that would become Fort Korvosa. Battling Shoanti, hunger, thirst, disease, and the island itself.

(Scene of marines fighting snakes, assassin vines, dodging arrows, quicksand, have a few dramatic deaths. "RODRIGO....NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO" with Endrin grabbing Rodrigo's brother and being like "PULL YOURSELF TOGETHER MAN. HE'S DEAD.")

(The drums increases and here comes the climactic battle where only 12 men are left before Jeggare and his team dashes through the jungle and turns the tide. The shoanti men flee leaving their scores beautiful, naked women behind.)

The crowd cheers as the men wipe sweat and blood from their brow and are, like, "Took you long enough, Jeggare." With him being all smug and "Looked like you had things under control. I take it you're the senior commander in charge?" "Your gods damned right.. now what are we gonna do with all these women?"

The crowd cheers and several scream "RAPE THEM! KILL THEM" in a disturbing fashion with the crowd voting for the actors and how the play should close.

Regardless, the play ends with tremendous applause. Perceptive players will notice that the Sensechal himself came out this evening to watch the show and was one of the first to give a standing ovation!

You can have a pretty good urban campaign based on what was going on around Beirut, Lebanon circa 1972. The Lebanese Civil War in general is super ripe for picking at for a geopolitical intrigue/spy thriller.

This has the potential to be touchy since it's the middle east and all so I did what I could and boiled it down to the mostly abstract. I'm just trying to show the amazing power struggle going on in that time and the 30,000 different agendas happening.

Imagine a cosmopolitan city state divided in half by a bloody civil war. The standing army is useless and torn between ethnic bounds causing militias and warlords to struggle to maintain order.

You have two neighboring countries waging a geopolitical and ideological proxy war in a once prosperous, cosmopolitan city.

On one side of the city you have the minority ruling class (X) maintaining order and the peace. This side demands, controversially, to have their own separate country. They want this thing to have all the trimmings like their biggest benefactor: Neighbor A. Neighbor A is also the ones giving them the supplies to provide order.

On the other side of this city you have a coalition of several oppressed, but similar ethnic groups (V,W,Y) with basically no say in the government or economic opportunities. These guys would normally not get too along but they're finding increasing common ground against their oppressors. These guys are supported by several groups and neighbors. Largest of all they are supplied by Neighbor B who is of similar ethnic standing to one of the groups. Similar to neighbor A, these guys are giving them the guns and the provocation to fight their oppressors.

Now throw into the mix Group Z. Group Z are basically political pariahs and blend in with the coalition against the minority leaders because they have no true homeland to call their own and the oppressed sympathize with them. Group Z is Neighbor A's biggest enemy (constant terrorism etc) and uses their presence as provocation to the other countries as rationale for excessive force.

Basically the Pariahs and Neighbor A think they both deserve the same land and fighting a sort of war in this civil war.

And then there's country C who is far removed from this situation but the A,B and groups W,X,Y, (and even Z) look towards it for brokering peace and solving everyone's problems.

C knows that X cannot get their own country, Group Z, the pariahs, need to have their problems addressed for ANY sort of peace to last, and neighbor A is too overzealous and refuses to pretty much talk to Z to broker a peace.

HOW COOL IS THAT FOR A DND GAME?

If that isn't enough...

How about some of these events?

-Neighbor C brokers a truce between group Z's and neighbor A. A real first of it's kind. Group Z's heads of power get extracted from this civil war and safe harbor to another nation. Some poorer members of Z stay and live in refugee camps with the other oppressed folks.

-The minority-in-power culture promotes a pretty stern, ruthless warlord as the frontrunner for "elections" and will run the country. Fearing this warmonger and regional balance of power, neighbor B assassinates the warlord.

-Neighbor A invades and takes over the city state. Oppressed groups lose the civil war.

-Minority-in-power commits hate crimes against oppressed groups... with tacit permission by Neighbor A.

-Neighbor D, high off their own successful revolution, steps in and swells the Oppressed groups hate. Forms a new, stronger coalition geared towards political change...

RotRL/3E Modules Spoilers!

Currently, my party is really HATING a priest named Gulthias. They released him back in the sunless citadel outside of Sandpoint in Devil's Platter and now following as many leads as they can in Magnimar.

It's been a wild ride where the party gets more and more desperate to track him down and vanquish this vampire once and for all. They've gone from being nice and friendly and asking around to breaking into libraries when denied access, frequent up-all-night hunts, overzealous crime scene investigations (WHAT DOES THIS FOOTPRINT MEAN?!?!), analyzing their constant nightmares, etc...

It doesn't help that they keep getting sidetracking following the advice of an ancient thassilonian toy dragon that randomly answers "yes or no" when asked a question. (They sort of assumed it's some ancient divination device.)[Side note: A big thank you is in order for The Alexandrian blog]

Yeahhh I think I'm gonna have to steal that Bane-inspired Sidius Kane guy of yours, Jack for my upcoming CotCT campaign. He'd make an excellent enemy for Blackjack for my PCs to help vanquish.

Spoiler Warning
The following post(s) will contain spoilers regarding not just Curse of the Crimson Throne AP, but Rise of the Runelords AP, Carrion Crown AP, various modules, and DUNGEON magazine adventures.

If you're not okay with that please do not read anymore. You have been warned!
-----------------------------------------------------------------

Introduction
Hello!

This will be my ongoing thread detailing my planned CotCT campaign. The game is scheduled to begin in a few months and I wanted to take the time now to share my ideas and plans with those who I have taken so many ideas and plans from. I love you, Paizo boards.

Granted I really only have the Prelude and Book 1 nailed down, I have the general outline of events ready to present to everyone.

Campaign Outline

After reading the AP for myself and then other folk's takes on the AP, I will be modifying the overall direction of the Adventure Path a few key areas.

I will be focusing my campaign more on the city of Korvosa and the player character's relationships and holdings within it. There will be various urban problems such as Drugs, Racism, Social Class, Labor, and Corruption that rear their head as the PCs seek revenge against their first major villian: Gaedren Lamm and his precocious necromancer nephew, Rolth.

I will be including a Prelude approximately 5 years prior to the start of the actual campaign where all of my PCs are part of Gaedren's Little Lambs. The PCs get to experience the cruelty of Gaedren first hand and will help make their revenge on Gaedren much more satisfying...and leaving them on the trail for Rolth.

The campaign itself will have lots of time before the death of King Eodred II to have the PCs develop a sense for the city. My players should expect a lot of juxtaposition of trivial buildings and streets before the city succumbs to riots, devastating plagues, and a ferocious street-by-street civil war.

After quelling the riots in book 1, the PCs will have a taste of what it is like being on the fringes of the elite of Korvosa. They'll be doing a lot more intrigue and social wining and dining. Council meetings, operas, trials, and more will occur. I'm also considering having a minor kingmaker-y component regarding them owning a manor and upgrading it. All the while the PCs gather clues about Rolth whose trail leads them to a long forgotten and abandoned summer home nicknamed "Misgivings".

Here the PCs will learn of virulent disease being manufactured and must race back to Korvosa for the start of Seven Days to the Grave. (About here is where the frays start to show on my plot rope as I have yet to develop a fun way for the PCs to concoct and distribute the cure for the disease as well as get stuck in Old Korvosa AND out of the grasp of the Queen and her Red Mantis hit squads.) Anyways... moving on.

Escape from old Korvosa occurs with the PCs understanding House Arkona as a possible ally against the throne in an enemy of my enemy sort of way. (Since they oppose her just so they can rule Korvosa themselves.) They discover the truth behind the Queen's power (Kavazon and the Crown of Fangs) and must seek out the Shoanti, fizzle out their planned assault on the city, and earn their blessing. (This "blessing" replaces the need for the sword in Scarwall).

Returning to the city, the PCs must deal with a city in civil war with the resistance's back against the wall. They'll fight city block by city block against devils, undead, and grey maidens (as well as a few loyalists) to reclaim the city. Here they learn of the weak link in Iloesa's plans. The ambitions of the second most high priest of Asmodeus is willing to betray the temple in exchange for being high priest in the PC's new order. He will give up the secrets of the contract held between the Queen and a powerful devil and it's location in the Hall of Wards. (Academy of Secrets). Here the PCs must defeat the contract devil and Lorthact by revealing the exiled Archduke to his enemies in Hell and Asmodeus himself voiding the contract as thanks.

With the Queen's infernal powers negated, the PCs and the resistance begin to turn the tide against the still formidable Queen.

Following that... I'm not very sure. I expect a sort of rebuilding process involving House Arkona and the PCs depending on how that went down and the ambitions of my own players.

What's to Come
My future posts will break down in almost complete detail my plans for each section of this campaign... starting with the prelude.

Introducing them at the end of EoA is fine! Keep them small and honor-guardish. They are elite Queensguard and it is an honor to join their ranks! Or at least that is the little amount of info on them at the time...

Female guards and adventures in the city wishing they could apply or have the PCs put in a good word with the Queen/Sabina.

As the game goes on you start seeing recruitment posters "THE QUEEN WANTS YOU" and then comes the conscription and desperation...

You're fine!

Okay I played this game (I think I finished with a 60 something total rating) and my sentiments can be summed up as the Dudemeister's opinions only more harsh.

Preface:
-I played this on a PC. Slightly less than maximum graphics.
-The only reason I had a copy of this game was that it came free with my new video card.
-I haven't played any single-player AAA title in a LONG time.

Verdict:
Meh. 2.5/5 stars. (once again I don't play too many single player games.)

Reasoning:

The game's narrative was very...potent. To the point where I felt so out of control. I've never felt so much out of control in a game in my life, actually. The story and absolutely stunning visuals/environment kept me from abandoning around 40% into the game. The narrative pull to rush to help my friends kept me from hanging around jumping on rocks and rooftops shooting lanterns and burning random sticks for useless points and achievements.

You see, once you're about 40% through the game, you've encountered every single mechanic in the game. The rest of the game feels repetitive. Lots of button mashing. Oh and the QTE were major culprits for removing me from immersion, but that's a personal taste and I will save you from my ramblings on the subject.

What really really spoiled the game for me was the ludicrous amounts of combat. This killed that vision of an innocent Lara explorer struggling and transitioning into a seasoned adventurer. I LOVE ordinary people being put in extraordinary circumstances and I really really wanted to see a struggle as Lara Croft having been forced to kill her first person in a life and death situation.

Instead, I found myself unmoved and mowing down 10 people with marksman/headshot bonuses. Not only was the Oni and final boss fight laughably anti-climactic for me, the only thing that was still "fun" as far as combat went was my self-imposing rules in fights. Like "kill this round of people with nothing but headshots" or "try to honorably slay the storm guard samurai by facing them in melee-only combat".

So like I said earlier, this was the first AAA single-player game I've played in a long time and it served as a great reminder why I don't.

Welp. So my ambitions are far exceeding my grasp (as they tend to do) and would love some feedback from my favorite cabal of ingenious GMs on how to flavor my favorite DnD 3.0 module for a special Rise of the Runelords game.
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This is what I got so far:

Sandpoint's Midsummer Festival is a cornucopia of games, foods, activities, and trade.

One of these events is the annual apple auction ran by the unscrupulous Jubrayl Vhiski. Every year for the past 5 years, a single ruby red apple with the shiniest hue and tremendous healing opportunities
(Literally- the apple can be sliced up to 4 times and offer the benefits of a heal spell.) goes for auction to the highest bidder. The proceeds go to alms and Jubrayl's closing the debauchery-laden Pixie's Kitten campaign. (or so he proclaims!)

Now no one knows for sure where this apple comes from. Jubrayl claims he it's from a hidden grove in Devil's Platter known only by a few Varisians. The rumor mill confirms this with a farmer or traveler or two saying they've seen someone matching Jubrayl's description returning from somewhere in Devil's Platter. (Some have said they even have seen him with a few goblins from time to time.)

Now another part of this apple auction tradition is that, while the sun is setting, the apple's seeds are bedded in town in hopes Sandpoint will have it's own life-giving tree, but this has been quite a fruitless endeavor!

Time and time again, the sapling grows unhealthy. Until one night after one or two years, the thorny and crooked tree is stolen away. Some say Jubrayl's Scznarni do it to protect his business, others say its the goblins! (And just last year, old Boderick Quint mentioned he looked up one night from his desk late at night and would swear he saw an old thorny looking tree running away on it's own! But no one listens to that cooky old man..)

So anyways, it's 5 days out from the festival and this year's festival is going to be even bigger than ever (now that Sandpoint's cathedral is to be blessed and opened and all). Mayor Kendra has asked the PCs to get to the core of this apple mystery so that Sandpoint can finally have a tree of their own. Now Jubrayl's offers no help to non-varisians. Varisians or those with more persuasive means can find out that a day's ride into the platter, you can find an old trail left unused by Varisians long ago that will take you to where you need to go. "You'll know you're in the right place."
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Now does anyone have any good ideas about skinning the actual Sunless Citadel as an ancient Thassilonian fortress? How does Ashardalon fit into the ancient Thassilonian/Karzoug/Alaznist narrative? Why is there an ancient temple to him?

I was contemplating making Ashardalon an aspect of Dahak, but I was more hoping to keep this citadel as more of an ancient Thassilonian ruin. Maybe Ashardalon was an ancient red wyrm general of Alaznist/Karzoug with a little too much ego so he thought he was a god? Maybe this was an ancient red-dragon roost/rookery run by this Red Wyrm?

Should the kobolds stay or should I replace them with a splinter group of goblins?

Make the white wyrmling a red one? A blue and foreshadow Karzoug a little more?

Thanks for your time and input!

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.

After travelling across the world to another continent and then sailing a ship and dealing with pirates, I'd like to see a more static-location based AP.

It is unlikely, but I would like to see Galt get some more love. I think I'd very much enjoy a rather cliche'd rail-roady traditional AP.
Something like all the PCs starting on death row only to escape or be pardoned by the BBEG. The PCs do missions and inadvertantly help him rise to power. The PCs then have to unite opposing factions/nations and stop his warmongering ways before he destroys half of golarion in conquest.

Numeria is also a good place for an AP too. I have simply too many ideas to list for this awesome land.

What I lack in intimate rules knowledge, I hopefully make up for it in dwarven swagger.

If both can be targeted with my sleep spell I go ahead and cast.

"Humber Bumber Encumber Lumber I cannae believe this is what is written on this paper! So I'm gonna skip to tha end and make 'em SLUMBER!"

Hello,

I plan on starting a PbP version of Kingmaker as soon as I get more planning and preparations complete concerning the changes and additions I want to add. I loved reading through Kingmaker and love the potential it has for anything, really. That being said, as written, I felt it was lacking resolution to the nature of the beginning of the AP in the first place. Rostland the Restov are using the PCs to secure a new kingdom and ally/pawn to play against Issia and House Surtova. I want to change that. Instead of enemies from the First World, I want the major issues of the campaign be the realm succumbing to civil war and the threat of an awakened Karzog looming over everything. Using the power of collective minds of DMs who are already running this game or planning to, I'm hoping to streamline my ideas and make things flow naturally and organically.

Naturally, in case you forgot my obnoxious use of asterisks and capital letters in the topic title, here is a disclaimer: POTENTIAL PLAYERS BE WARNED---- THIS THREAD WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS FROM THE KINGMAKER AND RISE OF THE RUNELORDS ADVENTURE PATH. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.

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The game would begin at a wedding between one of the Swordlords of Restov and House Orlovsky in a small chateau outside of Restov. House Orlovsky recognizes the illegitimacy of House Surtova's claim as not regent but true king and this has made them look for allies. This wedding was arranged to "seal the deal" on their alliance with the a prominent Swordlord's son and finalize any and all plans of exploring/mapping the Stolen Lands and growing new allies against Issia. Naturally, House Surtova isn't a big fan of these schemes and have sewn the seeds to stall the expedition and break the alliance. Through layers of intermediaries, a sect of 7-star tattooed (skinsaw men perhaps?) assassins and hired bandits from the Stolen Lands are called to raid and massacre the wedding party.

I'd run this very similarly to the Swallowtail Festival opening of RotRL with plenty of games, competitions and contests. This would let me introduce lots of high level NPCs from several different houses and swordlords. In addition, the families of the bride and groom will be showcasing their soon-to-be-explorers. Including a group destined for the Greenbelt.

As far as the assault goes, all goblinoids will be replaced by humanoids. The leader of this raiding party is an up and coming bandit ranger named Bruthazmus and a mysterious Stag Helmed foe. It will be a combination of a special ops assault and turncoats on the inside. This fight will be largely cinematic with most of the fighting going on around the PCs like in the Swallowtail Festival. They'll see an elf named Shalelu battling it out with this Bruthazmus, unarmed nobles running away, getting shot at and carnage. Keeping true to the Rise of the Runelords AP, during the fighting they'll rescue Aldern Foxglove.

After the assassination attack is foiled and damage is surveyed: lots of nobles lay dead. Among the dead is the entire would-be adventuring party to the Greenbelt. As part of the reward for their heroic defense, they are promised the dead groups exploration charter with a Kill-On-Sight clause for any bandits. It will take a few days for Magister Ironbriar in Restov to sign off on their new charter.

During this time, they can once again talk to the survivors who now have respect and admiration for this new band of explorers.

Aldern Foxglove would love to take them, as a treat for saving them, near the stolen lands to hunt a boar named Tuskgutter. On their way down, they stop at Oleg's and that encounter runs as written. After they take down Tuskgutter, they return to Oleg's. From here a rider from Restov gives them the charters as requested and Aldern bids his farewell for he must return to his chateau for "urgent matters" and wishes the PCs the best. From here I'll run Kingmaker-1.

I'll limit the number of encounters and add much more imagery and capture the feel for the land since this is a PbP. There are LOTS of great ideas on these boards to add flavor to the game. I'll be including weather and lots of ambient details (like the wyvern's flying overhead at night, troll footprints, and some other surprises.) Dudemeister's Hargulka's Monster Kingdom will also be used. I love this idea and it will give an early taste for inter-kingdom diplomacy.

Once they have dealt with the Stag Lord, they'll get their kingdom-making charter from Magister Ironbriar from Restov. They discover upon investigating the Stag Lord's keep that the attack on the wedding was paid for by someone. It was a not a random bandit attack.

At this point, the party is building their city and more and more folks are coming into their city with strange 7-star tattoos. Hargulka goes to war against the PCs as Ironbriar requests their presence in Restov to discuss their discoveries of the attack. The PCs could also use this time to request for aid against Hargulka's armies. Ironbriar is using this visit as an assassination attempt on the PCs for the Skinsaw Murders.

Now not only do the PCs have an army of giants and trolls at their fledgling nation's doorstep, they'll be neck deep in the skinsaw murder mystery and realize something much bigger is going on. (The awakening of Karzog). Xanesha seemed to trying to start communicating with someone near Varnhold. (Right when reports from Varnhold stop coming through.)
The Skinsaw Cult shows up as one of the intermediaries and it is discovered that Ironbriar tipped off House Surtova about the true nature of the expedition and Rostland and Issia mobilize for war.

Houses reveal their alliances and the PCs are caught in the middle of a civil war, a monstrous army on marching toward their kingdom, and the awakening of an ancient Runelord. Very Game Of Throne's, no? :)

Thanks for reading that wall of text and I appreciate any and all input to improve my ideas and make this PbP game amazing. Better than DM Barcas and DM Alexander Kilcoyne games-tier. :)

Special Thanks
I just wanted to thank Greycloak of Bowness for his amazing campaign journal, Dudemeister, Alexander Kilcoyne, Nethys, and everyone else whose ideas and hardwork I've stolen or will be stealing as I plan out this game.