|
I didn't want to start a new thread, but posting in other threads would have been a derailment...
Does anyone remember "The Gauntlet"?
And if you do, does Hook Mountain Massacre seem eerily familiar? Not implying it was stolen, they are in truth really very different. The whole "Capture the Keep" motif is all thats similar really. But I remember that adventure very fondly because it became an entire campaign as the player's refitted the keep, established a dominion, and opened up trade through the pass. In fact, it was such a popular campaign that I have always felt that AD&D and D&D should really revisit aspects of OD&D, namely the "companion rules" and explicitly make stronghold/dominion building a part of the game.
That said, how about you Paizonians? Is that an aspect of D&D you enjoy playing/DMing? If an OGL product that made the "companion rules" updated to 3.5 came out would you be interested? I know there is the Stonghold Builders Guide and its decent, but I am talking about something crunchy to adjudicate running a dominion: Confidence Checks, taxes, Events, wars, etc.
I've always enjoyed this sort of play myself. And yes I remember The Gauntlet and the Sentinel from long ago.
The building of a stronghold and establishing at least a minor if not necessarily a major fief can be very fun, rewards (especially) and gives the PCs and players some down time.
One problem I have about a lot of campaigns is that no downtime is featured. I do not include the APs in this, they are built the way they are for a reason. I like for people to have time to reap the rewards of their labors, especially since there will be times they can't. Not to mention the roleplaying elements that come from owning/running a fiefdom.
Rival lords/ladies, people trying to establish trade with you, people that want to rebel against you....the possibilities are endless.
Case and point, I ran a campaign long ago where the party did just such a thing...they liberated a somewhat oppressed area from the BBEG. Once they'd won, it turned out the BBEG really wasn't oppressing the people, they were just scared of him. Oh well. Time goes on, they set trade, taxes etc...and go off adventuring leaving a Major Domo in charge...
When they got back, their was a Robin-hoodesque rebellion happening because they levied a tax. Apparently the old lord didn't tax his people at all, the one thing the people of the area had loved about him. His inattention was making the farmers somewhat wealthy.
This put the players into a strange situation of...
Wait! We saved you! Why do they hate US?
Good times were had by all. The players were totally dumbfounded.