Is this book.
You want see what? Inside?
Not to put too fine a hair on it, but information that won't be invalidated by the Adventure Path coming out that's set in it.
Too many times, WoTC would put out a supplement, and then game fiction would go in and rip it apart and redo it. The most blatant one I can think of was the Lands of the Dragon in the Athas setting...make up the supplement, then promptly kill off the Dragon and inundate the whole area in an eternal rainstorm.
Yeah.
I imagine this is going to look and smell a lot like the Border Kingdoms stuff that Ed Greenwood put out for the Realms...fun little places you could move into and take over at some point or another. Places like these are 'takeover central'...they attract gamers because you don't have to worry about the logistics of the huge kingdoms, and you give them room to grow.
There's also the other view: if these are places that are meant, in the end, to be united by sword or diplomacy, then angle the information tilt that way, and how the rulers will react to someone accomplishing the task...especially high level people who could walk and stomp all over them! strengths and weaknesses they might bring to a united kingdom, feuds that will continue and intrigues that will linger, and all the many fingers in the pie from outside the kingdoms that will get crushed, caught and burned and be yearning for some revenge...or to make very, very careful use of some epic-level catspaws, if they dare.
==Aelryinth
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if this is a bit like i think abour a game of thornes kind of gam, while i think the castle management would be worked in the AP
it would be fun to have titles, how to earn titles
traits and feats related to the nobility around, talking about the houses.
Tournaments, fairs, and such funs when one or more Houses meet for challenges, the food, the drink and the entertainment.
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RPG Superstar 2008 Top 32, 2011 Top 16
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I'd want to see more information about the river pirates. What makes them different than the more traditional ocean pirates? What tactics, feats, etc. do they use?
More information on the cult of Hanspur and more on Sevenarches would be nice also.
I'd also like a list of some of the kingdoms and a brief description of some as well as their leaders. In particular, I'd like more detailed information on some of the more unusual ones.
Since we've had the subject come up of uniting the River Kingdoms, I'd like to see some extremes. Perhaps the best and the worst that the River Kingdoms has to offer in the way of rulers--a glimpse at the most inspiring and dreaded leaders in the area--who might actually stand a chance of succeeding at such a task...provided they aren't undone.
Cool maps and descriptions of the kingdoms. I am not really sure what the difference between a Companion product and a Chronicles product is, but I definetely want to see some rules for rulership and maybe also mass battle. I don't think I have seen rules for rulership since the D&D Basic Came, and those weren't very good.
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I would like to see an expanded/refined PFRPG version of the castle rules.I would also like plenty of unique and diverse cultures and locations that the PCs could interact with/exploit both with politics and adventuring.
For example: a marsh area, dotted with islands, that is used as a refuge (much like the fens of East Anglia) could combine adventuring (pacifying beasties, exploring ruins) and politics - like the wild elves in Red Hand of Doom, only larger and more sophisticated systems.
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I would like to see an expanded/refined PFRPG version of the castle rules.I would also like plenty of unique and diverse cultures and locations that the PCs could interact with/exploit both with politics and adventuring.
For example: a marsh area, dotted with islands, that is used as a refuge (much like the fens of East Anglia) could combine adventuring (pacifying beasties, exploring ruins) and politics - like the wild elves in Red Hand of Doom, only larger and more sophisticated systems.
I believe this article should appear more in the AP than in the companion
to small for having a refined system appearing
It would be nice to get Ed to write something for this book, but he is very, very busy with WotC novels and other novels and other projects, and getting him to write a 64-page book is almost impossible to fit into his schedule. Also, it would be a little cheesy to have Ed write a book on the River Kingdoms after writing so much FR material for the Border Kingdoms. It's like asking Stephen King to write a d20 modern adventure about a haunted car....
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Expansion on some of the factions of the River Kingdoms included in the Campaign Setting would be nice. I'm betting (hoping) you have a Daggermark book in the works, so I'd like to see areas outside the capital also get nice writeups. I'd like to see stuff about Gyronna and the Black Sisters, and about Uringen (I'm a big "Brigadoon" fan! Places "trapped outside of time" always fascinate me).
Director of Brand Strategy
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I second the request for as much detail on Sevenarches as possible. It grabbed me more than anything else in the RK when I read about them in the CS. That said, a few pages on each of the major kingdoms/city states would be awesome, detailing major landmarks, history, and notable NPCs (like Chronicles often do) but divided up by kingdom instead of by topic. The two cults listed in the CS would also make cool additions, as there is little more than a paragraph on each of them at present. I'm also a sucker for maps and timelines, so the more of each the better. And I'd be interested in a section on the relationship between various Kingdoms and non-RK nations/cities nearby, such as the cities of Numeria, Galt, Kyonin, Brevoy, etc.
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I heartily second Yoda8's idea about dividing the book by the various kingdoms, even if that breaks with Chronicle's standard format. It would make searching for regional info much quicker for a DM or a Player looking to a specific kingdom/area for inspiration. You could still keep other sections that pertain to the region as a whole, such as the cults. I also liked the idea of a "dossier" on how the RKs relate to the other nearby kingdoms.
Thanks for the comments, everyone, I've made notes in the outline about these things.
As far as rules on how to build & manage your own kingdom or castle, that sort of thing is more appropriate for the next AP, as we can tie it more closely to the events of the AP.
I would like to see bios on the half a dozen or so non-government power brokers. Who controls things?
That and it would be fun to see if there are any river-related myths that arise from ancient ruins, dungeons and adventure sites. Especially if they vary from place to place.
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Sean! Dude!
The River Kingdoms!
River.
I want to know about the rivers themselves. Lore. Falls/Rapids. Canyons. River Culture. Locks?
I would love to see some interesting ships that are built around these rivers. Warships, merchant barges, and kayaking.
Also interested in the fishing and the inhabitants under those rivers. There could be a lot or lore to be had in all of this.
Afterall, the sword did rise from a calm eddy of water near a fast running river. :)
Rivers were the medieval highways of yester year.
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One of these:
AFTER leaving Vienna, and long before you come to Budapesth, the Danube enters a region of singular loneliness and desolation, where its waters spread away on all sides regardless of a main channel, and the country becomes a swamp for miles upon miles, covered by a vast sea of low willow bushes. - from The Willows by Algernon Blackwood
Diversity. Basically, this is Europe in miniature, where you have a bunch of little fiefdoms competing for power and security. That leads to rapid change: adapt to the newest technological and political advancements or get taken over by those who do. I'd like these fiefdoms to be RADICALLY different from each other, to allow for each DM to customize this region.
Plus, it's really, really boring if every leader is a 10th level fighter who wants everyone to be his serf. Have some general fiefdoms and have some cults of personality and perhaps an enclave inspired by the Andorans.
Err on the side of too flavorful.
I also second the request for rules in this product or the AP on running a castle and/or mass combat (taking a castle).
I know a certain Ogre who is very pleased with the merrow on the brand new (final?) cover art for the River Kingdoms book :)
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Introducing aquatic elf bandits that guard and excise tolls on river boat travelers.
Underwater catacombs that hide a multitude of secrets.
Could there be any fresh water pirranah swarms in the bestiary?
Outside of this, I think the pirates are my main interest, but they have already been mentioned.
(it is 5:30am here and I havent gotten any sleep, so my mind is wandering...)
It's like asking Stephen King to write a d20 modern adventure about a haunted car....
BRILLANT!