Question. My party thinks an easy way to not get negatives would be to throw your average Joe Carpenters, Farmers, etc in to each position till they find good ones. Ways to stop negatives. I see a problem with this as a GM but at the same time I play the Mechanics myself. Any Word of advice?
Thanks
Question. My party thinks an easy way to not get negatives would be to throw your average Joe Carpenters, Farmers, etc in to each position till they find good ones. Ways to stop negatives. I see a problem with this as a GM but at the same time I play the Mechanics myself. Any Word of advice?
Well, the average Joe Carpenter wouldn't be able to fend of any sort of assassin, so any assassination attempts against them should be an automatic success. Other than that I see nothing inherently wrong in their reasoning, as long as you use the rules as written.
As a GM myself I would feel like it was XMas if my players did that. They just gave you everything you need to make their lives miserable.
Write up a backstory for Joe the Carpenter. Make him a schizophrenic who seems nice enough but every now and then just has to go out and murder someone. Start inventing powerful NPCs that Joe the Carpenter owes a lot of money to. Have him fall in love with one of the female PCs... or with an NPC that one of the PCs is sweet on. Oh, and how does Joe the Carpenter feel about the PCs trying to replace him with someone they think is "better" for the job?
The players are trying to fill their rulership positions with nameless, faceless NPCs. While you shouldn't punish them for being creative, you should take the opportunity to remind them that no one is really nameless or faceless. Played well, Joe the Carpenter could well end up being an fun addition to your campaign. Remember that the GM's job is to make the world come alive for the players.
Contributor, RPG Superstar 2008 Top 4, Legendary Games
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At the same time, they shouldn't all be "screw you" NPCs. Many might have their own pet projects, agendas, or ideas they want to push, but they might otherwise be decent folk. PCs are prone to kill everything they meet as it is; no need to encourage them! :)
"prone to kill"? I'm still trying to figure out how I am going to get my group of LG players to end up with a kingdom of only themselves, after they slaughter their own kingdom.
No, they are not actually like that. ... just the one guy.
Well, unless you run Kingdom in the Background, none of the NPC leaders should be dummies with no free will. If possible all of them should have their own agendas, which sometimes support with the PCs and sometimes oppose. Some of the leaders might be open to bribes from other nations, say Pitax or Mivon. Commoner leaders might feel they have to stand up for the common man, and for example oppose tax edicts. Some leaders might not like each other for some reason and because of that plot against each other. In any case, a NPC that is filling a leadership role is a NPC important enough to have his or her own personality and goals, and it's your job as a GM to decide them.
I'm going to introduce a couple of NPCs from Brevoy to maintain the ties there even after Restov cuts them loose around Chapter 3.
King Surtova will have discovered that the Swordlords have sent these groups into the Stolen Lands and whilst he doesn't think it's a bad idea, he doesn't want to be left out of the loop.
So, he will insist that the Swordlords can provide all the help they like (i.e. the stated starting BPs) as long as:
a) the Mayor of Restov sends his own personal chamberlain/steward/major domo to organise the building efforts (the King wants to subtly weaken the mayor by having his strong right hand removed, but at the same time it will be seen as an irrefusable honour). However, the steward is forbidden from holding any position of high authority (i.e. no leadership role) in the new kingdom (thus keeping Restov's influence to a minimum).
b) the rulers of this new kingdom must grant a position of high authority to one of King Surtova's favored men - likely a canny old warrior who is Issian through and through.
Doing this will provide some NPCs to hand-hold the PCs through the initial kingdom-building and give a link back to Brevoy and the ongoing political situation there. I have some ideas of how I want to continue the campaign after the end of the Adventure Path, and providing these two are still alive they may play important roles.
RPG Superstar 2011 Top 32
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Also, it doesn't seem to kill the story to have some people who are essentially just filling a seat. I imagine that there are a lot of times in small towns when someone with a day job gets conscripted to do some governmental role.
Choosing to elect dog-catchers and think about them as political positions is a recent phenomena.
If you really want to discourage that, why not offer 6 months (or more) of time for which some of the jobs can go unfilled and it won't create problems. It also seems sensible that you don't need a 14+ person government for 250 people.
Commoner leaders might feel they have to stand up for the common man, and for example oppose tax edicts.
Sure, they might - if they were modern-thinking men and women. You can't ignore the fact that for much of history, tradition ruled the responses of most people. Peasants routinely gathered taxes from other peasants in the name of their lord, even if they didn't like the tax, just because that was the way of the world.
I would think appointing faceless NPC bodies into the roles is fine, to begin with. It actually represents the way feudal (or even colonial/pioneering) societies would work. The small, frontier settlement is electing or appointing Joe the Carpenter as Warden because he is liked by his fellow settlers, not because he is a "hero". Most early settlements and colonies would have average working men filling the leadership and government roles, probably as a second job. Of course, once the settlement begins to grow and the country becomes more complex, Joe the Carpenter or Harry the Smith is not going to have the skill set to deal with the more complex issues that arise.
Sure, they might - if they were modern-thinking men and women. You can't ignore the fact that for much of history, tradition ruled the responses of most people. Peasants routinely gathered taxes from other peasants in the name of their lord, even if they didn't like the tax, just because that was the way of the world.
Only, the River Kingdoms isn't your average feudal/medieval society. Due to the Six River Freedoms the people of the River Kingdoms have a more modern mindset than a commoner/peasant of the Middle Ages or even a colonial/pioneering society.
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Let's not forget that Conflict is the name of the game and realize once some people get a taste of power they are loathe to let it go. I can see a random Bob the carpenter getting the Councilor position (the position most likely to be avoided by the PC's) and using it to achieve a demagogue status among the populace and challenge the PC rule.
Given the nature of the AP and the travel times involved I'd fully expect the PC's to return from an extended adventure to find the Councilor the de facto head of the burgeoning kingdom and themselves virtually dethroned.
At the least a power struggle between the PC's and the random NPC's is bound to happen and an opponent they can't just decapitate on a whim is bound to open up a ton of role playing challenges.
Let's not forget that Conflict is the name of the game and realize once some people get a taste of power they are loathe to let it go. I can see a random Bob the carpenter getting the Councilor position (the position most likely to be avoided by the PC's) and using it to achieve a demagogue status among the populace and challenge the PC rule.
If I was playing in this AP rather than running it, I'd be wanting to go for the Councilor role. I am OBSESSED with stewards and chamberlains and wise advisers and the power-beside-the-throne kind of roles.
How about recruiting faeries? The giant as a general.. better make sure theres a distillery in town.. and maybe a kobold or two.
Then when the wars come you might have fairies doing their thing, kobold assault-trappers.. stone tossers.. and your regular mortal militias on top. And who knows what kind of intel faeries can provide in the last installment?
Besides, charisma and dexterity appear to be the two most important abilityscores for rulers. And faeries have both over the top.