I am about to start running Kingmaker soon. My issue is that I need a reason as to why the PC's were the ones given the charter. I am sure a lot of people would jump at the chance to have their own Kingdom. As written these guys are first level, and probably have not done much to earn a name for themselves. I would have people or agents loyal to me(the king), but not officially a part of the government trying to settle the land, which is why the suspension of belief is not going over too well.
I am trying to think of something the PC's could have done to gain the opportunity, or maybe they got lucky and did something really incredible, which makes the king have more faith in them than he really should have.
As for the king trusting them, I currently have a DMPC as the middle man(person the king trust), but that idea can be done away with if I get a plausible reason to have them obtain the charter by other means.
PS: I am running it in Qbarra(Eberron).
Sweet, Qbarra is a great fit. Well they did not have to do anything, As they are kinda cheap throwaway agents:)
However maybe go with something from savage tide. Have each pc come up with a kinda 15 minutes of fame type thing. Something that would bring them to the attention of the higher ups. It does not have to be true, just belived to be true.
I had a pc in STAP who was on a ship that was hit by a storm and a plague, he got real lucky and it drifted into the bay with all on board dead but him. However it got out he was this great seamen, so skilled she could sail a ship tough a storm by himself. Man didn't know a thing about sailing but everyone thought he did so he came to Lavinia's attention
Doing so gives each player both a chance to be creative and gives you extra plot hooks to work with
When it first starts, they aren't sent as settlers. They are sent to explore the land, map it, and spank any bandits they find.
After that, they are given a charter to colonize the place, as they presumably did a good job exploring and taking care of bandits.
When it first starts, they aren't sent as settlers. They are sent to explore the land, map it, and spank any bandits they find.
After that, they are given a charter to colonize the place, as they presumably did a good job exploring and taking care of bandits.
Then what was the deal with the other adventuring parties being given nations or the chance to try to build one. Was it the King's intention to see who had the potential to do so, and then hand them a charter?
I see what you were talking about now thanks.
I've been playing up the "no one is crazy enough to go into the Stolen Lands" (it's like the Pit of Despair) and had one of the PCs (the ostensible leader) sent into exile with this charter as his death sentence. :)
I'm assuming they'll make lemonade out of lemons...
I am about to start running Kingmaker soon. My issue is that I need a reason as to why the PC's were the ones given the charter. I am sure a lot of people would jump at the chance to have their own Kingdom.
Just let your players come up with why. It is easier for you and will make them more involved.
As written these guys are first level,
You're metagaming? In Eberron first level PCs are somebodies.
and probably have not done much to earn a name for themselves. I would have people or agents loyal to me(the king), but not officially a part of the government trying to settle the land, which is why the suspension of belief is not going over too well.
I don't recall Sebastian doing so well he could afford to be choosy. Default Eberron has Sebastian doing so poorly he's sort of become Riedra's chump reliant on them for support.
I don't understand why you feel it's so impossible for anyone to have gained a charter that isn't loyal to Sebastian. Look how Q'barra was even founded to begin with.... In fact you could even mirror Q'barra's founding with the PCs charter.
I am trying to think of something the PC's could have done to gain the opportunity, or maybe they got lucky and did something really incredible, which makes the king have more faith in them than he really should have.
As for the king trusting them, I currently have a DMPC as the middle man(person the king trust), but that idea can be done away with if I get a plausible reason to have them obtain the charter by other means.
PS: I am running it in Qbarra(Eberron).
I always recommend ditching DMPCs and middlemen. Especially in a sandbox campaign. Just embrace the fact that Q'barra is a frontier and the PCs are the settlers!
You're right that there are plenty of people that would jump at the opportunity to claim land for themselves. That's why corpses should litter the Stolen Lands. Sebastian should sell charters to anyone that can pay because he needs the money. The PCs should have received an enormous windfall and bought a charter from Sebastian. They should be one of many people/groups to do so. All of those people have and will fail. Only the PCs being PCs may actually succeed. Have buying a charter include loyalty oaths/pledges etc. to Sebastian if it bothers you so much.
You're metagaming? In Eberron first level PCs are somebodies.
What I mean is they have not done anything until the background story is written up to achieve any type of notice.
I don't recall Sebastian doing so well he could afford to be choosy. Default Eberron has Sebastian doing so poorly he's sort of become Riedra's chump reliant on them for support.
I don't understand why you feel it's so impossible for anyone to have gained a charter that isn't loyal to Sebastian. Look how Q'barra was even founded to begin with.... In fact you could even mirror Q'barra's founding with the PCs charter.
He is not doing well, and he probably does not have the money to go around to support anyone that decides to claim to be have a nation. The other issue is that the Valenar elves, and certain lizardfolk tribes may interfere if they notice he is making any real progress. Some else could come into Qbarra, but the previous settlers came as a group, not just 4 people. It would probably take 100 years for them to build a nation. The king is putting things in fast forward. The trust issue is also a part of them being quiet about how they managed to build up so fast. I am sure not all the settlers will be from Qbarra but a number of them will be at first.
I always recommend ditching DMPCs and middlemen. Especially in a sandbox campaign. Just embrace the fact that Q'barra is a frontier and the PCs are the settlers
The real reason for the DMPC is in case someone can't make it to a session. It makes more sense to drag along someone they can trust.
PS: The elves and lizard folk are taking the place of Rostland in the sense of becoming aggressive if the secret leaks out. Pitax will be replaced by the nation of one of the other adventuring parties that does not care about that fact that King Sebastian helped get them started. They plan to take out the PC's, and then move on to take over the rest of Qbarra.
Edit: The lizardfolk will be more united due to a strong king coming up, but he has not united all of them yet. I have yet to decide how to bring this into the game.
What I mean is they have not done anything until the background story is written up to achieve any type of notice.
Ok so maybe one of the PCs will totally take care of this for you then. :)
He is not doing well, and he probably does not have the money to go around to support anyone that decides to claim to be have a nation.
Yeah but how much support exactly is he giving? Since I don't know how much you've changed I can only go off the Ap itself imagining Sebastian in the place of Lord Mayor of Restov. The support given is miniscule. A few guards at Oleg's and some cash when the PCs do exactly what you want them to do and prove themselves. So yeah he's not really giving them anything except for when they do something to deserve it. It's easy to make the cash rewards from sidequests come from wherever you like also.
The other issue is that the Valenar elves, and certain lizardfolk tribes may interfere if they notice he is making any real progress.
I'm not sure I understand. They'd interfere with the PCs. Which is just more adventure for them.
If they'd somehow interfere with Sebastian because the PCs are doing well then he's kind of screwed isn't he? Either they fail or their success just brings him new problems.Their personal feelings towards Sebastian won't really matter when it comes to how efficiently and discreetly they operate.
Some else could come into Qbarra, but the previous settlers came as a group, not just 4 people.
But settlers come to Q'barra all the time! It's not just 4 people making up the whole kingdom. The PCs are just the 4 people that will end up heading the government. That's what I'm saying. Yes it's a nation .... barely. It's mostly frontier though and people come to a frontier to settle and civilize it. Others will follow in the PC's wake.
It would probably take 100 years for them to build a nation. The king is putting things in fast forward. The trust issue is also a part of them being quiet about how they managed to build up so fast. I am sure not all the settlers will be from Qbarra but a number of them will be at first.
100 years? I guess it depends how you define nation.
Ok well I don't know all the details of the backstory you've got going for your conversion so I'll just stick with my original advice. The PCs form a party. They have a lot of money for some reason. Maybe it's treasure they obtained illegally during the Last War or something. They debate buying an airship or something and eventually settle on buying a charter from Sebastian. The possibility is too great to pass up. The amount of coin they drop convinces Sebastian these are people worth noticing that could serve him well.The real reason for the DMPC is in case someone can't make it to a session. It makes more sense to drag along someone they can trust.
AH that's unfortunate. I've been lucky to rarely have that problem.
PS: The elves and lizard folk are taking the place of Rostland in the sense of becoming aggressive if the secret leaks out. Pitax will be replaced by the nation of one of the other adventuring parties that does not care about that fact that King Sebastian helped get them started. They plan to take out the PC's, and then move on to take over the rest of Qbarra.
Hehe the Valenar are always aggressve aren't they? ;) But yeah aren't the Valenar and Lizardfolk always attacking him anyways?
I'm a little confused now. Rostland is the one sending the PCs in the AP. If the land of Q'barra is the River Kingdoms... I don't really know Golarion though.
Don't be too surprised if the PC's end up not caring much at all either (that Sebastian got them started). PC's really love being in charge.
What I mean is they have not done anything until the background story is written up to achieve any type of notice.Ok so maybe one of the PCs will totally take care of this for you then. :)
He is not doing well, and he probably does not have the money to go around to support anyone that decides to claim to be have a nation.Yeah but how much support exactly is he giving? Since I don't know how much you've changed I can only go off the Ap itself imagining Sebastian in the place of Lord Mayor of Restov. The support given is miniscule. A few guards at Oleg's and some cash when the PCs do exactly what you want them to do and prove themselves. So yeah he's not really giving them anything except for when they do something to deserve it. It's easy to make the cash rewards from sidequests come from wherever you like also.
The other issue is that the Valenar elves, and certain lizardfolk tribes may interfere if they notice he is making any real progress.I'm not sure I understand. They'd interfere with the PCs. Which is just more adventure for them.
If they'd somehow interfere with Sebastian because the PCs are doing well then he's kind of screwed isn't he? Either they fail or their success just brings him new problems.
Their personal feelings towards Sebastian won't really matter when it comes to how efficiently and discreetly they operate.Some else could come into Qbarra, but the previous settlers came as a group, not just 4 people.But settlers come to Q'barra all the time! It's not just 4 people making up the whole kingdom. The PCs are just the 4 people that will end up heading the government. That's what I'm saying. Yes it's a nation .... barely. It's mostly frontier though and people come to a frontier to settle and civilize it. Others will follow in the PC's wake.
It would probably take 100 years for them to build a nation. The king is putting things in fast forward. The trust issue is also a part of them...
I guess I need to write the entire thing(guideline) out and post it. I will try to do so tomorrow.
One of the things I told my players was that each of them should have some reason that they would be chosen. They were not a group before they met, but were hired by 1 person who scouted them out.
One is an Aldori Swordlord and also part of a thieve's network. He has the connections that pushed to get him in here so the thieve's network has someone on the inside.
Annother is a member of the faith who had a vision of himself in the area, and so his church pressured to get him a position in the charter.
A third grew up sailing up the River Kingdoms. Her knowledge was thought to be valuable, and so she was included.
This way, the players were all chosen for either their skills or because someone with power pressured to get them in. Competing interests make for a wierd, rag-tag group.
