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INFO: I am GM for our group for the Kingmaker campaign. We haven't played a session yet, but will play the first one on the 11th of September. I have 6 players. Barbarian raised by wolves, Witch (w/ fox) and Infernal Sorceress from Cheliax (both with Devils involved in their backgrounds - haven't read all the chapters yet, but hope to put that into the campaign somewhere), Paladin of Erastil from Brevoy, an Urban Ranger from Restov with a criminal background that worked for the city guard, but is now a bounty hunter, and a half-orc Two-weapon ranger from the wilds that is really good at tracking. (the rest are human)
So far I have over 100 emails in my in-box that are pure role-playing. And they are doing a great job. I had them get their individual charters in Restov and slowly meet up beginning with the witch and sorceress, and then they put out a call for "protectors". So far the Paladin has insulted the Barbarian, twice. The barbarian has had women from the local brothel give him a bath, in public. The two rangers keep disappearing and reappearing, not telling anyone where they were or what they were doing. Which causes a lot of "huh?" moments. They have now hit the road and on the first night realized that it is below freezing out and there is a cold spell coming. You can follow along if you want. I'm basically taking there comments from their emails and placing them on a web page for now. Gamer's Closet
Okay, so you're probably wondering why I said Over-hyped? Well, I've got one player who has read all the reviews of the campaign, and visits the boards often. He is extremely excited for this campaign. So much so, that it was all he talked about in an hour long ride on the way to a Pathfinder Society gameday. Also, they are doing such a good job with the role-playing already, am I going to be able to match it when we actually sit down and play?
I'm just looking for advice. I haven't GM'd a campaign for a few years and its getting me a little nervous. Maybe I'm just over complicating/thinking it. All my players with the exception of one are people whom I have played with for the past 10 years, so I know they will be honest with me and we will have a good time. I guess I'm just nervous that I won't be able to keep up the already good gaming that is happening.
Advice?
I'd say you are doing a great job, you have great players and when you actually meet up it will go well. You are probably just worrying over nothing. I would just offer some suggestions about table interaction:
Your two players with devilish backgrounds may have to work harder to keep it a secret and/or deal with the interactions when people are physically present.
As for the rangers not telling the other characters what they have been doing- this can be an amazingly fun but can also be troublesome when you suddenly have everyone at the same table...It has always been my experience that trying to do lone expeditions can be hard with all my players present.
As for the Path itself- Its well written you have obviously done your background work. So just let them get into the spirit of the campaign and remember the true rule 0--
You are only doing it wrong when you guys stop having fun. Good Luck!
And don't forget - Sandbox! Much of what is going on in the game should be coming from them anyways, so it sounds like you're group is already doing quite well.
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Whether or not it is "over-hyped" depends largely on your group's playstyle. This is a very open style of campaign. My players were not used to so much openness in their campaigns...they liked to have a story and hear that story as they played. I tried running it as the sandbox it was and it seemed that they enjoyed it less. I would ask "ok what do you guys want to do?" and they would respond "I don't know what should we be doing?"
Gauge your party. If they like to have a hand in running the show, this should be a good campaign for them. If, however, they leave it up to the GM to nudge them in the right direction, it might not be (or you may have to link up the storyline for them).
Part of the problem for me was that the central events in stolen lands that actually comprised the story (the bandits) were spread out across a big level range. They started with bandits, had to get a level, dealt with more bandits, got another level, and then finished with the bandits. If you've ever played WoW, it's like doing a quest chain and the next step is a "red" quest...you have to go get a couple levels before you can complete the next step and you kinda lose interest.
YMMV, IMO, etc.
The nature of the Kingmake campaign makes it very easy to change things in the books. Especially in the beginning, very little has to run the way it is in order to fit with later things. To emphasise the roleplaying, make sure you have a good feel for the major NPCs that you meet at Oleg's. They will be some of the people the party interacts with the most, and you should be able to just go with the flow for them. They aren't hard, but you should know them enough that they feel natural.
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And don't forget - Sandbox! Much of what is going on in the game should be coming from them anyways, so it sounds like you're group is already doing quite well.
+1 to the above!
To the OP: If they're going out of their way to create these situations in your campaigns foreword, the only thing you really need to do is to tell them they're bringing their own AWESOME to the game and they shouldn't be afraid to keep it up once the exploration begins.As a GM, you should let them have their opportunities to do so... even if it continues to be covered 'behind the scenes' in email so as to allow table-time to move the overall story along.
The only challenge I can see is that, at least in the beginning, as written, there aren't many opportunities for some of the things you've got going on to continue. There aren't many people at Oleg's unless you add some more, for example. And Oleg's wife might not be the best person to ask for a bath - in public or otherwise. Well... actually, with the only other candidate being a bit psychotic and all too friendly with her axes, Oleg's wife really *IS* the best person to ask... but that still ain't good!
And don't forget - Sandbox! Much of what is going on in the game should be coming from them anyways, so it sounds like you're group is already doing quite well.+1 to the above!
To the OP: If they're going out of their way to create these situations in your campaigns foreword, the only thing you really need to do is to tell them they're bringing their own AWESOME to the game and they shouldn't be afraid to keep it up once the exploration begins.As a GM, you should let them have their opportunities to do so... even if it continues to be covered 'behind the scenes' in email so as to allow table-time to move the overall story along.
The only challenge I can see is that, at least in the beginning, as written, there aren't many opportunities for some of the things you've got going on to continue. There aren't many people at Oleg's unless you add some more, for example. And Oleg's wife might not be the best person to ask for a bath - in public or otherwise. Well... actually, with the only other candidate being a bit psychotic and all too friendly with her axes, Oleg's wife really *IS* the best person to ask... but that still ain't good!
Hey, a couple people have made Oleg's wife a vixen with her eyes set on the party. Personally, I made her pregnant.
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Hey, a couple people have made Oleg's wife a vixen with her eyes set on the party. Personally, I made her pregnant.
I've read this on another thread. And I plan on using it. I like the idea of making Kessler a little more psychotic by having Oleg lose a hand to her axes before the PCs show up. And have Svetlana about 8 months along. With the added stress from the recent bandit activity she goes into labor the second round of combat with the bandits. Being an early delivery, she will need attention or the PCs will lose her and the baby. I figure, knowing my group (one works at a hospital and another has gone back to college to be a nurse), that this should give them a strong lock into the Stolen Lands and the world around them.
Maybe I am just being nervous over nothing. I just know how I get before I watch a movie I've been really excited to see or go to an event I've been anticipating, only for it to fall short of my expectations because I have over exaggerated in my own mind what to expect.
Sounds to me like you are off to an excellent start! You just need a little confidence. I hate to give away my secrets, but you should check out the How To Be A Confident GM post over on Campaign Mastery.
There's a lot of really thought-provoking posts over there, and the two-part How To Be A Confident GM really helped me pick up the dice again after years away.
Fear not shield knight! This campaign style is what some of us cut our teeth on as teenagers with very little in the way of experience or preparation time and it generated some of our very best memories of characters and player interaction. The main rule of thumb is to provide just enough of a trail that your players don't get lost. If they sidetrack an entire game session on some random hair of a tangent you are in luck because it won't break the game, and it will give them something that a more typical storied adventure lacks...control.
That player who always goes left when the obvious choice is to go right...the continuity critics that tend to drop out of their immersion by adventure two because you misnamed an NPC (due to late night exaustion)...all those guys are allowed to do what they want and it can actually add to the fun of a game for a change. Let them strike out west to meet with the Tiger Lords (short and brutal campaign there). Let them tag a huge amount of investment into one of your NPC's that barely has more than a name. You can really meld with the party here.
I would recommend reading the first four adventures if you can just so you know at which geographic points you can start presenting challenges to the party that will tell them in very very clear language that they have ventured outside the safety of the playpen and entered the sandbox propper :)
Other than that, don't be affraid to rewrite an NPC's motivations or personality to fit the needs of your campaign. Spend your preparation time coming up with some ideas for encounters that are designed more for interaction than combat and you've just filled your players' dinner plates for a good long while.
Sounds like you've got a good and motivated group and that should make things easier for you. Kingmaker is a bit more of a challenge to run than some adventure paths, as it is more open and less plot-driven. Sounds like your group will have no trouble creating their own story, though, and it should be fun for them. I think your main challenge will be keeping track of everything they are trying to do and what is happening in the world around them, particularly as their actions begin to impact the broader campaign world. I find that I am having to be more organized and keep records more in Kingmaker than I usually do, and "winging it" less.
Also sounds like, from the diversity of characters created and some of their actions so far, that you might have the potential for intra-party strife. That's always a challenge for a GM to keep a lid on. If it occurs, make sure everyone is still having fun (some players love that stuff and some hate it), and if not, intervene to calm things down by keeping them busy. Harder for them to pick at each other when they are fighting for their lives. When they are bored is when some players will look to pick a fight with a teammate. Also, once they've saved each others lives a few times, party cohesion naturally builds and they become more willing to accept each other's differences.
Anyway, best of luck!
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Thanks all for the advice and words of encouragement. I think I'm just being nervous. Despite GMing for the last decade, I still feel like this is a first time. Which in a way it is, this will be the first campaign I do that goes more than a few levels.
I have drawn up or printed out maps for all the encounters of the first chapter. (except the random encounters) I have already set up 6 months of weather, and read the first chapter 3 times, and am working on reading the second chapter. We begin Saturday morning.
Thanks again.