Hi everyone,
We will start Rivers Run Red in 2 weeks with the founding of a new nation by the players.
When running the adventure path, I decided to introduce more NPCs than usual to give them a feel that the Stolen Lands has more people living in it than the adventure suggests.
The character that will become king (or most likely to) has an in-game girlfriend. She's a soldier under Garess' command. Her personnality isn't well defined. The player was missing from the game and we decided that he got sick and stayed at Oleg's while the other characters explored the Greenbelt. We handwaved out of game that he started seeing her at that time.
A lot of people did a search for a potential queen for the new kingdom. I would like to get into that action. It seems like a great opportunity for role-playing.
I realize that it was a bad idea to handwave this. So how can I fix my mistake? Any suggestions?
I get that you think it was a bad idea as GM... but do your players think it was a bad idea? Or, specifically, does your king's player think it was a bad idea?
Some people don't want to go through a series of blind dates with NPCs. It can be kind of awkward, honestly - roleplaying romantic relationships is one of the hardest aspects of GMing. So perhaps your players don't want to have to go through that all, and just want to move on to an established relationship.
Or you can simply hand waive the breakup, since you hand waived the relationship. People break up all the time. Perhaps she doesn't want to get married - and especially to a future king! (I could definitely see a river folk girl shrugging her shoulders at the possibility of a queendom.) Or she proves to be infertile, and thus a poor choice of queen. (Actually that idea does have a number of interesting hooks, as she can then serve as the king's mistress while the PCs search for a more convenient political arrangement for queendom...)
I get that you think it was a bad idea as GM... but do your players think it was a bad idea? Or, specifically, does your king's player think it was a bad idea?
Some people don't want to go through a series of blind dates with NPCs. It can be kind of awkward, honestly - roleplaying romantic relationships is one of the hardest aspects of GMing. So perhaps your players don't want to have to go through that all, and just want to move on to an established relationship.
Or you can simply hand waive the breakup, since you hand waived the relationship. People break up all the time. Perhaps she doesn't want to get married - and especially to a future king! (I could definitely see a river folk girl shrugging her shoulders at the possibility of a queendom.) Or she proves to be infertile, and thus a poor choice of queen. (Actually that idea does have a number of interesting hooks, as she can then serve as the king's mistress while the PCs search for a more convenient political arrangement for queendom...)
Oh god. In my game. We got the political scandal one about three times as an event.
The king was.. Quite the playboy.
Quite.. The playboy. In about a year. He is going to be owing alot of women. Alot of money.
I don't think it was a bad idea to handwave it. It wasn't particularly significant at the time. It is fairly trivial to "un-handwave," and deal with their relationship in media res. That's where I'd start things, because it's a plot-rich environment with lots of freedom to develop the story to the likes of both you and your players.
You can play it for pathos (think Aeneas & Dido), comedy ("you're arranging a search for a Queen? You do realize that I'm standing right here, right?"), or straight as emblematic of the burden of leadership (likely King isn't the first political leader to choose in some way between Queen and girlfriend, and it's worthwhile to note that most chose not to make the choice, [which, of course, might be a bit too quote-unquote progressive for your players or the the high fantasy of Pathfinder, so judge accordingly]).
Personally - and I'd discuss this with the player in question - I'd flesh her out, but keep in mind that she's a guard. She's probably tough, but not well-connected. It's established that the character feels some affection towards her, but when it gets to the Queen Search, she might be an obvious choice, but not a very savvy one. She'd be popular for the citizenry and competent (in the sense that she could actually mount an effective defense of the town in the PC's absence), but it's also a choice that would anger others looking for political alliances, not to mention that she is probably about as skilled at putting on airs as the PCs, and so likely to cause gaffes amongst high society that they will have to deal with. None of those problems are there if the PCs find someone else, but then there's the Woman Scorned.
Hello again everyone,
After nursing my newborn baby during the night and watching reruns of Deadwood, I decided to make her somewhat like Calamity Jane. She has rough manners, boyish attitudes, tactless, but her heart is at the right place.
An excellent ally, but perhaps not the best choice as a queen.
This will open the door for a "let us present to you other choices of queens instead of her".
So thanks everyone!
Hello again everyone,
After nursing my newborn baby during the night and watching reruns of Deadwood, I decided to make her somewhat like Calamity Jane. She has rough manners, boyish attitudes, tactless, but her heart is at the right place.
An excellent ally, but perhaps not the best choice as a queen.
This will open the door for a "let us present to you other choices of queens instead of her".
So thanks everyone!
Wait, wait- does this girl look like Calamity Jane from Deadwood? If so... your king is a lot less shallow than most characters played by and player I've met.
Wait, wait- does this girl look like Calamity Jane from Deadwood? If so... your king is a lot less shallow than most characters played by and player I've met.Hello again everyone,
After nursing my newborn baby during the night and watching reruns of Deadwood, I decided to make her somewhat like Calamity Jane. She has rough manners, boyish attitudes, tactless, but her heart is at the right place.
An excellent ally, but perhaps not the best choice as a queen.
This will open the door for a "let us present to you other choices of queens instead of her".
So thanks everyone!
Wow, that's pretty harsh. Underneath the dirt make up, the bottle of whiskey and the vomit and urine stained costume, the actress who played Jane is quite lovely. Sure, you won't find her likeness gracing the banners of less reputable sites designed to lure in "that" type of visitor, if you know what I mean and I think you do, but, jeez.
I guess our group is one of the few that didn't really care who the king brought into his castle, so long as he got breeding like his SH. My priestess carries the bulk of the political stuff, and whatever is left is handled by our NPC councilor, a LAWFUL cleric of Iomedae.