Hey guys,
My players have worked out book # 1 pretty straightforward. Exploring, killing, looting, ...
Now they are in book # 2, and (due to some delaying in exploring, coz they didn't want to up the Kingdom DC) are now finding themselves slayers of the Owlbear.
The question that is in my head right now is: Do I send them the next charter, thus starting a series of events that will probably demand their immediate reaction (and again delay exploring the hexes), ooorrrrr wait for them to explore some more.
1-> Makes sense, but would suck since their kingdom doesn't really expand.
2-> Better for their kingdom?
I'm currently thinking about having them visit Varnhold once more (since they have been going there every year for the Festival of the Four Winds) so they remember them, and see how it is going. I just find myself a bit entangled with the question "Why (and how long) would the Swordlords wait to send them the congratulatory charter?"
Any insight would be appreciated!
Uh... what congratulatory charter?
The designers recommend a kingdom size of 50 - 60 before starting Varnhold Vanishing, so... there you go.
I'm literally just starting chapter 3 now.
After the end of part 2 I told the players we were going to run the kingdom... then 3 months in they were invited to Loy Resbin's wedding he's finally getting officially hitched with his defacto wife (check her last name as written!) - only to have the wedding go to poo as I suddenly spring Realm of the Fellnight Queen on the group.
After their success, got back and ran another 12 months - starting with a reveal that Restov and Fort Drelev have ceased communication - and Varnhold while not opposed to the polticial situation, are more interested in adventuring.
Overall: 1 level higher than expected (with a 6 person party too!) and smaller civ than expected (Size 22! but they spent a few months consolidating, and we were getting late in the sess with no action).
It worked very well. Some downtime wedding was very welcome after 6 in-game months of solid s$#+-going-wrong, even though it went wrong again. I'd expect most groups would welcome 'down time' to run the kingdom otherwise.
Also...
Later events basically require the players have large holdings, as the modules take them away with no checks. Chapter 5 has Pitax sending armed forces in and seizing territories. Chapter 6 has blooms which in one case totally oblitorate one of the player's cities! Having a few 'empty' cities will help the players to be outraged, but not lose their main city.
A bunch of VERY familiar stuff.
Hey, General Chaos! Have you been looking over my shoulder? My players (six PCs!), too, are: finishing "Realm" this weekend, are between books 2 and 3, have a kingdom size of 22, and will be entering book 3 one level higher.
That's just...scary. :)
If I'm not mistaken, the beginning of Chap 3 has three or four suggestions on how to get them into varnhold.
The problem is not getting them connected, they have traders going back and forth, and they know mayor Varn personally.
An three years ago the baron received a very ominous dream/premonition about Varnhold being *empty*, so he has been keeping contact (although it's slowing down).
My "problem" was that I needed to find a way to bridge the end of book 2, and the beginning of book 3.
Coz in the charter it says "Congratulations on your victory" or "We have heard the good news" or something. Would be kinda strange to wait 3 years before sending an "official" letter (not charter like i said before, my apologies) since they are currently at size 20, and the book suggests size 50-60 (many thanks Atrus :D )
IMC, Varnhold and the PC's kingdom have a trade agreement. I eventually plan to one day just declare that the trade caravan from Varnhold is late, and then never shows. Baron Varn's daughter (an NPC I made for my campaign too) is also studying magic in the PC's town of Candlemere (and is possibly being courted by the Duke), so she'll complain at around the same time that she hasn't heard word from her father in a while.
And then I presume that's enough to have them Off They Go.
I would in your situation just send a letter without the "congratulations on slaying the Owlbear." Perhaps just "Congratulations on so many years of peace and prosperity but..."?
I would in your situation just send a letter without the "congratulations on slaying the Owlbear." Perhaps just "Congratulations on so many years of peace and prosperity but..."?
Great idea Atrus. Stupid as I am, i never thought about changing the text a bit to suit my needs ^^
It also makes more sense imho. Congratulating them on killing a (mysterious) owlbear which is not really being broadcasted across the "interlink" (:p)--- VS ---
Congratulating them on a job well done, after several years of succesful expansion and very few bumps in the road sounds like something my Sword in Training would do.
+1 karma point for Atrus ^^
Eh, you know how these bureaucrats are.
Actually, the sort of "moochy friend" would be a great way to play Brevoy.
"Congratulations on killing the Owlbear!"
"What? That was three years ago."
"Really? News just got to Restov now."
"We held a festival. We built a monument in the middle of town. Every year, we celebrate Owlbear Day, where people come from far and wide to participate in the great Owlbear Wrestling Tournament."
"Well, I'm just hearing of it now."
"Your brother placed second in the footrace last year, and your family sponsors the pie tent."
"What can I say? Time sure does fly by. Look, while I'm here to congratulate you, there's something the lords need...."
Greetings, fellow travellers.
Couldn't you play more heavily on the swordlord - Jamandi Aldori - who wants to open a fighting school in Varnhold and can't get into contact with Varn. The other alternative could be to have the brother of Tomin ask his lieges - the PCs - for help gathering news about the whereabouts of his brother (that's also mentioned in VV, I think).
...- only to have the wedding go to poo as I suddenly spring Realm of the Fellnight Queen on the group.
This! I have also bought the fellnight queen module and tailored it the same way you did to fit into my campaign!
Ruyan.