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I'm preparing to run Kingmaker for my group later in the year. I'm making quite a lot of changes - it will be a 5-player group, for a start, and I'm using some of the ideas people have posted here for modifying the kingdom building rules.
But one thing I have spotted is the repetition of a trope over the first three books, and I don't think it's intended to be thematic.
In Stolen Lands, the Sootscale Kobolds are tricked into being warlike and worshipping a false god by Tartuk.
In RRR, the Lizardfolk are tricked into being warlike and worshipping a false god by an advanced Will-O-Wisp
In VV, the Boggards are tricked into being warlike and worshipping a false god by a Spirit Naga.
What I'm thinking of doing is dropping the Lizardfolk from RRR altogether (move Tig Tannersen to Candlemere, caught in the Haunt and tormented by the wisps but otherwise unhurt), and changing the Boggard tribe in VV to Lizardfolk.
If Tartuk survived past the first book, I'll have him levelled up and running the Lizardfolk in place of the Spirit Naga (which is one of the reasons I want to change them to Lizardfolk, they work better with a Kobold than Boggards would. I also find it a lot easier to give a variety of class levels to Lizardfolk).
It does mean that Garuum's arc doesn't go anywhere after Stolen Lands, but it reduces the repetition and possibly brings an old opponent back after a long absence. What do other people think?
It appears that your goal here is to have Tartuk reappear later, if he survives the encounter in book 1. Depending on the expertise of your players, remember that Tartuk is encountered in an underground chamber where both exits are probably blocked by PCs. His survival is by no means likely.
Perhaps you should prepare a few contingency plans (outlined only) on how to handle the alternatives. The naga has simply dominated the boggard IMO rather than replaced their deity. Like the wisp and Tartuk, she gets in between the worshippers and the worshipped, but does not actually replace a diety. The wisp comes closest to that.
I would disagree with moving Tig out to Candlemere island, simply because at their level in RRR, boating to the island is the only option. Being caught on the water by the wisps is deadly, because the PCs can hardly hurt them. The obit board has numerous instances of parties routed by a lone wisp as a wandering monster. Assaulting Candlemere Island needs a lot of prep work by your players.
I think you will find that when your PCs are 10th level or more, no version of Tartuk will be much of a threat. The swamp calls for aquatic foes, and I feel you will learn to "embrace" the naga there.
Making them all lizardfolk instead of boggards should work just fine.
I didn’t like the battle for Tatzlford as written. My group likes grand large scale grand battles, so I stated the entire town split them up for the party to control, and had the PC’s place them on the map. I added a few Barbarians and fighters and had them attack the town. We played in out the battle using standard rules. It took us about 5 hours to play. Now through the first 5 books they though this battle was one of the best of the entire AP.
You might also want to augment the Lizardfolk in RRR. My players steamrolled through them like a hot knife through butter.
That's part of the reason why, out of the three encounters, this is the one I want to drop. It's also not a strategic location like the ones in Stolen Land and VV.
If I do drop the encounter, and putting Tig on Candlemere is a bad idea (if only because he had no way to get there), where should he be? I quite like the idea of the PCs getting petitioned by their new citizens in the early days of the kingdom, so I'd rather not drop the quest entirely if I can help it.
You could also run with the "came back from Candlemere a changed lad" angle.
Since KM should take place over several YEARS of game time, near the end dear besotted Tig could manifest certain "influences" from Candlemere. Say during Chapters 4, 5 or 6 depending on game time and desired CR ...
Tartuk survived in the game that I run. he is a reoccurring villian that has been a thorn in the PCs side. He is, also, a source of some
unrest with raids. I have leveled him up.
As far as changes that I made in the game, I added a haunt to the RRR lonely burial and put a crept thing template on the baddie within the tomb.(101 Not so Simple Monster Templates) The group I run has 6 PCs, so they needed a bit more of a challenge.