So over the last couple of days, I've been prepping for our next session (which is tonight) and I had question flash across my head: Could one effectively adapt Apocalypse Now into a portion of the Kingmaker campaign? The only answer I'm coming up with is "Hell yes!"
Here's the situation for our game, and how/why I think it might work out. Party is 3rd and 4th level. They are moving towards the staglord's fort, heading down the Skunk river from the Frog Pond area and village I inserted called Hookmire. In my game the staglord is not a feeble drunk with a handful of thugs in a ruin that is ready to fall on his head, but instead an alcoholic bastard with a mean streak, opressing those around him through might and abuse. He's instituted slavers as his soldiers and is working on rebuilding the castle on the countless backs of the pesants turned slaves. There are a few camps similar to the thorne river camp in the region, all preying upon the local denizens to collect tribute to the Stag Lord. One such group was operating out of Hookmire.
Our heroes have done a great job of exploring the north west quadrant of the map, and handling the slavery situation therein, and have now learned of the Staglord's Castle (Dubbed The Green Heard) and its whereabouts. They are currently heading downriver on a barge, exploring some of the adjoining hexes along the way to give their cleric some time to recoup some ability damage suffered at the temple of the elk (bear in our campaign - Old primal gods are walking the stolen lands).
So they are heading downriver into completely alien territory and I realized this would be a perfect time to create an Apocalypse Now inspired side story with the Staglord taking the place of Colonel Kurtz.
Unfortunately, for me to do this tonight I'd have to wing it, which would be shoddy at best. We'llhave to see how it goes, and if the party even gets to the Green Heart (staglords castle). But that's not to say it wouldnt be an awesome idea, and completely fun to put together. (Aside, I'm thingking of modifying it somewhat to have Kressel take the place od colonel Kurtz and occurr sometime between Rivers Run Red, and Varnhold -- Kressel was not at the thorne river camp and is currently in the region with a team of bandits hunting the party... Duh-duh-DUH!)
So I'm asking all of you - given this idea seed, how would you set up a side story/series of encounters to create the feel of Apocalypse Now in Kingmaker? What pieces of the movie/original source mateiral (The Heart Of Darkness by Joseph Conrad) would you want to use?
Here's my quick list:
1) Recieving the assignment -- Party wakes up after a long night of celebrating to learn of something horrible happening deep in the forests.
2) Nung River Delta/Flight of the Valkyries -- Party needs to be inserted with a merchant/pirate in the region to head up river (captian knows the route). Fly in on Griffons amid fire from local natives/bandits, ect.
3) Head upriver, various shoreside monster encounters.
4) Supply Depot -- Party discovers an allied nations geurilla force and hunkers down for a time.
5) Do-Long bridge -- Party comes across a bridge constantly under siege but needs to get across it. Perhaps they need to break a like of Troll Shock troops or worse? Does this fit?
6) Attacks from the shoreline by bandits/natives -- party gets worn down
7) Discover the camp/compound
8) Handle the problem -- Kill/arrest/join/turn Colonel Kressel/staglord to the party's side
Anyway, I thought it would be a cool idea to toss out there and see what folks thought of. I'll be using it definately either starting tonight, or in the coming weeks, and will keep you all posted!
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Methinks I’ve found the way to make this work. I’ll be doing a little geographical rearranging to bring it together, but it should play out along the lines outlined in the spoiler.
Kressle is heard of in book 1, but the party never runs into her. She’s not at the Thorne river camp when they hit it, the party finds out that shes en route south, ferrying tribute to the Staglord at the time. When she returns she finds the camp decimated by the party and goes on the hunt. She’s been tracking them for about a month, and will be on their tails as they assault the staglord’s fortress. She may or may not be part of that battle, depends on how much time the PCs spend planning their assault. If she’s in the battle she’ll fight and do her damndest to get away should the PCs prove to be turning the tables. If not she’ll see the fighting and serruptitiosly be around to see the Staglord die.
Upset, lost, and feeling abondoned, she’ll head south and west into the woods, wandering for a few weeks where she’ll stumble off the map and into some altered geography.
Reading the Book of the River Nations I came across some pretty awesome stuff. I’m moving the region of Loric Fells to nestle in between Pitax and Mivon, just south of the Stolen Lands, pretty close to Hrgulka’s Monster Kingdom (thanks DM!). Additionally, the ruins (town) of Heibarr will be placed in Loric Fells as a nexus point. This gives me a couple of additional threads I can start working on as the party continues.
Moving Loric Fells gives me a stronger power base to motivate Hrgulka and help expand his kingdom. He now becomes a general (pawn) of the hags running the show to the south. His actions will lead back south and west, into the mists. Kressle will become a champion of Gyronna, having been persuaded by the hags, her hatred nutured and expanded. She’ll eventually lead strikes into the PC’s kingdom, always fading back into the mists. The Hags themselves will have some dark ties to Lady N and the endgame, reinforcing that angle as well.
Eventually, the PCs will learn that to end the poison growing to the south, they’ll need to strike into Loric fells and address the problem there. Kressel will have set up her base of operations at the ruins of Heibarr – they’ll have to handle that as well as the hags at Rookwarden. I’ll hopefully be able to do the apocalypse now analogue and have some fun with it, and the players will get to feel even more of the sininster threats to their kingdom.
Completing this will of course allow them to expand their kingdom, and it should open up the trade routes that connect Brevoy to the South. Unfortunately, this could cause political issue as both Pitax and Mivon lay claim to the Fells, though none have been able to hold the land due to the terrible stuff that resides there.