Tweaking the Game

[Icyshadow]

I've heard a lot about some fixing and tweaks to the Kingdom building and certain encounters in Kingmaker. Anyone know where I can find them and what kind of fixes are we talking about? I'm being forced to step up on starting the actual campaign after calling quits on one guy (the DM who's been causing a lot of grief for me), so I at least plan to dump Kingdom building because the players (two veterans and one newcomer) who are left didn't seem very interested in it.

After kicking off the Human Wizard, the group now consists of a Chaotic Good Catfolk Ranger, a Lawful Neutral Human Necromancer and a Lawful Good Dwarf Cleric. I also wonder if I should include a DM PC as a fourth party member. I'll ask my players if they are okay with it before doing so, though.

[Hassy]

From the point of view of encounter difficulty you don't really need a DMPC - a party of three is enough to handle almost all encounters unless they do something majorly stupid. Personally, I'd rather use the NPCs already in the adventure and have some of them offer to follow the PCs for a while. For example, Jhod Kavken can offer to follow the PCs to the temple he wants cleared, and Kesten Garess can join the party in assaulting the Stag Lord's fort.

If the players just didn't like the kingdom building rules, you could try some alternate rules, but it's easy to just leave the kingdom to the background.

Other than that, what exactly are you looking for?

[Icyshadow]

I'm planning on running it more or less by the book, aside from a few side-quests.

The Dwarf wants to gather an army and strike at Belkzen some day, using the Darklands/Underdark as a pathway for a surprise attack. The Necromancer is seeking to become a Lich and probably travel the planes looking for the secrets of life and death, while the Catfolk wants revenge on the one who destroyed her home in Mivon while also looking for her older sister, a Catfolk Gunslinger. I'm also curious to some added content some have shown me, like the troll Hargulka wanting to make his own kingdom and taunting the party and their kingdom.

Also, the guy playing the Catfolk is new and he made it clear his character is not interested in the Kingdom at large. The one playing the Dwarf is relatively new, but he has played in a Council of Thieves game with me. The one playing the Necromancer is the most experience player and surprisingly vested in RP compared to the group where I met him, who mostly rolled a bunch of derps.

[Hassy]

You probably mean this: http://paizo.com/forums/dmtz36f2?My-Changes-to-RRR-Hargulkas-Monster-Kingdo m

Also from DM_aka_Dudemeister:
http://paizo.com/forums/dmtz4sdm?Dudemeisters-KM3-VV-Additions-and-Changes
http://paizo.com/forums/dmtz5qaz?Dudemeisters-Blood-For-Blood

[Icyshadow]

Yes, quite useful information. Thank you.

Also, I think the Catfolk's side quest will occur in Rivers Run Red, the Necromancer's after The Varnhold Vanishing, and the Dwarf's after Thousand Screams.

[Hassy]

Unless you run the side quests solo without other players, I suggest you work extra hard to engage all players within them. In my experience it is very easy to get sidetracked even in KM as written, compared to some other adventures I've run. One or two players can push a whole gaming session into a direction where some other players get bored.

I'm sure you'll do fine with your players, I'm just running it for five players with quite different interests and am hardly the best DM out there...

[Icyshadow]

I'll try my best to get the players to RP and interact, even though all three of their characters seem to have slight loner streaks. I'd say that's another reason why I considered the DM PC to act as a sort of glue to keep the party sticking together. But like I said, I'll only go down that route if the players are okay with it. I think the biggest challenge will be getting the Dwarf's plan to play out properly, especially if he wants to drag the whole army off with him and leave their own kingdom vulnerable to attacks from an angry Brevoy...