I am starting a Kingmaker campaign tomorrow (June 2), and I have only had a chance to read the first two chapters, read the campaign outline, and read the intro to chapter 3.
I see that the settlers of Varnland were being led by a Maegar Varn. Also, I see that the PCs' relations to the Swordlords of Rostland shift over time, such that the Swordlords withdraw their open support for the new settlements.
I also see that the other 2 main regions of the Stolen Lands to the west were also colonized by other groups who were granted charters.
Have other GMs introduced NPCs from these other groups, or from Rostland, at the beginning of the campaign? I am thinking that maybe I could introduce one or two figures before my PCs head out to Oleg's Trading Post. It would make the later developments more interesting, if there already are personages the PCs are familiar with.
Are there pitfalls to this approach?
Also, besides the Campaign Outline, are there specific portions of Kingmaker people recommend I give a close read before starting our first session, so as to prepare for future events?
Thanks in advance!
It's a good idea to introduce Maegar Varn before Varnhold disappears. My group are a couple of sessions (and about a year of game time) into book 2, and I'm about to send them a herald announcing that Varn will be visiting in a month or so. He will suggest that both sides work on a road connecting one of the PCs' towns with Varnhold Pass, and if all goes well the players will only find out about the disappearance when they act on that plan.
The way I ran it was that Drelev was the 'official' expedition, sponsored with Noleski's knowledge and including merchants and diplomats, so they were given their charter in a formal ceremony. The other three groups were insurance for Restov, so they were given theirs all together in a more unofficial meeting. The three groups met but didn't have much to say to each other, though Varn did wish the PCs luck.
There's also a character in book 5, Ilora Nuski, who helps the PCs and is supposed to be an exile from Pitax. I plan to instead make her the only survivor of the Iron Wraiths expedition, otherwise they're never mentioned again.
I am starting a Kingmaker campaign tomorrow (June 2), and I have only had a chance to read the first two chapters, read the campaign outline, and read the intro to chapter 3.
I see that the settlers of Varnland were being led by a Maegar Varn. Also, I see that the PCs' relations to the Swordlords of Rostland shift over time, such that the Swordlords withdraw their open support for the new settlements.
I also see that the other 2 main regions of the Stolen Lands to the west were also colonized by other groups who were granted charters.
Have other GMs introduced NPCs from these other groups, or from Rostland, at the beginning of the campaign? I am thinking that maybe I could introduce one or two figures before my PCs head out to Oleg's Trading Post. It would make the later developments more interesting, if there already are personages the PCs are familiar with.
Are there pitfalls to this approach?
Also, besides the Campaign Outline, are there specific portions of Kingmaker people recommend I give a close read before starting our first session, so as to prepare for future events?
Thanks in advance!
I think it's good to introduce both Baron Drelev and Maegar Varn early in the campaign as it will foreshadow the events of parts 3 and 4.
However, I wouldn't do it during the first session as it's nice to start any new AP with some action as the players are usually understandably excited to see what their newly created characters can do. The bandit encounter works really well in forcing the group to work together. Also, IMO the PCs should be more concerned about exploration and dealing with the Stag Lord in the first adventure, rather than getting wrapped up into politics.
During the middle part of book 1, I had the PCs hear tales of wolves attacking caravans on the South Rostland Road. They went out and took care of the Barghest that was terrorizing the merchants and found a cache of building supplies and an engineering manuals about how to build forts and towns. So that gave them an idea that the Swordlords were sending supplies to their fellow explorers to the west of them.
I think the best place to introduce Baron Drelev and Maegar Varn is to have the Sworlords invite the PCs for a celebratory dinner at Fort Serenko in between the first and second adventure when the PCs receive their charter to settle the land. There, I had them meet Baron Drelev and played up his arrogance and he also accused them of stealing his building supplies in a subtle way. They learned that he had already started building his colony a few months before.
I also introduced Maegar Varn as a humble and sympathetic figure who was struggling with the Centaurs of the Tors of Leveny. I had his adventuring companions (who are described in Varnhold Vanishing) show up during the dinner and pull him into another room to show him something. One of the PCs used stealth to observe the scene and saw the companions bring out a magnificient bow (which they will later find in Varnhold) that they had stolen from the centaurs. This showed the PCs that they were ahead of at least one of the groups of fellow explorers and explains why Varnhold won't be as developed a place as the PCs kingdom by the time they get to it.
Finally, I had the swordlords declare that they had lost contact with the Iron Wraiths adventuring party shortly after they entered the Glenebon Uplands.
Anyway, hope that helps and good luck with your campaign!
Thanks for all the ideas, and I'm going to borrow ideas from both of your posts. I agree that after Part 1 is probably the best time to develop more the relations with the other colonies. I'm not thinking of doing much with the beginning of Part 1 though: just a ceremony in which I hand them the charter and some brief encounters with a member of those 2 other expeditions.
I actually had a grand reception taking place in Restov where the PCs were to meet all the other groups. The invitation was by Ioseph Sellemius, mayor and Lord of Restov.
Ruyan.
Agreed. If I ran this again, I might start with an encounter on the way to Oleg's, but I'd certainly have the PCs meet the other groups at the latest by the time they set up their kingdom in book 2. Maybe have a flashback or something to the initial meetings...
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I actually had a grand reception taking place in Restov where the PCs were to meet all the other groups. The invitation was by Ioseph Sellemius, mayor and Lord of Restov.
Ruyan.
I borrowed that idea too. My players developed an immediate hate for Jewel (Pavetta Drelev dog) as soon as they saw it.
Later, during the second module, Varn sent a commercial envoy, suggesting to open a trade route. Looking the map I feel that the initial PC territory would be rich in timber and agricultural products, but poor in good construction stone. Varn initial territory is mostly mountains, so rich in good stone products but poor in food.Varn suggestion was to build a trading post upstream of the rapids and falls along the river where to exchange stone for food and timber.
The failure in the delivery of a stone cargo was the first sign of the events in the third module.
I'll be doing something like that after Chapter 2. I've portrayed it to my group as "Yes you got rid of the bandits in Chapter 1, but that just makes you effective adventurers/mercenaries. If you want to get the attention of your fellow colonies, you'll need prove yourself as politicians and colonists, which is what Chapter 2 is about - building an effective, functional territory, expanding and colonizing, and defending yourself against an aggressor."
After they deal with Hargulka there'll be an extended downtime before VV, and visits from their neighbors - particularly Drelev and Varnhold - will play out before we start the new chapter in full.
I had my party meet Varn at some reception, along with his daughter (then about 14-15 years old). The half-elf wizard decided to strike up a friendship with the daughter and they have been corresponding ever since. I played Varn as generaly nice fellow, but very human-centric, and more a fighter than a diplomat.
After chapter 2 (and about 2 and so years later), at the inaguration of their castle, Varn came for propused his daughters hand to the Baron (a paladin), but he was already in a relationship so decline. After some diplomacy, and smotthing ruffled feathers, and taking some months to decide what to do Varn agreed to marry his daughter to the General (a low born, but Varn couldn't find any noble to marry her to).
To make a long story short, Varn never got to deliver the happy news to the General, as the vanishing occured. The party learned about it themselves since no one answered the Sending.
As for Drelev, they hear rumors about what goes on to the west, and they met him also at the reception, but no contact since.