I'm GMing a welcome-back-to-role-playing group in a couple of weeks with a large group of six. The last time they played it was Forgotten Realms 3.5, so Pathfinder will be somewhat of a shift for them.
I was planning on running the Darkmoon Vale series initially, but one of the players has actually played recently, and he's played the Kobold King adventures already.
So I was looking at running The Dragon's Demand, but placing it in the Darkmoon Vale area because I really like the area much better than the middle of the Verduran Forest.
***MILD SPOILERS FOR THE DRAGON'S DEMAND and DARK MOON VALE BELOW***
The one weakness I see in TDD is the lack of fleshed out NPCs for role-playing and, most importantly, the lack of meaningful factions, tensions and long-term political intrigue. For instance, I really want to play up the Lumber Consortium vs Fae vs former Noble families (who see the LC and say "told you so".) There is just so much more potential in the DMV area!
I would then weave in both plots to help with the pacing of the TDD since it is a bit free with XP. I love the idea of having a lot going on with both the fae conflict, the werewolves and the impending dragon fight.
I'd love to hear thoughts or suggestions on how to integrate TDD into DMV. I was trying to decide between combining Belhaim into Falcon's Hollow, but that seems a waste since both are interesting, very different and well-done villages. But that means I'll need to place Belhaim somewhere nearby so that the PCs will get pulled into the Falcon's Hollow portions of the adventure as well.
So I was thinking I'd make them be not far apart (a handful of miles,) with Belhaim being the former holding of the local noble family and Falcon's Hollow being the working town of the Lumber Consortium. Since some noble families kept a bit of their former wealth, they could still live in the area as the 'landed gentry' and be the representatives of the area in Almas.
Has anyone tried to integrate them? Anyone run both and have thoughts how they could work together?
Definitely decided to move it over to the Darkmoon Vale area. I made Belheim into a large town that sits at the junction of the Darkmoon River and the River Foam. Looking at the map, that pass is clearly the easiest way into Druma and Isger, and with all the trade focus of that country there is no doubt that they would be travelling down the 'Droskar Gap Road' to Belheim, then on to the headwaters of the Andoshen River for passage on to the sea. In fact, the trade through the Darkmoon Vale area is much higher in my world than Paizo made it, since the best way to sea for Druma is to the Andoshen, on a barge down to Almas, and out to the Inner Sea.
So, Belheim is a decent-sized town that I'll use straight out of the module. The "noble family" there will be the former aristocracy of the area who gave up most of their holdings during the People's Revolution. They now act much as the former British nobility, with an air of genteel arrogance to help their former liege's survive; all the while with a bit of a shake of the head at the state of things when the less educated are allowed to rule things. In truth, however, they really do care about their former holdings, feeling a sense of ancient responsibility towards it that a mere revolution cannot erase. This causes them to meddle in things and gives them a bad reputation in some circles as arrogant b**t**ds that just won't let their bygone era die.
They work to thwart the Lumber Consortium, who they see as a much greater evil than the former nobility. They aren't purely altruistic...they assume that one day they will have to pick up the pieces of this mess. But ironically they probably care more for the people of Darkmoon Vale than any democratic bureaucracy possibly could...just in a sort of irritating, paternalistic way.
The story of the Dragon's Demand fits neatly into the scenario. The key focus of the story could either be a junior member of the group ruled by the big guy in Droskar's Crag Himself. Or it could actually be Him if you are willing to extend the story many levels more to build to a huge climatic battle royale with one of the biggest, baddest end-bosses in the entire subcontinent. I plan on using the former as a way to foreshadow and hook the PCs into the storyline that will lead them to take on the really scary one.
|
Ok, I also made up my mind about some stuff.
- I think I will use Belhaim as Falcon's Hollow (using Belhaims history). Another city might be too much, as the Darkmoon Vale looks kind of isolated - a fact, which helps Kreed getting all mighty...
- I decided, that the Lumber Consortium just moved into FH. The wood is much bigger, and still stretches even south of the river foam.
- Kreed just arrived in FH a couple of weeks ago, and has already started to chop the wood in the imediate area of FH (which still lies in the wood).
- Lady Origena is a Cheliaxian, who symphasized with the rebells (not like baron Vendikon). I will use her as kind of a peacefull opposition for Kreed, who can't afford to oppose her too much. But his letter from the Lumber Consortium allows him to chop wood in the Baroness' area.
That's it for now. More to come...