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Other than the River Kingdoms, what locations in Golarion do you guys think would be good places for a kingdom-building campaign? As of right now, I'm inclined to think of places without much central authority, and lots of room to expand, but also with a few neighboring city-states or even small countries close by. Varisia and the Mwangi Expanse were my first thoughts, but I'm interested to hear what you guys have to say.
With or without resistance? :D
Cheliax is a great place to build a halfling kingdom :D
I think you could get away with starting a new one in Osirion without anyone noticing until you had a pretty good army built up.
Well my players now control Westcrown in Cheliax. What is interesting (and complicated) is they got what they wanted, control of this metropolis. Now they will realize that it is not easy to rule such a big city. But they'll try. :)
Perhaps they'll have to make tough choices such as abandon certain districts of their city because they won't have the ressources to do everything.
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Establish a cohesive kingdom in Sargava, fending off pirates and tribesmen (or maybe be a tribe that takes over) all while attempting to predict whether Cheliax will bother coming to stop you.
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I actually think Isger is ripe for this.
*It's decentralized government.
*Recent goblinoid war.
* It's full of bandits.
*Molthune is your northern neighbor.
*Cheliax is nearby and there are probobly imperial sympathizers all around you.
*Nobody else seems to want it.
Somewhere, I forget which Campaign Setting book (Seeker of Secrets?) there is a reference to a "Proto-Kelid" people in Isger that are still living there. This is a great source stock for PCs to come from. The PCs don't need to be conquerors but instead folk heroes who have simply tired of Chelaxian indifference and incompetence in the Capitol. This let's you play up the snobby arrogant side of the "bad guys". Could be fun.
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I have to disagree with Isger simply because Cheliax definitely wants to keep it due to the importance of it's strategic location between the mountains and the trade routes it gives access to. If you were sent in by House Thrune to bring order to Isger that would be another matter.
Iobaria seems like a good place to me though, the lack of population, vast stretches of land, eerie cyclops ruins, and a few detailed cities. The terrifying and reoccurring plaques seem like the only down side which could still be a great plot point for the campaign.
One place that hasn't been mentioned yet is the Whistling Plains which lies on the eastern edge of Taldor and stretches from the borders of Galt to the deserts of Qadira and then to the east, deep into the heart of the Padishah Empire of Kelesh. I could see Taldor setting up a group to create a vassal state as a border between it and these nations, particularly Qadria.
Belkzen, and pretty much lots of ustalav (full of feuding varisian nobles, so decent)
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Iobaria seems like a good place to me though, the lack of population, vast stretches of land, eerie cyclops ruins, and a few detailed cities. The terrifying and reoccurring plaques seem like the only down side which could still be a great plot point for the campaign.
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This is one of my many "never to be completed" ideas to write a "kind of" AP.
Iobaria has a lot of potential and offers an environment similar to what's described in the King Maker AP. Good choice I'd say
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Here's sort of a list of potential sites I've thought of.
Galt: The chaotic, fractured nation gives you an opportunity to set up a power base and stabilize the area, though you probably will want to stay away from the major urban centers. However, the Gray Gardeners are likely going to be a problem. I have a pet theory because the iconic Gray Gardener in Inner Sea Codex is an Inquisitor of Norgorber that the Gray Gardeners secretly stoke the flames of violence in Galt to keep the nation destabilized, and that the souls contained in the Final Blades are actually stolen by Norgorber. But that's more paranoia and speculation on my part...or IS IT?!
The Shackles: Granted, Skull and Shackles sort of already does this, but PCs for that AP aren't the only game in town. Maybe they're Chelish sympathizers looking to stabilize the region, or remnants of Lirgen looking for a place to rebuild.
The Lands of the Linnorm Kings: This harsh, unforgiving land is MADE for people wishing to become king by their own hand. The vast expanses of unsettled land and the empty throne of Trollheim both beckon to potential kings. All you gotta do is kill a linnorm to claim your throne. Plus, you can set adventures in other locations by letting the PCs go on raids to gain loot and prestige, like White Estrid did. And if you REALLY want a challenging campaign, you can set your sights on Fafnheir to become the King of the Linnorm Kings and unite the Ulfen under one supreme ruler.
Varisia: Though probably the most detailed place on Golarion that Paizo's talked about, Varisia's still a wild frontier, and that spells opportunity. Whether you're in the employ of one of the big three city-states (Korvosa, Magnimar and Riddleport) or you decide to set up shop someplace else, there's plenty of room in Varisia to carve out a fiefdom of your own.
Sargava/The Mwangi Expanse: As is hinted at in Serpent's Skull and suggested by people in this thread, ambitious PCs could rise to power in Sargava, or go off into the jungle and found a colony of their own, likely fighting to keep the Gorilla King off their back and competing with other Mwangi city-states and Sargava.
Iobaria: As mentioned, another vast wilderness that could be "civilized." It's also a place Kingmaker PCs could expand into if they don't get into conflict with their parent nation, Brevoy, and don't start crap with the other River Kingdoms.
The Five Kings Mountains: This one's stretchin' it a bit, I'll admit, as the Mountains themselves are already thoroughly settled, but ambitious dwarf PCs may be interested in unifying the dwarven people once again. This could also begin from places like Janderhoff in Varisia. Maybe a dwarf PC could even establish a new Sky Citadel in some far-flung land!
The Successor States of Lung Wa: Given the fractured state of Tian Xia at the moment, PCs could start a domain of their own almost anywhere there, and attempt to reunite the continent under a single ruler once more. Jade Regent PCs may already have Minkai as a starting point for such an empire.
Arcadia: Pretty much a blank slate, it'd be easy to set a campaign here, competing with older colonies like Valenhall and Elesomar as well as the skraeling natives, and who knows what else?!
What about Numeria? Everything I've ever read in official sources suggests that it's a very wild open place, and if you were able to promise the locals protection from the Technic League they'd probably be happy to ally themselves to you.
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Jade Regent has been something of a geographical crash course:
There is a pretty massive stretch of unmapped territory north of the Lands of the Linnorm Kings, between the Stormspear Hills and the Rimethirst Mountains. A challenging locale with a mix of draconic and arctic foes, perhaps establishing a settlement there might get the Linnorm Kings to force you to defeat a Linnorm.
Alternatively you might prefer to start from Brinewall and reestablish what was once a jewel in Varisia's Crown. With Nolander bandits to the North, and Mountains to the East, your biggest problem might be those bloody Riddleport Pirates.
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I have to disagree with Isger simply because Cheliax definitely wants to keep it due to the importance of it's strategic location between the mountains and the trade routes it gives access to. If you were sent in by House Thrune to bring order to Isger that would be another matter.
Iobaria seems like a good place to me though, the lack of population, vast stretches of land, eerie cyclops ruins, and a few detailed cities. The terrifying and reoccurring plaques seem like the only down side which could still be a great plot point for the campaign.
One place that hasn't been mentioned yet is the Whistling Plains which lies on the eastern edge of Taldor and stretches from the borders of Galt to the deserts of Qadira and then to the east, deep into the heart of the Padishah Empire of Kelesh. I could see Taldor setting up a group to create a vassal state as a border between it and these nations, particularly Qadria.
I have to disagree to disagree.
Cheliax has all but abandoned Isger, Molthune and Southern Varisia. They've virtually ignored Andoran, Northern Garund. They have kept an eye on Sargava, but I think that's a distance issue and a population that doesn't want to be Cheliaxian.
Isger is centrally located. Yet if Cheliax were really worried about a neighbor Molthune wouldn't be Molthune. I doubt Cheliax has ever "controlled" the trade routes here, the Kalistocracy has because that's their thing and Isger is right next door and weak. The Kalistocracy isn't militarily expansionist but can field an impressive army.
House Thrune seems to just be in consolidation mode. They control Cheliax but not even all of Cheliax is under their boot. That's prime time for Kingdom building next door since House Thrune is one of the setting's truly great BBEG candidates.
That Isger has precious little Campaign support could be an issue but there's not much more for Iobaria or even NW Varisia.
I do like Iobaria though.
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Arcadia has very little published information at present, but could provide a very interesting setting. I've been playing with an idea involving the Andoren colony of Elesomare vanishing a la Roanoke. The PCs are among a new group of settlers sent to rebuild the colony and find out if possible, what became of its former inhabitants.
Arcadia is much more isolated than the Stolen Lands, so I figure the colony would grow much more slowly than the players' "kingdom" in Kingmaker. There'd be more of a focus on individual characters and what they can contribute to the colony, and their survival would depend heavily on establishing friendly (or at least peaceful) relations with the poorly-understood native peoples.
While you will have to win over very independent locals, Nirmathas would be a good location.
You could technically do kingdom rebuilding using Taldor and the fact that a number of the prefectures are fairly large and there is sparse info on them.
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We used the area east of Belkzen and north of Ustalav. Far enough from the Worldwound to be somewhat sane, lots of diversity with orcs, Mammoth Lords, Ustalavi, etc. Unfortunately the campaign ran into snags but I think the choice of location was sound.
Other Planets!!!
No seriously, pick up the Distant Worlds book. Plenty of potential sites in there.
As far as Golarion goes, there aren't any published areas that are both worth having and uninhabited. You do probably want a region that is kind of primitive, but at the same time you don't want to be too far from civilization or else you can't benefit from trade with established regions.
Arcadia has been mentioned, and since it is an undescribed region the GM can make a settlement-friendly region in there if you want. It will be pretty remote but if the players work to encourage maritime travel it might work.
Iobaria has also been mentioned, though most of it is described as subarctic forests and these are not very useful. However, the southern reaches of Iobaria reach the Castrovin Sea which would allow trade with Kelesh and Kaladay. Iobaria has the advantage of being thinly populated, though.
If the world map in the Inner Sea book is any indication, Azlant has a number of islands that are quite large and easily nation-sized. The only problem is that the area is of interest to guys like the Mordant Spire elves and other mysterious groups.
Sarusan is another continent that is not really described. It is very remote though.
It is not clear how far south the continent of Garund extends, but the southern end may (if far enough south) go beyond the tropics and into the southern temperate region. If so it would be a good place to set up a nation, though there might already be nations there.
If there were some kind of major disaster in an inhabited region, like a plague, famine, or major curse, a previously settled region could have its inhabitants killed or driven out. If the players could solve the problem they would be in good stead to rule the region they have liberated.
Peet
I have to second the Land of the Linnorm kings suggestion. Starting out you wouldn't be an official king of course, but you could build up to that.
Iobaria would be my 1st choice. Someplace in the Valashmai (sp??) jungle or far southern Garund would be fun too. Although Ustalav REAAAALLLY needs a remake. The people need a serious attitude adjustment =P
So? Find what IS behind that plague problem,(Being plagued by plagues?) and kick it's rump, take its land and set up kingdoms =P
I don't know that building a jungle kingdom would be a viable option, but it does sound like a fun idea depending on how much you're willing to put into it...and then there are those pesky Kaiju.
I'm not sure how many non-adventurers you could get to live in a place with several mind-bogglingly big creatures dedicated to destruction, but I'd sign up for that game.