(New to the forums, so please correct me if I'm not spoiler tagging things properly or committing other offenses.)
The Player's Guide to Iron Gods gives the sense that the Technic League are supposed to be major movers and shakers in the AP, even going as far as warning prospective players away from wanting to join up with them.
However, up to the end of Book 3, the Technic League has felt a bit...peripheral. Disappointingly so. Certainly the NPCs play up a fear of the League and the story adequately conveys the organization's tendency to involve themselves (violently) in other people's business. However,
The reason for this observation was because prior to the release of Books 2 and 3, I had been working on a way to link up a PC's background villain with the League itself (I won't crowd the discussion with detail for now). Usually when creating connections between the PCs and the overarching AP plot, I have all the books at my disposal. Since no one has yet had that luxury with Iron Gods, linking things up has been a bit more difficult. I was hoping that the League would actually take interest in the PCs, sending agents to hamper their progress or at least putting themselves at odds with the group in a dynamic manner. That way, the aforementioned villain could be introduced early enough, connected to the AP antagonists.
The problem is that, as they have been presented so far, the Technic League simply don't seem active enough as villains
So that brings me to my question: Will the Technic League actually show up in a more significant capacity (beyond foreshadowing and the general fears of the Numerian population) before Book 5? Will they start to play more of an active role in Valley of the Brain Collectors, or will they continue to sit in Starfall until the PCs show up on their doorstep?
Any thoughts on the matter would be helpful.
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I think the reason for this is that the League, at the moment, is completely unawares of what's going on. We'll know more about the situation once Book 5 drops, but I think I saw somewhere that the Big Bad has already infiltrated the League, so they're really dancing to his tune. The things that are going on haven't attracted the League's notice yet, so that means the PCs can actually investigate them without butting heads with this powerful group.
Also, I'm not sure how many agents they have, but they certainly don't have as many as they claim. One of the things I've gleaned from the first three books is that the threat that anyone you meet might be a Technic spy is omnipresent. They have unparalleled might in Numeria, and you really don't want to draw their attention. Is Farmer Joe really that friendly? Or is he prying into your business to find out if you've discovered another technological artifact? They can do whatever they want to whoever they want, and there's little anyone can do. Most people probably don't want to give the League any reason to come to their neck of Numeria.
Well until book three, there is probably nothing that would catch the Technic's League attention, unless you let one of the aforementioned spies let slip through the PCs grips.
Additionally, as Misori mentioned, the Technic League probably isn't as numerous as they make people believe. Why else would their grip on the south of Numeria be so weak and why would they reverting to methods as spies and high taxes to control that region.
Creative Director
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The Technic League is indeed a major factor and player in the AP, in that they are a big part of the reason why Numeria is the way it is. Their presence is felt in ALL the adventures, but in one more than others.
The reason we said what we said in the Player's Guide was to head off at the proverbial pass any players or GMs who might want to have PC allies of the Technic League. That won't really work in this adventure's plot. Since we hadn't actually done much but tease details about the Technic League until this point, there was a LOT of folks eager to learn more, and many of them might want to join the group without realizing how bad a choice that would be for the storyline and PC alignment and preventing party strife and all that.
It's a little hard to talk about without spoiling things for the players though is the thing.
Ah, so in other words:
So yes, I understand that not allowing players to be outright friendly with the League is essential to cut off potential conflicts. I was simply curious if they were going to have a more physical presence in the story (beyond the occasional infiltrator) before Book 5. Giving a significant face to the major villainous factor, you know?
Because
So, in spite of the League's policies affecting Numeria's society in the broader sense, it has felt like they have taking a bit of a backseat as characters in the story.
its not unlike the theme/villains in Council of Thieves.
In Cheliax there are many villains, the party just isnt going face to face with with main political villain (In cheliax the queen, in numeria the league)
In CoT if you say "I want to fight the queen and her hell knights, you're not playing CoT."
Except from what I understand of Council of Thieves, the Hellknights do show up as physical opposition. Quite a bit, in fact.
That said, I'm not trying to imply that the AP is bad or anything of the sort. I love the melding of sci-fi and fantasy, and all the craziness that comes from it.
I can also understand if the writers wanted to make the League more of a generalized villainous force than something that comes to attack you off the bat. I was just wondering if they were going to be something the party faces off against more actively (prior to the group's eventual decision to wander into Starfall and wreck the organization's fun).
Whatever works, really. I can see how it's hard to discuss this sort of thing without spoiling the remaining books for everyone.
Except from what I understand of Council of Thieves, the Hellknights do show up as physical opposition. Quite a bit, in fact.
No, not really.
There's an appearance.
but also keep in mind Hell Knight's make an appearance in Curse of the Crimson throne as well.
Hell Knights represent Order, not particularly the government.
I can also understand if the writers wanted to make the League more of a generalized villainous force than something that comes to attack you off the bat. I was just wondering if they were going to be something the party faces off against more actively (prior to the group's eventual decision to wander into Starfall and wreck the organization's fun).Whatever works, really. I can see how it's hard to discuss this sort of thing without spoiling the remaining books for everyone.
I don't think you can spoil anything none of us have read yet, since the books haven't been released entirely.
Im playing in Iron Gods, we all know from the synopsis, that we eventually go to starfall, to get into the mountain to defeat unity.
Since the league is in charge of silver mount and keeping every one out, and plot device requires we get in…. in so facto, we will be against the tech league at some point.
my character took the against the technic league trait… it hasn't been useful yet. *shrug*