Help with why my game went wrong and how to re-launch

[Lanathar]

OK I had some problems with the start of my Crimson Throne campaign.
Then I had the reliable part of the group drop to two members so called it to a stop for now

Part of the problem was the early portion:

The group defeated Gaedren and stepped out into the anarchy and then proceeded to go to ground. They got incredibly paranoid and "didn't want to be shown to be taking sides" regarding the new ruler. So focused on trying to find their way back to their homes / families through the streets and ignoring the hook

Has this happened to anyone else? Either reluctance to be seen to be supporting someone unpopular or the immediate assumption she is evil (probably due to overexposure to gaming/ Game of Thrones that kind of thing). Obviously they are right but it ground things to a halt and I was struggling to force them back to where they needed to be.

What should I have done?

Moving on from that I am considering my options with re-launching a game (probably in several months). Now I have some problems/concerns with this:

1. They have already done the Gaedren bit
2. There is a low likelihood of getting to book 6 as we never have done before. But I would still like to play through books 1 and 2 at least because they look like really interesting adventures

Regarding point 1. Should I:
- Remove Gaedren and think of another hook (perhaps just start of straight in employ of the guards as mercenaries). Problem I have with this is that it is not a very compelling hook

or

- Do what many have done and remove Gaedren remove the fishery and make him someone to be chased on the side. Downsides of course being not getting the early "win" and having a distraction from the main story

or

Something else?

Regarding point 2:
It seems to me that tweaks could be made to make Book 3 the end point and Bahor the main villain.

Question on this though:
- Can the story be crafted finely enough so that this could be the end but also potentially not the end if the players wanted to continue? Either structuring the big bad someway or somehow tying Bahor to Ileosa?

- How are the Gray Maidens working with the plague doctors explained in an alternate version where Bahor is the villain and Ileosa is just misguided? Is it that he is behind the doctors and she is just VERY misguided in helping them?

* Sorry for the long list of questions. There are aspects of this AP that I really like and would like to run but the false start and potential time/logistics constraints presents challenges.

[Harley Quinn X]

No need to retcon Gaedren. They've already gotten that win, let them have it. In the future, try to get people's buy-in on some plot lines before your start the path; yes, it ruins some of the surprise, but you avoid things like this. With that said, you have several options on how to get the story back on track:

Possible re-direct:

Instead of having the queen tell them to work with the guard, have the town guard and Kroft approach the PCs. Cressida's level-headed enough to understand their not wanting to choose sides, and have her appeal to at least help keep the peace. Many of the missions and tasks Kroft gives are not directly tied to the queen's agenda, so the party may be better suited at breaking up brawls, dealing with otyughs coming out of the sewers, etc. Then you can have the queen stick her nose in when she "requests" (read as "demands") the guard to go after Trinia Sabor. At this point, the AP sort of assumes the party may be suspicious of the queen, and may want to question/hide Trinia so it still falls in line with the AP by that point.

As for shortening the path by changing who the "big bad guy" is, that could work.

Story Change:

Bahor/Glorio, as an influential man in Korvosa, could have fooled Ileosa by having the cultists spread the disease and then send Dr. Devaulus to introduce himself. Bahor's motivation could be to use the Senechal as a puppet to get onto the throne himself. While still evil, Ileosa doesn't need any more PR problems, so she'd gladly accept this doctor and declare martial law thinking that will boost her image as a powerful ruler (Blame it on the Fangs of Kazavon?). As such, she's more willing to go along with any suggestions Dr. Devaulus makes as long as he's backed by military might. As they PCs adventure on, they may want to go it alone or possibly even team up with the Queen or Sabina in an "enemy of my enemy" situation.

[Jaçinto]

I wouldn't restart. Dm's have to be able to adapt and rewrite. If you are going to restart until they get on the railroad, that kills a lot of interest in the game. It's a game of freedom and improve, not just following a script. Saying "you must do X or I am restarting" is a good way to kill player interest in the game.

[Lanathar]

I should have clarified that I am mentioning a potential restart as there might only be two players who started available when we next play

Also I will not start this up for 6 month at least as I am going away. By that point there would have been a 9 month gap from killing gaedren and wandering the streets for one brief session afterwards

It might be tricky to pick back up - hence my wondering if it was easier to restart completely (might even try a different adventure/module but I am researching my options )

[Mangenorn]

Well, instead of the Queen sending the PCs to the Guard, the Guard could send the PCs to the queen to return the pendant they recovered. This could happen if they get the thing appraised and someone from the Guard is walking by, or, if they're giving Gædran's records to the Guard, someone may spot the pendant, ... or something along those lines.

That is, if you really want to show off that encounter. It's like free money for them anyway.