My schedule's opened up, so I finally have time to run another campaign. XD Instead of yet another bog-standard adventure, I'm feeling the urge to do something a bit different. What if an Adventure Path was taken over by Goblins before the heroes even begin? For example, what if the Goblin raid on Sandpoint at the beginning of RotRL was successful? How would the story play out? Could the encroaching evil be stopped ... by accident? Or would everything end in chaos, fire, death, and inane Goblin songs?
I've run something like this a few years ago but had to stop due to player attrition and a change in my work schedule. It was a great learning experience, though, and I'd like to try again - assuming enough people are interested. This thread is to gauge interest and (hopefully) decide which adventure to Goblinify. Here are a few examples:
- Rise of the RuneLords: as mentioned above, the Goblins successfully raid Sandpoint and slay the heroes. Locations in the town are important to the overarching plot of the AP, though, so all kinds of chaos is bound to ensue as Karzoug's minions pursue their agenda. If the Goblins catch wind of it, perhaps they'll set off to join the RuneLord ... or steal his shineys.
- Kingmaker: the quest-giver is ambushed before he reaches the heroes, and amongst his belongings, a piece of paper is found with nasty writings and bigbig words. Goblins can't read, of course, but if they realize that this 'charter' can let them become chiefs, perhaps they'll go exploring the Stolen Lands. This adventure would focus less on the kingdom-building and more on exploration and dealing with fey activities.
- Reign of Winter: a weird portal opens in the woods and makes everything cold. Then a group of Goblins discover a dead longshanks in black clothes. When they try to loot his body, they're hit with a geas to find a house with bird legs and rescue some old longshanks lady. It's highly doubtful that the Goblins are happy about this, but magical compulsion should keep them in line. Right?
APs that would NOT work well include Skull & Shackles (nobody's dumb enough to shanghai a bunch of Goblins), Wrath of the Righteous (for obvious reasons), and Zeitgeist (Goblins on the police force solving mysteries? Not gonna happen).
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Hopefully this wall of text is enough to attract your interest. Thoughts?
I am a fan of goblins, so you've got my attention.
Sounds crazy enough to be a lot of fun.
When I've tried this in the past, it was a great deal of fun. Outside of the "We Be Goblins" modules, there aren't really any opportunities to full-on embrace the insanity that is the Goblin. If this gets enough interest, I most definitely intend to go all-out with weird mundane loot objects, occasional wild magic for spellcasters, and lots of fire.
I've actually had a goblin Inquisitor of Shelyn (using the Sacred Huntsmaster archetype to give him a goblin dog companion... it makes sense, I swear!) on the back burner that might make for an amusing addition to one of these. Possibly being the only sane member of the group trying to keep things organized.
I think you might could get away with a couple other APs too, if you want more options.
Serpent's Skull - I think you start off on a deserted island... perhaps the tribe already lives on it and they just happen to find the wreck and start the AP?
Ironfang Invasion - The hobgoblins have the audacity to encroach on the goblins' territory! Who do these jerks think they are!? Get 'em outta here!
Iron Gods - Goblins with laser guns... on second thought, that one would be terrifying. Nix that one.
If this gets off the ground, I'd have one slot for a relatively sane PC to serve as the occasional voice of reason. Not that they'd be too successful, of course, but it's a nice sentiment. XD
Serpent Skull Book One would be great, but it's essentially a standalone adventure. After the PCs get off the island, it turns into Indiana Jones, and I think that's a little too intelligent for Goblins. I'd basically have to rewrite 80% of the AP.
Now Ironfang Invasion, on the other hand, might just work. I haven't read it yet, so sounds like it's time for some research on my end. XD
This sounds like an incredibly fun idea.
I have another suggestion for an AP-
Jade Regent - Amieko and her companions come to grief early in the AP. The Goblins find some documents that allow them, with the help of a rare Goblin smart enough to read, to discover what is going on in the AP. Turning their ingenuity to the matter, they deduce that it will be easy to impersonate the true heir to the throne of Minkai. This will provide them an easy path to wealth and power.
What could possibly go wrong?
That actually sounds incredibly funny. I've been leery regarding Jade Regent due to the negative reviews, but most of that revolves around the Caravan rules and the fact that the PCs are basically sidekicks on a giant escort mission. Cut those parts out, and it suddenly has potential.
This goblin pirate (Or is it pirate goblin?) was fun for the brief time I got to play him. I'd love to play him again.
"Yar-har! Pups an' kitties!
Burnin 'em all up is alright by me!
Burn what ye wants cuz gobbos be crazy!
You be a goblin!"
Skulls and Shackles might be doable...if the crew that Shanghais you is made up of Hobgobglins and Bugbears. (Likewise, Ironfang Invasion could involve goblins who’ve escaped servitude to the Ironfang’s hobgoblins)
Legacy of Fire might be a lot of fun, because fire.
I'm curious. I typically lean Kobold over Goblin but depending on the AP selected and the parameters....I'd be interested once this becomes a proper recruitment.
Personally I'd lean Kingmaker, but Skull and Shackles and Ironfang might be fun as well.
I'm leaning toward allowing a single Kobold, Grippli, or Mite PC.
Legacy of Fire is doable but would probably work better with Gnolls taking over the AP.
If you allowed different small monstrous races, Ironfang or Kingmaker might be a fitting theme to go with. The idea of a bunch of smaller (monster) races banding together to either fight off an invasion of bigger monsters or strive to build their own little nation is always a fun story.
Especially in something like Irongfang where the odds are greatly against them (granted, they would be in any AP) is the stuff legendary tales are made of.
Or they might accidentally set the whole forest on fire. You know. As they do.
This sounds like an incredibly fun idea.
I have another suggestion for an AP-
Jade Regent - Amieko and her companions come to grief early in the AP. The Goblins find some documents that allow them, with the help of a rare Goblin smart enough to read, to discover what is going on in the AP. Turning their ingenuity to the matter, they deduce that it will be easy to impersonate the true heir to the throne of Minkai. This will provide them an easy path to wealth and power.
What could possibly go wrong?
Or...
Scribbleface has survived and led Ameiko and the PCs to wipe out the PCs tribe. They must now pick up the trail and pursue Ameiko and Scribbleface across the world for REVENGE!
Wrath of the Goblins. Demons start messing up the goblins territory and the goblins get together to drive them off.
As for reading, there might be a hobgoblin/Blue goblin that can do it. or maybe a special kind of Pariah that lives on the edges and reads stuff because the goblins are smart enough that they need to know the enemies' plans and so one goblin has the dubious honor of losing words from their heads.
Kingmaker could be something where they try to expand and make(gasp!) alliances with other monster tribes like kobolds and mites. Cue fighting with tribes of larger monsters and eventually running up against the Longshanks.
Council of Thives: Isn't there a Whitechin tribe? Whitechin/PCs decide that the Shadowbeasts have become too big a problem and must be stopped. Cue the PCs scrambling around trying to find the goodies. Improve the town for Longshanks? Pfftt right.
Giantslayer: KInd of like Ironfang invasion except the PC's tribe is getting attacked and then it is payback time!
Legacy of Fire: Desert goblins who try to establish themselves at a new lair. I think it would be a little easier at the start since they would be able to hobknob with the monster races with few problems.
I could see either of the “Hell’s” APs. Either goblins throwing off the shackles of Chelish oppression, or goblins fighting the horse-loving longshanks crusaders who want to make them do good and follow laws and not burn things.
That actually sounds incredibly funny. I've been leery regarding Jade Regent due to the negative reviews, but most of that revolves around the Caravan rules and the fact that the PCs are basically sidekicks on a giant escort mission. Cut those parts out, and it suddenly has potential.
It is the AP I have played most. In that I have played it nearly to the end and we are 18th level.
The caravan rules... may not be great but they hardly spoil everything. And the action centered around the PCs when we played it.
MY character Susano-O developed a complete hatred of ninjas, leading to statements like "More @#$% ninjas! I am going to kill you all before you even get a chance to kill yourselves."
I think you should run Jade Regent. It seems to me the funniest of the the hilarious ideas. Maybe because I came up with it. :)
If you allowed different small monstrous races, Ironfang or Kingmaker might be a fitting theme to go with. The idea of a bunch of smaller (monster) races banding together to either fight off an invasion of bigger monsters or strive to build their own little nation is always a fun story.
The small races could establish a country where they are the only full citizens, with the best lands and facilities reserved for them. Medium sized races could be second class citizens and large races always slaves. An apart-height system, essentially.
Since we've been getting a fair bit of interest already, I've glanced through the various APs and have come up with a list of which ones I'd be comfortable Goblinifying.
Rise of the Runelords
Curse of the Crimson Throne
Legacy of Fire
Kingmaker
Jade Regent
Reign of Winter
I can vouch that Jade Reagent was not a terrible campaign. IT did have the giant escort mission feel but it really wasn't a horrible experience.
The caravan rules weren't a big issue, my GM basically ignored it after a book cause it wasn't adding really anything to the game. (Honestly, if it's goblins, the PCs would be more likely to set up ambushes down the caravan routes the entire way there.)
I personally would vote for Reign of Winter, both because I love the theme and having the geas in place might help keep things moving in a relatively steady pace.
Goblin shenanigans are hilarious, but they might need a nudge in the right direction now and again just to keep a long running AP on general track.
That is true. I've been running a RoW campaign on these boards for about 5yrs now, and we're only about 80% done.
Kingmaker with goblins
I'd be in for RotR or kingmaker,that's for sure. Especially goblins!
Kingmaker could be fun. Especially the idea of a small monster folk kingdom. Goblins, Mites, Kobolds, etc. One thing though, I'd lean more toward CN or NN, than CE or NE, as it's hard to play CE and NE without PvP because CE and NE always backstab each other.
Definitely pinging for interest. Having never played a goblin PC, the opportunity sounds great. I can't say I know APs very well, but I can't shift the picture in my head of goblins scrabbling over each other to get warm, ignoring loot/enemies/plot hooks in the process and then accidentally burning the place down when their attempts to start a fire get out of hand! 1 vote for Reign of Winter, although happy with any really.
Definitely pinging for interest. Having never played a goblin PC, the opportunity sounds great. I can't say I know APs very well, but I can't shift the picture in my head of goblins scrabbling over each other to get warm, ignoring loot/enemies/plot hooks in the process and then accidentally burning the place down when their attempts to start a fire get out of hand! 1 vote for Reign of Winter, although happy with any really.
That was the other reason I thought RoW would be a good choice. Their natural affinity for setting things on fire. Intentionally or not.
Yeah, you could bet they would be begging the sorcerer/best firestarter to start the fire and then berating him/her when it got out of control!
So far, I'm seeing interest for Kingmaker, RotRL, Jade Regent, and Reign of Winter. Since it's Memorial Day weekend, I'll keep this thread up until end-of-day Monday. Then I'll start an official recruitment for whichever AP has the most interest. XD
His running of goblins is the best! As one of the goblins in the partial rise of the runelords one you will have a blast playing a goblin under YBD
I would love to join in on this. I've been playing the Rise of the Goblins from the Pathfinder Card Game recently where it lines up the events of this very scenario, so I'm all in for a goblin version right now.
Also interested in a Kingmaker as well. Since goblins wouldn't want to read, you could set it up where the original heroes fall to Book 1's bandits that the goblins happen to be working for. Upon hearing about the missive to colonize the land, the goblins realize that they should start up their own tribe.
Well, if some other small monster types are allowed into Kingmaker, the goblins don't have to read, a mite or kobold or something could be the reader (an ally of the goblin band, allowed around because they can read!).
I would vote for Kingmaker and RoW. I have never fully played both. Played in two kingmaker games that went down the toilet shortly after book 2. RoW fizzled after book 1.
Current Votes
RotRL - 1
Kingmaker - 7
Reign of Winter - 2
Jade Regent - 1
I’d probably vote Reign of Winter, but they all sound interesting.
This sounds very interesting!
My first pick would be Jade Regent, my least favourite Reign of Winter, I'm up for any of the others.
Ooh! Oi! Mesa would get down with some King maker for gobbos!
Well I think goblinkingmaker sounds like fun!
Although a Goblin skull and shackles sounds epic. GOBLINPIRATESNINAJA for the win!
Goblin with a cyberarm for a GOBLINPIRATESNINAJAROBOT game
That is true. I've been running a RoW campaign on these boards for about 5yrs now, and we're only about 80% done.
I'm one of his PC's. This statement is true.
I might be interested in this, but have no strong feelings on which AP.
CHIEFMAKER!!
Seriously, that sounds amazing. I'm in!
Current Votes
RotRL - 1
Kingmaker - 10
Reign of Winter - 3
Jade Regent - 2
I'll leave this open for another 6hrs or so, but unless there's a flurry of posts during that time, I think there's a clear winner. XD
BAH I vote for Rise of the Jade Reign Rune Regent of Winter. :)
Hmmm.... So, goblins invade Sandpoint, get caught in a freak blizzard, and decide to travel across the world in search of warmer temperatures? XD
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The Great Goblin Migration.
Hey, YBD,
Four years ago, when I started lurking the games, the first game I applied for was your goblin game, I then backed out at the last minute.
I read along with it, and your RoW game, until I started playing in RoW myself.
While RotRL sounded fun, I would vote for kingmaker.
would be interested in any... was playing Skull and Shackles but our GM had to leave
I just went to bed last night considering doing a goblin kingdom builder, I was figuring to run it initially off We Be Goblins so count me as very interested.
Ironfang Invasion.
Hobgoblins invade and the goblins have to lead the rest of the tribe somewhere to reestablish themselves.
That reign of winter is pretty epic. Especially those gnomes *nods*