Hi Everyone! I'm looking at running this AP next so I've been looking through threads on here to see how other people have done it/how it's going for different groups. I haven't noticed any short-falls or criticisms being discussed but maybe I'm just missing them.
1) Are there any changes that people have made? Did you notice anything hinky with the AP that a GM should watch out for?
2) Is there anything you'd do differently if you were to run it again?
3) What are your thoughts on the militia system? Did you try using it and wish you hadn't/changed your mind and stopped using it partway through?
4) What races did you allow/disallow or did you stick with core only? Are there any races (other than hobgoblin) that a GM should be wary of allowing? (Beyond obviously over-powered ones)
I like the Militia system. It gives the feel of a larger conflict going on in the background. Whether or not groups like it I think has to do with how they feel about dealing with downtime. Since it's only addressed once a week "in-game" it is not an omnipotent presence, but it does take a little time if the players aren't into it.
1) The campaign is somewhat sandboxy, so every one probably flows quite differently. The only changes I made were to add significant NPCs such as Qa'al the hobgoblin gunslinger from book two, Tal Taval from the NPC Guide and I added a bronze dragon named "Svannost the Just" in the Mindspin Mountains as a potential ally for the PCs.
2) Not really.
3) I answered above.
4) Allow everything one would normally allow - with the exception of hobgoblins - that is - unless the player has a brilliant roleplaying idea for a hobgoblin rebelling against the invasion for some reason.
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1) The campaign is somewhat sandboxy, so every one probably flows quite differently. The only changes I made were to add significant NPCs such as Qa'al the hobgoblin gunslinger from book two, Tal Taval from the NPC Guide and I added a bronze dragon named "Svannost the Just" in the Mindspin Mountains as a potential ally for the PCs.
2) Not really.
3) I answered above.
4) Allow everything one would normally allow - with the exception of hobgoblins - that is - unless the player has a brilliant roleplaying idea for a hobgoblin rebelling against the invasion for some reason.
4 - don't even do that. just keep it easy on everyone. avoid the proud nail PC.
Don't worry, Yakman... I'd be shocked if someone convinced me to let them play a hobgoblin.
Thanks for your thoughts, Brother Fen. I've looked at the militia system a little bit. When you say that it makes it feel like there's a larger conflict in the background do you mean with the country as a whole or just within the group of survivors? (I've only been able to read up to partway through the 2nd book so far; maybe the militia system starts to cover a much larger group of people that aren't all holed up in one spot?)
The sandbox element to it is what's drawn me to Ironfang Invasion but I'm worried that there's not much of a chance for meaningful role-playing that the players will pick up on. (Like, sure, they can get some enemies to work against other ones, but I wonder how many groups pickup on that enough to take advantage of it.)
In my experience, the militia starts small and grows. It is focused on the survivors, but adds new and unique members and continues to grow throughout the campaign.
As for roleplay, the adventure is ripe with chances for roleplay. Every time the PCs run into a batch of survivors or encounter something while out trying to find a place to live, they will encounter something that they can interact with. It's wide open.
The militia system works better IMO if you don't take the militia actions too literally. As written, there's not actually much intersection with what happens within the narrative, but I think if you get creative with it you can have some fun.