Warfare in the early game

[Snake0202]

I can't find any warfare encounters in the early levels. Maybe I'm missing it, but the troll chapter doesn't have any warfare encounters against troll armies and I don't see anything in season of bloom. Looks like the first time to actually go to war is Trouble in Tatzlford. Am I missing any war encounters earlier in the AP? My players are interested in forming a small militia, so I don't want their choice and cost to mean nothing, but I don't really want to invent war encounters outside the scope of the AP either. Thoughts?

[DM_aka_Dudemeister]

If you want to add a little warfare in Rivers Run Red, you can use my modifications here: Dudemeister's Hargulka's Monster Kingdom. The rules are 1e, but the plot shifts are easily adaptable.

[Phntm888]

You could also allow the militia to be able to help mitigate the effects of the giant Owlbear attack at the end of Rivers Run Red. Maybe they provide a bonus to the check or allow them to improve the result by one step.

Dudemeister's changes are also pretty great - I don't think the rules would be too difficult to update.

[aiglos]

To be quite honest, if an attempt to get the Kobolds of the Silver Mine to join the PC's nascent kingdom goes badly wrong, a guerilla war by the Kobolds could be distinct possibility!

[Zor D'Lan]

Armies can be as low as level 1 (infantry) or level 3 (skirmishers) ... although (personally) I would require them to have at least a Barracks to recruit an army.

But feeding armies will be challenging at their lower kingdom level. Since at that point in the story they likely do not have an abundance of farmlands.

Consumption aside. There is nothing stopping them from make the leadership action to Recruit an army. They could even try to recruit the kobolds.

I'd even encourage it even, as its more likely to fail in interesting ways -- than cause any lasting damage to the storyline.

Plus, it would be a great way to let them earn some extra Kingdom XP