So You Want To Play... Kingmaker

[@Podfinder]

Please note: I was wrong about scaling lore proficiency provided from backgrounds as of the Remaster. That is a common houserule which I mixed up with the new scaling proficiency in lores provided by ancestry feats. My mistake.

[@bl00dywelld0ne]

I actually really like this idea

[@kindred84]

So many tables using scaling background lores it should just be an official rule in the system.

[@Podfinder]

@@kindred84 I certainly agree. It adds depth to your character.

[@nemo53]

​@@kindred84I think as a variant rule option but otherwise agree

[@GanixUA]

"A centaur or family of centaurs might easily migrate to Brevoy seeking a more STABLE life" Absolutely magnificent🤣 It's great seeing that you have plans for the channel in the long run, as all your stuff has been amazing ^^

[@Podfinder]

Thanks very much! Glad you're enjoying my videos. And yes, I've got big long-term plans for this channel.

[@okagisama]

Even as a GM currently studying this titan of a book, i find this video very informative and fun to listen to. Hats off!

[@Podfinder]

Thanks very much!

[@kythian]

I played in a 1e Kingmaker game as a Scout (rogue archetype; APG) and follower of Callistria. He became the realms spy master and ran the organization from within the, uh, "temple" of Callistria. Lots of room to be creative in this AP!

[@bl00dywelld0ne]

Great video! That was a nice introduction to Kingmaker. I will say that, if you're using Foundry, the official Kingmaker module is a lifesaver. A lot of the leg work is done for you, and having all the music from the video game soundtrack doesn't hurt either. The Unofficial Kingmaker Tools module is also super duper helpful (The camping sheet is indispensable!) Also-also, having a good note taking system is a must for this campaign. I personally use Notion, but any note-taking app will work. Or if you're really organized you could take paper notes. Just take notes, keep them organized, and remember to breathe. 😅

[@Podfinder]

I have never used Foundry before, but this seems like the AP with which to use it.

[@SarkFaLL]

Coming from Owlcat's Kingmaker, I loved the world and wanted to get some more background context for it since the game understandably just throws you into the adventure. Learning more about Brevoy, the noble families, and Choral the Conqueror has brought more life to this world then I ever thought possible. I enjoyed the surround areas context as well, particularly the River Kingdoms' laws! Overall I would love to see more of the So You Want To Play... content, and am checking out your other videos now!

[@Podfinder]

More of these videos are on the way! Glad you enjoyed it so much!

[@RyanVonAegir]

I really like this kind of overview of an AP. It feels easier to use for reference than the Players Guide in some ways since audible explanations feel easier to remember to me. Thanks for the video! Hoping one day for a Wrath of the Righteous video for obvious reasons.

[@Podfinder]

Glad you enjoy the video style! The response to these videos has been very positive, so I'll be incorporating them into my production schedule from now on. I'll keep that suggestion for WotR in mind. I haven't made a guide for 1e yet, but I could definitely see those types of videos being helpful as well.

[@TheMythkeeper]

Loving this series

[@Podfinder]

Thanks! I'm loving making it!

[@autumndidact6148]

Small correction: Kingmaker 2e doesn't specify when it takes place and mostly makes it as ambiguous as possible. However, a few things like the Companion Guide mentioning the Technic League being disbanded indicate an assumption of it being set whenever it's played. And that's why Brevoy will stay locked on the cusp of civil war but never quite get there forever....

[@Podfinder]

I could see Brevoy getting a dedicated AP someday, but yeah the state of affairs will likely remain stagnant for a bit. And thanks for pointing out that the 2e version of Kingmaker is a bit agnostic of timeframe. I would always run it in its original timeframe as of the 1e printing, but that certainly doesn't need to be the case. Especially since Kingmaker has had a relatively light impact on other APs on Golarion.

[@DoulosXristou0]

Would definitely love a second video as mentioned. Bought the AP on Foundry, and would love some rules advice and guidance to run it.

[@hirundo_rustica]

YES! i have been looking for something like this! thank you so much

[@Podfinder]

You're very welcome. Hope it's helpful!

[@TheLocalDisasterTourGuide]

I loved the video game (at least as far as the video game could be loved - lol. That game had issues.) I've been tempted to pick up the 2e conversion & try to run it, but my players are notorious for never finishing a published AP. I just can't justify the cost given the fact that my players are likely to abandon ship at some point. (For what its worth, my players do great with homebrew stories. Its published material that they just dont seem to connect with.)

[@lamarabbit]

I needed this 2 years ago when we started, still, great job

[@Conzaboyy]

Going to be running Kingmaker at the end of September so this video was very helpful! Looking forward to the second video about the rules

[@aboutpedro90]

Brilliant! I've JUST started a Kingmaker game, and this is gonna help me a lot!

[@Podfinder]

Glad it will help out!

[@kindred84]

RAW the kingdom rules are broken. As in they don't work. Vance and Kerenshara's homebrew are basically required to make it work, and using the foundry module Kingmaker Tools (Unofficial) which also alters V&K slightly (circumstance bonuses vs status bonuses) and is also basically required if you're running on a VTT. Hopefully you were already accounting for these in your future video.

[@Podfinder]

I'm already planning on going over a few methods of fixing the rules. But thanks for bringing those up. I didn't know about the differences on Foundry.

[@kindred84]

@@Podfinder is an unofficial mod, but they include options for the v&k rules as well as things James Jacobs has said over the forums (like event xp)

[@Rythian]

Fantastic video, very informative. Thank you.

[@Podfinder]

Thanks so much! Glad you enjoyed it!

[@ahmedlateef8669]

would love it if you did a streamed actual play rythian.

[@einkar4219]

I am currently playing Kingmaker and we have Damphr from Ustalav who brought at least dozen of vampires trying to hunt him Barbarian who mhwangi expanse I don't know yet why he is here, and I have just few little unconnected informations about his background Leshy who was created by some druid and abandoned soon after, he have no idea how society works, but does his beast to learn bow precision ranger who by coincidence by is best fits for rewards that campaign gives, first boss? he is only bow user, aldori dueling sword he is only dex martial, opportunity to change faith to be able to utilise magic item better, special arrows and me Kobold form birthplace of freedom who wanted to move his and his brothers tavern to new place, who was democratically outvoted when deciding on government type

[@VargoDnD]

This was amazing and really helpful, thank you.

[@Podfinder]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@kindred84]

Reading the PF1 player guide is way more lore useful than the PF2 one. I ended up making my own PG combining the two.

[@Podfinder]

Yeah, that's been a trend in the PF2E Player's Guides. Less lore, more mechanical advice. That's part of what inspired me to start this video series. I wanted to strike a balance between the two approaches.

[@kylethoren1949]

Is that the map from 1st edition Kingmaker? It's certainly not the 2e map. In 2e Lake Hooktongue is MUCH larger and further north with the swamps taking something like 16 or 18 hexes.

[@Podfinder]

I pulled that map from the Pathfinder: Kingmaker wiki, so I assume it's representative of the map in the PC game.

[@Zr0din]

@6:00 Thanks for doing this but I need arrows or highlights to direct my eye on these maps! Sure, brevoy was right at the center of one of the maps but previous to that you had a wide map and were speaking about different regions and I really was lost there.

[@Podfinder]

Fair enough. Thanks for the feedback. I'll work on making regions in question stand out a bit more in the future.

[@Zr0din]

A zoom in and camera move may help.

[@theprinceofawesomeness]

this is for the 1e version, i play as a Kobold who have traveled from the land of the Linworm kings (and he have some feys in his ancestory, he do have knowledge of feys and the 1st world), my character is discriminated because of his race, he was not invited to the Aldori manor and thus do not have the same quest at all as the other players, this and disrespect from the others have caused him to break of, with his high Charisma he's quickly gaining allies and is thriving, while the the others will get the 50bp from Aldori to kick start their kingdom, i'll would have already laid claim to the lands (in word only).

[@williamedmonds-gx7sq]

Do you have a series on subsystems in pathfinder? Cooking, Chasing, you could add it to your upcoming Kingdom Management and Hexploration videos ect.

[@Podfinder]

I don't yet. I've never done a rules video before. I might do some more, depending on how the Kingdom Management video turns out.

[@yellowbeard1]

I DM for a party just about to go into Armag's Tomb. It's a great adventure but the kingdom management mechanics as written are bad. There's some good third party supplements to fix things though.

[@Podfinder]

That's part of the reason I want to take my time with the rules video. My plan is to address the issues with the rules and cover some third party content which fixes them.

[@okagisama]

@yellowbeard1 I've decided to not include a detailed kingdom management for my first runs for that reason. Unless one player takes over himself/herself to get into the specifics because they enjoy it that much, i'll keep kingdom and war management to a minimum, enough to give a sense of impacting personalisation and to initiate choice and consequence. Most players don't want to have to keep track of a TTRPG Sim City.

[@robertbrooks2910]

Could you please be so kind and share the third party systems you've found most useful? I'm in the process of campaign planning , 5e refugee, and am a little bit lost in finding what the better options are.

[@yellowbeard1]

@@robertbrooks2910 Legendary Games makes some good supplements. They have 5E and PF2E kingdom management books.

[@raycojosecanogonzalez8016]

This is incredible, thank you for listening 🥰

[@ScottBoydathome]

"Filled with a number of threats" - like getting 1d4 trolls encounter at level 1.

[@Podfinder]

Lol. I never claimed the threats were balanced.

[@boris_bulletdodger9109]

Positive comment

[@Podfinder]

Grateful reply.

[@-Plot-]

I’m currently running this. My players are not huge fans of the kingdom rules

[@Podfinder]

Yeah, they seem extremely divisive. Are you using Vance and Kerenshara's rules fix, by any chance? I've heard that makes them much better.

[@reso-o5t]

​@@Podfinderim running this AP 2e as well. My group liked it, but we end up playing the kingdom turns on discord, separate from the actual in person sessions. We're still barely level 4 though. From what I can see, I need to find a way to accelerate exp gains for the kingdom. Seems too slow RAW...am I missing something? (im using third party google sheet gor kingdom turn tracking)

[@gustavohc18]

Hey Podfinder, this might be going a step too far, but could we get the script for this? I'd love to have all this info in written for a quick reference. I understand if it's a no go tho, love your work.

[@Podfinder]

Thanks for the request. I'm actually considering making my scripts and mp3 files available as a $1 patreon benefit, for people who want to read or listen outside of KZbin. Would you consider those benefits valuable? I'm not sure if those are good benefits, and the last thing I want to do is make my audience feel exploited.

[@gustavohc18]

@@Podfinder Absolutely. Getting the info in a more convenient way (for me at least) while also supporting the channel? Sign me up!

[@Dereliction2]

I'm running this now and can say that you've provided a very good overview for both players and DMs. A few further suggestions (and one criticism): The Eldest are a terrible deity for players to choose unless the DM is careful, and even then I would suggest avoiding it. It's a nut too likely to crack open things you'll want the players to discover as a natural part of the campaign, and that choice risks thrusting it too far forward. There is a HUGE amount of mystery and revelation value that can be tapped into for this campaign, and players really enjoy it, so don't ruin it by letting them tie characters and backgrounds in ways that cut that value down. The camping rules are onerous and not conducive to fun play. They can consume an easy 25%+ of a session with fairly monotonous checks, and its breaks the session's flow and focus far too much to make it worthwhile for use, as is. Worse, the random encounter rules are positively terrible and must be changed right away. However, a streamlined version of the camping rules does have value, as does using the more expansive rules when PCs are in particularly rough or dangerous areas. The Hexploration and Kingdom rules are decent, though the latter still needs work for it to be usable. One of the main things is the amount of kingdom experience players can earn. I strongly suggest inventing milestones that are aligned with the charter selected to incentivize and boost that element. For example, my players chose an exploration charter, so I reward Kingdom XP for the discovery and claiming of landmarks and many secret locales, and double the amount of all XP gains for the kingdom while it is of a lower level than PCs. Even that isn't really enough, so I've added in other ad hoc milestones to better accommodate.

[@Podfinder]

Those are a lot of good points to add to the conversation, and the point about the Eldest is particularly fair. I was trying to convey that characters might be interested in developing faith in some of the Eldest as the campaign goes on and they get more exposure to fey creatures and influence. I thought it could be interesting for characters to grow that faith over time. I could have conveyed that better, so thanks for calling that out.

[@Dereliction2]

@@Podfinder Honestly, that would be the only strong criticism I would aim at your overview. Don't let that muddy how well you knocked it out of the park, otherwise.

[@Podfinder]

@@Dereliction2 thanks very much. I really appreciate that.

[@dungeonmaster16]

this maybe a stretch but if got time and not a hassle but possible have a section on suggested books to read/know like the recent wardens of wildwood players guide introduced for first time? older players guides dont have that for gm/players if wish to further know specific lore of said ap and not sure where to start at especially how much trhere is out there.

[@Podfinder]

That's a great idea! I'll try to implement that in future videos.

[@dlarso11]

Thank you for covering this😂

[@Podfinder]

You're very welcome! These new Player's Guide videos are a blast to make. It's fun to see people respond so positively.

[@dagske]

As a Pathfinder newbie (but D&D veteran) who wants to run this AP, where does all the lore come from? I don't see a tenth of what you explained in the Kingmaker book. What other source are necessary for lore?

[@Podfinder]

This actually comes from a wide variety of sourcebooks, some from 1e and some from 2e. The list includes: the Lost Omens World Guide, Lost Omens Legends, the Pathfinder Chronicles Guide to the River Kingdoms, and the original printing of Kingmaker. If you want a video going into more depth on the regions in this video, check out Mythkeeper on KZbin. He's a fantastic source of collected lore. He's got videos on the River Kingdoms and Brevoy and its neighbors.

[@JohahnDiechter]

​@@PodfinderMythkeeper does spoil the story of Kingmaker as it happened more than 10 years ago in the current story.

[@Podfinder]

@@JohahnDiechter Good catch. I had forgotten about that. My bad.

[@greatmoustache8731]

Where can you find the info that backgrounds now give the additional lore feat for lore the background provides?

[@Podfinder]

Oh shit. That's wrong. I misunderstood the scaling of lores from ancestry feats. My bad. Thanks for calling that out.

[@cinderheart2720]

Volume is a bit low, but this is an excellent video! You're clearly really knowledgeable about the lore and can explain it in a concise manner that'll help people run this AP. Here's hoping I can get my group to watch it before we start.

[@SquirtleSquadPH]

Sounds fine to me. Nice speaking voice.

[@ghillieshot8515]

Can you let me know where you got the maps from? For instance @ th 4min mark. They're sweet.

[@Podfinder]

These maps are typically pulled from the Lost Omens books. I think that one was from the Lost Omens World Guide. I own the physical copies of those books however, so I usually start with Google images to see if I can find a better resolution image than what I could get by scanning my books. I avoid using images from books I don't own.

[@ghillieshot8515]

@@Podfinder Awesome. I have these pdfs, just didn't remember them being there. I'll look. Thanks.

[@Taal111]

Is the second part to this video out yet?

[@Podfinder]

Nope. Won't be out until about January. Sorry for the wait, but I've got certain videos I want to make before the end of the year, and I want to give my first rules video plenty of time in the oven.

[@Schlaym]

Our GM is frustrated because none of our four characters use normal weapons regularly 😂

[@plagueofjoe]

I hate the politics of all these recent campaigns in DND and PF. "Oh it's a wild frontier area... with more protected and sophisticated individual rights established than any country in the world today. Guess you guys aren't going for any kind of believability.