Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 fishfinger Mar 13, 2008 18:20:41	hi all just got a quick problem for those who wish to pitch in, basicly what it is, is that i find that when i make a character i can work my way around to easy lets say with a tribe of orcs i choose to join etc so forth and then become ruler of that tribe or a guild or you have an army of undead at your disposal but war takes to long to do, what can i do about it i mean i like the idea of being all high and mighty but when i get there i just find theres nothing to do so i should stick to being a adventurer or you get to 6th level and take the feat leadership and you start attracting people to you like flies on dog crap what do you do with them i mean its fun and all but i see no real realistic challange when you have vast numbers. Does anyone have any sujestions (and please for god sake don't say "don't get into that position")
#2 darkneolink Mar 13, 2008 19:13:20	Heroes of battle FTW! Gives rules for armies battling and the individuals who make legends out of those battles. Rules for getting a high position with your army and the chance to conquer the land/kingdom/world/plane/multiverse. A big army of undead can go al Xykon on his enemys (as long as I have the numbers...)
#3 fishfinger Mar 13, 2008 20:32:00	..
#4 fishfinger Mar 13, 2008 20:31:36	yeah Xykon Pwned the **** out of roy but seriously though in a normal game if you don't have some huge power to reach for what do you do from there, i mean lets say you become ruler of a city what do you do then i mean Xykon has other citys to conquor, and even if i conquored the world the gods would intervine so then i'd have to take on gods etc, then the multi-verse which in turn makes you a god the overall supreme being but what do you do when you get there? if you conquor a city and would like to rule it yet keep your character active what do you do, you can't leave your city to go off adventuring well technically you can but things could change and you come back to find out someone sneezed on the otherside of the world and destroyed your city, sorry thats a bad exadgeration of the butterfly effect XD but thats my dilema i'd like to become a ruler to some degree and yet continue adventuring any thoughts?
#5 fishfinger Mar 13, 2008 20:32:03	..
#6 sakuradm Mar 13, 2008 20:48:55	1- err... try becomming a leader of your PARTY? 2- Can there be a period and a capitolized letter in there? 3- well.. sorry to say this.. but it is somewhat pointless to become ruler of a tribe of orcs.... why not like go out questing and fighting eh? It's a lot more straight forward that trying to join up with an orc group, or conjuring an army of undead and trying to convince them that you are fit to be their ruler... because with orcs... not such a good idea.. usually they fight for dominance. If you are planning to just come in, and say "ME RULER! ALL BOW TO ME!" then you have another thing comming. first if they don't catch you and eat you for dinner, they will probably all be after you to kill you, and if nothing else, the leader of such clan will want to fight to the death, and if you are a low level as it sounds you are, you might want to get a fresh character sheet ready.
#7 etarnon Mar 14, 2008 2:15:06	You have to expand your scale of imagination. When you lead a party, you lead 4 or 5 people. When you lead a platoon you lead maybe 20 people. Etc. So leading a city, you'll still have adventures, but it will be on the scale of: Defend the city. Stop the assassination Keep the trade routes open stop nearby piracy. You will in effect become the guy that meets with young adventurers and pays them. When they mess up, you'll find new ones, and reward those that do a good job. Meanwhile, you'll be taking visitors from far off lands, making sure your treasury doesn't get stolen, and replacing food tasters that die off from all the people gunning for you... That is if you are not already busy lopping off the heads of your rival, and putting down rebellions. Good luck.
#8 fishfinger Mar 15, 2008 9:17:15	Etarnon............. that is by far the best awnser i have ever got from a forum, thats brilliant, hmmm ok so technically you retire your character to some degree, unless you can think of a leader to go on adventures or rulers or kings to journy to other places other then seeking a magical item which is just a roumor or something of the sort?
#9 exposed_wires Mar 15, 2008 10:00:16	Taking over a city means more responsibility. I would never bother trying to advance beyond mere adventurer. I would go from slaying dragons, to approving parade routes. Some upgrade. Also, please learn the difference between 'your' and 'you're'. These two threads you started are killing me.
#10 sakuradm Mar 15, 2008 10:15:23	Agreed on the last bit, please use correct grammar,spelling, capitalization and the like.
#11 rood_inverse Mar 15, 2008 10:58:43	Delegate. Surround yourself with generals and chieftans who know what they're doing and give them instructions. Trust them best to do what they know. There's no need to micromanage your army. I generally try to leave this sort of housekeeping to my DM, so I can concentrate on things more important to my immediate quest. Have the DM come back to you with generals and their information about how your troops and raiding parties are doing and just make the executive decisions once in a while. Don't be afraid to keep on top of things, but you don't need a Big Board as a player. You don't even have to be on the field of battle. Soldier groups watch and respect their unit commanders. Those are the people they'll follow into hell. Your job is to pick which hell they go to. :P But stay on the back lines and decide strategy. If you can't be in the commander's tent doing that (say you have to find the Ark that will make your army victorious before your forces are crushed), divination and scrying spells so you can communicate long distance will be a big boon. Focus on your quest goals. When you take over a city, lead a party of trusted elite soldiers in a sneak attack behind the walls, while your army sieges the city and someone else poses as you on the battlefield. (Again, stay in touch with the fake commander.) An army is not something you should, as a PC, have to worry about managing like this. It falls under the "fluff" category. As long as you're not expecting betrayal, or a DM who wants to hold a civil war re-enactment... You should be okay with most of the army and "taking over a city" stuff being mostly off-screen.
#12 etarnon Mar 15, 2008 13:53:50	Well, not to plug here, but I just play and Run Birthright, 2e. Designed by Rich Baker and Colin McComb, back in 1995. It has all of that flavor of "running the place." So it's not retirement, by any means.. it's just different style, not getting your own hands dirty. It's not dungeon adventures, with you opening the chest, it is: Actual Past Scenario (from my Birthright Setting campaign): You are the ruler of the City-State of Endier. Word comes by messenger from the eastern frontier that goblins have massed on the eastern border wood, some 30 miles away, as of this morning. from the maount of noise, it seems like perhaps 200 in number. Additionally, the scout force reports blue smoke emanating from the trees, and loud booming noises. They have dispatched a squad of ranger to investigate further, but it looks like battle is in the offing. What do you do? You can: Send Army Reinforcements, led by an NPC Lieutenant. Send Army Reinforcements, led by a Fighter, Ranger, or Paladin PC (sitting at the same table) Go yourself, with all of the above, plus muster the local militia. Sit and wait, while issuing a decree that all goblins are to be slain on sight, and burned, buying time for you to talk to your Cleric who will consult with her god. Talk to your court wizard, who will cast a large scale poison fog spell on the eastern wood, but that will cost some 2,000 GP in components. Muster the troops to defend the city, but let the eastern frontier collapse, because that will give you and excuse to start a war of retribution, and wipe out the goblins, and thus move in an take their valuable silver resources that you suspect lie hidden in the eastern hills. But if the commoners find out you threw their lives away, you face rebellion, and possibly armed insurrection, by another power, that wants to weaken you. In the actual game, the ruler sent himself, His Regent's Guard force of 50 Paladins, a force of 50 Rangers, and The Army General. When they arrived, the scouts were sent into the woods, met bad luck, and were ambushed, with one PC scout running back to the lines, near death, with some 20 arrows in his back. Half the ranger force had been killed. He confirmed 300 goblins in the woods. The Army General took command of the on site forces which were archers and light infantry, and formed up in a semicircle around the nearby town and waited. A day passed. The army rested. In the mearly early morning, half the light infantry and all of the surviving scouts were out of battle, because a spy inside the kingdom (from the South, sent by a rival King) had poisoned the local wells. Two hours before dawn, the goblin host attacked, sending 200 goblins pouring from the woods. Mass battle ensued, and the goblins retreatred to the wood, half their number slain. What they found out later was that 100 goblins had moved to the south, along the woods, and had in fact, sacked and burned the manor house of the Regent's Guard... and he was ******. Those are the kinds of decisions and adventures the high level rulers take on. You make your decision, Then, game it out.
#13 count_arioch_the_28th Mar 24, 2008 22:14:31	Agreed on the last bit, please use correct grammar,spelling, capitalization and the like. Anyone else see the irony in this?
#14 jegol Mar 24, 2008 22:27:25	Anyone else see the irony in this? At least you can read it without straining your eyes and re-reading parts. I think controlling armies and such has to do with a lot more decisions on the health of what your ruling other than your character, meaning what you may do for the kingdom is not what is best for the kingdom.. taking bold risk can be more risky because of the larger scale problems. Etarnon gave a great example.
#15 etarnon Mar 26, 2008 14:38:02	Thanks, and I wholeheartedly agree. As the Ruler of a kingdom, you are no longer controlling your own heath and hit points, you are controlling the health, power and finances of a realm. Going to war, even though it is a just war, is not always warranted. By the same token, even though it might seem best to yield to a larger nation, in the world of realpolitik, declaring war might be more effective, for political reasons...to buy time, to make a stand, to inspire the populace to resist. Every major choice is crucial, "going to War" "Forming an alliance" "Signing a trade treaty" and even some minor choices though it might not seem so at first glance, may end up being crucial: "Selling the harvest for more income in a trade", when harsh weather or banditry hits, and your kingdom is starving because you have no food reserves for the people. "The war is over, send the mercenaries home" seems like an easy choice to save on the treasury. Except when there are no jobs for said mercenaries, and they turn to banditry, beat your own militia troops, and now are busy carving up your kingdom. All of these things, and types of scenarios need to be considered. This is why I so love what Rich Baker, and Colin McComb did with Birthright. You make those kinds of choices every day... even as a very low level character, running a Domain, Temple or Guild.