Rekommended adventure/supplement for player-controlled enterprises in fantasy-setting

[Aldrarad]

(New game will be dnd 5e, so older edition migth be easier.)
Last game I hosted was a 3.5 dnd set in Sembia, Forgotten Realms. I used a merchant-company as a patron/motivator. But the players were more intrested in building their own tradepost and ensuring future deals then killing wagonstealing goblins.
Oh, adventure were fun but downtime was all stuff like "has the lizardmen sent amber and pearls as trade for irontools, and do they want something else in the next shipment" or "we cleared out the haunted mansion, now you mentioned an orchard behind it, can we buy it and sell the produce?" or "monsters are bad, competition is worse!" Good times!

Now we took a short break that lasted 3 years, that campaign is probably dead. But I was thinking of starting a new one,, dnd 5e this time, with the players being in charge/responsible of somehing else, perhaps a barony?!

So I am looking for any , preferbly dnd adventures or supplement for running a feodal fantasy domain as lords or courtiers to a lord who cant rule without help, perhaps a minor?
Or any other "business" that can fit a fantasy setting, I have no ideas at all here?!

Is pathfinders Kingmaker good adventure and good rules, worth buying for instance? Is good old basic dnd still free to use and worth going thru?

Gratefull for any help, and in need of a spell-checker, Aldrarad.

[aspekt]

This is a good question for which I have no answer. Hoping someone who knows might see this and reply.

[Knaight]

So I am looking for any , preferbly dnd adventures or supplement for running a feodal fantasy domain as lords or courtiers to a lord who cant rule without help, perhaps a minor?
Or any other "business" that can fit a fantasy setting, I have no ideas at all here?!

If you're willing to import rules wholesale from another game, there's always REIGN. REIGN has two distinct systems in it, the character level one (which you'd presumably avoid to use D&D 5e) and a Company system which covers everything from street gangs to merchant guilds to empires. It has methods of mechanical interaction between them, it takes into account PC actions in such a way that it is amazingly easy to connect it to other systems, and it's basically designed to be portable enough to apply to other games. Steal that, and you're golden.

[aspekt]

If you're willing to import rules wholesale from another game, there's always REIGN. REIGN has two distinct systems in it, the character level one (which you'd presumably avoid to use D&D 5e) and a Company system which covers everything from street gangs to merchant guilds to empires. It has methods of mechanical interaction between them, it takes into account PC actions in such a way that it is amazingly easy to connect it to other systems, and it's basically designed to be portable enough to apply to other games. Steal that, and you're golden.

Dammit Knaight! Thou temptest me to spend money once again!

[Knaight]

Dammit Knaight! Thou temptest me to spend money once again!

At this point, the responsible thing to do would be to point out that REIGN: Enchiridion is about 10 dollars and paperback, it just doesn't include a lot that's in the full book (e.g. the setting, the mechanics for setting elements, etc.). You know, so that when you do spend money you don't spend as much.

That said, I totally recommend the long version.

[Khedrac]

About half of the old CM series D&D modules directly tied to the players having domains.

Note - this is the Companion level out of Basic/Expert/Companion/Master or Rules Compendium D&D which had a whole set of rules for running dominions with the cash flow specifically set to require characters to go adventuring to make ends meet. Bruce Heard suggested some revisions in Dragon to try to achieve more balanced economies.

From what I can remember:
CM1 Test of the Warlords - series of mini-adventures over a few years where the players go to a new kingdom that is looking for adventurers to found domains in return for titles. This does need the mass combat system also in the Companion rules. Notable in that the NPCs stats are below average for 3d6 yet they made it to 14th level!
CM2 Death's Ride - I remember thinking it so bad I never bought a copy - something I should correct - PCs sent to investigate loss of communication from a barony
CM3 Sabre River - adventure to investigate cause of nasty effects, doesn't use domain as any more than a plot hook.
CM4 Earthshaker - bang on - got a nice domain set out that the PCs are looking after while the ruler is at court.
CM5 Mystery of the Snow Pearls - magic viewer solo module - ignore
CM6 Where Chaos Reigns - like CM3 the domain is nearly totally irrelevant.
CM7 The Tree of Life - not related to domains - explores elven history.
CM8 The Endless Stair - again the domain is only loosely linked.
CM9 Legacy of Blood - I remember not being impressed with the module, but seeing as it concerns inheriting a domain it might be of use...

The Master modules (M1 to M5) extend up to country level - the PCs are the prime movers in the country at this point, but might be adaptable.

A lot of these are available as legal pdfs from DriveThruRPG.

[BWR]

CM1 Test of the Warlords - series of mini-adventures over a few years where the players go to a new kingdom that is looking for adventurers to found domains in return for titles. This does need the mass combat system also in the Companion rules. Notable in that the NPCs stats are below average for 3d6 yet they made it to 14th level!

Ability scores weren't quite so important in BECMI than they are in d20.


CM2 Death's Ride - I remember thinking it so bad I never bought a copy - something I should correct - PCs sent to investigate loss of communication from a barony
I love this one! It makes far more sense than Sabre River.

Most of the M series adventures assume the players have domains, but the domain aspect is mostly incidental, and only a few lines of introductory text need be changed to remove rulership from the equation entirely.

[Khedrac]

Ability scores weren't quite so important in BECMI than they are in d20.
Very true, but they are really abysmal, and for WarMachine combat the sum of the 6 ability scores is the commander's starting ranking...


Re CM2 I love this one! It makes far more sense than Sabre River.
And with that recommendation I will take a proper look at it. (It was about 20 years ago and I only had a quick glance - I must have been mad seeing how bad some of the other stuff I have is.)


Most of the M series adventures assume the players have domains, but the domain aspect is mostly incidental, and only a few lines of introductory text need be changed to remove rulership from the equation entirely.
Agreed.

[BWR]

And with that recommendation I will take a proper look at it. (It was about 20 years ago and I only had a quick glance - I must have been mad seeing how bad some of the other stuff I have is.)


Ones like Where Chaos Reigns, Into the Maelstrom and Five Coins for a Kingdom are really wacky. Fun, but wacky. My players have been a bit critical of the latter two but the biggest complaint they had about CM2 was that it was lethal and I played a few 'mean' tricks on them (intelligent opponents actually being intelligent, mostly). Oh, and death leeches and druj were considered unfair opponents, probably because I kept their BECMI lethality when converting them to PF.