Winter's Reign Nears!

Thursday, October 4, 2012

On Monday the Paizo offices were visited by a praying mantis (something rare in western Washington from what I hear), so I thought I'd share the cover image for the first volume of the Reign of Winter Adventure Path.


Illustration by Craig J Spearing

Some of you who were at PaizoCon, Gen Con, or read these messageboards religiously already know a thing or two about this Adventure Path. For those who don't—next year in Golarion is 4713 and that syncs up with the centennial visit from Baba Yaga where she puts a new daughter on the throne of Irrisen to rule for the next 100 years (something that's been going on for the last 1,400 years). Though her heralds have been seen riding throughout the countryside, no one has spotted Baba Yaga just yet. What exactly is the problem? What trickery has Queen Elvanna put into place?

Well, beginning this coming February you'll find out! For a taste, here are the titles to each of the adventures in the Reign of Winter Adventure Path:

The Snows of Summer
The Shackled Hut
Maiden, Mother, Crone
The Frozen Stars
Rasputin Must Die!
The Witch Queen's Revenge

We have some fun things planned for this coming Adventure Path, so I hope you'll join us on this world-spanning campaign. Also, to prepare for the journey check out Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Irrisen, Land of Eternal Winter. Don't forget your mittens!

Adam Daigle
Developer

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Tags: Craig J Spearing Pathfinder Adventure Path Reign of Winter
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Ahhh finally some mantis and winter wolf love in this AP! I love it already!

If you are so kind to use Fossegrim in one of the bestairies of this AP you have my greatest thanks! (not using fossegrim wouldn't make sense as its one of the only winter based monsters from norse mythology that hasn't been used before and who is actually extremly interesting, don't forget to use the pretty EVIL version tho, the good version is boring like winters hell and we have enough ugly male monsters already, also enough trolls, so some pretty male monsters would be appreaciated as girls and gays play too)

I also hope to see some mantis monsters in the bestiaries, some more magical versions if possible, also Rarog, Frost Queens, Icy Mirror Monsters, Domovoi, Fenrir and some monster race based on the 2 faced Goddess and Loki's child Hell.


Hm, not the least thrilled by the scene depicted.
While the mantis being there makes all good sense when reading what's written as incentive for the AP and how it begins and Lini looks like a lil' cutie in her christmas elf styled armor this one just doesn't do it for me.

Still thrilled by the AP, though and fortunately do not judge a book by its cover.

Also, I could have sworn I saw the Fossergrim the other day in one of the Beastiaries. Hm, looks like I get to use my conversion a little longer then.

Ruyan.


Uhm, never seen the Fossegrim in any pathfinder book?? Only a very very very very ugly thing in D&D's Fiend Folio, really a ugly old man with blue hair and a beard, and worst of all a good alignment... :P

Scarab Sages

Pathfinder Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Rulebook Subscriber

This cover makes me want to go out and fight giant mantis men by stabbing them in their mantis faces... with a sword. Arctic Adventures Valeros is awesome.


Attack of the deadly "snow mantis" or a badly disguise druid.

Contributor, RPG Superstar 2010 Top 4

Mairkurion {tm} wrote:
Gorbacz wrote:
But but but giant mantises on snow are not REALISTIC! ;-)
Yeah, my response to that illustration was, "Um...okay..."

Well, you two hang in there. It's going to make sense in the end. :D


Liz Courts wrote:
Baba Yaga's Hut miniature you say? Here you go. (I have one on my desk at home. It's about 2 inches tall and the roof comes off.)

Yes, I've seen that in the Czech Republic, and this it's beautiful! But if the hut is going to be such an essential part, have such a large role in the games as laid out in the Artifacts and Legends, we will need something that is relative to the size of the other standard minis - something we can get inside. Maybe with a nice cauldron inside? I know, thought way too much about this!

Contributor

Sincubus wrote:
Uhm, never seen the Fossegrim in any pathfinder book?? Only a very very very very ugly thing in D&D's Fiend Folio, really a ugly old man with blue hair and a beard, and worst of all a good alignment... :P

Which edition? The 1st edition Deities and Demigods has Fossergrim (with an r) appearing as normal men in chainmail who are nonetheless hot enough to seduce women who come to their waterfalls, always siring boys who become new fossergrim on maturity and finding a suitable waterfall.


I'm talking about the one from Fiend Folio of 3rd Edition, i'm sure paizo/pathfinder can do a much closer-to-the-real-myth Fossegrim. (in the real myth they can be good but most are evil)

Fossegrim from Fiend Folio


Tsiganka wrote:
Liz Courts wrote:
Baba Yaga's Hut miniature you say? Here you go. (I have one on my desk at home. It's about 2 inches tall and the roof comes off.)
Yes, I've seen that in the Czech Republic, and this it's beautiful! But if the hut is going to be such an essential part, have such a large role in the games as laid out in the Artifacts and Legends, we will need something that is relative to the size of the other standard minis - something we can get inside. Maybe with a nice cauldron inside? I know, thought way too much about this!

Not a cauldron. Mortar and pestle!

Contributor

thejeff wrote:
Tsiganka wrote:
Liz Courts wrote:
Baba Yaga's Hut miniature you say? Here you go. (I have one on my desk at home. It's about 2 inches tall and the roof comes off.)
Yes, I've seen that in the Czech Republic, and this it's beautiful! But if the hut is going to be such an essential part, have such a large role in the games as laid out in the Artifacts and Legends, we will need something that is relative to the size of the other standard minis - something we can get inside. Maybe with a nice cauldron inside? I know, thought way too much about this!
Not a cauldron. Mortar and pestle!

Putting a stick-shift cover atop the pestle is optional, though I will admit to doing this once in one of my games.


1 person marked this as a favorite.
OmegaZ wrote:
Out of curiosity, will Reign of Winter be evil-PC friendly?

Friend, in the future I must recommend not shouting for Paizo to shut up, and then asking them a question. If they listen to the former, they can't answer the latter.

You're lucky that Daigle is such a rebel.

Liberty's Edge

1 person marked this as a favorite.

I'm concerned that this is a misstep (though a great AP, I'm sure, given Paizo's usual standards). The Hobbit comes out in two parts starting in December. Having an adventure path come out right around that time that reminds players of Pathfinder's Tolkienesque roots would be wise. A Five Kings Mountains themed adventure would have, perhaps, gathered more new subscribers than a second tour of the wintery parts of Golarion in less than two years (since the middle part of Jade Regent was a trek over the top of the world).

Five Kings Mountains has everything that someone exploring tabletop roleplaying for the first time is likely to want: dwarves, proximity to orcs and elves and humans, underground communities and a wealth of lore that is, thus far, not terribly well explored in Paizo's offerings.

I'm assuming it's too late to turn the ship 'round, but perhaps you could keep this in mind for the second half of next year?

Contributor, RPG Superstar 2010 Top 4

1 person marked this as a favorite.
ajs wrote:

I'm assuming it's too late to turn the ship 'round, but perhaps you could keep this in mind for the second half of next year?

Much too late. And I say this kindly, not meaning to be dismissive. I'm just trying to inform.

At least two chapters of Reign of Winter are turned over. Lots of artwork has been ordered. The authors of the later chapters are hard at work on their portions. There's just way too much inertia in this to even consider a change of plans. APs begin six months ahead of time, and actually I think 7-8 months is more accurate.

The outline for the next one is already being written as we speak. And much discussion and many meetings have already happened to determine its theme and content.

It is possible to start lobbying for the 2014 AP's though.


1 person marked this as a favorite.

@ajs

I've never known Paizo's business model to be influenced by external trend capitalization. So this is far from a misstep considering their current model, which so far has paid off for them, doesn't go for that sort of thing (usually).

On the other hand, Paizo does structure their AP design around internal trends. In this case, the coming of Baba Yaga in 4713 AR. The misstep, IMO, would have been not doing an Irrisen AP.

And I wouldn't really call this a second tour. The Crown of the World was only covered in a single issue and wasn't the focus of Jade Regent. For some people, this will be their first snow-themed adventure since the Asian-themes of JR didn't appeal to everyone. They're also vastly different styles of snow-themed adventure. The Crown of the World is much more a mesh of Antarctic exploration and Inuit culture, while Irrisen is Slavic-based.

Finally, the second half of next year is already decided as well. It's possible the APs for 2014 have even been decided or, at least, narrowed down. They plan these things far in advance. Very far in advance.

Edit: Final point Ninja'd by Jim Groves.

Contributor

ajs wrote:

I'm concerned that this is a misstep (though a great AP, I'm sure, given Paizo's usual standards). The Hobbit comes out in two parts starting in December. Having an adventure path come out right around that time that reminds players of Pathfinder's Tolkienesque roots would be wise. A Five Kings Mountains themed adventure would have, perhaps, gathered more new subscribers than a second tour of the wintery parts of Golarion in less than two years (since the middle part of Jade Regent was a trek over the top of the world).

Five Kings Mountains has everything that someone exploring tabletop roleplaying for the first time is likely to want: dwarves, proximity to orcs and elves and humans, underground communities and a wealth of lore that is, thus far, not terribly well explored in Paizo's offerings.

I'm assuming it's too late to turn the ship 'round, but perhaps you could keep this in mind for the second half of next year?

Correction: The Hobbit has been extended into three movies, the third of which comes out in Summer 2014 so there's plenty of time to get to the Five Kings Mountains, assuming that's where Paizo wants to go.

But I'm rather jazzed for Irrisen and was when I first heard of this new AP.


thejeff wrote:
Tsiganka wrote:
Liz Courts wrote:
Baba Yaga's Hut miniature you say? Here you go. (I have one on my desk at home. It's about 2 inches tall and the roof comes off.)
Yes, I've seen that in the Czech Republic, and this it's beautiful! But if the hut is going to be such an essential part, have such a large role in the games as laid out in the Artifacts and Legends, we will need something that is relative to the size of the other standard minis - something we can get inside. Maybe with a nice cauldron inside? I know, thought way too much about this!
Not a cauldron. Mortar and pestle!

Baba Yaga rides in her mortar and pestle. The hut has the cauldron in the middle to throw things into for dimensional shifts, and to do some other things - in the Artifacts book....


Ah well, right, Fiend Folio had the Fossergrim - that's the one I used for my conversion.

Don't fret - the hut will be the gargantuan promotional figure for the Pathfinder Battles: Winter's Reign set! pretty please

Ruyan.

Scarab Sages

Pathfinder Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Rulebook Subscriber
Jim Groves wrote:
ajs wrote:

I'm assuming it's too late to turn the ship 'round, but perhaps you could keep this in mind for the second half of next year?

Much too late. And I say this kindly, not meaning to be dismissive. I'm just trying to inform.

At least two chapters of Reign of Winter are turned over. Lots of artwork has been ordered. The authors of the later chapters are hard at work on their portions. There's just way too much inertia in this to even consider a change of plans. APs begin six months ahead of time, and actually I think 7-8 months is more accurate.

The outline for the next one is already being written as we speak. And much discussion and many meetings have already happened to determine its theme and content.

It is possible to start lobbying for the 2014 AP's though.

Where would we do that? Cause I seriously want a Journey to Sarusan AP.


Stratagemini wrote:
Quote:
It is possible to start lobbying for the 2014 AP's though.
Where would we do that? Cause I seriously want a Journey to Sarusan AP.

It's simple. You start sending a large amount of pizzas to Paizo adress with each pizza having the map of the region where you want the next AP to happen pictured with careful placement of mushrooms, bacon and peppers (and blue cheese for water). That way, the designers will be imprinted with the image and unconsciously favor it when determining the future APs.

For safety sake, you should send a very-very large amount of such pizzas regulary, to avoid all of them being eaten by interns and raptors, however.


Jim Groves wrote:
Mairkurion {tm} wrote:
Gorbacz wrote:
But but but giant mantises on snow are not REALISTIC! ;-)
Yeah, my response to that illustration was, "Um...okay..."
Well, you two hang in there. It's going to make sense in the end. :D

I've got one of those handy straps that tree protesters and such use.


This ap is supposed to go to another planet right?

Silver Crusade

Nick O'Connell wrote:
This ap is supposed to go to another planet right?

Spoiler:
Yep!

Triaxus, the moon of Bretheda with the extremely long winter/summer cycles and the bonded dragonriders in fact!

Paizo Employee Director of Game Development

Mikaze wrote:
Nick O'Connell wrote:
This ap is supposed to go to another planet right?
** spoiler omitted **

Slight correction:
Triaxus is its own planet, not a moon of Brethda. Everything else is accurate.
Sczarni RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32

Adam Daigle wrote:
Mikaze wrote:
Nick O'Connell wrote:
This ap is supposed to go to another planet right?
** spoiler omitted **
** spoiler omitted **

Bonded dragonriders? Will we get to battle the Thread?

Contributor, RPG Superstar 2010 Top 4

2 people marked this as a favorite.
Thomas LeBlanc wrote:
dragonriders? Will we get to battle the Thread?

Oh you're going to get to battle something alright. :D


OOOOH OOOOH can I bond a dragon can I? can I?

Just so long as I don't have to get bogged down in some tedious romantic sub-plot


Baba Yaga surely will be upset if you don't play up to her romantic longing...

Scarab Sages

Pathfinder Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Rulebook Subscriber
RuyanVe wrote:
Baba Yaga surely will be upset if you don't play up to her romantic longing...

For Rasputin? That explains that AP Module's Title. After all, the more you love someone, the more you want to kill them.


I take it this takes place in the Winter?


Before mixing up the facts, you can read all the background info for this upcoming AP here.

Ruyan.

Contributor, RPG Superstar 2009, RPG Superstar Judgernaut

Yes. It takes place in Winter. Capital "W" winter. :->

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