Bloodcove has some decent roleplay in it, but the combat encounters are very average. This is a 3 star scenario with an average GM, and a 4 star with a good GM that can really bring it to life.

The sandbox nature of this scenario is vastly overestimated; to me it was the same as picking door number 1, 2, or 3. The reason it wasn’t completely sandbox is that you just want to get in and get out of Bloodcove. In real life, we have only 5 hours to finish the scenario. In the game, roaming around the city attracts unwanted attention. So it's not sandbox at all, you go from point A, to B, to C.

I wish the scenario emphasized the fact that the PCs are likely not Mwangi (black) and they don't speak Polygot. That makes things much more challenging and allows for interesting situations (and humor). More importantly, it allows PCs with language, disguise, and illusion spells to shine.

The awareness system (which is really a 4E skill challenge) was interesting and I wouldn’t mind seeing it again in the future.

I didn't like the combat encounters in this scenario, most parties will be able to finish them in 1 round. I was especially disappointed with the lack of creativity in one encounter in particular

Length: Very long. When I played it we took 4.5 hours, when I GMed it took 5.5 hours. Both times the optional encounter wasn’t used. You really have to move this scenario along.
Sweet Spot: From what I can tell, this scenario plays well at all subtiers. Perhaps the 6-7 subtier is too trivial, since the encounters don't seem to be scaled well for this subtier (and it wouldn't make sense to have level 7 "thugs" as well).
Experience: Player and GM subtier 3-4.
Entertainment: Depends heavily on the GM and could be much lower. (8/10)
Roleplay: Using a fake Jamaican accent all session long can be fun. There are good opportunities to roleplay, almost every encounter. (8/10)
Combat/Challenges: Almost all combat encounters lasted 1 round and none of them were especially unique. The Lura encounter can be interesting. (6/10)
Uniqueness: It's something different. (8/10)
Faction Missions: I liked the Osirian mission, but the rest are average. If you get lucky, you'll get Cheliax and Andoran in the same party, but that's unlikely. (7/10)
Overall: This scenario is somewhere between 3 and 4 stars, a solid 7 out of 10. (7/10)

Btw, Aram Zhey is a jerk. :)

This scenario holds much of those things I hope for. An open sandbox with lots of elements you can use, logical sidemissions and intriguing encounters. The possibility of actually screwing up if you're stupid is a reality which heightens the sense of danger.

I recommend this heartily.

This scenario was creative and challenging with opportunities to test roleplaying, creative skill and equipment use, and combat tactics.

Thanks for an awesome scenario!

So I played this at gencon, relayed it twice for no credit and finally gm it. I have to say every time something different happens. Kudos for the writer. I think the optional encounter was really nice. Would recommend be ready for a full slot I can see this mod running over.

This is a very solid and entertaining scenario, the encounters are well-thought out and the overall premise - that of trying not to draw too much attention to oneself is extremely well handled.

This would have been a five-star module in my eyes were it not for the weakness of the final encounter (see below). Even so, this is in my 'top ten' of PFS scenarios.

I ran this scenario at GENCON 2010 five times. It is a blast and a great first adventure for new PC's. I got some great role playing situations in this one and some butt kicking good fights. Ms. Frasier out did herself here and I hope she can keep the writing up. There is even an EPIC part two to this one.

Excellent scenario, well written, and kudos on the awareness mechanic. The encounters were lacking overall, but the story line (and an excellent GM) made it a good time.

I DMed this module for my local gaming guild and it was a blast! Every player was 1st level, and 2 players had never played the Pathfinder system before (though they had played 3.5, so there wasn’t much explaining to do). Out of 5 players, 2 had made characters and 3 played pre-gens (Kyra the cleric, Valeros the fighter, and Damiel the alchemist).

I modified/edited some dialogue, mostly the intro boxed text, to make it more appealing and less demeaning to the characters. I just didn’t like the tone that opening dialogue set. One encounter turned very deadly

, and I put on my kid gloves to make sure everyone kept having a good time. Valeros the fighter got his head caved in anyway/finally, after dropping into negatives 3 times. I was rolling hot and the players were not, which can happen. [My DM combat rolls are always out in the open, for good or ill to the players. My fudging of situations comes in other forms, such as NPCs giving injured characters healing potions to keep fighting because they have money riding on the outcome, etc] Luckily Valeros was a pre-gen, so I gave that player another pre-gen when the encounter was over. He chose the cavalier, which was fun, but not as flavourful as the alchemist.

The disguise/infiltrate idea went over very well, with the players having fun keeping a low profile. The faction missions were mostly interesting and allowed some fun secret note passing. The last encounter provided some laughs when an item was almost stolen from the party from an unlikely source.

The end result: all 5 players are looking forward to next month when I will DM Part 2 of this story.

Well done Crystal for writing an entertaining adventure!

I ran this adventure some three or four times for tables at GenCon, and everyone had a blast. While the setting and Advanced Player's Guide NPCs easily stand on their own, my favorite bit was the Awareness mechanic which tracked how well the PCs were hiding and what the city did about it when the PCs drew too much attention to themselves.

This scenario was my favorite from GenCon. It reminds me of the movie "Heat" where the players have to weigh every move they make against the heat they create which may catch up to them and cause everything to unravel. It is a sandbox scenario that provokes imagination and problem-solving skills from the players. Several encounters may be solved through means other than violence. It has good campaign setting flavor and ties in tight with Part 2, such that the PC’s actions in Part 1 actually have an impact in Part 2. This is a first in Pathfinder Society. There are also dire consequences for failure. My only regret is that the combats were not challenging. The plot is excellent and the mechanics are sound. The faction missions helped to enhance the story rather than distract from it. All the players from GenCon enjoyed themselves.