Erik Mona has achieved a rare thing: creation of a low-level adventure (1st-4th) that has a clear, well-conceived theme and fast pacing between episodes, but nonetheless remains wonderfully open-ended and has space enough to grow. There are creepy investigations, daring rescues, infiltration of humanoid-infested ruins, shaky alliances, mythic beasts, and solid bang-up fights.

This is one that you could run three times with three different groups, and it would be a totally different adventure each time. Likewise, it segues seamlessly into the rest of the Legacy of Fire Adventure Path, but one could just as easily skip episodes 2-6 and instead use this as the start and basis of an entirely separate campaign. Either way, it's hard to imagine NOT wanting to start playing it right away!

Well, I'm lucky enough that our Pathfinder Society DM decided to run this (ok, it was due to my constant nagging using my +55 diplomacy modifier, which effectively acted as a suped-up suggestion... but I digress).

Two games so far... AWESOME!

This adventure is wonderful, and the player's guide really coalesced our group in one really cool group (even the demihumans have cool arabic names). The arabian feel is wonderful, and a really cool change as far as I'm concerned (I had never played in "sand themed" settings before... dunno about what came before, but this rocks).

The feeling I get is reminiscent of the feeling I got, as a teenager, when I first read Ed Greenwood's "Anauroch"... only instead, Katapesh is readily available/accessible, and not the foreboding, instant life-draining death desert Anauroch represented. The Badawi tribesmen are reminiscent of Ed Greenwood's Bedine tribesmen, and I shall draw upon Ed's great work when I roleplay my Badawi ranger.

Kudos to everyone involved in this glorious AP and player's guide!

You know, honestly, towards the end of Second Darkness my faith in Paizo adventure-crafting skills faltered a little. SD 5 was plain ugly, SD 6 was rushed. There was I wondering, did Paizo lose the steam ? Was the mojo gone ?

And that's when you wonder about such things, suddenly Erik Mona jumps out of the darkness, flips out and drop-kicks you with a module made of "pure epic win". Everything about HotCK screams quality, from the rich, vibrant and baroque layout (gratz Sarah !) to the amazing ideas and concepts within the adventure itself, to the cool support material.

On the top of that, you get the WorldWorks terrain to run along with. Best outsourcing idea ever, I say.

This module feels so fresh and yet so wonderfully old-school. The ball is rolling and Paizo is once again on the top, here's to the hope that rest of the AP follows suit.

Rock on Paizo, for you rock mighty ! I am SERIOUSLY considering ditching SD and running this right after CotCT. That's how good it is.

(Oh, and Chupacabras really should have some arabic name, I won't dare to call them out loud in front of my group.)

This adventure is simply stunning. Al-Qadim was good. Desert of Desolation was good. This adventure takes everything that made those products great and blows it away.

Incredible work Paizo. Just incredible.

The book colors are the first thing that stands out. The gold and red theme work really well and the cover looks wonderful in person. The adventure itself is fun to read and having read all the previous adventure path volumes this is becoming one of my favorites.(it could become my fav depending on how it works in play). Paizo is listening to its player base and has included some sidebars and advice that have been asked for by people from the messageboards. I really am struck however by the art layout and the colors and fonts used. Its a pleasure just to flip about the book.