this story was excellent, but at subtier 1-2 i found the encounters waaaay too easy.

It plays like a universal monster movie. Lots of twists and turns, great combats, great story and one howling good chase. Only 2 quibbles 1. a bit long. 2. Why put it out to the rest of us in February? This is a Halloween module.

As much as I hate to say it, this scenario was as much of a railroad, if not more, than compared to other scenarios. At least when you're going room-by-room, they’re being honest about it.

In Mauler, you're basically hand fed information to connect-the-dots, from point A, to point B, to point C. No thinking required. Skills were needed, but that doesn't make a scenario interesting does it? I'm not even positive that failed skill checks would mean failing the scenario, you could probably complete it without (I won't know until I read Mauler). There was no mystery (that the players could figure out) basically. Having a murder mystery without plot twists, more than one suspect, or needing to think sucks imo.

There was only one enjoyable scene and that was roleplaying with Vilk's "friend", and that's only because the GM is great at roleplaying.

All of the encounters were incredibly easy as well as uninteresting.

In addition, some encounters made no sense at all.

Also, the novelty of homosexual relationships is wearing thin. My table just groaned and rolled their eyes.

Again, this is another scenario where we really could have done without the faction missions. To make matters worse, some faction missions were either highly contentious (Andoran) or extremely difficult (Osirian).

Needless to say, I was extremely disappointed with Mauler, I was expecting some kind of mystery, something where I had to think, maybe with a neat plot twist. Alas, we were just stuck with a mangy dog which we put down in 2 rounds with only a 1st level monk and a ranger. Mauler is serviceable, but not 5 star material.

BEST in capitals, because this scenario really deserves it. This scenarios breaks from the predictable "encounter-encounter-encounter-encounter-endgame" routine of many PFS modules, and goes for something a little different. It is quite challenging, but in the best of ways.

In order to succeed in this scenario, players must work together, and characters must work together. There is a clock, and it actually is ticking. Players better be ready to ROLE play - there will be plenty of opportunity to try for that monster critical, but if that is your primary concern then you might miss something along the way. Likewise, faction missions can (and maybe should) take a backseat in this module, because time is not on the characters' side.

Make no mistake, this is one tough scenario. But rather than seeing it as a player (penalty to character if losing the mission, possibility of not getting faction award, etc.), consider this from the Organized Play Campaign and a character in the world side of things... not every Pathfinder is going to succeed in every mission they undertake. For some, there are consequences. From the role-playing side of things, this is one mission where I hope they pick up the discussed thread of there being "real world" game changes based on how factions - and the Society as a whole - perform in specific scenarios. I for one welcome a module that we can't ace with our eyes closed - I want to work for my rewards, and want to be drawn into the world!

That said, I will admit that this mod is a rogue's paradise. With so many combat-heavy modules, the skills and the chase mechanic used in this were an awesome change that I (playing a rogue) enjoyed very, very well.

All in all, this mod is excellent, and a very welcomed change of pace!

This is one of my hands down favorite scenarios. I cannot wait to hit 4 Stars so I can GM this for folks because it is AWESOME.

One of my biggest complaints about pre-Season 2 scenarios is that they feel like straight combats with little to no opportunity to role play. Season 2 has definitely turned that around in a big way, and I feel that this scenario is the pinnacle of that change.

Also, the chase scene is superb! I never knew about the mechanic prior to playing this. In fact, I enjoyed it so much that I'm designing such an encounter for a home game of mine. I think that's what I look forward to most when I can finally GM it because it is really unique and really well written.

This mod is not your typical four-encounters-with-some-RP-in-the-middle PFS scenario, and it has an intriguing storyline that is atypical of most PFS mods.

That being said, Midnight Mauler might try a little too hard to buck PFS trends, in turn, making for a rather unsatisfying scenario. Scenarios need to have a little something for every character, but this one leaves many characters helpless with an endless barrage of social and/or physical skill checks. While skill-based scenes within a mod can certainly be enjoyable (see We Be Goblins!), Midnight Mauler can leave an entire party feeling unsatisfied. If checks are not done within a specific timeframe, the entire party fails and takes a permanent negative to their character. The DCs are static across the tiers, leaving players in the 1-2 tier at a horrible disadvantage. I personally do not see how the average tier 1-2 party could successfully make it through this module. These skill checks do not encourage players to act as a party, and they almost seem to punish lower level parties and parties with average to low charisma. One or two low rolls at the end of the game, and you've lost.

The faction missions also contain high DCs and no time within the story to actually complete them. In fact, you are dissuaded from doing them, which makes you wonder what the point of factions and faction missions are in the first place. PCs must make a choice between faction missions and the main storyline. And even when they choose to forgo PA, there's a very good possibility that they will still fail the entire mission.

There is a space between challenging and impossible; unfortunately, this mod leans towards the latter.

I've now had the pleasure of running this 8 times in addition to playing it.

The Midnight Mauler has the following qualities:

• Extremely well written and designed.
• Forces players to use skills often overlooked and come up with creative solutions.
• Includes several iconic foes.
• Set in one of the most richly flavored lands in all of Golarion.
• One of the easiest and most enjoyable scenarios to prepare.
• Fast paced, action packed.
• Underwhelming encounters if the players are just looking to kill stuff and take their loot.

This scenario should definitely be on your "can't miss" list for low level scenarios. I recommend playing it at subtier 3-4 if at all possible. Second choice should be 1-2.

I've run this scenario 18 times now and I am still not tired of it. It has a simple plot and moves very fast without seeming like a railroad. The combat elements are a let-down but the strength of the scenario's role-play elements make up for the short fights. I enjoy running this scenario because the objectives allow for the players to be creative with their problem-solving. The scenario allows the GM a lot of flexibility to improvise and have a lot of fun. The faction missions are good for the most part, a step up from what has become the status quo. The campaign setting flavor takes some work on the GM's part in order to bring to the surface. Overall it's a very entertaining scenario and worth the effort to prep and run as much as possible.

A who done it style adventure geared towards using the Who's information to locate the one that done it. The NPCs are some of the most creative fleshed out ones I come across. The combats had a thematic location that avoided the 'run straight smash approach', a more thought out maneuver and attack was necessary. Then there is the whole clock ticking aspect, can you solve the mystery before another murder takes place and capture the BBEG in time.

I've got a large write up I did about some adjustments and roleplaying flavor one can add to give this scenario a bit more pizazz. Email me at mbrock@georgiapfs.org if you want a copy.