Doug Miles's page

Once again Osprey sends the Pathfinders to an exotic locale to test their limitations. Although traversing the Mwangi Expanse is not as grueling as scaling The Dragon, Hitchcock has a way of reminding the players they aren’t just taking a walk in the woods. The plot is relatively straightforward as has come to be expected, however there are some delightful twists. This scenario ranks high on campaign world flavor. I wasn’t impressed with the faction missions but I learned that two factions had some challenges that were more than just skill checks. The combats were a mix of ‘Wake me up when it’s over’ and ‘Has anyone seen my spleen?’. I think it’s intentional to lull players into a false sense of confidence before dropping the hammer on them. I haven’t felt as challenged since The Hydra’s Fang Incident, however we did play up… There are some fine role-playing situations and a lot of problem-solving for the tacticians in the game.

Beware that this scenario can take a long time to complete. With the optional encounter, we took six hours to finish. The final encounter was lengthy. You players will have to learn why when you play it... At 28 pages, this is the 2nd highest page-count scenario to-date. Part of the length is due to a full-page map included for 3 of the encounters. Beware when printing, you may want to adjust your settings or exclude the full color pages before having all your toner consumed.

This is Craig’s 3rd scenario contribution to Pathfinder Society. He set the bar for himself very high with PFS#4 Frozen Fingers of Midnight. This scenario was not quite as enjoyable but again has a lot of role-playing opportunities. If you have ever lamented that your ‘face’ character concept never has a chance to shine, this scenario will restore your faith in bards and charismatic rogues. The combats are a bit of a yawn at Sub-Tier 1-2 but become a lot more fun at Sub-Tier 4-5. The faction missions were better than average and contributed to the story. Campaign world flavor was average. I don’t think that Jalmeray is going to be remembered when players look back at this scenario.

Assault on the Kingdom of the Impossible can be a challenge to run as a GM. The author has enabled players to attack the encounters a variety of ways, which makes it tough for GMs who have trouble ad-libbing and improvising skill checks. I only wish I could do a better Indian accent.

Those of you who have complained about the lack of consequences in Pathfinder Society will be happy to see something before unseen on the Chronicle sheet. It isn’t much, but it is a promising change in the direction of the campaign.

Apologies to Christopher Self. This is the worst PFS scenario I’ve played. It makes almost no sense. The encounters are a pushover at the low tier and rapidly ramp up at the higher tiers. Opportunities for interesting environmental effects in the desert are missed. It encompasses too many combats to come near to finishing in four hours. Creatures with immunities like hardness, DR and fast healing cause almost every fight to drag on and eat up precious time. There’s no plot, there’s very little role-play and it amounts to the same thing in the end. I played this and then ran it once and I don’t look forward to doing it again. The maps were very hard to draw because there were scant guidelines given. Campaign world flavor was absent, this could have been set in any campaign. Faction missions were forgettable. The only positive thing I can say is that the author’s next submission has to be an improvement over The Asmodeus Mirage.

I disliked this scenario at first, but after running it a few times I am willing to write a review with a fair mind. To begin with, players hate being railroaded—and they are taken for a ride in this scenario. I always apologize to the players when this happens, and I explain that certain things need to happen in order to play out the rest of the encounter. Everyone wants to kill Grandmaster Torch, he’s just too ripe of a peach for the players not to pick. After they accept that he’s only there for display and can’t be had, the game can proceed. The rest of the scenario the players take out their aggressions on the unsuspecting population of Sedeq. It’s simply ridiculous that they can get away with so much murder, theft and mayhem and never get arrested and punished. I think that’s another negative mark on this scenario. Conventional wisdom says that the Pathfinders should be arrested and the scenario should be over after the second encounter. The absence of consequences leads to many chaotic characters having a blast being naughty, while lawful or good-aligned feel unable to accomplish anything without forsaking their principles. Most of the combats are disappointingly easy and too brief, but there’s one that takes players aback and separates the men from the boys (so to speak). I loved the faction missions simply because they were so atypical of Season 0 and created some controversy. There was good campaign world flavor as well, and the many role-playing opportunities really saved this scenario from being a burden to GM.

I did like this one, although I am not as enthusiastic as my peers. Let me say that the location was exotic and a welcome change from the typical dungeon delve. There are new rules introduced for dog sled operation that are complicated to apply despite the effort to simplify them. They also make the scenario memorable, especially for the number of times the party is thrown from/dragged by/or wrecks a dogsled. The opponents are appropriate and very challenging. I loved Act 2 and the map that goes with it was a delight to draw. The faction missions were mostly typical of Season 0 PFS, lots of flavor text instructions with a very simple resolution. Campaign world flavor is mild. What really makes this scenario stand out is the struggle of it all, appropriately like climbing a mountain. It keeps getting harder and harder. The cost of continuing keeps getting steeper. Fatigue leads to exhaustion, and the characters are literally winded by the time they reach the top of The Dragon. And they still have to get back down the mountain! This scenario is a challenge to complete in 4 hours since there are so many checks that need to be made. But the end result is a sense of accomplishment just to have survived the experience.

Authored by James Mackenzie, intriguing title, covers tiers 1 - 7. Delightful! An instant hit!!

Sorry, just being silly. Obviously no one's seen this yet. If it's anything like Lady of Silver it will be well-received.

I ran this scenario 3 times at GenCon and once at home. On the whole the story felt like a rushed job, not worthy of Sean Reynolds. It has a cool concept that’s revealed in Act 2 and will introduce the players to a new skill in the Pathfinder RPG edition: fly. The combats were mostly pushovers but it depends how balanced the party is also. It was difficult on the GM to keep track of illumination and flight, plus run the combats. GMs should familiarize themselves with flight before running this scenario, and make their players look up the skill in the rulebook rather than spoon-feed it to them. The campaign world flavor was nearly absent. The faction missions were typically unchallenging. Like I said, I think this scenario may have been rushed through the development process since it really doesn’t offer a lot when compared with the GenCon premieres in 2008.

I love to draw out my maps on oversized graph paper with color markers. I've drawn scores of encounter maps for Pathfinder Society scenarios, the players really appreciate the detail I give each map. Currently I buy the graph paper in huge pads (27" x 34", 50 sheets a pad) from Staples or Office Depot that cost $25-$30 each. This "Gaming Paper" seemed more economical so I decided to give it a try. Right away I did not like it. It's brown not white, so some color doesn't transfer. It holds color better than I thought, but light shades are faded out by the brown background. I wasn't looking to change from what I currently use, but I was willing to give something new a try. This stuff does not fulfill my needs, although I can see it does have some utility for creating a lengthy battlefield. I guess the bottom line is you get what you pay for.

Played, then GMed once so far. I think this scenario has one of the best role-playing encounters I’ve seen in PFS so far. There is a lot going on in the first act, but it engaged everyone’s attention even though no combat had broken out. GMs *really* need to prep Act 1 well so it flows smooth. Otherwise the players will metagame the fun out of it. Take advantage of Russel Akred’s nifty prop available here. Great campaign world flavor. Faction missions were appropriate but a bit distracting as everyone wants to complete them right at the beginning. This author understands Pathfinder Society. Now for the bad stuff. The combats are way too easy. Nothing goes more than two rounds before it’s over. The DCs for everything were way too low for PCs levels 5-9. The scenario is looking for a 15 and my players were rolling in the 30s. I had more fun when we weren’t rolling dice. Anyway, despite the pushover fights the story was enjoyable and things actually made sense. I’m looking forward to running this again.

Often my impression of a scenario will change after I run it four or five times. I have only played this one, so I really can’t give it a fair assessment. I’ll say that it was hard. It was a grind, with a rollercoaster up-and-down sensation. I kept trying to talk my party into quitting and going home because some of the encounters were designed to be so deadly. Kids, if you play this make sure there’s a ranged attack PC in your group. ‘Nuff said. I’ll give this scenario points for campaign world flavor, which is shared with the players instead of lost in the back story. As for plot, there really isn’t one. Role-playing, BYO. The maps don’t make a lot of sense because you have to figure them out by their vague descriptions. The maps that were included were nicely rendered and helpful. I think a higher page count and more maps would have enhanced this scenario. All in all, I did not enjoy being pimp-slapped by this author. After I prep and run this a few times I’ll revisit this review and see if I still feel the same way.

Despite the horrific beat-down my party suffered at the hands of this scenario, when I look back on it I think it was appropriately challenging. The GM will need to do some careful preparation so the PCs have a fighting chance—or rather to have a clear conscience if PCs end up dead (as two of ours did). The plot is straightforward and like PFS#17 Perils of the Pirate Pact it has a lot of holes in it. Fortunately the players don’t care, and most have grown used to not having to dig very deep. Go get this item/person and bring it/them back. The GM is the only one who reads the background and has a sense of the big picture. The fights are a mix of “yawn”, “cool” and “you have to be kidding!” Players will appreciate the classic monsters in the first act. There’s some option for diplomacy vs. combat also. The author did try to integrate some role-play and puzzle solving but most players won’t expect it and it may pass over their heads. Campaign setting flavor is bland, you could place this scenario in almost any campaign world. Like I said, a lot of work is done setting up the backstory which the players never will uncover since it has no impact on the outcome. The map is alright but only integrates the areas where encounters occur and the rest of the castle is missing. Faction missions were a bit unusual this time around. It was nice to see the change but they did not provide a greater challenge.

I enjoyed playing this scenario. Reminds me of watching the Saturday afternoon creep show episodes as a child. It features some frightening opponents and will give your players a puckering sensation when they realize what they’ve gotten into. The plot is straightforward and could be prepped in very little time if a GM needs a side quest. I felt there were some holes in it but they can be overlooked due to the theme of the scenario: staying alive. The scenario has a macabre edge to it that lingers afterward. Players will start out believing “We got it trapped down here” when it’s actually the other way around. Campaign setting flavor is mild, this scenario could take place anywhere. Faction missions are typically simple but one can be failed by careless players. I also want to compliment the maps, which were simple but fun to draw out.

If you are a GM whose players have cake-walked through the last few Tier 6-7 scenarios, Lost at Bitter End will serve up your players 4 hours of humble pie. Even the most lame-dice GMs will find it a challenge to keep PCs alive in this PFS bloodletting. OK, OK, it’s not that bad but I’m just trying to warn you that this scenario should not be approached lightly. Don’t let anyone tell you that you can get along with bringing an under-strength, unbalanced or otherwise tactically unsound party into this scenario. This is a combat-intense scenario. Role-play, unless between players, is as common here as magic in the Mana Wastes. The faction missions are getting tougher, so be prepared to work for them for a change. Campaign setting flavor is mild, but what can you taste but salty grit and your own blood in this magic-dead no-man's land?

If you take anything away from this review, just remember that you can always run away and live to fight another day. Or can you?... [duhn-duhn-duuuhhh!]

This scenario was a great introduction to The River Kingdoms. I’m a fan of any adventure where players get to run around on a ship, although it only lasts a little while. The biggest let-down with Perils of the Pirate Pact is the fights are too easy. That often happens when PCs face off against human opponents who can be critted, blinded, sneak-attacked and generally slapped around. The plot was easily uncovered and it takes an unconscious player not to know the score right from the introduction. I did enjoy the way the fights were set up however. The author does a fine job of establishing the mood and scenery. The encounters are thoughtful and well-timed. The players may feel some apprehension but once the dice start to fly it’s all over. The fights are fun but there are no nail-biting, edge-of-the-seat moments. The maps were fun to draw though. Faction missions were typical—make a skill check, pick up an item/body part ;). As I said earlier, campaign setting flavor is better than average.

This is very different from Clinton Boomer’s previous offering, “The Third Riddle”. Where the Third Riddle was a series of brain-teasing puzzles “Hands of the Muted God” is a straightforward crawl. I didn’t enjoy it but I think it is tactically interesting. The author has inserted some classic monsters that players will delight in facing. The combat maps are colorful, detailed, and cramped--giving high-mobility PCs a chance to show their stuff. The combats are balanced but don’t really favor offensive spellcasters who are likely to get real frustrated by the end of the scenario. The back-story is rich in campaign setting history but it plays almost no role in the actual adventure. Role-play is virtually absent except for an interesting quandary facing the Andoran faction, who get the only faction mission worth delivering. If your table doesn’t include Andorans then you’re probably from Finland.

If the GM has taken the time to prepare this scenario, the players should really enjoy themselves with this one. Decline of Glory is a great role-playing opportunity for players who are looking for a break from the hack & slash rut that some other PFS scenarios have fallen into. While there is some combat to be enjoyed, the role-play at the table should occupy most of the gaming session. The fights aren’t as challenging as I would like them to be, but that’s one of my few gripes. OK, I’d like to have had more campaign world flavor, but this scenario has most everything else I was looking for. Much of the faction missions require some thought and aren’t simply a skill check. All PC classes have a chance to contribute and shine. The author has done a splendid job with this offering and I encourage any GMs who run it to put the time into prepping so it gets the attention it deserves.

There’s a fun premise here, the jailbreak scenario. It allows the role-players at the table to really shine. Problem-solvers also have a lot of potential to enjoy themselves, planning for both breaking into, then breaking out of a prison. But the scenario doesn’t deliver. It must have been assumed that players are too hapless or dull to figure out and implement their own plan. The scenario hands the GM a script with no supporting details to allow for anything but the linear progression of acts as written. Again, the limit on page count and maps made this a difficult scenario to run. Hey Paizo, I'd pay $8 a scenario if you could give me a few more pages and another map or two, seriously! On the positive side, the players love the prison atmosphere and their role-play overshadowed any feelings of disappointment. The faction missions were interesting although some were too easy and some were improbable. The fights were not challenging enough however. It seems like the editor doesn’t want to start an arms race by ‘optimizing’ the bad guys to the fullest extent of the EL. In summary, I think this scenario would have been better served by providing more information about the prison and offering several routes by which it could be accessed.

I’ve run this four times and I still don’t get a lot out of it as a GM. The players haven’t complained though so it’s not one I’ll avoid running. The scenario misses a great opportunity to flesh out the Absalom wizard’s college known as the Arcanamirium. Instead the PCs are hustled into the sewers with a very thin story from an NPC most players would rather beat to a pulp than assist. The maps are another disappointment. Paizo might believe they are helping out by using their Gamemastery line of map packs instead of creating original maps for the sewers. It’s a matter of opinion in my case, but the Sewers map pack is shoehorned into the scenario. The combats are balanced however, although the high tier faces a very tough fight. The faction missions are a letdown, more of the ‘find this item/item found on/near bad guy’. The item access on the Chronicle sheet is a step in the right direction, but I think allowing only a single purchase of an undercharged you’ll-find-out is being too miserly.

I really enjoy running this one. There’s a little suspension of belief in the beginning, but most players never question how a grit junkie could pull off such a heist. The gameplay is linear a-la The Hydra’s Fang Incident although no one’s complained yet. GMs need to prep for Misery Row, including an improvised map of the encounter because the players inevitably make trouble there. Also practice a Vudrani accent for that encounter, it makes it even more fun. The faction missions are varied, but two are very challenging and entertaining to see accomplished. The combats are exciting and move fast (the stat blocks in the final act need to be fixed though) and can be VERY frightening for ‘impulsive’ parties. Pretty much any scenario where you get to fight on a ship and curse like a sailor can’t go wrong in my book. I put this scenario in my top three--so far… Nice job Lou.

I am going to agree with Deussu on this one. It’s a stinker, and it’s a real shame because the author tried very hard to be creative and original. To begin with the timeline is messed up. The veteran Pathfinder Colm Safan comes off as a complete fool. The warm-up encounter should be the final act instead of the first. The ‘puzzles’ are overcomplicated for the purpose they are supposed to serve. Basically they were written to be atypical and mysterious rather than to make sense. They're just too conveniently set up to be puzzles, it’s like there’s a studio audience being entertained behind the scenes. I debated whether or not to review this scenario because I was always so negative about it. I’ve run it three times and so far it’s still my least favorite to run for the players. Sorry Clinton!

I didn't like this one the first few times I have run it, but after my sixth time it has developed some charm. This is an interesting scenario for role-players, but it soon degenerates into a delve. It works best if the GM does genuine prep work. Practice a French or Italian accent for the Venture Captain’s briefing. Maps of the Tri-Towers Yard encounters are absent and must be improvised. Ponder the role of two main NPCs, Lady Dacilane and Deris Marlinchen, and how they might regard your players. Understand that players will say and do unexpected things around these NPCs. Be ready. Try to spin up the creep show aspect and don’t forget to track party light sources and range of vision to unnerve the players when they can’t see what’s moving around ahead in the shadows. You get the idea. The fights may suddenly turn deadly if the players roll poorly. Even what I call the “warm-up fight” in the beginning can cause a few player deaths. I did like the necropolis map and the environmental challenge in the final act.

This scenario rates fairly average. The plot is simple but there's an unexpected twist at the end. The combats are only challenging if the table is understrength or short on players. I did like the environment and terrain challenges although it works better at the low tier. The faction missions vary from the 'gimme' missions like 'find this item/item in plain sight' to some minor role-play. I'd say the largest disappointment in this scenario is the lack of campaign setting flavor. The author's previous work for PFS was excellent on this topic, but this one fell short.

This scenario illustrates what actually happens to meddling teenagers on the world of Golarion. An alternate title could be “Curiosity Kills More Than Cats”. This scenario would have been better served by a higher page count limit and more maps. GMs need to be well-prepared to run this scenario and have players make rolls in advance to prevent the inevitable meta-gaming. It also gives away the plot too quickly for my liking, especially when players are already expecting it walking in the door. The mystery unravels precipitously, but it’s only to make room for some good ole fashioned hack-n-slash. This is not a nice adventure for 1st level PCs. Stick with Silent Tide or Frozen Fingers if you have a table of shiny new Pathfinders. The encounters strike fast and are highly lethal. Also some faction orders place PCs in conflict, so GMs should consider the maturity of the players & adjust the orders appropriately. Besides my griping, my players had a good time and will never forget Dralkard Manor.

Please keep in mind that I'm a critic, not a cheerleader and three stars should not deter anyone from playing this scenario. Everyone enjoyed themselves, but as a GM I would like more pages and maps.

This is a very fast playing scenario with an otherworldly atmosphere. I had mistakenly believed that it would be set in the Mwangi Expanse based on the title. Rather it brings the Mwangi Expanse to the Pathfinders. Beyond the atmosphere that is established in the introduction the scenario holds little flavor of Golarion, the world Pathfinder is set in. Instead it gives the players a dungeon delve experience with some curious scenery. The plot is straightforward and role-play takes a back seat to set piece encounters. This may sound like a poor review, but I recognize that sometimes a scenario is needed where you set aside the role-playing and just kick the crap out of stuff. This is the scenario.

EDIT-I'm revising my review to four stars. I've run this scenario two more times since I first wrote the review. The players loved it, mostly because this time everyone rolled bad saves and delighted in their misbehavior. You will understand when you play it...

One of the several things I enjoyed about this scenario was the directness of the blurb. It tells you what to expect so there’s no feeling of injustice when the battle royal breaks out. The setting for the scenario is really what makes it memorable. Some players may be discouraged from playing certain PCs because of their lack of culture or interest in the ‘fine arts’, but the author has made allowances such that all PCs will have their chance to shine in the course of the scenario. Play the character you want to play (but pay attention to the blurb too!).

Also, I enjoyed the glimpse into Taldan society. It helps the players who don’t devour the sourcebooks to understand what Taldor is all about and why it has fallen into decadence and complacency. Anyone who plays this scenario will forevermore carry an image of the Taldan faction in their minds.

The scenario can run very quickly also. As with Mists of Mwangi, a prepared DM may run it inside of two hours. I like to pre-draw my maps in color on giant graph paper, and the opera house is wonderfully detailed and if you take the time to give it the attention it deserves your players will sing you praises :).