HNNNNNNG's page

EASILY 5 stars.

I ran this online.

First off: I did not like the debriefing - that was way too long of a bit of a mess to read it all out. The warehouse is a bit cramped and I'm against using such a large map for one single creature. But!

This scenario is still amazing.

The premise is great and quickly sets the tone. The swarm is loose on Absalom Station! The society's reasons for not bringing in the Stewards is tentative at best, but it's quickly established just how serious (and dangerous) this mission. It does seem odd that a bunch of 1-4's are being asked to handle it, but eh. Low levels deserve a great scenario too!

The inclusion of a fight that the party can talk their way out of and even learn ahead of time through high rolls that it's a valid option is wonderful to see.

But the shining moment, the best part of the scenario that makes it earn its place in my favorites, are the "Setting the Scene" blurbs.

A lot of scenarios feel way too mechanical, just leading a group along through fights, being blasted at with Exposition, with a possible "ooo skill challenge!" forcefully wedged in. But this scenario tries to break out of it, and give GMs something more so that they are just not moving a party from point A to point B.

Those little Setting the Scene bits are a wonderful addition, providing GMs with a starting point to actually describe where the players are. To set up a scene, to play up an environment. You aren't just moving through different spots in Absalom station to perform your required 3 fights - you are IN a sleazy bar, you are IN Fogtown, you are IN a disgustingly moist proto-hive where the walls are throbbing with hunger. Although I will note: slapping such heavy concealment over everything is hilariously frustrating.

Infernal Gallery is another scenario like this where more effort is placed on giving GMs an opportunity and tools to present a memorable adventure.

Additionally, the variety of creatures (and opting for increasing creature count for high tier rather than coming up with multiple stat lines for everything) is refreshing. Yes, it can easily be a bit deadly. But the Swarm is a deadly threat! Are you going to hop up along the catwalks, only for the swarm to continue flying circles? And with the warehouse so dense, two combats being triggered for a memorable encounter involving multiple sides is a very likely possibility! Hunker down and defend yourself, or run over to help those that are stuck while you defend against swarm crawling over the walls and ceiling? I also love seeing the addition of little things to open more possibilities in combat: like having the option to manipulate the dense fog or send a robot on a trampling rampage.

This scenario does exactly what I want, and feel, all scenarios should do. Scenarios should provide a framework that facilities roleplay, prompts exploration, and offers engaging combat. This scenario executes all that perfectly.

They're pretty easy to use and really helpful for flushing out worlds or coming up with adventure ideas. After following the generation guidelines you're left with a solid foundation to build upon and tweak to your liking.

Systems, worlds, NPC, characters - it can make them all. After plopping down the cards following the guidelines, you're left with an outline. Some hooks, an idea of alignment, magic, and tech levels, and even different species and threatening alien creations.

After that it's just a tiny bit of imagination and you have something fully fleshed out! Basically, the stories end up writing themselves.

I GM'd this online.

This scenario is really cool. Feels like an action movie! Divided up very nicely into different parts with clear transitions between them.

So to start off with yes this skill checks are really, really high. Almost impossibly high. It's a real good thing that by succeeding a very hard check in the first part, you can lower those super high DCs on some checks in the second part. But even then they're still really high, and if you're not rolling well then tough!

These skill checks should not be so high. Yes, there are characters out there, especially operatives, with seriously high skill bonuses. Just let them. Some characters dish out stupid high damage and trivialize fighters. Some characters have stupid high skill checks.
Focusing heavily into a skill shouldn't mean that you can only just almost make that DC, provided you roll well.

Another thing I want to mention: What is the point of that vehicle tag? There's one single piloting check required in this scenario, and that's only if the players couldn't win over a certain NPC (which if you don't, almost makes this scenario impossible to do).

So! I really like this scenario, I think it's cool. Fights are alright and kinda just feel like they're there.
But those skill DCs are overturned. Even if there's something in place that lowers the DC.

Ran this one online.

I really liked this one. It *sort of* furthers the ongoing storyline and reintroduces a character that the players have likely run into before.

The narrative is great. Afterall the society is being accused of being a militant organization, and here they are heading over to a military-like base to recover weapons! As one of the NPC's brings up, why would the Society, supposedly so focused on exploration, need such weapons?

Surprisingly light on combat for what's more or less a straightforward dungeon. But with a pretty neat skill challenge, the potential of some persisting afflictions for the players to deal with, and a cool end fight with multiple moving parts in it (even if it almost got one shot by an operative's crit...)

Oh and the complete end, the very last little bit with the credit. Yeah. Great. Amazing. A+

This has to be one of my favorites. Even knowing I have no plans to run it a second time! I ran this online.

This scenario does nothing to show just how dangerous the creature is, which will easily lead to players getting killed in like 2 hits. Also, all these little things scattered around that make the players think "hey maybe if I do this!", only for it to not work. Like the gas/nanite gun/ and useful weapons being around that are no use because hey guess what you're not hitting anyways. So it's so easy for this to go very badly, simply because players will see an enemy and, like all other scenarios, move to attack it.

I took the advice here and very plainly told my players ahead of time about how dangerous this scenario was, about how they need to think "survival horror", and even made sure to point out "hey you could hide. Hey, you wanna like to listen through the door or try to sneak a peek?" Describing them hearing the opening and closing of doors. Just doing whatever to make sure they were fully aware of what they were getting into, and doing my best to portray just how dangerous the creature is.

Because you have to. This scenario is such a cool idea, and I would love to see something similar to this in the future. Having such mean encounters (hey enjoy 2d6 damage no save) was so refreshing compared to a lot of other scenarios. I think it was maybe a little overkill with how strong the creature is.

I just wish SO MUCH that this scenario did something to portray how powerful this creature is. Or if those ideas the players are for sure going to think of (gas, gun) would actually work to slow it down. I want to reward them for clever thinking.

If you're GMing this, you have to go out of your way to tell your players how dangerous this scenario is, at least so they can get there heads in the right mindset of "SURVIVE" and not just "find the monster, kill the monster, loot place".

I really love this scenario, and it's easily one of my favorites. I hope we get something "similar" in the future, but with a bit better execution. This scenario is very easily doable, as long as you do what Starfinder so rarely do.

Hide and run.

I GM'd this online. Now I'm willing to accept blame that as someone still new to running society games my preceptions/expectations might be a bit different.

First off, I felt woefully unprepared for the scenario. The fights themselves are simple and straightforward, one of them includes a really cool hazard that, in practice, I immediately forgot about (and really, is easily avoid). There are some parts throughout the scenario where I felt there was information lacking, or not clearly enough presented.

Lastly, and probably my biggest complaint, is the lack of any direction for portraying the candidates. I want to present them as fairly as possible, explaining their views so that the players can make an informed decision on who to vote. I got some excellent questions from the players. Even just a few more points on each candidate about their goals, views, or even answers to possible questions would have been very welcome. We don't get much to accomplish that. We get a little introduction to meet them, a couple of lines about their goal, and boom that's it. Then you go on a mission that's kinda related to them.

I know that the scenario is here to present the candidates, but I felt it could have done it in a much better job. I went into it feeling a little uneasy and unprepared, no matter how many times I read through it. Knowing that how I present them could very well affect the player's perceptions of them, and in turn their vote, well that's some pressure. This scenario felt a lot less like something I can use to engage with my players and facilitate good gaming, both roll-playing and role-playing, and felt more like me going "here's the candidates, here's a bit about them, now go vote."

Also final, final note, not such a fan of the way the initial debriefing is presented. But that's more of personal preference.

----SPOILERS-----
Calder

Ehu

Tara

It's alright, but the pacing could have been much better. While each quest is connected, they somehow still feel a bit loose.

It has a very interesting concept to it, the planet that should not exist! It just feels like it's missing something. It's not bad, but there's something not there that prevents this from being great. Can't really point it out.

The combats are pretty straightforward, skill challenge sections are alright, the starship combat section is fun (surprising I know!) and there's some good roleplay facilitation thanks to one of the NPCs.

I GM'd this online.

It's a bit dry, and not just because of the desert! It also went be fairly quick - if you don't have players eager to interact with the npcs at length then it'll go by very fast. There are only two combats (and one ship combat). A majority of the scenario is more or less an 'Oregon trail' sort of deal. Just skill check after skill check trying to overcome some challenges as you make the long trek through a desert.

Both combats are a bit of a joke, with the second one even being 'avoidable' if the party did well in the first part and can move quickly. The starship combat wasn't anything special to mention.

I would have liked to see more emphasis on the Formian+Lashunta political relationship and get to spend more time with Formian Culture. Also would have been nice to end on something besides ship combat. It really slows down the end of the scenario, which ends up just a few words and then a little hint at some nefarious dealings that relate to the current smear campaign.

So not bad, but not great. A little dry.

edit: I forgot to mention, I really like the fact this the scenario includes a very relatable real-world issue in the story.

I GM'd this one scenario online.

It was a lot of fun to play, the pacing felt good, and there's plenty of room to really amp up the game-show feel. There's a good variety in challenges, allowing players to use a variety of skills and even equipment to help them out. Plus combat for the ones that want to cut through a bunch of enemies.

On the roleplay side, there are so many great opportunities for some great moments. The undead commentator duo, the rival team, and rather enigmatic ysoki.

BUT it does run pretty long. It's very easy for this to take a good few hours to play through, especially if you're amping up the game show feel, having the commentators interject, describing scenes and letting the party mess around with the rival team. The first part can also be pretty rough for certain players, considering how hard some mechanics can hit.