I find warehouse settings are very common in RPGs, so this flip-map will see a lot of generic use. Also, it's very easy to change details in a warehouse with a map-pack or other small map laying over it.
The art is very good.
Most importantly, both sides are great. The 1st side has a single massive warehouse. The 2nd side has 3 smaller warehouses.
I think the title of my review says it all. I love flip-maps, but I find most map packs would be better as a flip-map(s). As a result, the subscription would have more value if there were a lot less map packs.
For me, most map packs don't have a lot of value. There are problems with map packs: they don't store well, tiles come apart all over the table (which is a pain, I have to tape tiles together which make them harder to transport), and when I remove the (scotch) tape sometimes it removes the image from the map as well. I strongly prefer non-tiled maps.
Sometimes, multiple tiles in a map pack make sense. For example the "Mines" map pack was useful (but only if it comes with a PDF!). Map packs can also be used to provide good variation for flip-maps (for example, adding a second story to a flip-map like the "City Flip-map" is useful).
However, most map packs would be better if you either created multiple smaller flip-maps or you combined multiple map pack tiles into one big flip-map. For example, the Wizard's Tower map pack would have been much better of if you combined all the tower levels into a two-sided flip-map. (I would gladly buy the flip-map version of this map pack, even though I own the map pack!).
If you do create smaller flip-maps for map packs, I'd like to see them made with thinner material if possible, so they're easier to store and unfold. This is desirable as long as it doesn't overly damage the durability.
Like I said, I love flip-maps but I have the following general feedback about them.
In flip-maps, I want to see the interiors of buildings, I don't want to see rooftops (with the interiors in a map pack). Because you don't show the interior, there is limited value in Flip-Maps such as "Necropolis" and "City" (although City probably sells really well, because we have nothing better). If you want to make a map pack to *support* a flip-map (such as adding variant interiors or second stories), this makes sense, but I don't want to see roof tops in my flip-maps, I want details. Recent flip-maps seem to have made this change.
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
”House Cartahegn”:
The encounter with the ants was disappointing, trivial, and a waste of time. To stop House Cartahegn, you would need to kill dozens of mercenaries. As a player I expected a LOT of ants, something really challenging, or at least someone to come up with a really interesting plan to get the poison into the tunnel. I think we killed the ants in 1 round.
I’d rather they made the encounter at Senzer’s optional and made the ant encounter interesting. See the thread for what I did and for how messed up the CR system is concerning ants. Doing this however makes the scenario too long.
Maybe the best option is to handwave either the ant or Senzer encounter, so you can focus on roleplaying and the more interesting encounters with Lura and Xeanja.
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)
The APG is the best "splatbook" I've ever purchased, in 30+ years of gaming. This rulebook contains many new options to create new heroes that you've never thought of before. The concept of archetypes was a simple and brilliant way to make a class something completely different. The new classes are welcome and fit in with the core classes. If your players are looking for something "different" to play, you should purchase this book.
The best news is that everything in this book (for the most part) is balanced and won't break your game. Also, there is NO FILLER in this book, amazing. This book is so solid, you sometimes wonder why this material wasn't part of the core game. I now consider this one of the core rulebooks. Great job.
Usually, I like using diplomatic solutions for encounters; Assault however takes this idea to extremes.
This is the first time in a scenario where I wished we killed everything instead of using Diplomacy. The scenario was unsatisfying because I felt we bypassed almost every encounter because we used Diplomacy. And as result, I left feeling like we handwaved and missed the entire scenario (including the final encounter).
The scenario ended in less than 2 hours (which could have been 60-90 minutes if the GM was didn't waste time and/or we didn't have 3 new players to PF and PFS). We had a single combat encounter, which was extremely easy (even though we played it wrong and made it more challenging by accident), and it wasn't as entertaining as I was lead to believe. The faction missions were above average.
If you’re only going to have only one mandatory combat encounter in a scenario, you’d better be sure the roleplaying encounters are interesting. The problem with Assault is that negotiations don’t necessarily mean a lot of roleplaying, or a lot of entertaining roleplaying in any case. And with an average GM, they’re just a bunch of skill checks.
Unlike other reviewers, minor boons as rewards at the end of the scenario aren’t important to me, and don’t affect whether I think a scenario is good or bad.
For me, the scenario was ruined by the potential overuse of Diplomacy (which ironically lead to a lack of roleplay). And I guess that’s just not my cup of tea.
Paizo did a great job updating D&D 3.5 and to their credit the changes have been interesting, well balanced, and have stood the test of time. If you like D&D, you will love Pathfinder.
The concepts, ideas, and environment surrounding Delirium have great potential. Unfortunately, the execution of these concepts doesn't meet this potential, and what should have been a journey through the weird and fantastic, is in fact a stroll through the mundane.
The puzzles in Delirium are both solved by multiple (15+) consecutive skill checks that require very little in the way of player thought, interaction, or decision making. Rolling dice for the sake of rolling dice, until you get "10 successes" isn't interesting or fun (for me anyway, I suppose the other reviewers are easier to please). It's just 'meh'.
The maze:
In practice, the maze is either solved by:
1) A player "taking 10" and getting strongly assisted rolls, which allows the party to avoid all encounters in the maze (essentially the party automatically solves the maze).
2) The party encounters every filler encounter (which is also undesirable).
Either way, the maze is boring, which is exactly what the author was trying to avoid.
Although 'mazes are boring', mazes with a few simple puzzles that players can think about, are not boring. As much as "The Darkest Vengeance" is criticized for its (broken) puzzle, I think they did it right in the sense that it required some player input combined with some skill checks... now that's fun! The simple puzzles in Silent Tide are also fun. But this is not.
Another major problem I have with this scenario is that the players will never learn the (interesting) back story behind this scenario (unless the GM makes a major change to the scenario, or reads the back story to them at the end, lol).
Regarding the encounters, they're extremely easy, but more importantly, the majority of them aren't interesting. When I say the encounters are easy, what I mean is that six 1st level PCs could easily beat the scenario at subtier 4-5. I wish I was exaggerating.
Encounter details:
I would have preferred to cut the first two encounters out altogether, make the vermin non-combatants and allow the PCs to complete their faction missions. These encounters are just time wasters.
Regarding the maze, we're in a place that warps time and space, and the best we can come up with are... Morlocks and pit traps? Seriously? What a lost opportunity for some great storytelling. That maze should have had 1-2 simple (player solved!) puzzles combined with a roleplaying encounter (to tell us the story of the maze).
Regarding the optional encounter, it's a shame that it's optional since it's the most interesting encounter of the scenario! Great environment, great concept. Having said that, we're in a dream state and we fight... a giant leech? LOL. Again, with a little imagination, this encounter could have been so much more, especially because the GM can trash the PCs with very limited consequences.
The clever door is another series of consecutive skill checks, but it's more exciting than the maze because of the time factor. Since other skill checks are allowed to open the door (and the party will find a wand of water breathing), the encounter just seems dangerous when in fact it's not (it's basically for show), but I suppose it's better than TPKing your group.
The end encounter is simply too easy, it's highly likely the BBG will die in 1 round. I'm not sure why the author and designer didn't see this coming. His spell selection could be improved, for example being buffed with Mage Armor would help his survivability a lot. The box text is lacking as well, instead of being someone interesting, the BBG is just another crazy guy to kill. *Yawn*
I might seem overly harsh but unfortunately I just don't think this scenario will be satisfying to myself or my players (without major modifications). Everyone would leave the session saying "Is that it?". Not only was this scenario too easy, it just failed to be interesting. For me, what makes it worse is that the scenario had the framework to be something special.
I've found these spell templates are very useful for my games and there's a good variety in the templates so that you can extrapolate if the radius / length is longer. It's close to being a must-have GM tool and they're highly recommended.
This module is fun and has the potential for some crazy endings. A lot of the fun will depend on how much everyone likes roleplay. 5 star for roleplay players, 3 star otherwise.
There's not too much that hasn't already been said except for:
1) This needed a lot more prep than I thought it would (although it can easily be run straight)
2) The GM has to add more detail / excitement to the middle encounter, which is fine I guess.
3) Many reviews say this module took 2 hours, my particular groups likes to roleplay and it took 3.5 hours.
4) This is the first module in at least 10+ years where I actually read the box text almost word-for-word.
This set is great for PFS also, since it contains a lot of animals (particularily monkeys) and tribes people, which you'll be using in various scenarios (especially Rescue on Azlant Ridge).
After reading Collector, I agree with the other reviewer: It's convoluted and messy, and there are many things that won't make sense to either the GM or the players.
Most of the encounters are super easy and high level groups will just crush them unless the NPC tactics are substantially improved, to at least make it interesting.
”Tactics”:
NPCs need good tactics to give them a fighting chance. Wouldn’t it be nice to showcase the monk’s abilities with a solid build and good tactics, so that it would dispel the myth that they’re a terrible class instead of reinforcing it?
On the other extreme, one encounter is so deadly it’s virtually guaranteed to kill at least 1+ PCs at subtier 10-11 (and is super weak at subtier 7-8). Did anyone playtest and crunch numbers, or was that intended? Sigh.
In the future, I'd like to see either the authors or the editor do a better job when it comes to balancing encounters and making reasonable tactics. We shouldn't see encounters that are ridiculously easy or completely unfair death traps.
The scenario isn’t all bad of course.
1) If you simplify and make changes to the background story, it’s somewhat interesting and unique.
2) Unlike other scenarios, the background to the scenario will be revealed. I really like this! Unfortunately, the NPC doing the delivery is annoying as written (and won’t promote much sympathy). I wish the NPC had a different personality, it would make it *harder* on the PCs to decide what to do next, not easier.
3) The environment (of the first encounter) feels somewhat exotic and it invokes cool Kung Fu images in my mind. Unfortunately, the NPCs will get schooled so badly, those visions will never emerge.
The ending:
Alas, the story finally ends in a very unsatisfying way. To me, the ending doesn’t feel heroic. It feels like you "do your job", but justice isn't served. Besides being "evil" (which makes no sense, her race is 'good' and she sacrificed her life to save others. It doesn't add up.) and trash talking us ("meat"), did the boss really deserve her fate? All she wanted to do was take back what was arguably hers and stop her pain. If you were being constantly tortured, isn’t this something you'd want to do? Is that so wrong? No, I don't think so. Unfortunately, we're Pathfinders which means all we care about is the book because we’re a bunch of mercenaries who follow orders without thinking. Well, most of us. :)
For me, I think I need to tweak or make an alternate ending, to at least make it justifiable that we kill her.
Currently, it's just depressing, which just makes the scenario feel even worse imo. Then again, most PF players I see just mercilessly beat the crap out of any enemy they see without thinking about it, so perhaps it won't matter to 90% of the players and GMs out there.
Collector has the potential to be a very memorable scenario and has a unique storyline, however it's not polished and needs major modifications before I think it would be fun for my home group.
This scenario suited my GMing style perfectly. This scenario had the best mix of strong roleplay combined with combat I've seen so far.
Frostfur to me was a roleplay sandbox, in that there was a lot of room to add your own roleplaying touches and personality into the scenario. The GM can (and should) take a lot of liberties with the roleplaying aspect of the scenario. If the GM plays it flat, as pure combat encounters and a few skill checks, the scenario is still good but not great.
Frostfur Captives is not like other scenarios, the encounters are not about killing the PCs, the encounters are about killing the goblins (and the PCs trying to protect them). The encounters in Frostfur will NOT challenge the PCs, even when playing up (2nd level PCs against subtier 4-5). The opponents are too weak, non-optimized and use poor tactics. However, the mission itself should be very difficult because Frostfur is an escort mission.
It seems to me Frostfur will play out very differently each time it's played.
Unlike MotTM, Frostfur can be played in non-home environments and still be a great experience.
Length: Long (with roleplay), medium (no RP). 4 hours in a hobby store and 5.5 hours at home.
Sweet Spot: All subtiers are ok, but the combat encounters were too weak unless you played up to subtier 4-5 and changed tactics.
Experience: GM at subtier 4-5
Entertainment: Like Rebecca Black says "Fun fun fun". (9/10)
Roleplay: Strong roleplay "sandbox" but depends heavily on the GMs added touches. (9/10)
Combat/Challenges: Combat challenges were too weak (especially considering there was one day rest between each encounter) and the tactics didn't fit the creatures well. (7/10)
Uniqueness: Escorting speaking goblins. Yes!(10/10)
Faction Missions: Great job Paizo! One mission per faction = good. Faction missions were good too! (10/10)
Overall: I think everyone in my two sessions had a memorable experience. (10/10)
Would you recommend: Yes
This was the 2nd best scenario I've run so far in PFS and hopefully the goblins in the Frostfur tribe will be memorable for you too!
This set has great overall use in campaigns outside of Rise of the Runelords.
I'm using this for PFS only and these minis have seen a lot of use. You can almost always find a use for goblins, zombies, shadows, some animals, and some distinct human NPCs.
This is a perfect flip-mat. First of all, it can be re-used many times, how often are your low level characters in an otherwise non-descript village town square? Lots, so this map will see a lot of action.
Also, it has all the shops drawn in (you don't see roof tops). If you don't like the shop on the flip-map, you can place a map pack tile over top of it.
Well, maybe it's not perfect, the "B" side of the map doesn't have a variant version of the town square, but it's close and I'm pleased.
This is yet another scenario that relies heavily on the GMs ability to convey a story and change the details of the scenario so that it makes sense. Also, if your PCs are unskilled (Fighters, Clerics), things will go badly and there's not much you can do about it.
”Worst part”:
The worst part of this scenario is that you can fail (part of the scenario) based on skill checks alone. Groups of 4 PCs will have a harder time than groups of 6 PCs, since 6 PCs will have more skills (and more opportunities) to add to the skill challenge. In addition, the skill challenge is especially difficult for level 1 PCs because many level 1 PCs haven’t had the opportunity to get a more diverse set of skills.
I have no problem with skills checks being important in scenarios; I think it's a good thing. However, if the PCs successfully make the skill check test, I think the PCs should be allowed to complete the task "the easy way". If the PCs cannot make the skill check, you can still complete the scenario, but with some kind of penalty (take damage, more opponents, more people are dead, etc). That's my view on good scenario design, because failing the scenario based solely on a skill check just isn't fun imo.
Another problem with skill checks making or breaking the scenario is that it causes (crappy and spineless) local GMs to fudge it for their home PCs. This actually happened with us, our GM waved the entire cure process (even though we made maybe 3 skill checks). What should have been an epic fail (and I would have preferred that), turned into an easy win. My GM hand waved the entire cure process and made a 100% cure for us. Yay for cheating (that's sarcasm btw)!
”Encounter Story Links”:
The second problem are the story links between encounters. They don't make a lot of sense (especially if they are conveyed by an average GM). The PCs basically go from encounter to encounter slaughtering everything without knowing why.
For example:
Why are the lumberjacks attacking the druids? If lumberjacks found druids in the forest tending a grove, I doubt they would attack.
Why would the druids try to kill the lumberjacks given that they're diseased and nearly dead? (ACT 1)
Why can druids now control undead?
Why would the NPCs give away the entire plot before its been implemented? And so easily? Does the pox make you retarded as well?
Why wouldn't some fey communicate with the PCs early, like at the lumberjack camp? (We never spoke to one fey the entire scenario).
There's no mystery or investigation needed, we just stumble blindly from act to act (ACT 3).
Why would the NPCs tell the PCs where to find his friends?
The final act itself makes no sense; they're celebrating and committing suicide without even making sure the town is infected? Stupid!
I'll read the scenario first, but to me a lot of the story links between encounters needs to be tweaked. Right now the PCs are lead by the nose from location to location, killing whatever they meet, without any of it making sense (to the PCs anyway).
The third problem is that the back story is quite compelling; however, it's very difficult for the GM to convey to the PCs. So it's just wasted.
There was almost no interesting roleplaying (except insane bad guys being... insane), but I think that was the fault of the GM (he skipped the optional encounter).
Finally, the last major problem with this scenario is that the combats are too easy. When I played this with six level 1 PCs, we took a grande total of 6 damage the entire scenario. 6 damage! This scenario didn't even begin to challenge us. I believe we could have played up to subtier 6-7.
We finished the scenario in a lightning quick 1.5 hours.
I might change my mind if I GM this, but as far as player experiences go (with an average GM), "the plague" was my worst experience yet with PFS.
I saw this map pack in action during Gen Con and it would have been much better as a (2 sided) flip mat imo. I would gladly buy this product if you made a flip mat version of it.
In general, I found the arrows distracting and the tiles never (perfectly) lined up with each other. Also, it was annoying when the tiles were knocked around by by mistake.
I thought this scenario had a really nice variety of both combat and non-combat encounters and some roleplay as well. This was at subtier 4-5
The combat encounters were both challenging and interesting. The first encounter, if played right (ours wasn't) is quite deadly and tactically interesting. And finally, a memorable final boss encounter!
The only unfortunate thing about the scenario is that our GM gave us too many ideas on how to get into the city, even when we had the skills and ideas to do something more creative. Yes, we asked for ideas, however I feel players should sometimes have to struggle. Player solutions to problems are often more interesting, creative, and plain crazy compared to typical module solutions. As GM, just say "yes" to them.
I agree with the other reviewers, stop embarrassing Barbarian NPCs and give them 2H weapons. If PCs are able to do 15+ points of damage each round, NPCs should be able to as well. What’s good for the goose is good for the gander.
Unfortunately I didn't play enough to have a solid opinion of this scenario, I did however enjoy the end fight and it was quite challenging (3 players out of 6 dropped and I was pretty sure we were going to die) at subtier 4-5.
I have to agree with the other reviewers. This scenario was filler until the end fight, and the end fight (to the series!) was disappointing as hell.
The encounters are memorable for all the wrong reasons, they won't challenge the party, but they have a chance of killing one character.
One encounter in particular, was sprung on us like a trap, like something blew up under our feet. We should have had at least a few rounds to prepare (especially since we made a 30+ Perception check). Hopefully that was a GM mistake and not the intent of the author. It was deadly enough to kill a pregen of the correct level, so beware, it could easily kill PCs "playing up".
The end fight was both bland and super easy. However, with a little bit of bad luck it can end with a PC death. Either way, it's not fun and was extremely disappointing. I was really surprised when I killed the boss, I thought they were just guards and there would be another encounter after that.
The faction missions were average.
Lastly, the boon that was granted at the end of this scenario was too powerful. Please don’t do this in the future!
The Silent Tide plays really well and even though I had already skimmed through this scenario, I really enjoyed playing it.
Its only flaw is that it’s extremely easy since it was made for 3.5, not PF. My group had six level 1-2 characters (APL 3) played up to subtier 4-5 and we killed everything with extreme prejudice. We finished Silent Tide in 3 hours, and that was with the optional encounter and with the GM taking the time to draw every map and to read the scenario (he had never run or played the scenario before). I believe even optimized level 1 PCs (if it was legal to do and if they had a wand of CLW) could play up to subtier 4-5.
Having said that, it’s highly recommended for new players to PFS.
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.
Spoiler:
Most encounters, especially the forest encounter, felt like filler. My group wasn’t even penalized for playing it stupidly (not using ranged weapons on the plants). That's the kind of encounter I want to beat down my group for being cocky, but it just wasn't happening. Did we take 1 hp of damage?
The final encounter wasn't even a challenge, I think we took 3 hp of damage and took Vilk down in 2 rounds. Final encounters should at least be challenging.
We played this at subtier 1-2, maybe it plays better at higher subtiers, I don't know.
In addition, some encounters made no sense at all.
Spoiler:
For example, the sewer encounter. Seriously, we’re in Ustalav, can't we think of something better than that? And how come Vilk was able to run past it easily and we can't?
The chase mechanic just didn't work for some reason (although the chase mechanics have worked for me in the past). I think it was because the GM was too slow setting it up, a chase should feel dynamic, with little time to think. It took 5 minutes to setup and then we caught Vilk in the first round.
Honestly, after fighting in the sewers and completing our faction missions, we shouldn't have even been able to catch up with Vilk.
Also, if Vilk knew we were going to protect the judge, why did he go there when he could have just gone to his real target and killed him without us ever knowing? (Perhaps the GM took liberties with what he said ("I never intended to kill the judge, she’s not my real target")).
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.
Sewer Dragons was the best scenario I played at Gencon 2011. Despite the name, you’re not going to spend all of your time on a 5' wide path.
Sewers had excellent encounter design; each encounter felt fun, unique, challenging, and interesting.
Having said that, we had a group of 4 optimized characters (and one pregen) and we barely lived, so I would consider this scenario a difficult scenario (in a good way) that could TPK lesser groups. I spoke to three GMs about Sewers, and they all pulled punches at various points in the scenario. You've been warned! (This was played at subtier 3-4, it might be different at subtier 6-7).
The roleplaying was light to medium, but there was enough to satisfy.
The faction missions were forgettable (literally, I can't remember) but it didn’t matter since the rest was excellent.
Sewers is *very* close to a 5 star scenario, but something was missing. Having said that, the encounters were highly cinematic nail bitters, which will challenge most groups. Sewers is one of the few scenarios where the end fight felt like a boss fight.
If you're one of those GMs that like to run the scenario "as is", this is not the scenario for you. Unmodified, this is a 2 star killer scenario that should be avoided. Even victorious, your players will likely be annoyed and won't have fun.
As others have already stated, this is a killer scenario (especially with the optional encounter). Ideally you should have 6 PCs and the group should be APL 3 at subtier 1-2 and APL of 6 at subtier 4-5 (to avoid a TPK).
Having said that, with some modifications, this scenario is great. One of the best aspects of this scenario is that it oozes dark gothic horror, that was fun to GM. Even the intro was fun.
Length: Long. I thought it was going to take 5 hours and it took almost 6 hours. To fit into 5 hours, much handwaving has to be done (and the optional encounter skipped).
Sweet Spot: Both subtiers are equally good.
Experience: DM subtier 1-2.
Entertainment: Overall DV is fun, although the optional and final encounter can be frustrating.(8/10)
Roleplay: This scenario has some fun roleplay at the start and some interesting interactions later (depends on GM). (8/10)
Combat/Challenges: Too deadly at times. The puzzle the PCs are meant to solve is unlikely to be solved without modifications. (4/10)
Uniqueness: It's memorable, hopefully not for the wrong reasons. (8/10)
Faction Missions: Average Mcguffin and they don't really add anything the scenario. Then again, you probably wouldn't have time for anything more involved. (6/10)
Overall: With changes, this is a great and memorable scenario. Unmodified it's a mess and frustrating at best. (8/10)
I highly recommend reading the GM thread on this scenario and I'll post my thoughts there.
Also, the GM should modify the puzzle in the scenario. As written, most groups won't even get the clues needed to solve the puzzle. Even with the clues, my group of players almost didn't figure it out (it took 20+ minutes).
The reason I bought this scenario was because of the creepy dark horror theme, and I wasn't disappointed. So if your players like dark horror themes and you're willing to heavily modify the main puzzle and the final encounters, your players will have a good time.
I played in this scenario at Gencon 2009 and it was ok, but nothing special.
We were finished in 2 hours and it seemed like there were only 2 encounters in the scenario. There were nice terrain challenges. However, there were no roleplay opportunities that I saw (besides a very brief one after the first encounter). I don't remember my faction mission (it was a typical mcguffin). There was no fluff. The Barbarian and Fighter cut everything down in 2 rounds. We played it at subtier 4-5.
Maybe it was better than my experience, but my experience was a 3 star. Not bad, but nothing special.
This scenario is roleplaying on steroids. As a matter of fact, it will consume almost all of your gaming session. If your group likes combat but doesn't like roleplaying / talking, your group will NOT like this scenario.
This is a scenario for experienced GMs only and GMs who are comfortable with open-ended play. This isn't a scenario you just "pick up and play", the GM has to do some work to make it run smoothly.
I also think that Mermaid is best experienced at home (as opposed to loud convention halls with time limits). There is a lot of subtle roleplaying that could occur and it just can't be done while raising your voice the entire time.
Having said that, the payoff is great. The NPCs in this scenario are interesting, the story is fun. The NPC background stories are adult themed and thought should be converted beforehand if there are children. For adults it's hilarious though! We laughed a lot this scenario, which is the point right?
Length: Extremely long. Great care has to be taken to get to the first encounter as fast as possible. In my home game, this scenario took 6.5 hours. It will take the full slot.
Sweet Spot: It's best to play Mermaid at subtier 1-2. High level PCs have abilities and spells that could break the storyline if your GM is unprepared.
Experience: DM subtier 1-2.
Entertainment: Extremely funny if you like roleplay. (10/10)
Roleplay: Roleplayers will be in heaven, combat monkeys in hell. (10/10)
Combat/Challenges: The challenge is the investigation, which is great. There is hardly any combat. (10/10)
Uniqueness: Very unique to PFOS. (10/10)
Faction Missions: Average. Because of the time constraints, they're an unwanted distraction and GMs will have to keep on eye on time. (7/10)
Overall: This scenario is memorable and can lead to great roleplaying moments. (10/10)
I highly recommend reading the GM thread on this scenario, because smart players could easily derail the scenario (or you'll be forced to railroad, which several GMs have done and which I think every player hates).
I've also included my notes for this scenario, which I hope helps fellow GMs prepare.
http://www.zumodrive.com/share/cwUrYWFjYW
One last thing, Paizo, could you not put spoilers in the title of the scenario or on the cover of the scenario?
The bottom line is that this scenario will be hit-or-miss with GMs and players, you either love it or hate it. My group loved it, but I can easily see how it could be hated. Good luck and have fun!
This simple scenario has a really nice mix of investigation, combat, and roleplay.
Length: Medium-Long. At Gencon it took 3.5 hours, in my home game it took almost 5.5 hours.
Sweet Spot: It seems the most realistic at subtier 3-4, and feels contrived at subtier 6-7.
Experience: DM and player at tiers 1-2
Entertainment: It was fun, everyone had a role to play. (9/10)
Roleplay: Medium roleplay, depends on the group/DM. (8/10)
Combat/Challenges: Challenges were simple and deadly (maybe too deadly for some tier 1 groups). Finale was epic.(8/10)
Uniqueness: It was simple but interesting. I made some changes.(7/10)
Faction Missions: Better than average, depends on DMs interpretation. (9/10)
Overall: Good time, nice mix of everything (9/10)
Spoiler:
I really emphasized:
1) The betrayal of Kretchmoor as Becher's former friend, emphasizing the dog-eats-dog world of Taldor
2) Kretchmoor trying to make a deal with the PCs
3) The grande finale of course!
4) The after effects on the town, which most PF DMs usually don't do.
The only bad thing I can say about this scenario is the TPK potential for level 1 characters.
My players were very happy with this scenario. This scenario should definitely be updated for the PFRPG.
I thought this scenario was fairly standard fare (combat orientated) until the last encounter which was kind of cool (this scenario probably deserves 3.5 stars). This scenario was played at tier 1-2, maybe it's better at higher subtiers.
The backstory was interesting but difficult for the DM to convey. There was a horror theme for the last encounter only, standard romp besides that.
This is a medium length scenario (3 hours for us and we were cautious). I'm not sure why some other reviewers went overtime, there was only 1 encounter that might cause this.
Citadel has a nice variety of challenges, both combat and non-combat. Nice backstory. It also had some memorable moments near the end, especially for the Cheliax faction.
I found there was an above average amount of player strife in this scenario (due to factions), especially if you have a Taldor / Andoran player or Paladin in the group, which can cause a loss of fun.
I also found that this scenario can be a little rough on 1st level groups if they don't own a wand of cure light wounds. There's potentially a lot of damage in this scenario.
Length: Medium.
Sweet Spot: Both subtiers are good.
Experience: Player and DM, both at subtier 1-2.
Entertainment: Decent fun. (8/10)
Roleplay: Decent roleplay. (8/10)
Combat/Challenges: Decent. Neat concept on BBG fight, but rarely gets used (unless tweaked). (8/10)
Uniqueness: Decent (7/10)
Faction Missions: Very good, but players could disagree on how they want to handle things. Cheliax mission is awesome. (9/10)
Overall: Fun. (8/10)
Would you recommend: Yes
Imo this scenario is extremely risky if you decide to play up.
I thought this was fairly standard (combat orientated) faire and although the setting is pretty cool, it's up to the DM to make or break the setting with details and roleplay. This scenario could have been really creepy, but it's open to DM interpretation because the scenario doesn't suggest anything of the sort (and would probably offend some people if it did).
I found several things unbelievable, which kind of ruined my suspension of disbelief. For example,
Spoiler:
After the first encounter, it's hard to believe everyone, EVERYONE, in the opera is dead. It took us 2 rounds to beat the first encounter and we turn around and everyone in the opera was dead. Stupid.
We should have had the chance to rescue some people (that were being attacked) and lead people to a safe place. People should have been hiding in some of the empty rooms, the enemy at the door trying to get in.
Also, no one had any items or money on them, which makes no sense considering they were nobles. If this were regular home play, we should have made tonnes of money. Which is just yet another reason why it makes the sense that most of the opera should have been barricaded into one room, fearing for their lives, so we have limited loot options.
There should have also been more options to find armor and weapons on the ground, in case PCs decided to dress up and take limited armor and weapons.
It also could have worked out better if some of the NPCs help you fight (ala Decline of Glory), then you can have these epic fights that are much above their AP, but still possible.
Also, I don't like that Frost gave some of the enemy picks (x4 crit damage), it's the perfect way to ruin someone's introduction to PF (or make the DM fudge).
This is a short scenario (2 hours) and can be played up with the normal risk (because of non-optimal spell selection).
With the right DM (and changes to the scenario to make it more believable), this scenario could be 4 stars (maybe even 5 with awesome roleplay details and a massive royal rumble and chaos), but I think it's more typical that it's a 3 star with most DMs.
Length: Medium.
Sweet Spot: All subtiers are ok, but subtier 3-4 has the best opponents for one encounter. Subtiers 1-2 and 3-4 seem the most realistic.
Experience: Player at tier 3-4 (Six level 2s played up, which was a mistake).
Entertainment: Good times, all classes had something to do. (8/10)
Roleplay: Light to medium roleplay, depends on the group. (8/10)
Combat/Challenges: Challenges were entertaining with a variety of solutions. (8/10)
Uniqueness: For being simple, it was fairly unique. (8/10)
Faction Missions: Average from what I could tell. (7/10)
Overall: I had a good time, even though one of us died. (8/10)
Would you recommend: Yes
We 'played up' and one of our PCs was one shot killed, but I supposed that is to be expected when playing up.
I played this scenario at the 2009 Gencon as a player at tier 1-2.
I agree with the other reviews, this scenario was a very basic dungeon crawl that contains mostly hack-and-slash encounters, with very few opportunities for roleplaying, and featured very little creative decision making. The combat was also very easy.
It is however, a well edited and servicable scenario that was quick to run.
Edit: I've revised my review. This new PFS version is now only 2 stars for subtier 1-2. For subtier 4-5, it's still 4 stars.
Mists has the potential for some good roleplaying moments but the amount of fun you have (ironically) directly depends on the party actually failing some initial skill checks and saving throws (to gain the template). In this case, perfection actually means a lot less fun, and the scenario plays out very differently.
Mists runs extremely fast. My table, which had 7 players (2 players had never roleplayed before!) finished it in 2.5 hours, with lots of roleplaying. I've run it two times since and it took 2.5 and 4 hours respectively.
It's unfortunate I've had to downgrade my review. It seems that Paizo fixed subtier 4-5 but broke subtier 1-2.
Posts
