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We Be Goblins, yes it was!
You should believe all the buzz!
Being Goblins was much fun!
It's a mod you want to run!

I had the opportunity to play this module at PaizoCon with a group of Venture Captains. I haven't had that much fun in a module for a long time.

We Be Goblins is what you make of it. For those that find the game a series of moves across a tactical map, you might be a little disappointed, but for those who want a chance to come out of your normal adventurer shell and take on the roll of somebody significantly crazier, now's your chance.

The pregenerated characters that come with the module not only fit the story well, but also let everybody have a chance to shine as a group of goblins does what they do best - make a mess of everything. As an introduction to Pathfinder, it might not give players a great idea as to what it's like being a hero, but it contains a good set of mechanisms to make for a great game day.

Strongly, strongly recommended.

I've used every type of flying marker from a dice tower to other game-aids. This is the first that I absolutely love. The ability to double stack minis makes it hands down the best flight indicator product on the market.

Highly recommended, especially for the price.

I've said it on the Message Boards, and it's time to turn it into a review - Michael Kortes is perhaps one of the best module writers Paizo has on retainer.

Entombed With the Pharaohs was a well written, fun, and challenging adventure that really balanced character interaction with old-fashioned dungeon delving. The beginning of this module is sheer brilliance - a well done auction that really sets the stage for what's happening. From there characters are whisked away to some thievery and/or negotiations before being thrust in a race with another competing team to the same goal. It is this competing team that really sets the module. Their interactions with the party, whether spying on them or trying to kill them, really makes the module memorable.

Frankly I'm a little surprised I like it as much as I do, Egypt adventures don't normally do it for me. The way the mummies were treated, and the opportunity for the group to really develop a grudge against another group make for a great time though, and I'd suggest it to anybody.

To be fair, the conversion from 3.5 wasn't entirely kind - the opposing team isn't nearly as strong as it could be, but with a little effort, this module has all the dazzle needed to make for a great five-or-six sessions of gaming.

The Infernal Vault is an extremely linear, but well-rounded module that makes for some good fun for a group of new players. The fights mix up a good challenge with some opportunities for those who like to role-play through their encounters, and the theme is engaging. I'm a sucker for Absalom-set missions though.

I think perhaps the biggest negative of the whole module is while nearly every PFS scenario is brutally straightforward, this module makes it exceedingly obvious that there is exactly one way through the encounters. A solid module nonetheless and one that will see rotation at our Pathfinder Society tables.

To-date I've never seen a real need to review a Pathfinder Chronicle products; that has changed with The City of Strangers. I just can't leave this book alone. Paizo has put out good and great products in the past, but this book represents one of my favorite settings produced by any game company to-date. Between a city that provides ample opportunity for any group, and the undercity that defines the "mega-dungeon", the opportunities for a GM to play out an entire campaign in a single city abound. There's no kidding around though, this city is grown-up. You will not find it a "traditional" fantasy setting, and the themes are certainly more adult than anything Paizo has produced to date (except maybe The Hook Mountain Massacre).

I seriously cannot say one negative thing about this product and strongly suggest everybody consider it for their gaming library, even if they enjoy making their own worlds. The material is just that good.

I decided upon 5 stars for this module because I simply don't want to give the wrong impression about my overall feelings. While there is one minor misstep throughout this module, none to date have oozed roleplay from its pores like The Shadow Gambit. While most modules offer up some routine and good opportunities for the people who like to roleplay, none that I have played have an entire section with upwards of an hour of play dedicated to it like this module. In my experience, with the right ambiance, players get a chance to feel like they're part of this city, and for the first time ever the faction missions play a significant part of it.

If you're planning on GMing this module, you really need to understand Kaer Maga because the only way to successfully run it, is to let the city speak for itself. Frankly, you should just go out and buy The City of Strangers not only because it's such a good book, but because it makes the module just that much better.

My one issue is similar to Doug's. The encounters are not significantly challenging. It makes for a great introductory module because of this, but after a session or two (or Gods forbid 2nd level players), they will simply blow through the encounters as written. As I mentioned a the beginning of my review though, none of this matters though when the module is just that strong to begin with.

After needing to draw out this stupid theater twice in various modules/APs I've played in I broke down and bought the map. Frankly it, like all flip mat products, are exactly as good as you expect them to be. The only downside is that the alternate side has nothing other than plain wood slatted floors. Not worthless, but it certainly could have been much more interesting or hard-to-draw.

I have extraordinary mixed feelings about this module. This module breaks a cardinal sin I have in good module writing - the ability to make people sit around and do nothing for more than a few rounds.

Early on the encounters were moderately interesting and the group enjoyed both the role-play and hack-and-slash fights presented. There was a pretty descent story and we were moderately pleased with the module. I do though need to mention that like a lot of mediocre modules, the module as-written does not do an adequate job telling the creative backstory involved, a good GM is required to set the elements of the story that make it as unique as it is. Then came the climax, and in one set of dice rolls, half the players stopped playing the module. I don't care if the mechanics are legal, that does not make for fun for the table.

I wish I could have given the module a better review, as it did start out on a good foot, but the end was just so non-entertaining for a number at the table I cannot in good conscience give it a positive review.

The Pallid Plague was a good module with a single stumble I've seen in a lot of PFS modules. There are some fun mechanics early on that sets up a challenge that really keeps the game moving. This is one of the defining, and fun parts of this module; it's one of the first PFS modules I've played where there is a real sense of urgency to the game. The encounters are fun, fairly challenging, but not overly difficult and set up a story that puts the players front and center as an integral part of figuring out what is going wrong.

The problem with this module though is that the ending is not terribly exciting. It could have been so much more, but in comparison with the rest of the encounters it's just nowhere near as difficult. There are some changes that can be done with a good GM (help is available on the forums), but in all the ending is just a little flat compared to the excitement of the rest of the module (which is where the 4-star review comes from).

The module is absolutely worth playing though and a fine choice for any PFS table.

The Begger's Pearl is not the most difficult of modules, or the most glamorous of modules, or even the most exciting module, but it is a well written dungeon crawl with a good premise and some fun encounters.

I agree with previous reviewers that the final fight is not the most difficult of encounters, but the module does have a really nice feel to it, and you do get the sense of delving through an old Dwarven keep. The module has a few minor flaws, mostly related to a lot of empty rooms which could have at least been flavor and background encounters, so it does have its flaws, but The Beggar's Pearl is a good romp with some interesting encounters and a good premise which I do recommend to anybody going for a low-to-mid level module.

Mere words cannot describe how much flavor drips from the walls of the Blakros Museum in this module. You need to experience the horrors of the Blakros Museum basement yourself to understand why this is one of the best PFS modules I've played to date.

This module is a worthy successor to another fantastic module, The Mists of Mwangi, and surpasses even it in terms of flavor and immersion. Trouble is again afoot, and this time the Pathfinders will find themselves fighting against horrors they have never experienced. The fights themselves are memorable, difficult, but not so far off the difficulty scale that they are impossible. In the hands of a deft GM this module will turn into an even more flavorful mix of old-God horror and a real sense of other-worldliness. I've had people ask in the past about good "Halloween" modules, and this, along with Black Waters easily claim that crown.

This module is described as a race against the Aspsis Consortium. This description does not do justice to the brilliant pacing of the module. From the initial feel of knowing you're about to scale a massive mountain, to the encounter at its summit, to the race back down again, Tim Hitchock did it again by making a memorable module with a theme that makes the time fly past.

The combats are tough but not overly so, and the challenge of surviving the climb to the top of the mountain feels like it's earned. Even though there is the potential for a group misstep (which can be remedied by a competent GM and a group which understands that there's a time to fight, and there's a time not to fight), the fact remains that the trip up the Dragon is memorable and easily one of the strongest modules I've experienced to-date. I strongly recommend this one to any mid-level group.

Just read Robert's review. I honestly couldn't have put it better.

I played this adventure just today and it's on my "never again" list along with the horror that was Skeleton Moon (for interestingly the same reason). It doesn't get one star like Skeleton Moon did, simply because I loved the creative use of the main foil, but it only barely does so. There was only a very small amount of potential roleplay, at the very beginning, and the module quickly degenerated from there into one tough combat after another. The "device" was an interesting addition, and I liked thematically the climax, but again, it was all set amongst the guise of "too difficult."

Honestly I don't get the appeal of the module and found it horribly overrated. It was easily the slowest module I've played through so far, and for something set in Ulstav, I expected it to be A LOT more creepy, but when you find out right away it's a Darklands module, that excitement waned (talk about a bait and switch). I didn't like how the adventure doesn't play well without certain classes, and woe to the group that doesn't have a cleric for no reason other than it has the potential for horrible player deaths (at least at Tier 1-2 where we played). From Tim Hitchcock I expected so much more, which only added to that disappointment.

I will note: I don't mind a challenge, but the potential lethality of this module was inappropriate. I don't care what level you're playing at, creatures with base damage capable of insta-killing party members are neither fun, nor a "challenge" they're just outright cruel to players and do nothing but discourage the player it happens to. This is especially true in Pathfinder Society where a lot of times you're trying to encourage new players to join. 1st level PCs should not be meeting up with one, let alone three creatures that can one-shot party members via spells, special-abilities, or bonuses due to the encounter nor should they have to deal with a certain optional encounter that is all but impossible for a low-level party. In fact, I counted no less than four of these kinds of issues with this module.

A quality design on a quality T-shirt at a reasonable price. Not much more could be asked for.

I was a player in Skeleton Moon which had been translated from Season Zero rules to Pathfinder. Frankly, if this had been my first season zero module, there is a chance I would have outright quit society play. It is only because the encounters were modified for Pathfinder play that things were bearable.

The story behind the module is muddled and uninteresting. I am actually still unsure what was going on, even after it was explained to me by our GM after the module was over. To those who have their hopes up, I can confirm that it has nothing to do with Groteus, and while normally I'm very interested to go and re-read the modules once I'm done playing them, this is one I have not purchased. To add insult to this injury, there is little to no opportunity in the module for anything more than a little intra-party roleplaying.

The encounters blend together and if you have a group with somebody who likes to move ahead even a little bit, you might find yourself enjoying a module that exists as one massive encounter. Unfortunately though, the worst part of the module isn't its challenge (who doesn't enjoy a good challenge?), it was the fact that it's absolutely brutal and has the capability of one-shot killing characters with almost no chance for recourse. If we had been playing with untranslated 3.5 rules from season zero it would have been a TPK on the first encounter, and who wants to show up to a game and not even be able to live past the first encounter? Another encounter later in the module has a creature capable of outright killing characters in one attack without a critical hit.

More than anything, the module was just uninteresting, but combined with the fact that the fights were not challenging, but rather, just outright awful, I honestly can't suggest this module to anybody. In fact, I've just convinced myself to give the module one star (I was about to give it two).

I GMed this adventure for my home PFS group the other month. Sewer adventures always get shafted (no pun intended) and are often boring and derivative. I did not feel this module fit that generalization. While being a fairly standard sewer crawl with a little fun roleplay stuck in the middle and a great backstory, it's different enough to be worth playing.

There are a couple problems though with the module. It does suffer from being a module that doesn't translate well from season zero. With that in mind it's very unfortunate I have to give this module three stars (it is EASILY a four star adventure that suffers from season-zeroitis). It also suffers from having an immensely interesting backstory, but little opportunity to fill in the players with what's going on while trying to work within the time limit of scenario adventures.

Several encounters no longer function as written due to mechanical changes, which in turn removes any and all challenge from the fights. It takes a creative GM who's willing to do the translation of the spirit of the module (not the word of the rules for converting) for this to work well. I think it's far better than a lot of other 1-5 adventures, but as more top-notch stuff comes out, modules like this unfortunately get overshadowed.

I had the opportunity to play Delirium's tangle, and have not yet had the chance to read the module; however, I feel this module is oozing with enough flavor and feel to be a great experience for the players. While being roleplay light, it has some really fun maze mechanics and an enemy that is creepy and unusual. I thought the end-maze trap was devious, and the last fight was both exciting and a challenge for the players. It was also nice to see a module that spans enough time that characters will be challenged to use their spells appropriately.

Groups that really focus on the roleplay might struggle a bit in this one as it doesn't have tons of opportunity for group dynamics and NPC interaction, which is why it did not get a five star review (it would have should it have had the triad of interesting combats, roleplay, and overall challenge), but it is a fun scenario nonetheless.

Craig Shackleton is quickly becoming one of my favorite Pathfinder Society module writers. He knows how to twist together a well written tale that involves roleplaying, fighting, fun environments, and twists and turns in his stories. Assault on the Kingdom of the Impossible, while being one of the worst named modules to date (simply because it's not really an assault on The Kingdom of the Impossible, but rather its enemies), again delivers his unique module design mix.

While not outright difficult, Craig understands that modules are best designed to be a set of connected encounters that alone may not outright kill a party, but together provide the right backdrop to the story and combined challenge for the party. Again this was the case; by using unique environments and opportunities for every class to shine, this module really felt like the right tone and feel we enjoy in our PFS games. Furthermore, the module not only adds in fun roleplay situations (rather than the standard set of combat encounters), it rewards good roleplaying with in-game benefits, something that's been lacking in a lot of other society adventures.

Assault on the Kingdom of the Impossible (or as our GM called it, "Journey to the Center of the Kingdom of the Unpossible") is easily one of the top adventures we've had in society play yet. Highly recommended.

My absolute favorite part of this adventure though...

(Updated after much consideration)

We played The Citadel of Flame in my bi-weekly PFS group about a month back. From a story perspective this is a solid 4 star adventure, but from a design perspective, I'd place this adventure squarely in the "two" category. The three star you see here is me trying to reflect that discrepancy. While the story was fantastically put together and a certain faction mission was absolutely spectacular, this module has at least one encounter which has a serious potential for a TPK. In hindsight, it was probably due to being required to play up a tier, so if you're considering this one, know that doing so is probably not a good idea for a number of reasons. What I mean by this is that if you're an over-sized group of 2 and 3's, Josh has stated you can continue to play at the lower tier; I suggest you do so.

The player that GMed this adventure and I had a fairly long conversation after our game regarding the problems we saw with its design and agreed as both a player and GM on similar problems. First off, the GM wanted to make sure I brought up the layout issues with the adventure itself. The adventure has the map descriptions up front in this adventure and requires quite a bit of flipping back and forth to run adequately. On a couple of occasions he became quite frustrated over trying to keep things straight. Secondly, at times the combats became frustrating for the players because they're difficult to present well. There is one noticeable one in the first half that can cause player frustrations and deaths if not handled properly. Make sure you've read the module over a few times and be ready for some quick thinking. We also felt modules which basically require classes (there are several out there) aren't always the best for society play. God forbid you don't have a rogue and cleric in your party because things get hairy fast.

I really wanted to enjoy the Citadel of Flame more than I did, but unfortunately for our group, it just burned out.

Our regular group of Pathfinders played the Tier 4-5 version of Slave Pits of Absalom yesterday with a group that barely met the appropriate APL requirements with our full party. The result was a good, but combat heavy module that ranged in difficulty from very easy to downright nasty. I would review this module a little closer to the 3.5 mark than the 4 mark, but the ample roleplay opportunities through diplomacy and interrogation made the module gave it a little flavor beyond its combat challenges.

While lacking some of the stand-out features that have made some modules true 4 and 5 star reviews, this one is worth playing through, particularly if you're working with a group of people trying to find their sea legs in Pathfinder Society Play (pun intended).

I ran Black Waters as a GM yesterday for a full group at Tier 1-2 with characters that could typically consider playing up to Tier 4-5. Unfortunately the way this module was written I warned them flat out that doing so would result in a TPK. They (thankfully) took my advice. This is due to the inclusion of creatures which level 1-2 characters do not have the equipment available to handle, nothing more.

I first read Black Waters and hated it. The encounters as written are boring and too easily swing between "this is too easy" and "this is too hard" depending entirely on the group's equipment and headcount. One encounter in Tier 4-5 play is pretty much impossible for a level 3 group with six people to complete without the right equipment (which at that level they may or may not be able to afford). The climax is easier than the fight before it and although it has a fantastically cool effect, it just doesn't flow well. Finally, while I loved that the adventure doesn't end when the characters find the Macguffin, your group can get far too bogged down with the "have we searched everything?" mentality of regular home campaigns.

After putting it down for a few days in an attempt to find a different module I went back because frankly through all those problems, the story is really quite good and has fantastic unexpected twists. So I did the unheard of (Josh plug your ears), I tweaked it a bit. Moving around a couple encounters, adding in a couple very low level monsters as canon fodder, and changing things up a bit made the really boring into something the group really enjoyed. It still had some of the fundamental problems I mentioned, and the group did get bogged down at times, but overall it worked out well.

I was ready to give this mod a 2 star review on gameplay alone. It gets a third because it has some fantastically fun roleplay built in and an utterly fantastic story. With a little bit of work it can turn into something immanently playable.

Edit: While I think the mod is average due to the conversion issues, it should be noted that in a poll of my group for "their favorite module to date", three mentioned The Black Waters, which says something about how well thought-through the story is. It's difficult to run well, but if you turn the creepiness factor up to ten, it can be a very memorable module. For this, I have added one star to my rating.

This review has been updated to the PFS version of Mists of Mwangi instead of the OGL version.

Unfortunately, my review has dropped from a 4-star to a 3-star rating as a result of the update process. While it is still a solid adventure, in comparison with a lot of the newer low-tier modules from seasons 1 and 2, Mists of Mwangi did not translate as well as I had hoped.

Previously I said Mists had a fantastic backdrop; the set-piece of the Blakros Museum is fun and engaging and the flavor provided by this setting really helps make the module. I did though finally decide on a 4-star review originally because this background was so strong. Unfortunately, while that strong background still exists, a number of minor updates really made the module lose some of its charm.

The setting of Mists feels like a nice cross between "A Night at the Museum" and "Evil Dead" and works very well. Easily the shortest of the modules I've played so far, it would be very easy for a group of players to completely bypass the majority of the module with some good dice rolls (avoiding the first encounter altogether) and frankly, reading the door signs. The non-final encounters are varied, and fun for a low-level party. Before I called them lackluster, but now I think they've grown on me. They fit in the adventure well; unfortunately while most well rounded, one in particular falls flat at the low sub-tier with the updates - the one involving the Andoran faction mission specifically.

My main concern regards the final encounter in the adventure. Originally I called the last encounter too difficult. Certain players felt completely ineffectual and the fight dragged on. Oh how the pendulum has swung. The last fight is now an utter cakewalk. Even adding in difficult terrain due to a certain, fun, element in the room, the two bad guys are extremely easy fodder for a moderately well-equipped party (at level 1 it was a blowout, I'd hate to see level 2's play it). In fact, not only have the numbers of the "big-bad-guy" of the original been cut, but its powers are virtually unusable because the fight does not occur outdoors. Even the piddly damage it used to deal has been dropped to near non-existence (seriously, 1d2-4?), and playing hide-and-seek as the module suggests isn't fun because there aren't enough "cannon fodder" creatures to make the fight actually worth playing out. It was unfortunate too, because the ending could be appropriate and climactic, it just wasn't.

I feel bad downgrading my review of this module. I used to like it a lot, now - not nearly as much.

This would have been a four star review, but unfortunately the editing errors, story inconsistencies, and XP problems dropped it down a notch on the reviewer scale. As a solid module, it is unfortunate that it was marred by these kinds of problems, as the kick-off into the story of intrigue behind the Council of Thieves is exciting and interesting. I strongly suggest spending some time on the messageboards reading through the posts outlining these problems as they do help the GM work through how to adjust things to eliminate the biggest concerns.

The other problem with the module revolves around the requirements of the AP itself. This AP more than any others requires very specific kinds of characters who are interested in helping the public and/or Westcrown regain its honor and brilliance in Cheliax. Selfish and evil PCs will have a much harder time integrating with the story. I suggest that GMs spend time really getting to know the entire AP before committing to it, as the brewing background story itself doesn't start picking up until the fourth module.

Through these negatives though the module is really quite a bit of fun. Sean's maze rules are fun to work with, and the encounters are exciting and diverse. You just need to get past all the rough edges to enjoy it all. As an added benefit, the included rules on Tieflings are absolutely fantastic and bring the race into the Pathfinder fold as a viable PC race. The included creature chapter has some fun lower level options as well as the return of a very iconic creature, the rot grub. The GM chapters alone make this book worth the purchase.

I had the opportunity to play through Hydra's Fang with a group of level 1 and 2 Pathfinders. This adventure was very direct and fairly fun with ample opportunities for the group to think creatively and try to solve things without always resorting to swinging their sword (though it helped).

Without spoiling, I can say that the end of this module is excessively difficult for a group of low level characters who are not strong on tactics. I wish it could be toned down, but since modules have to be run as-is, I would strongly suggest the group be level 2 before running or you're likely looking at least a few deaths.

Edit: In hindsight, I find it interesting how often this specific "climax" encounter comes up in society play; it's a little frustrating actually.

Easily one of the coolest minis I have put out by the D&D Minatures line. It has a great deal of heft, and the paint job is one of the best they did. This thing is on a huge base and it brings a real sense of authenticity when you start playing the jaws theme for the group before plopping it on the table.

I enjoyed Yetisburg, not 5-star enjoy, but enjoyed (probably a 3-3.5 review under normal circumstances). The game is fairly fast-paced and easy to learn, both positives for game of this type. The tongue-in-cheek background story adds to the ambiance as you imagine mastodon artillery and giant yetis swarming the battlefield.

Unfortunately, once you get past the shiny coating and fun story, the game itself is just a hair too random. While not obnoxious, this did bring down the overall appeal to the game for me. Strategy is important, but it becomes overshadowed by elements such as pulling to generals to the battlefield, poor drawing of actions you can take, and the completely impossible-to-estimate damage your own troops will do. I understand this is supposed to be one of the entertaining elements of the game, but I feel it just goes a hair too far.

The primary problem with Yetisburg though is that it failed the critical "Girlfriend Test." My gamer girlfriend was barely capable of playing one game and walked away with the comment, "you don't ever need to pull that one out again." Thematically she wasn't that interested, and the randomness screwed with the game so much she couldn't wait for it to be over.

On sale for $5 (as I've heard it does on occasion), this game could be worth it, but at $19.99 I'd suggest spending your gaming dollars on something with a lot more crunch.

Without spilling all the beans for the potential would-be participant of the Sixfold Trial, I will do my best to describe how utterly wonderful this module is.

Our group was looking for a change of pace, and I offered to run a Pathfinder game to introduce the players to the system and to give our tired GM a chance to play for a change. I had just received the Sixfold Trial in the mail and on a lark I read through it; that one reading made me instantly think, "I absolutely have to run this module."

To say that the module is RP oriented would be an understatement. While combat is certainly not ignored, the real inspiration and focus of this adventure is the roleplay opportunities present in running the Sixfold Trial itself. The script is utterly fantastic (though as mentioned it is most certainly for the 16+ crowd), and even an amateur group of which no member had any interest in acting found the rehearsal, play, and estate infiltration, found the game sessions some of the most fun we've ever participated in.

Even the crunchy bits (where "adventuring" and combat are involved) are well written, fun, and poignant to the story with more opportunities for the players to find more creative ways to combat the situations than simply, "I pull out my sword". The Council of Thieves Adventure Path is fun enough as-is, but to climax so early with such an entertaining and fun module has all of us wanting more.

The Skirmish templates are one of my group's most-used gaming accessories (and trust me, we've tried a lot). They're very heavy duty and difficult to bend easily, they transport well, and they do exactly what they're advertised to do. The "Line of Sight Indicator" is a bit cheesy as it's simply a retractable badge holder, but the idea was sound and the addition was welcome in the package.

The biggest deterrent to the product was the price, but at $30, I honestly believe this is the most cost-effective of the Spell Templates with some of the most commonly used spell areas in the game (and those it doesn't have are simply large and unwieldy or small and easy to mark out. A very solid gaming accessory I personally suggest buying if you can get past the price.

#30: Shipyard Rats was a fantastic beginning to Season 1; unfortunately the second episode didn't nearly capture the excitement and challenge of the first.

We had a fantastic GM at Gen Con (go Skylar) and by no means was it his fault, it's just the adventure itself was a little wrote and far more boring than the previous. Where Shipyard Rats showed off the changes to Pathfinder which make it great, the second just felt like a same-old scenario.

Not bad by any means, but just not what I was expecting.

It's been six months since I played through the adventure, but it was a fantastic beginning to Season 1.

Shipyard Rats is not for the feint of heart. The adventure is challenging and there were several TPKs in one combat in particular (our group did just fine, but rumor has it that the group really has to work together to succeed). What's particularly enjoyable about this adventure is the variety of settings and opportunities to really showcase the changes to the Pathfinder system.

Just make sure your group knows that playing smart is the only way to survive.

I had the chance to play this scenario at Gen Con 2010 and had a blast. It's one of the first modules that really gave me the opportunity to play my arrogant wizard out in a manner that was appropriate within the context of a society adventure.

The adventure started a little slow, but between the tremendous RP possibilities and the exciting climax, I'd suggest this adventure to most anybody looking for an low-tier adventure. While challenging, it never felt over-powered, and the situations were varied enough that it never felt like a cookie-cutter adventure.

Well done (again)!

I have both played and GMed The Frozen fingers now and I still believe this is a solid adventure, easily one of the best from season 0. While not as exciting and well put together as Mists of Mwangi or Silent Tide, this module really plays well for a new group of Pathfinders and even with the conversion required to bring it up to the Pathfinder RPG rules, I believe the time and effort is worth it.

It's a fine introduction to Absalom, which is good for society play, and the encounters are nicely varied between non-combat roleplay opportunities and combat encounters. Outside of a few minor errors here and there which might make things confusing, it's overall well written and fun.

Be wary of your group though; a group which is far more interested in plowing through everything in their way might be in for a nasty surprise at the end which would be better handled by non-combat means. If you're worried that your players might just want to fight through everything, the difficulty scales exponentially.

Overall a solid module though.

I have both played and run this module on a number of occasions. It is hands-down in my top 5 favorite Pathfinder Society Modules and probably my #1 favorite "first" module for new players.

Even in the update beyond season zero, it's a real testament to the adventure that it requires absolutely no converting other than CMB/CMD calculations to be ready for post-season 0 play. Not only did it age well, the module is dripping with atmosphere, exciting PCs and villains, role-play opportunities, and some really fun and exciting combat scenarios that require more than simple dice rolling. It is on the easier end of the difficulty scale as it is season 0, and optimized characters will find things easier, but even then I think there's enough going on that the easier combats don't distract from the fun story.

If you're looking for a good starer scenario, I'd suggest this one in a heartbeat. There's a lot going on though, and it can be a four-and-a-half hour scenario, so be cognizant of your players. Unfortunately the "optional" encounter is the module's absolute best, so skipping it would be unfortunate.

In case it's not clear from the description, this is not a subset of the critters present in the Pathfinder Bestiary, it is a book of other critters that are not found anywhere else (though they may as time goes on).

For the grand total of $5, you get a bunch of fun creatures that have received the Pathfinder treatment and could find a spot in any dungeon. If you liked the Bestiary and want a little more, I highly suggest this product. Personally it's a great price-point for a great product.

I'll be honest, I don't like the map packs. The flip mats work well enough, but the map packs wind up getting scattered around the gaming table and lost in the interim between games. I understand the product in concept, but I've never found them terribly useful in practice.

This map pack though got my hearty thumb's up! What I like about it is that it's modular and not necessarily defined by its ability to form a complete map by itself. I've always felt that the downfall of the map packs was how static they were, and with the possible exception of the "campsites" pack, an appropriate time to use them never seemed to come up. This pack though has found uses during exciting wagon chases when one does not want to redraw moving wagon and its horses as they gain ground, lose ground, and move past important landmarks or terrain.

If Paizo puts out more packs like this, I might just become more interested in the product.

I can see where some people might enjoy the map packs. The art is good and the concept is solid, but (with a couple of exceptions) they just aren't for me.

The tile pack comes with a number of tiles that line up via arrows. The tiles do not interlock, which means one table bump or cat adventure means your map will get separated and look like garbage. With some tile sets this can work, but with others (especially those that form large rooms or builds) it doesn't seem to work.

Personally I'd rather use my gaming paper or flip mats to draw out my tavern, but that's just me.

I saw Gaming Paper for the first time at Gen Con this year and I scoffed at the idea. Why bother buying something designed to be thrown out when I have my awesome battlemats? A few nights ago I sat down for the first time ready to pre-draw some maps for an up and coming campaign I'm running and I'm willing to admit, my initial impressions were flat out wrong.

Gaming paper works exactly as advertised. First of all, it lies completely flat on the table after being rolled out (from what their website claims, this is due to the clay coating on the paper). Secondly, the paper took colored Sharpie markers with absolutely no bleed-through or smudging. My maps looked better than anything I've ever done to date simply because I could really take my time, make it look good, and know it's not going to wipe away the first time a player tries to move his mini. A couple of cuts later I rolled the maps back up, stuck them in a poster tube and they were ready to go for the gaming session.

I have to admit, like the creators of Gaming Paper claim, it's not that it's designed to replace the battlemat, but it's intended to be used as another tool in the gaming toolbox. I can pre-draw maps I plan on using a few times over in greater detail than I can on a battlemat, it seems to be durable enough to be used over and over, and it's really not that expensive all things considered. I'll still use the battlemat for quick and dirty encounters, and I like my Paizo flip-mats when appropriate, but this stuff has a place at my gaming table anyday.

(Oh, and I can wrap up presents for gaming friends in it for fun).

I've always been a sucker for books covering the deities of gaming worlds, and Paizo hasn't disappointed (yet again).

This book is very well illustrated and contains a lot of solid information to help both GMs and players alike in understanding the Gods of the Pathfinder world. If you're planning on using the core rules and aren't planning on developing your own pantheon, I'd strongly suggest picking this one up. The only sicking point I had for the book was that the less popular deities (specifically racial deities and Besmara) didn't get nearly as many words as they deserved.

The content of this book really is five-star material, but I dropped it to four simply because if you're running homebrew or any of the other major pre-developed worlds out there, the materials contained within won't be a whole lot of extra use to your campaign.

I bought Classic Monsters Revisited on the high recommendations it had been getting here. I wasn't disappointed.

Anybody looking for a game book which details rules, feats, powers, equipment, and "crunch" regarding classics such as Bugbears, Orcs, Gnolls, Goblins, and others turn away, because this book contains little to none. What the book does have is flavor dripping from its pages in what can only be described as one of the best "fluff" books on monster ecologies ever written.

I can't say much beyond what's already been said other than this:

If you're looking for a unique way to present older creatures which may have worn out some of their appeal other than that of canon fodder, look no further. You'll look at everything in slightly new light (and will never look at Goblins the same way again) and I can guarantee you'll WANT your group to meet up with your goblins, orcs, and hobgoblins just for the role-playing opportunities.

After only 3 years of selling D&D 3.5, Wizards of the Coast has delivered the new edition of 4E with much fanfare, rejoicing, and for some, sorrow. Unfortunately, in their effort to deliver an "upgrade" to the system, they have turned D&D into an action movie; all special effects but no soul. Much like a Michael Bay movie, the bright flash of the system rules the show, not the creative power of the players. Gone are the nearly limitless possibilities of character creation, instead replaced with a collection of "powers" for all classes, designed with the specific intent to make everybody "special" and "powerful" from the get-go. Characters lose a lot of their uniqueness, and the system rewards a very cut-and-dry boardgame style of play, instead of the free-form design of the previous editions. In playing the game I felt like all the fun had been sucked out of the room to be replaced with something foreign and frankly not enjoyable.

Sure, the game looks great, but behind that glossy cover and bright pictures is a product of over engineering and unneeded changes to a system that may have had its flaws, but did not deserve this kind of treatment. The very nature of how the game was released, and the extent of the changes made only leaves a further sour taste in my mouth and a response of "what's the point, why not just continue to play what I enjoy and save my money to spend on Paizo products!"

While my complains of the game are extraordinary negative, they all revolve around the fact that this is not D&D - it is a fancy board game with $100 of manuals that (according to WotC) will be upgraded regularly with further expansion packs...I mean splatbooks for everything from the missing races, the further "powers". I really wanted to like 4E, I went to my first 4E experience with a level of excitement I'd not had while gaming in years. I left feeling like somebody kicked my dog. If the future of gaming is really here with 4E, I'd rather find a time-machine.