paizo.com Recent Reviews by Ryan. Costellopaizo.com Recent Reviews by Ryan. Costello2024-03-18T14:08:10Z2024-03-18T14:08:10ZPathfinder Society Scenario #5–06: You Have What You Hold (PFRPG) PDF: Smooth and innovative, a great example of season 5 (4 stars)Ryan. Costellohttps://paizo.com/products/btpy91td?Pathfinder-Society-Scenario-5-06-You-Have-What-You-Hold2014-01-17T02:09:06Z<p><b>Pathfinder Society Scenario #5–06: You Have What You Hold (PFRPG) PDF</b></p><p>I ran You Have What You Hold subtier 3-4 for a group of six players (Inquisitor 3, Ninja 3, Oracle 3, Fighter/Cavalier 2/1, Druid 3, Witch 7). Both the ninja and the witch were Sczarni faction members. Right off the top, You Have What You Hold promises a new spin on an old trope, sets and delivers on expectations, and allows player agency in almost every act. Multiple times, the degree of success of the PCs in one act directly impacts the following act, and at no point does complete failure (outside of a TPK in combat) halt the adventure or lead to a forced work-around. The faction mission is well-integrated, clear, and intriguing. </p>
<p><b>Getting Started</b>
<br />
[Spoiler omitted]</p>
<p><b> A. Dockside Deception</b>
<br />
[Spoiler omitted]</p>
<p><b> B. Bait on the Sellen</b>
<br />
[Spoiler omitted]</p>
<p><b> C. Bessie's Bayou</b>
<br />
[Spoiler omitted]</p>
<p><b>Return to Tymon</b>
<br />
[Spoiler omitted]</p>
<p><b>D. The Arena of Aroden</b>
<br />
[Spoiler omitted]</p>
<p><b> Conclusion</b>
<br />
[Spoiler omitted]</p>
<p>Overall a fist-pumping good time. I recommend to any GM who likes roleplaying and can handle complicated crunch, or vice versa, and highly recommend to any Sczarni player invested in the season 5 faction mission.</p><p><b>Pathfinder Society Scenario #5–06: You Have What You Hold (PFRPG) PDF</b></p><p>I ran You Have What You Hold subtier 3-4 for a group of six players (Inquisitor 3, Ninja 3, Oracle 3, Fighter/Cavalier 2/1, Druid 3, Witch 7). Both the ninja and the witch were Sczarni faction members. Right off the top, You Have What You Hold promises a new spin on an old trope, sets and delivers on expectations, and allows player agency in almost every act. Multiple times, the degree of success of the PCs in one act directly impacts the following act, and at no point does complete failure (outside of a TPK in combat) halt the adventure or lead to a forced work-around. The faction mission is well-integrated, clear, and intriguing. </p>
<p><b>Getting Started</b>
<br />
[Spoiler omitted]</p>
<p><b> A. Dockside Deception</b>
<br />
[Spoiler omitted]</p>
<p><b> B. Bait on the Sellen</b>
<br />
[Spoiler omitted]</p>
<p><b> C. Bessie's Bayou</b>
<br />
[Spoiler omitted]</p>
<p><b>Return to Tymon</b>
<br />
[Spoiler omitted]</p>
<p><b>D. The Arena of Aroden</b>
<br />
[Spoiler omitted]</p>
<p><b> Conclusion</b>
<br />
[Spoiler omitted]</p>
<p>Overall a fist-pumping good time. I recommend to any GM who likes roleplaying and can handle complicated crunch, or vice versa, and highly recommend to any Sczarni player invested in the season 5 faction mission.</p>Ryan. Costello2014-01-17T02:09:06ZPathfinder Society Scenario #5–03: The Hellknight's Feast (PFRPG) PDF: Excellent balance of roleplaying and investigationRyan. Costellohttps://paizo.com/products/btpy8xkh?Pathfinder-Society-Scenario-5-03-The-Hellknights-Feast2013-09-24T01:18:25Z<p><b>Pathfinder Society Scenario #5–03: The Hellknight's Feast (PFRPG) PDF</b></p><p>I ran this scenario at subtier 5-6 for a group of 4 players (wizard 8, witch 6, cleric 6, rogue 6). Three of my PCs had played in Blakros Matrimony with the same characters, so they were familiar with the influencing subsystem from that scenario. I played in Blakros Matrimony but haven’t run it or read it, so I can’t speak to the particulars of how the influencing subsystems compare, but at a glance they were similar, but I found the setting clearer and the transitions between scenes smoother. In particular, I appreciated having the three word summaries of each NPC’s personality. Also, this has been clarified by other reviews but it bears repeating: you CAN use Bluff and Diplomacy to interact with any and all NPCs. The listed skills are in addition to Bluff and Diplomacy and specific to each NPC. </p>
<p>Three of my players chose to fully engage in the roleplaying, going back and forth two or three times with the NPCs they were trying to influence at each opportunity. The fourth was content to interact minimally and roll the dice. Both styles are fully supported and allow RP inclined players to indulge without forcing RP uninclined players into uncomfortable position. The influencing NPCs does dominate the first portion of the scenario, but there are a few investigation interludes and a combat to break things up. </p>
<p>At one point, I became nervous that my players would be disappointed by the scenario’s end game:
<br />
[Spoiler omitted]</p>
<p>The scenario runs long, as often happens with scenarios that involve sandbox exploration, and lots of open-ended roleplaying. Thanks to the wizard succeeding by more than 5 multiple times, my group didn’t have to influence as often and the scenario still went long. Luckily we still had time for the optional encounter, as it felt important to the flow of the scenario. </p>
<p>The final encounter was extremely difficult, with a wide variety of tricks in the villains’ bag. It made things that much more interesting, particularly because of the number of uncommon monsters used. I would have assumed the scenario requires a very specific party balance to accommodate the mix of skill demands and unusual opponents, but my group was hardly an optimal party and yet they both succeeded handily and had fun doing it.</p><p><b>Pathfinder Society Scenario #5–03: The Hellknight's Feast (PFRPG) PDF</b></p><p>I ran this scenario at subtier 5-6 for a group of 4 players (wizard 8, witch 6, cleric 6, rogue 6). Three of my PCs had played in Blakros Matrimony with the same characters, so they were familiar with the influencing subsystem from that scenario. I played in Blakros Matrimony but haven’t run it or read it, so I can’t speak to the particulars of how the influencing subsystems compare, but at a glance they were similar, but I found the setting clearer and the transitions between scenes smoother. In particular, I appreciated having the three word summaries of each NPC’s personality. Also, this has been clarified by other reviews but it bears repeating: you CAN use Bluff and Diplomacy to interact with any and all NPCs. The listed skills are in addition to Bluff and Diplomacy and specific to each NPC. </p>
<p>Three of my players chose to fully engage in the roleplaying, going back and forth two or three times with the NPCs they were trying to influence at each opportunity. The fourth was content to interact minimally and roll the dice. Both styles are fully supported and allow RP inclined players to indulge without forcing RP uninclined players into uncomfortable position. The influencing NPCs does dominate the first portion of the scenario, but there are a few investigation interludes and a combat to break things up. </p>
<p>At one point, I became nervous that my players would be disappointed by the scenario’s end game:
<br />
[Spoiler omitted]</p>
<p>The scenario runs long, as often happens with scenarios that involve sandbox exploration, and lots of open-ended roleplaying. Thanks to the wizard succeeding by more than 5 multiple times, my group didn’t have to influence as often and the scenario still went long. Luckily we still had time for the optional encounter, as it felt important to the flow of the scenario. </p>
<p>The final encounter was extremely difficult, with a wide variety of tricks in the villains’ bag. It made things that much more interesting, particularly because of the number of uncommon monsters used. I would have assumed the scenario requires a very specific party balance to accommodate the mix of skill demands and unusual opponents, but my group was hardly an optimal party and yet they both succeeded handily and had fun doing it.</p>Ryan. Costello2013-09-24T01:18:25ZPathfinder Society Scenario #3-19: The Icebound Outpost (PFRPG) PDF: Great For Novices, But Noticeably Light (3 stars)Ryan. Costellohttps://paizo.com/products/btpy8qpz?Pathfinder-Society-Scenario-319-The-Icebound-Outpost2013-03-03T13:21:54Z<p><b>Pathfinder Society Scenario #3-19: The Icebound Outpost (PFRPG) PDF</b></p><p>Ran Tier 1 for five players, four of whom were playing their first or second PFS game, two of whom had played Temple of Empyreal Enlightenment.
<br />
This scenario had a lot of what I appreciate in a game for novice players. The action was player-directed, but only after establishing boundaries. The scenario called out that action (specifically noise) in certain rooms influenced the creatures in adjacent rooms. As a GM, I am expected to run the scenario as written, so I appreciated when the scenario makes contentions for that kind of logic.
<br />
The encounters were a bit on the easy side, which I appreciated because so many of my players were new and they did not have a dedicated healer in the party, nor an opportunity for the druid to rest and memorize CLW. One of the PCs was unconscious by the end of three of the encounters, and two more were unconscious by the end of the final encounter, so any greater difficulty and these new players might have had a much more disappointing experience. I appreciated that the NPCs were virtually all equipped with potions of CLW, which were basically the only reason the players were able to complete the scenario.
<br />
The scenario reads like a series of encounters, but there are enough hooks within those encounters that lead to a lot of roleplaying and deduction. Most of the questions the players had for the captured villains and rescued slaves were accounted for in the scenario.
<br />
The faction missions were clear and easily accomplished. Too often I’ve had new players latch onto faction missions as the aspect of PFS that excites them most only to have that excitement squashed when they fail their faction mission not through poor tactics or not paying attention but because the skill checks required were unusual or trained only skills with nearly impossible DCs. I accept that faction mission success should not be a foregone conclusion, but I wish it was easier for new players. This scenario’s faction missions were largely binary and plot adjacent, so the players each got to ask questions that befuddled their party mates and had moments in the spotlight.
<br />
My major complaint is that the scenario felt like only the first part of the story. It was a metaplot-heavy scenario that engaged the players, but also left them disappointed that they could not follow-up on the Round Mountain bread crumbs until at least 7th level, which will take them years at the pace my area levels at.
<br />
Earlier I brought up the Temple of Empyreal Enlightenment. Both players that had played in that scenario brought up how similar the two scenarios are in setup and somewhat in delivery. They are both low-level single map, exploration-based Season 3 scenarios within the Hao-Jin Tapestry. They play out very differently, but not without a fair bit of “been there, done that” feeling.
<br />
Overall, the players had fun, I had fun. Everyone wanted more, but in a good and bad way. This is a great model for how to balance and outline scenarios for novice players, but it could have some variety to conclude the adventure.</p><p><b>Pathfinder Society Scenario #3-19: The Icebound Outpost (PFRPG) PDF</b></p><p>Ran Tier 1 for five players, four of whom were playing their first or second PFS game, two of whom had played Temple of Empyreal Enlightenment.
<br />
This scenario had a lot of what I appreciate in a game for novice players. The action was player-directed, but only after establishing boundaries. The scenario called out that action (specifically noise) in certain rooms influenced the creatures in adjacent rooms. As a GM, I am expected to run the scenario as written, so I appreciated when the scenario makes contentions for that kind of logic.
<br />
The encounters were a bit on the easy side, which I appreciated because so many of my players were new and they did not have a dedicated healer in the party, nor an opportunity for the druid to rest and memorize CLW. One of the PCs was unconscious by the end of three of the encounters, and two more were unconscious by the end of the final encounter, so any greater difficulty and these new players might have had a much more disappointing experience. I appreciated that the NPCs were virtually all equipped with potions of CLW, which were basically the only reason the players were able to complete the scenario.
<br />
The scenario reads like a series of encounters, but there are enough hooks within those encounters that lead to a lot of roleplaying and deduction. Most of the questions the players had for the captured villains and rescued slaves were accounted for in the scenario.
<br />
The faction missions were clear and easily accomplished. Too often I’ve had new players latch onto faction missions as the aspect of PFS that excites them most only to have that excitement squashed when they fail their faction mission not through poor tactics or not paying attention but because the skill checks required were unusual or trained only skills with nearly impossible DCs. I accept that faction mission success should not be a foregone conclusion, but I wish it was easier for new players. This scenario’s faction missions were largely binary and plot adjacent, so the players each got to ask questions that befuddled their party mates and had moments in the spotlight.
<br />
My major complaint is that the scenario felt like only the first part of the story. It was a metaplot-heavy scenario that engaged the players, but also left them disappointed that they could not follow-up on the Round Mountain bread crumbs until at least 7th level, which will take them years at the pace my area levels at.
<br />
Earlier I brought up the Temple of Empyreal Enlightenment. Both players that had played in that scenario brought up how similar the two scenarios are in setup and somewhat in delivery. They are both low-level single map, exploration-based Season 3 scenarios within the Hao-Jin Tapestry. They play out very differently, but not without a fair bit of “been there, done that” feeling.
<br />
Overall, the players had fun, I had fun. Everyone wanted more, but in a good and bad way. This is a great model for how to balance and outline scenarios for novice players, but it could have some variety to conclude the adventure.</p>Ryan. Costello2013-03-03T13:21:54Z