paizo.com Recent Reviews of GameMastery Module U1: Gallery of Evil (OGL)paizo.com Recent Reviews of GameMastery Module U1: Gallery of Evil (OGL)2022-12-30T02:30:08Z2022-12-30T02:30:08ZGameMastery Module U1: Gallery of Evil (OGL): But is it art? Yeah. (4 stars)Jhaemanhttps://paizo.com/products/btpy804h?GameMastery-Module-U1-Gallery-of-Evil2022-12-30T02:26:52Z<p><b>GameMastery Module U1: Gallery of Evil (OGL)</b></p><p>NO SPOILERS</p>
<p>As part of my “Roots of Golarion” campaign, I ran <b><i>Gallery of Evil</b></i> recently (making the minor conversions necessary for Pathfinder characters). As the back cover states, it’s the first Paizo product to have detailed information on (part of) of Absalom. It’s always fun to see how such iconic locations began! The adventure itself has a really interesting, original premise, and the first half has a great combination of action, role-playing, and investigation. The second half devolves into a more traditional dungeon crawl and is less memorable, though it’s fine. I’d still recommend the module, as an enterprising GM could make some adjustments to the second half to bring in more of Absalom’s flavour while keeping the essential beats.</p>
<p>Let’s get into the art and back matter. The cover is really fun, though just a few more visual touches to make it clear the monster is coming out of the painting (as opposed to a doorway or window) would have helped explain the theme. The inside front cover contains maps of encounter locations in the adventure—they’re not beautiful, but certainly usable. The interior art really varies in style, but it’s pretty good for the most part. The adventure itself takes about 22 pages, leaving 10 pages of back matter. Appendix # 1 is “The Ivy District”, a gazetteer of a particular neighborhood in Absalom, and it contains a fair amount of information (with a couple of potential adventure hooks). I didn’t know (or had forgotten) that one of the Foxgloves lives in Absalom! Appendix # 2 is “New Monsters”. I absolutely love the artwork for the Shadowy Lurker, even if its abilities are a bit of a pain to run. The other new addition is a template, “Painted Creation”, a type of animated object/construct. Original and useful. Appendix # 3 is “New Items”, and it includes <i>Numerian leaf armor, id portraits, portraits of health</i>, and <i>sorcerous pigments</i>. The inside back cover is a very god map of the Ivy District, suitable for photocopying and handing out to players.</p>
<p>[Spoiler omitted]</p><p><b>GameMastery Module U1: Gallery of Evil (OGL)</b></p><p>NO SPOILERS</p>
<p>As part of my “Roots of Golarion” campaign, I ran <b><i>Gallery of Evil</b></i> recently (making the minor conversions necessary for Pathfinder characters). As the back cover states, it’s the first Paizo product to have detailed information on (part of) of Absalom. It’s always fun to see how such iconic locations began! The adventure itself has a really interesting, original premise, and the first half has a great combination of action, role-playing, and investigation. The second half devolves into a more traditional dungeon crawl and is less memorable, though it’s fine. I’d still recommend the module, as an enterprising GM could make some adjustments to the second half to bring in more of Absalom’s flavour while keeping the essential beats.</p>
<p>Let’s get into the art and back matter. The cover is really fun, though just a few more visual touches to make it clear the monster is coming out of the painting (as opposed to a doorway or window) would have helped explain the theme. The inside front cover contains maps of encounter locations in the adventure—they’re not beautiful, but certainly usable. The interior art really varies in style, but it’s pretty good for the most part. The adventure itself takes about 22 pages, leaving 10 pages of back matter. Appendix # 1 is “The Ivy District”, a gazetteer of a particular neighborhood in Absalom, and it contains a fair amount of information (with a couple of potential adventure hooks). I didn’t know (or had forgotten) that one of the Foxgloves lives in Absalom! Appendix # 2 is “New Monsters”. I absolutely love the artwork for the Shadowy Lurker, even if its abilities are a bit of a pain to run. The other new addition is a template, “Painted Creation”, a type of animated object/construct. Original and useful. Appendix # 3 is “New Items”, and it includes <i>Numerian leaf armor, id portraits, portraits of health</i>, and <i>sorcerous pigments</i>. The inside back cover is a very god map of the Ivy District, suitable for photocopying and handing out to players.</p>
<p>[Spoiler omitted]</p>Jhaeman2022-12-30T02:26:52ZGameMastery Module U1: Gallery of Evil (OGL): Nice Ideas (4 stars)Sven Adamhttps://paizo.com/products/btpy804h?GameMastery-Module-U1-Gallery-of-Evil2014-12-15T11:01:39Z<p><b>GameMastery Module U1: Gallery of Evil (OGL)</b></p><p>I played it with four Players but one got killed near the final encounter and so the group died against the foe. But There where many nice Ideas! We liked it and ready to start a second run! - Sorry for my bad english! -</p><p><b>GameMastery Module U1: Gallery of Evil (OGL)</b></p><p>I played it with four Players but one got killed near the final encounter and so the group died against the foe. But There where many nice Ideas! We liked it and ready to start a second run! - Sorry for my bad english! -</p>Sven Adam2014-12-15T11:01:39ZGameMastery Module U1: Gallery of Evil (OGL): Solid urban module. (4 stars)Gorbaczhttps://paizo.com/products/btpy804h?GameMastery-Module-U1-Gallery-of-Evil2009-03-24T16:01:44Z<p><b>GameMastery Module U1: Gallery of Evil (OGL)</b></p><p>A very good, clearly written urban adventure. The whole "murder paintings" concept is handled elegantly with monsters and items that support the theme. Good art and cartography.</p>
<p>My only problem is that the second part of the adventure is a dungeon crawl, which might be a letdown for those who look for a "pure" urban adventure.</p>
<p>Still, Gallery of Evil did a great job of being a sidetrek in my RotRL campaign. Recommended !</p><p><b>GameMastery Module U1: Gallery of Evil (OGL)</b></p><p>A very good, clearly written urban adventure. The whole "murder paintings" concept is handled elegantly with monsters and items that support the theme. Good art and cartography.</p>
<p>My only problem is that the second part of the adventure is a dungeon crawl, which might be a letdown for those who look for a "pure" urban adventure.</p>
<p>Still, Gallery of Evil did a great job of being a sidetrek in my RotRL campaign. Recommended !</p>Gorbacz2009-03-24T16:01:44ZGameMastery Module U1: Gallery of Evil (OGL): Great adventure (4 stars)Brian Carpenterhttps://paizo.com/products/btpy804h?GameMastery-Module-U1-Gallery-of-Evil2008-07-29T19:06:30Z<p><b>GameMastery Module U1: Gallery of Evil (OGL)</b></p><p>I purchased this adventure initially just to read through it. However, upon doing so, I immediately incorporated it into my Rise of the Runelords game.</p>
<p>The entire first half of the adventure is a fantastic race around the city. The encounters are varied enough so that it doesn't feel like the same thing over and over. Chases, combat against giant apes, a party and hellish landscapes keep the players guessing the entire time. The second half of the module transforms into a dungeon crawl but set in a modern home with fantastic creatures and traps. </p>
<p>The core of the module worked great even when I scaled the encounters to fit my groups level. This module now has me watching for other work by Stephen Greer.</p><p><b>GameMastery Module U1: Gallery of Evil (OGL)</b></p><p>I purchased this adventure initially just to read through it. However, upon doing so, I immediately incorporated it into my Rise of the Runelords game.</p>
<p>The entire first half of the adventure is a fantastic race around the city. The encounters are varied enough so that it doesn't feel like the same thing over and over. Chases, combat against giant apes, a party and hellish landscapes keep the players guessing the entire time. The second half of the module transforms into a dungeon crawl but set in a modern home with fantastic creatures and traps. </p>
<p>The core of the module worked great even when I scaled the encounters to fit my groups level. This module now has me watching for other work by Stephen Greer.</p>Brian Carpenter2008-07-29T19:06:30ZGameMastery Module U1: Gallery of Evil (OGL): Awesome and very unique! (5 stars)Blackdragonhttps://paizo.com/products/btpy804h?GameMastery-Module-U1-Gallery-of-Evil2008-06-02T05:10:55Z<p><b>GameMastery Module U1: Gallery of Evil (OGL)</b></p><p>Just got done preping this one to run. I picked it up a our FLGS and I have to say: Wow!Sharp, creative and alot of fun. outstanding.</p><p><b>GameMastery Module U1: Gallery of Evil (OGL)</b></p><p>Just got done preping this one to run. I picked it up a our FLGS and I have to say: Wow!Sharp, creative and alot of fun. outstanding.</p>Blackdragon2008-06-02T05:10:55ZGameMastery Module U1: Gallery of Evil (OGL): art for murder's sake (4 stars)Lord Snowhttps://paizo.com/products/btpy804h?GameMastery-Module-U1-Gallery-of-Evil2008-05-10T17:15:24Z<p><b>GameMastery Module U1: Gallery of Evil (OGL)</b></p><p>coming down to the bottom line, "gallery of evil" is well worth the price.
<br />
i started with the bottom line becuese untill you reach it, you have to go through lot's of trouble.
<br />
allow me to explain:
<br />
most of the adventure is a duengeon crowl. A good one, but still a duengeon crawl. I have orderd an urban adventure, and I fealt that the one hour part of the adventure when your'e actually in the city hadn't provided.</p>
<p>in adittion, some of the scenes could have been handeld better, and i had to do some work myself fixing them.</p><p><b>GameMastery Module U1: Gallery of Evil (OGL)</b></p><p>coming down to the bottom line, "gallery of evil" is well worth the price.
<br />
i started with the bottom line becuese untill you reach it, you have to go through lot's of trouble.
<br />
allow me to explain:
<br />
most of the adventure is a duengeon crowl. A good one, but still a duengeon crawl. I have orderd an urban adventure, and I fealt that the one hour part of the adventure when your'e actually in the city hadn't provided.</p>
<p>in adittion, some of the scenes could have been handeld better, and i had to do some work myself fixing them.</p>Lord Snow2008-05-10T17:15:24ZGameMastery Module U1: Gallery of Evil (OGL): Intense Encounters (5 stars)Kensanatahttps://paizo.com/products/btpy804h?GameMastery-Module-U1-Gallery-of-Evil2007-12-23T23:57:14Z<p><b>GameMastery Module U1: Gallery of Evil (OGL)</b></p><p>We played through this adventure in a single one-shot ten hour session (including some pizza, cookies, tons of tea & coffee). Half of the players used the pregen characters, the other two created their own.</p>
<p>LIKED: Maps had a small number of obviously interesting rooms. It was possible to skip the rest of the rooms without loosing anything.</p>
<p>Clever playing obviated the need to fight three of the picture encounters.</p>
<p>The players liked the sense of urgency, and they were totally interested in finding out what had happened to the villain’s competitor who had disappeared. The pictures themselves invited a lot of speculation on how they worked, which was fun.</p>
<p>The DM (me) liked the relatively simple encounters. Each one was a challenge for the players and yet easy to run.</p>
<p>DISLIKED: Many of the encounters involve constructs, allowing no criticals, no flanking, and no sneak attack. A sad day for a rogue.</p>
<p>The first encounters was an instant kill for the fighter who entered the room. We rebooted the adventure, but it took us a moment to get over it. Obviously I had missed the Full Attack potential of these two critters.</p>
<p>Sometimes the sense of urgency the players felt was hard to translate into events. Showing through the crowds in the ballroom with all the distractions and trying to do it by the rules was not too exciting.</p>
<p>BOTH: One of the villains has Improved Sunder and used it to his advantage. This aggravated the players to no end. The DM (me) loved it, because the sorcerer cast Grease on the villain’s weapon, and we had all sorts of grappling, unarmed Disarm attempts, Bull Rush to push enemies away from their weapons, climbing of tapestry as soon as the enemy was disarmed, and backstabbing. Exciting encounters!</p><p><b>GameMastery Module U1: Gallery of Evil (OGL)</b></p><p>We played through this adventure in a single one-shot ten hour session (including some pizza, cookies, tons of tea & coffee). Half of the players used the pregen characters, the other two created their own.</p>
<p>LIKED: Maps had a small number of obviously interesting rooms. It was possible to skip the rest of the rooms without loosing anything.</p>
<p>Clever playing obviated the need to fight three of the picture encounters.</p>
<p>The players liked the sense of urgency, and they were totally interested in finding out what had happened to the villain’s competitor who had disappeared. The pictures themselves invited a lot of speculation on how they worked, which was fun.</p>
<p>The DM (me) liked the relatively simple encounters. Each one was a challenge for the players and yet easy to run.</p>
<p>DISLIKED: Many of the encounters involve constructs, allowing no criticals, no flanking, and no sneak attack. A sad day for a rogue.</p>
<p>The first encounters was an instant kill for the fighter who entered the room. We rebooted the adventure, but it took us a moment to get over it. Obviously I had missed the Full Attack potential of these two critters.</p>
<p>Sometimes the sense of urgency the players felt was hard to translate into events. Showing through the crowds in the ballroom with all the distractions and trying to do it by the rules was not too exciting.</p>
<p>BOTH: One of the villains has Improved Sunder and used it to his advantage. This aggravated the players to no end. The DM (me) loved it, because the sorcerer cast Grease on the villain’s weapon, and we had all sorts of grappling, unarmed Disarm attempts, Bull Rush to push enemies away from their weapons, climbing of tapestry as soon as the enemy was disarmed, and backstabbing. Exciting encounters!</p>Kensanata2007-12-23T23:57:14ZGameMastery Module U1: Gallery of Evil (OGL): Night Gallery meets D&D (4 stars)Tars Tarkashttps://paizo.com/products/btpy804h?GameMastery-Module-U1-Gallery-of-Evil2007-12-05T07:36:07Z<p><b>GameMastery Module U1: Gallery of Evil (OGL)</b></p><p>This is a well-written, episodic adventure.</p>
<p>Aspects of the module that presented worlds within themselves (like <i>Rod Serling's Night Gallery</i> TV show from those days of yesteryear) could have been expanded upon and would have added to the macabre nature of the adventure.</p>
<p>Overall, a creative exploration of what heroes might do in their spare time in the "Uppity" section of a large city along with some interesting creatures (egotistical elven painters) and magic items (paints and paintings) make this an adventure worth reading and playing!</p><p><b>GameMastery Module U1: Gallery of Evil (OGL)</b></p><p>This is a well-written, episodic adventure.</p>
<p>Aspects of the module that presented worlds within themselves (like <i>Rod Serling's Night Gallery</i> TV show from those days of yesteryear) could have been expanded upon and would have added to the macabre nature of the adventure.</p>
<p>Overall, a creative exploration of what heroes might do in their spare time in the "Uppity" section of a large city along with some interesting creatures (egotistical elven painters) and magic items (paints and paintings) make this an adventure worth reading and playing!</p>Tars Tarkas2007-12-05T07:36:07ZGameMastery Module U1: Gallery of Evil (OGL): Great concept, poor implementation (2 stars)Kryptonian Scionhttps://paizo.com/products/btpy804h?GameMastery-Module-U1-Gallery-of-Evil2007-12-04T20:17:34Z<p><b>GameMastery Module U1: Gallery of Evil (OGL)</b></p><p>Reading the blurb for this module excited me. I love urban adventures. In particular, the following line is what made made up my mind on the purchase of Gallery of Evil:</p>
<p>"When the mad painter’s visions come to life, the heroes find themselves entering his crazed landscapes to find a way to stop them from tearing the city apart."</p>
<p>Unfortunately, the adventure doesn't deliver. The heroes go into exactly ONE painting, and the landscape within features a single encounter. A fun encounter, to be sure, but not enough to make good on the blurb's promise.</p>
<p>The storyline leading up to the villain's mansion is very linear. The DM leads the PCs through several encounters by the nose, battering them with "clues" until, finally, their attention is forced to a painting of the villain that they would normally pay no attention to.</p>
<p>The saving grace of Gallery of Evil is the villain's lair at the end of the adventure, and the villain himself. Imron is presented in a unique fashion and, in a way, the heroes get to fight him three times — a great way to get a party emotional invested in defeating their nemesis without using the old "teleport and fight another day" trick.</p>
<p>Overall a brilliant concept that was implemented poorly. Sorry Mister Greer.</p><p><b>GameMastery Module U1: Gallery of Evil (OGL)</b></p><p>Reading the blurb for this module excited me. I love urban adventures. In particular, the following line is what made made up my mind on the purchase of Gallery of Evil:</p>
<p>"When the mad painter’s visions come to life, the heroes find themselves entering his crazed landscapes to find a way to stop them from tearing the city apart."</p>
<p>Unfortunately, the adventure doesn't deliver. The heroes go into exactly ONE painting, and the landscape within features a single encounter. A fun encounter, to be sure, but not enough to make good on the blurb's promise.</p>
<p>The storyline leading up to the villain's mansion is very linear. The DM leads the PCs through several encounters by the nose, battering them with "clues" until, finally, their attention is forced to a painting of the villain that they would normally pay no attention to.</p>
<p>The saving grace of Gallery of Evil is the villain's lair at the end of the adventure, and the villain himself. Imron is presented in a unique fashion and, in a way, the heroes get to fight him three times — a great way to get a party emotional invested in defeating their nemesis without using the old "teleport and fight another day" trick.</p>
<p>Overall a brilliant concept that was implemented poorly. Sorry Mister Greer.</p>Kryptonian Scion2007-12-04T20:17:34ZGameMastery Module U1: Gallery of Evil (OGL): Good urban adventure (4 stars)Benoist Poiréhttps://paizo.com/products/btpy804h?GameMastery-Module-U1-Gallery-of-Evil2007-11-16T21:35:01Z<p><b>GameMastery Module U1: Gallery of Evil (OGL)</b></p><p>It's simple, straightforward, and very flavorful. The encounters, the villain, it's all classic and yet stuffed with twists which will make the whole experience worthwhile at the game table. </p>
<p>I found the investigation part too linear, personally, which can bring a risk of railroading, but nothing a vigilant DM can't avoid: there is enough room between the different encounters to customize the investigation and make it feel like it fits the players' style.</p><p><b>GameMastery Module U1: Gallery of Evil (OGL)</b></p><p>It's simple, straightforward, and very flavorful. The encounters, the villain, it's all classic and yet stuffed with twists which will make the whole experience worthwhile at the game table. </p>
<p>I found the investigation part too linear, personally, which can bring a risk of railroading, but nothing a vigilant DM can't avoid: there is enough room between the different encounters to customize the investigation and make it feel like it fits the players' style.</p>Benoist Poiré2007-11-16T21:35:01ZGameMastery Module U1: Gallery of Evil (OGL): An RPG Resource Review (5 stars)Megan Robertsonhttps://paizo.com/products/btpy804h?GameMastery-Module-U1-Gallery-of-Evil2007-11-11T12:23:42Z<p><b>GameMastery Module U1: Gallery of Evil (OGL)</b></p><p>Paintings don't often feature large in the average adventure - perhaps a bit of colour on the wall, perhaps even something worth looting once the monsters have been slain, occasionally there's a clue there if you examine it closely. But put an evil wizard with artistic talent in front of a blank canvas and the results can be... interesting.</p>
<p>It all begins with a letter, summoning the characters to the city of Absalom, probably the largest and most sophisticated city in the setting used by Paizo for all Pathfinder product. A wealthy philanthropist and sponsor of adventurers (who might well have financed some of the characters' earlier exploits) needs their help. And so off they go...</p>
<p>The adventure, beginning with the discovery of a bloody murder, is a heady mix of investigation and combat with plenty of opportunity for characters with a wide range of skills to shine. They'll need social skills as well as brainpower and fighting abilities, though, as they'll be mixing with the cream of Absalom society - there are some excellent opportunities for role-playing. Indeed, if you and your players enjoy urban adventures with plenty of interaction, where a good mind and ready tongue get as much exercise as the sword arm, this comes highly recommended.</p><p><b>GameMastery Module U1: Gallery of Evil (OGL)</b></p><p>Paintings don't often feature large in the average adventure - perhaps a bit of colour on the wall, perhaps even something worth looting once the monsters have been slain, occasionally there's a clue there if you examine it closely. But put an evil wizard with artistic talent in front of a blank canvas and the results can be... interesting.</p>
<p>It all begins with a letter, summoning the characters to the city of Absalom, probably the largest and most sophisticated city in the setting used by Paizo for all Pathfinder product. A wealthy philanthropist and sponsor of adventurers (who might well have financed some of the characters' earlier exploits) needs their help. And so off they go...</p>
<p>The adventure, beginning with the discovery of a bloody murder, is a heady mix of investigation and combat with plenty of opportunity for characters with a wide range of skills to shine. They'll need social skills as well as brainpower and fighting abilities, though, as they'll be mixing with the cream of Absalom society - there are some excellent opportunities for role-playing. Indeed, if you and your players enjoy urban adventures with plenty of interaction, where a good mind and ready tongue get as much exercise as the sword arm, this comes highly recommended.</p>Megan Robertson2007-11-11T12:23:42ZGameMastery Module U1: Gallery of Evil (OGL): Make room in your city campaign... (5 stars)Koldoonhttps://paizo.com/products/btpy804h?GameMastery-Module-U1-Gallery-of-Evil2007-10-23T00:17:41Z<p><b>GameMastery Module U1: Gallery of Evil (OGL)</b></p><p>Steve Greer delivers again with this excellent city based adventure. While Paizo is known, and for good reason, for their outstanding adventure paths, their GameMastery Modules line also shows remarkable promise. In this fantastic plug-and-play city adventure, Steve Greer lays out an adventure full of memorable moments - from trying to stop a magical trap while tripping over amorous fops to struggling against foes of deadly pigments. And all over a bit of criticism! Set loose the painted horrors on your players soon - the adventure not only scales easily, but can fit in just about any city with only minor adjustments. If you prefer the Ivy District.... well, so much the better, because Greer lays it out for you beautifully. Make a trip to the <i>Gallery of Evil</i> today, your players will thank you.</p><p><b>GameMastery Module U1: Gallery of Evil (OGL)</b></p><p>Steve Greer delivers again with this excellent city based adventure. While Paizo is known, and for good reason, for their outstanding adventure paths, their GameMastery Modules line also shows remarkable promise. In this fantastic plug-and-play city adventure, Steve Greer lays out an adventure full of memorable moments - from trying to stop a magical trap while tripping over amorous fops to struggling against foes of deadly pigments. And all over a bit of criticism! Set loose the painted horrors on your players soon - the adventure not only scales easily, but can fit in just about any city with only minor adjustments. If you prefer the Ivy District.... well, so much the better, because Greer lays it out for you beautifully. Make a trip to the <i>Gallery of Evil</i> today, your players will thank you.</p>Koldoon2007-10-23T00:17:41Z