Pathfinder Adventure Path #71: Rasputin Must Die! (Reign of Winter 5 of 6) (PFRPG) Paizo Publishing, LLC
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Chapter 5: "Rasputin Must Die!"
by Brandon Hodge
Worlds at War
The search for the Queen of Witches finally ends when the Dancing Hut travels to Baba Yaga’s homeland of Russia on the planet Earth. The year is 1918, and the First World War rages throughout Europe. The heroes find themselves in the wilds of Siberia, where they must face Russian soldiers armed with twentieth-century technology to infiltrate an ancient monastery and rescue Baba Yaga from her estranged son, Grigori Rasputin. Can the heroes kill the “Mad Monk”—who has already cheated death once before—and free Baba Yaga, or will they fall before the horrors of modern war?
This volume of Pathfinder Adventure Path continues the Reign of Winter Adventure Path and includes:
“Rasputin Must Die!”, a Pathfinder RPG adventure for 13th-level characters, by Brandon Hodge.
A look into the cultural climate of Russia in the midst of revolution, along with rules for her weapons of war, by Adam Daigle and Brandon Hodge.
Revelations on Szuriel, the Horseman of War, and her brutal quest for souls, by Sean K Reynolds.
Spiders versus sentient dolls in the Pathfinder’s Journal, by Kevin Andrew Murphy.
Four new monsters, by Adam Daigle, Brandon Hodge, and Sean K Reynolds.
Each monthly full-color softcover Pathfinder Adventure Path volume contains an in-depth adventure scenario, stats for several new monsters, and support articles meant to give Game Masters additional material to expand their campaign. Pathfinder Adventure Path volumes use the Open Game License and work with both the Pathfinder RPG and the world’s oldest fantasy RPG.
I'm leery of "The year is 1918, and the First World War rages throughout Europe. The heroes find themselves in the wilds of Siberia, where they must face Russian soldiers armed with 20th-century technology", but it could well be sufficiently isolated to not bother me.
Hmmmm. 1918? Rasputin is theoretically dead by then. The Tsar has been deposed, though he might still be alive and imprisoned depending on the date. The Revolution has happened. Russia's in the middle of a civil war, as well as the Great War. I'm not sure exactly what would be going on in Siberia or whose those solders would be.
The product description explained that Rasputin has already cheated death.
This ain't your History Books' Earth.
Plus, do I detect foreshadowing that The Horseman of War was behind WWI?
Oh, I wasn't complaining about Rasputin not being dead. It's what he does.
Just trying to place where it is in the timeline. And it should be my History Books' Earth. Otherwise what's the point. Of course, not everything makes it into the history books.
To be fair many of us who are weary of the idea already voiced it in the item card and the Rasputin must die thread.
True, but many of those responses were based on pure speculation (even some wahoo speculation), and now there are more details that might ease one's mind. Then again, I always knew there'd be people that would hate the idea, because, well, ya can't please everyone. :)
Tanks were first made in WWI. Russians didn't have them in 1918. No Lem inna tank. Russians were probably still using cavalry or locomotives to get around.
Gorbacz' comment was based off of this product which lists tank as one of the items. What kind of tank, it doesn't mention. But when it's in the list with machine gun...
I'm glad all this is finally out in public... it was getting nerve-wracking staying silent!
But yeah... in a lot of ways, it's THIS adventure that really made a lot of us decide to build the Reign of Winter adventure path the way we built it. It's certainly the adventure in the series that I'm most excited to see!
As for "jumping the shark," we'll see. I think we've got a pretty excellent record by now of taking risks with plotlines and elements that might be considered "shark jumping" (such as Distant Worlds, the robots in Inner Sea Bestiary/Dungeons of Golarion, an all-pirate adventure path, an adventure where you all play goblins, a book all about cryptids, a book all about monsters that we as gamers have spent the last few decades mocking, etc.). I'm relatively sure that "Rasputin Must Die!" will end up being SUPER AWESOME.
Those who worry that it's going a place that they might not want... this element is really nothing new for Baba Yaga themed adventures from previous editions of the game—she's ALWAYS had elements of Earth involved with her. Furthermore... the fact that she's (as far as I know) the only non-deity character from Earth mythology that we've significantly incorporated into Golarion means that we more or less HAD to have Earth ties.
That all said... the method by which the PCs reach Earth is via Baba Yaga's hut. That means that this is going to be pretty self-contained. Don't expect to see relatively contemporary Earth stuff like tanks and Russians showing up again in Golarion stuff (unless this adventure ends up being so popular that you, the paying customers, demand such) anytime soon.
In any case... we've been doing Adventure Paths for 70 volumes at this point. If we end up getting that far without jumping the shark... that's still a pretty good run! :-P
Tanks were first made in WWI. Russians didn't have them in 1918. No Lem inna tank. Russians were probably still using cavalry or locomotives to get around.
Now, Lem heading a coal locomotive I could see.
==Aelryinth
What Russians had in 1918 and what "didn't actually die and has magic powers" Rasputin has in 1918 are two VERY different things, though...
Tanks were first made in WWI. Russians didn't have them in 1918. No Lem inna tank.
This is actually totally inaccurate in any case.
"Tanks in World War I were developed separately and simultaneously by Great Britain and France as a means to break the deadlock of trench warfare on the Western Front. Their first use in combat was by the British Army on September 15, 1916 at Flers-Courcelette, during the Battle of the Somme. The name "tank" was adopted by the British during the early stages of their development, as a security measure to conceal their purpose (see etymology). While the French and British built thousands of tanks between them, Germany developed and brought into service only a single design the A7V producing 20 vehicles due to lack of capacities or resources."
"Russian Civil War
In Soviet Russia, the so-called armoured forces (броневые силы) preceded the Tank Corps. They consisted of the automated armoured units (автобронеотряды) made of armored vehicles and armored trains. The country did not have its own tanks during the Civil War of 1918-1920. In January 1918, the Red Army established the Soviet of Armored Units (Совет броневых частей, or Центробронь), later renamed to Central Armored Directorate and then once again to Chief Armored Directorate (Главное броневое управление). During the Russian Civil War of 1918-1920, the Nizhny Novgorod Machine Factory built armored trains, armoured carriages, and weapons for the vessels of the Volga Military Flotilla. In 1920, the factory remanufactured fourteen burnt-out French Renault FT tanks for the Red Army, the Russkiy Renos, and assembled a single new copy, named 'Freedom Fighter Lenin'."
Note, no tanks from 1918-1920. Now, if you are saying they might have imported a handful of tanks from Britain and France, yes, that is true. but there weren't any Russian tanks around.
In short, no, that statement was completely accurate. Where are you getting your misinformation from, Brandon?
Lem at the helm of a steam locomotive still sounds pretty rad.
Tanks were first made in WWI. Russians didn't have them in 1918. No Lem inna tank. Russians were probably still using cavalry or locomotives to get around.
Now, Lem heading a coal locomotive I could see.
==Aelryinth
The Allied intervention brought tanks with them. There were British, Canadians, Australians and Americans in Murmansk and the north west of Russia There was also a 7000 strong force of Americans in Siberia. The Japanese (who were on the Allies side in WWI) also had 70,000 troops "helping" in Siberia as well.
I'm really, really looking forward to this but I need to ask a question... so folks are ok with the PCs traveling through time and space in a hut with chicken legs to rescue her from her estranged son who has survived death on Earth but tanks appearing "too early" is right out?
It's been really hard to keep my mouth shut and let the surprises roll out in the their due course. There's been so many times I want to just hint...
I'm so happy and excited for Brandon!
I got this same kind of tingle when I first read the Chapter Two outline... (And I just checked all the product descriptions and this plot point is out there.. so this should be no spoiler)
"What do you mean the players are going to hijack the Hut?!?"
All of Reign of Winter is one big roller coaster. People are not going to want to miss this one.
Vic Wertz
Chief Technical Officer
Dark Arioch
Steel_Wind
Gavgoyle
Gorbacz
Kieviel
