This is probably the best first-level module, and first Adventure Path installment, that I've run. I loved it, the players loved it, they still talk about it today.

The characters are hired to meet up with a trade caravan and reclaim an Arabesque city from gnolls, in order to restore it to a functioning trade hub; while the path goes to bigger and greater things later, here, it's low-level town reclamation and gnoll slaying. In fact, the module is kind of a low-level guerrilla assault on the gnoll-occupied village, where the players have the freedom to choose how and where they strike. Likewise, there's a lot of room for gnoll counter-attacks, or an assault on the PCs' monastery base.

And not just gnolls; there's a great variety of monsters at play, leading to some interesting and memorable combats. Best of all was the introduction of some gremlins as introductory villains. These little guys are pushovers stat-wise, but exude an aura of unluck which makes them really tough to deal with. Plus, they have a habit of hiding out in areas that have dangerous terrain features---cactus patches, for one---that has great synergy with their aura.

Granted, there's a lot more than just killin'. There's a lot of places to explore, including some interesting adventure seeds, and a set-piece mini-dungeon later in this book. The module introduces a batch of NPCs with the caravan, with plenty of opportunities to roleplay; on top of this, there's options for several of the "bad guys" to be talked/bribed into the PCs' side. And there's several locations, including the entire town, for the PCs to reclaim and occupy.

All in all, a very memorable module with a lot of grit and detail. The enemies are challenging without being overpowered, the setting is great---the art design in these books is simply stunning---and the plot is interesting and engaging. Add in the standard Path features---a bestiary, an overview of the gnoll tribes in the area---and you have a lot to work with adventure-wise. I highly recommend this Path; even alone this module is worth it.

Howl of the Carrion King é uma excelente aventura inicial, completa, cativante e com uma trama instigante, de uma forma como não se via desde Rise of the Runelords. Infelizmente ela tem uns probleminhas de ter de pausar a estória para os personagens irem ganhar XP, mas nada que um mestre habilidoso não já tenha aprendido a lidar. Os artigos suplementam muito bem a aventura, sendo indispensáveis ao sucesso da mesma. Os monstros novos são muito divertidos e criativos. Realmente uma edição recomendada. Parabéns Paizo.

Legacy of Fire has a good story but the encounters fall short because the adventure path series waste too much space on non essential material. Like fiction that has nothing to do with the series except it take place in the region. Monsters that are not used in the adventure path. A "extra" filler adventure that is in most of the books is lower level then the actual book that is should be played in. Pretty much all the encounters are basic thug attacks with underpowered opponents and no variety. Some encounter are good and can be deadly but most are just a waste of space. The party quickly adapts to these basic thug attacks. These thug attacks turn into a exercise in dice rolling with hardly any challenge. If Paizo spent more time on the adventure and less wasting the extra space on non essential fluff and rules this series could have been so much better.

This adventure path series tries to do too much. Paizo needs to focus more on the adventure then adding a bunch of extra fluff and rules. Save that stuff for the rule books and regional books.

The paper in the books is really nice but the bindings are poor quality. After one use the pages start falling out. Almost all of the six books lost some pages after one use.

I liked this first book quite a bit. The ruin exploration was pretty fun, the npcs got my interest. The many types of gremlins are a good addition, and they sure can be troubling to take down in the adventure. Some of the dodgy npcs were a bit obvious though, and an alert and careful npc can determine a few things at a glance. The setting feels good and different.

The point on non-optimised parties has been made and is valid, but this is a problem for many paizo adventure paths, they are made to challenge power gamers. If a dm just runs it straight, and some players are new, team work is a bit off, expect casualties (and gnoll laughter).

This adventure seems to be written for optomized PCs. It is very harsh on low-level PCs. And I don't know if the reason that such harsh enounters got into the module was because of Eric Mona's stature in the compnay, but someone needed say "no" to their boss before publishing this.

The NPCs are great; the story is great. The set-up to the whole AP is great. I chose this AP to run for the flavor it promised. I had high expectations of the AP and so far those have been met. Some of the enounters are a bit nasty for non-optomized PCs. And since an AP is a lot about the encounters I have to give this only 3 stars.

I am rather late in reviewing the first installment of this AP and I ran this for my group quite some time ago, but in retrospect, I would like to throw my two cents in.

What excited me and my players most about this adventure was the setting. That right there was enough to ensnare us. The whole Arabian and desert motif was such a great change of pace. I love environment and having it be an obstacle as well. There are few places on Earth as harsh as the desert. It gives a much "epic" feel to your players as they traverse the dunes in search of their goals.

I won't add any spoilers, but I found that the motives of the enemy and his intentions were quite different than most bad guys who seek to control the world for their evil, inexplicable, nefarious reasons.

Our group did not personally care for part 1 of the AP, though, with having to put out fires, round up crazed animals, conduct an investigation they had no personal ties to, and then proceed to rescue a goat from the clutches of rat-man in his cactus kingdom. I know the entire purpose was to introduce us to the NPCs and give us a feel for who everyone is, but the execution didn't sit well with us.

With that minor note aside, if anyone is looking to start up an AP with their group, this is a definite must. It is fun, exciting, and is suited for all types of players so all of you RPers and hack n' slashers will have an equally good time. The LoF Player's Guide is a must-have as well for this AP because it gives your players a wealth of valuable character information and history about the region that will enhance the flavor of the entire piece.

I just finished with this module and enjoyed running it. The flavor, maps and storyline are all excellent and while I took many liberties with it, none were really required to cover up problems in the mod. I ran this in 4e D&D and that did add some prep time, but the story is so solid that it went very smoothly. The desert flavor made a nice change from the usual pseudo-European feel. The maps for this mod were excellent, they looked great and worked well for setting up combats. The storyline was tight and didn't require any covering up of flaws, I think Paizo does the best story lines of any game company out there today. The mod isn't perfect, but I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to anyone looking to either run the full story line or to use it a one off as my group did.

So starting at first level you have essentially no opportunity to get gear that isn't written in.

Significant gear that isn't in the module includes small armor of any kind or Full Plate.

Then if you play the side adventure in the haunted monastery you get to fight the most stupidly under CRed lychantrhope I've ever seen. Never mind that you haven't been able to get any silvered weapons.

With a main adventure written to engage both GM and players, with interesting situations, colourful villains and other NPCs, and detailed locations, Howl of the Carrion King is written by a man (Erik Mona) who has mastered his craft; and a superb support article by Eric Haddock on the Brazen Peak gnoll tribes and a 'Set Piece' adventure by James MacKenzie (Sir Wulf of the Paizo messageboards) combine with a bestiary and fiction by Elaine Cunningham that show Paizo confident and at the top of their game. Even the end-covers are filled with interest featuring short fables from the setting.
Whether you intend to run the Legacy of Fire path, or are just looking for something for a group of low-level PCs, I would strongly recommend this product.

Our group just finished Howl of the Carrion King and it is now one of my very favorite adventures! From the opening act that thrusts the players together in cooperative fashion, to the mystery surrounding the town, and the incredible end acts - this adventure is a clear winner. The players loved it. It offered awesome opportunities to develop cool characters and Roleplay them. There are plenty of challenging encounters as well. I really liked that this adventure does not have the same feel to it that most typical fantasy adventures do. The arabian setting is done quite well and they add in some specialty items and creatures to complete the feel. I recommend you give this one a try!