Whats the post count deal Serpent Skull?


Serpent's Skull

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theneofish wrote:
I'd love a copy of that too, if it's still going the rounds? Anything I can use to plug in sounds good. Addy is colin dot fisher one at the old gmail dot com.

Sent. :)

The Concordance RPG Superstar 2008 Top 32

I would also like a look-see at the puzzle... any chance you could e-mail me at

email address:
bobby/dot/catdragon/at/gmail/dot/com
?

It would be greatly appreciated....

RPG Superstar 2013 Top 8

Mine is:

Spoiler:
gryphon1138/at/yahoo/dot/com

Thanks!


Demiurge 1138 wrote:

Mine is:

** spoiler omitted **

Thanks!

Sent

RPG Superstar 2011 Top 16

me too?

Spoiler:
erik/dot/freund/at/gmail/dot/com


Erik Freund wrote:
me too?** spoiler omitted **

Sure thing. Sent.


One of my biggest problems with City of seven spears is the map.
It seems completly random, what are all this buildings?
What are the dozens of small square ziggurats in strange places?
What are the dozen square buildings blocking the way to one of the spears (the one left of the lake?
What is the strange stairway in the upper left corner?
What is the strange grey round thing in the upper right corner?
What are all the round things?

How can the PC's explore a city the DM knows NOTHING about?

Has anyone fleshed out this things?
i will try but I am short on time to do so

Silver Crusade

Pathfinder Adventure Path Subscriber
aeglos wrote:

One of my biggest problems with City of seven spears is the map.

It seems completly random, what are all this buildings?
What are the dozens of small square ziggurats in strange places?
What are the dozen square buildings blocking the way to one of the spears (the one left of the lake?
What is the strange stairway in the upper left corner?
What is the strange grey round thing in the upper right corner?
What are all the round things?

How can the PC's explore a city the DM knows NOTHING about?

Has anyone fleshed out this things?
i will try but I am short on time to do so

Well, yeah, that's one of the issues I have with CoSS too.


I would like to see these puzzles as well

Spoiler:
cr0_69@yahoo/dot/com

thanks


aeglos wrote:

One of my biggest problems with City of seven spears is the map.

It seems completly random, what are all this buildings?
What are the dozens of small square ziggurats in strange places?
What are the dozen square buildings blocking the way to one of the spears (the one left of the lake?
What is the strange stairway in the upper left corner?
What is the strange grey round thing in the upper right corner?
What are all the round things?

How can the PC's explore a city the DM knows NOTHING about?

Has anyone fleshed out this things?
i will try but I am short on time to do so

I plan on spending my summer break from DMing doing just that. I think it will be a fun challenge to come up with a huge city that functions in the heart of the jungle. I'm thinking the Azlanti had hydroponic gardens/farms for food, magical transportation about the city, intricate aqueducts, etc. All sorts of cool & wondrous stuff for the players to discover.

Yeah, I wish that the AP had fleshed it out, but they only have so much space in an AP. It would have been a cool chronicle or something though.

Sovereign Court

I'd love to see your puzzle as well!

Spoiler:
dtread14 at good old gmail dot com

Thanks!!


Talon Stormwarden wrote:

I'd love to see your puzzle as well!

** spoiler omitted **

Thanks!!

Certainly. Sent. :)


dwtempest wrote:
Talon Stormwarden wrote:

I'd love to see your puzzle as well!

** spoiler omitted **

Thanks!!

Certainly. Sent. :)

Thanks!


dwtempest wrote:
aeglos wrote:

One of my biggest problems with City of seven spears is the map.

It seems completly random, what are all this buildings?
What are the dozens of small square ziggurats in strange places?
What are the dozen square buildings blocking the way to one of the spears (the one left of the lake?
What is the strange stairway in the upper left corner?
What is the strange grey round thing in the upper right corner?
What are all the round things?

How can the PC's explore a city the DM knows NOTHING about?

Has anyone fleshed out this things?
i will try but I am short on time to do so

I plan on spending my summer break from DMing doing just that. I think it will be a fun challenge to come up with a huge city that functions in the heart of the jungle. I'm thinking the Azlanti had hydroponic gardens/farms for food, magical transportation about the city, intricate aqueducts, etc. All sorts of cool & wondrous stuff for the players to discover.

Yeah, I wish that the AP had fleshed it out, but they only have so much space in an AP. It would have been a cool chronicle or something though.

Quite honestly, I think just giving us an entry on Saventh-Yhi would have been the easiest fix in this case. Just something where information on the city all resided in one place could have helped me immensely! I think I spent a good couple weeks pouring through the books over and over again to try and make sure that the information I was assigning for my PCs to investigate was more accurate than not. I would have loved to know more about how the Azlanti culture was effected by the local cultures in Garund, as well. Naturally, I tried to play with all of this, and make Saventh-Yhi an artistic novelty of a city too, for obvious reasons.

All that said, it should be noted that my group is having a blast with this campaign so far. Tonight will be our second night in book three. They're excited about exploring the city, and I do think that they've included enough NPC personalities within Saventh-Yhi that one can design some pretty intriguing story lines off them. My intent is to blend Books 3 & 4 together, however, so that they work a bit more seamlessly, and use a lot more foreshadowing of the BBEG for the fourth book, as to add some true mystery to this portion of the campaign.


cibet44 wrote:
Erik Freund wrote:
Honestly, I was very underwhelmed by Serpent's Skull. I wish that there was a place that people could post reviews for entire APs, rather than just chapter-by-chapter, because I would like to express my sadness there.
Well post away! I'd like to read it. I am strongly leaning toward Kingmaker for my next campaign after we finish Curse. I must admit I am doing this because the Kingmaker scuttlebutt is so overwhelming positive.

Totally agree - fire away.

AFAIC, Paizo's APs (and products in general) should really have way more critical reviews.

This thread is excellent, BTW.

Gorbacz wrote:
Dear Paizo - no more outsourcing adventures to untested writers, regardless of their status as Enworld honchos

I would say especially if their status is "Enworld honcho".


Hi,

Can I get a copy of the puzzles too?

spoiler:
snyderjrn at comcast dot net


Sannos wrote:

Hi,

Can I get a copy of the puzzles too?

** spoiler omitted **

Sent


Pathfinder Maps Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber

I'd also like a copy of the puzzles. Thanks!

Spoiler:
cintrabristol at comcast d0t net


dwtempest wrote:
Sannos wrote:

Hi,

Can I get a copy of the puzzles too?

** spoiler omitted **

Sent

Thank you. I did a quick read last night and they look awesome.


Sannos wrote:
dwtempest wrote:
Sannos wrote:

Hi,

Can I get a copy of the puzzles too?

** spoiler omitted **

Sent
Thank you. I did a quick read last night and they look awesome.

Glad you liked them! Thanks for the feedback :)


The Robin Laws' story is a goldmine for the AP and what it should be; lots of great plot ideas there, lion riding natives, prophetic child, angry demigod of nature. I agree that Seven Spears feels very flat; it's like the author spent a lot of time on the first encounter and didnt do anything with the rest of it; feels like haphazard encounters thrown together.

RPG Superstar 2011 Top 16

If people haven't seen them yet, two great examples of "ancient city done right" would be Crucible of Chaos and From Shore to Sea. (Conversely, I would not recommend Lost Cities of Golarion.)

Now, these particular lost cities would be hard to drop into Saventh-Yhi, as they are very thematically unique (which is part of what makes them great). When you compare them to Saventh-Yhi, however, you can see just how bad Saventh-Yhi is.

Illumeria, I'm mixed on. It's solid, but it could have been more epic. Especially given the level-bracket that it's in. Again, compare to the crazy high-fantasy stuff they have in CoC and FStS.


Erik Freund wrote:
If people haven't seen them yet, two great examples of "ancient city done right" would be Crucible of Chaos and From Shore to Sea. (Conversely, I would not recommend Lost Cities of Golarion.)

Exactly.

Much like Legacy of Fire is a mash note from Pazio to Ray Harryhausen, Serpent's Skull is about pulp fiction, across several genres of it.

Now, a meta-problem is that D&D-style games don't do pulp very well. The rules aren't built that way. But that's only a minor setback as these things go.

In that regard, Seven Spears really drops the ball. An adventure about finding a lost city doesn't fit in the whole 'finding a lost city' modality. There's a really interesting idea to how it plays out, but it doesn't match the genre. It's like Indiana Jones hacking through the jungle only to find himself embroiled in Cold War spy novel. And while the genre influences pick up again in the subsequent adventure, that dissonance lingers, if only because the plot lingers in the same place.


dwtempest wrote:
Sannos wrote:

Hi,

Can I get a copy of the puzzles too?

** spoiler omitted **

Sent

Can I please have the puzzles too?

mbauers1 at yahoo dot com

Thanks!


mbauers wrote:
dwtempest wrote:
Sannos wrote:

Hi,

Can I get a copy of the puzzles too?

** spoiler omitted **

Sent

Can I please have the puzzles too?

mbauers1 at yahoo dot com

Thanks!

Sent :)


dwtempest wrote:
Demiurge 1138 wrote:
dwtempest wrote:


I like the way you think! I've done something similar with the plot.

** spoiler omitted **

Could you perhaps post the puzzle? My PCs are in Tazion, and I've been looking for something to spice up the ziggurat.
I'm not sure how to post a pdf here. I would be happy to send you a copy of it if you let me know the email address to send it to.

You could post the pdf on the rpggeek website here:

http://rpggeek.com/rpgitem/69559/racing-to-ruin

Either way, I'd love to get a copy of the file, forum username at gmail dot com


Pathfinder Adventure Path, Rulebook, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
Erik Freund wrote:
Honestly, I was very underwhelmed by Serpent's Skull. I wish that there was a place that people could post reviews for entire APs, rather than just chapter-by-chapter, because I would like to express my sadness there.

How about the "General Discussion" forum for the Pathfinder AP line. Or just post a thread in the sub-forum of the specific AP. In any case, I'd be interested in reading your review.

While I haven't GM'ed the AP, by looking through it my impression was "way too much hack'n slash and constant dungeon-delving".

RPG Superstar 2011 Top 16

I'll work on a review of the entire AP at some other point in time, but for now I've put my review of book 3 up on the corresponding product page.

I was perhaps too long winded, but from what I've seen, low-rating reviews tend to be extremely shot, and people tend to dismiss them as some PC holding a grudge. Feel free to push back or argue against me if you think I was too harsh.


Erik Freund wrote:

I'll work on a review of the entire AP at some other point in time, but for now I've put my review of book 3 up on the corresponding product page.

I was perhaps too long winded, but from what I've seen, low-rating reviews tend to be extremely shot, and people tend to dismiss them as some PC holding a grudge. Feel free to push back or argue against me if you think I was too harsh.

Sadly, I think your review was right on target.


Erik Freund wrote:

I'll work on a review of the entire AP at some other point in time, but for now I've put my review of book 3 up on the corresponding product page.

I was perhaps too long winded, but from what I've seen, low-rating reviews tend to be extremely shot, and people tend to dismiss them as some PC holding a grudge. Feel free to push back or argue against me if you think I was too harsh.

I don't think it was too harsh at all. It needed to be a big climax and reading through it made me feel like it was playing an MMO with the killing x number of y beasts to complete this quest. Certainly not filled with wondrous sights or puzzles or cool ancient knowledge to unlock.

While I think the GM can fill in a lot, those who don't have time to prop it up could very well have players drop out from lack of interest.


Pathfinder Adventure Path, Rulebook, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

Thanks, that review was very interesting to read and confirmed some fears I had about the AP. I'll be looking forward to your full review ( and to you sharing your kingdom building rules alterations in the Kingmaker forum. :p ).


Eric Tillemans wrote:


Sadly, I think your review was right on target.

+1

the review sums up a lot of my frustrations about the module


dwtempest wrote:


Sent :)

*raises hand* i would like to have it too, please

Spoiler:
schmidt-holg at web dot de


Erik Freund wrote:

I'll work on a review of the entire AP at some other point in time, but for now I've put my review of book 3 up on the corresponding product page.

I was perhaps too long winded, but from what I've seen, low-rating reviews tend to be extremely shot, and people tend to dismiss them as some PC holding a grudge. Feel free to push back or argue against me if you think I was too harsh.

Spot on, sadly.


erik,
i agree with your review, only one thing to point out. it says in either thousand fangs or sanctum of the serpent god that eando kline and party made it to ilmurea via the darklands and never actually found saventh-yhi. if i have time i will try to post some of the fixes i made for the adventure (SPOILER ALERT: no ghost half-orcs).

also has any one else noticed what a playa eando kline is (two ladies (at least) in his original party traveling alone in the dark) what happens in the darklands stays in the darklands i guess;)


Erik Freund wrote:

I'll work on a review of the entire AP at some other point in time, but for now I've put my review of book 3 up on the corresponding product page.

I was perhaps too long winded, but from what I've seen, low-rating reviews tend to be extremely shot, and people tend to dismiss them as some PC holding a grudge. Feel free to push back or argue against me if you think I was too harsh.

Ooof that does sound bad. Thanks for the in depth review.

RPG Superstar 2011 Top 16

captain yesterday wrote:

erik,

i agree with your review, only one thing to point out. it says in either thousand fangs or sanctum of the serpent god that eando kline and party made it to ilmurea via the darklands and never actually found saventh-yhi.

True.

However, this is not immeadiately obvious in book 3 (and isn't likely to be fully realized by the party until the end of book 5), and thus when the players encounter Juliver in book 3, their emotional reaction will still be one of "oh, and yet another adventuring party got here first."


Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber
dwtempest wrote:
Sent :)

Could you send me a copy of the puzzles as well please?

My address is: dalvyn (.at.) gmail (.dot.) com

Thank you!


Pathfinder Maps Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber; Starfinder Charter Superscriber

I too would appreciate a copy of the puzzles

Spoiler:
jmcomeau (at) cyberus (dot) ca


dwtempest wrote:
Laithoron wrote:

Could I please get a copy of that puzzle too? That sounds like a much better method for what I had in mind...

** spoiler omitted **

Sent.

Hi dwtempest,

Could you send me a copy as well?

spoiler:
laricg99/at/hotmail/dot/com

Thanks!


Sent to all who have requested it.

Cheers


I just started work on this AP, but I'm hoping I'll enjoy it. I'd love to have the puzzles as well. Thanks.

email:
mikesmithsm @ gmail.com


I would greatly appreciate the puzzles too thanks dwtempest.

Spoiler:
brotherhoodofdada (at) yahoo.com


Looks like you've got quite a following, dwtempest.

I'd also like a copy of those puzzles.

Spoiler:

bfulco7 (at) an old yahoo account dot com


matiez wrote:

Looks like you've got quite a following, dwtempest.

I'd also like a copy of those puzzles.
** spoiler omitted **

Sent. I've also updated the Ziggurat/puzzle based on actually running it. So if folks I've sent it to earlier want the update let me know via email as you should have my address now. :)


Pathfinder Adventure Path, Rulebook Subscriber
dwtempest wrote:


Sent. I've also updated the Ziggurat/puzzle based on actually running it. So if folks I've sent it to earlier want the update let me know via email as you should have my address now. :)

My group is getting to closer to Tazion so I would also love to see the stuff you wrote to make it a more memorable place!

email:
simonpreuss@gmx.de


Erik Freund wrote:
I was perhaps too long winded, but from what I've seen, low-rating reviews tend to be extremely shot, and people tend to dismiss them as some PC holding a grudge. Feel free to push back or argue against me if you think I was too harsh.

That was an absolutely fantastic review. Great stuff, and thanks.

In fact, should I ever run Serpent's Skull, I'll be referring to your review for inspiration on how to fix #3.


May I have a copy of the puzzles as well? Group's just starting, but I wan't to start fleshing out the later books now.

Spoiler:
gillespie.boyd@yahoo.com


Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Charter Superscriber
dwtempest wrote:
matiez wrote:

Looks like you've got quite a following, dwtempest.

I'd also like a copy of those puzzles.
** spoiler omitted **

Sent. I've also updated the Ziggurat/puzzle based on actually running it. So if folks I've sent it to earlier want the update let me know via email as you should have my address now. :)

I would appreciate a copy jasonck at comcast.net

Thank you!


I am running it, but as I am severely modding it (not to mention, running it with Fantasy Craft), which might make comparing notes a little less useful than it might have been.

I'm trying to go for more of a Indiana Jones vibe, so I am cutting out big swaths of adventures. Mostly, I am only running encounters with pictures to them.

Smugglers shiv went fairly quickly. I was using an established group with a ship, so I changed the scenario to the group was pursuing Yarzoth and knew she was headed to the island, and they encountered the castaways and investigated from the outside. They knocked off all the castaway quests in one session!

I gutted Racing to Ruin. I wasn't digging the dinosaur-maiden and salt mines, so replaced it with the Fire Forest adventure from the War of the Burning Sky path by EN publishing. I kept the first and last parts. The part in the city turned out to be a lot of fun, and fit my group's style very well (which sort of surprised me; it doesn't read as well as it played).

I'm running Kalabuto and Tazion next session. I'm liking the idea of making the idols into a puzzle.

Gorbacz wrote:

City of Seven Spears is the Memory of Darkness of this AP. OK, it's somewhat better, since it's more easily salvageable, but still - if I see an adventure in the AP that requires me to spend energy in order to liven it up and make it something else than just a meat-grinder, I lose interest.

Vault of Madness is somewhat better (hey, it's a Greg A. Vaughan adventure), but it's still "run around and kill stuff, only with more variety".

See, I see the City as filled with potential. It's why I ran the adventure path. I plan on making the opposing factions fully active, and drop hints of what they are up to while the PCs make their own way, working alliances and investigating opposing activities.

Vaults, I plan of gutting. I don't want to run 7 vaults worth of mini dungeon hacks. I'm going to stick to the big plot points (the portal, gorilla king). I'm debating whether or not to include the whole intellect devourer thing. It may depend on our time: the horror theme fits the feel of the game to this point, but I'm more about the pulpy stop the evil plan goodness.

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