If you haven't purchased Skull & Shackles yet, tell us why!


Pathfinder Adventure Card Game General Discussion

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Paizo Employee Chief Technical Officer

Now that we're about to release the final installment of our second full AP, we're going to have data that lets us form a better picture of long-term play and purchase patterns. But all the sales data in the world won't tell us much about sales that didn't happen, so I'm coming direct to you for the answers.

If you're on these boards, you're clearly a fan of the card game, so if you haven't yet purchased the Skull & Shackles Base Set, please tell me why.

I'm not looking to judge you, just to learn from you, so please be candid.

Thanks!


Would a cross post on BoardGameGeek or just an announcement there that you looking for feedback here be helpful? Or are you wanting to keep your demographic limited to frequenters of Paizo forums?


I only bought S&S because it went down to 27 dollars. With that purchase I also bought the character add on pack for S&S and (finally) the last adventure pack for RotR. Though I still can't bring myself to play all the way back up.

I don't feel that I will purchase the rest of the adventures set for S&S.

Really got into RotR, the more I played the found like things were lacking. Lack of playtesting? Theme? Too many henchmen cards. Or the characters cards clearly a better side than the other. Really wanted Mersiel to use daggers for example. That being said, I did spend a lot of time on the game, maybe I just burned out on it. (I'll play the last adventure sooner or later!)

I've played 90% solo, and a few times with a buddy.

As for S&S, though I can see the major improvements, it just feels...not exciting. Still feels like something is missing. With S&S, I've played all the characters through the start. I really tried. Bosses were better, tougher, more close games. Allies were better. Still don't like the excess henchmen cards. Spells were lackluster for me. Maybe needed more "cool" weapons.

Even tried it with my buddy, and he just couldn't get into it.

Really wanted to like PACG games, I enjoy the community, though I've mostly "lurked". I respect what ya'll doing. Through my line of work, I believe feedback is important! Wish I could be more helpful Vic, you guys are on the right path to a great thing!

Feel free to message me, or ask me anymore questions if I was too vague.

cheers.

Paizo Employee Chief Technical Officer

Hawkmoon269 wrote:
Would a cross post on BoardGameGeek or just an announcement there that you looking for feedback here be helpful?

Sure!


Posted here and here on BGG for reference.


Other then cost being an obvious factor, I think I am holding back because of the pirate theme. My geekness has always loved the traditional RPG...too scared to try something different.....lol.....I love RoR though!!!!


I am addicted and purchase everything, but I have more trouble getting friends into Skull & Shackles. Essentially the feedback I have gotten is that it is not far enough removed to be a "non-fantasy' version of the game while still being far enough that it doesn't feel like traditional fantasy play. I expect them to be ready to jump back in with Wrath and a bit of epic fantasy.

That said, I think they would be open to a super hero genre version of the game, or a sci-fi version, as long as we were talking complete conversions with monsters, items, and locations all fitting the genre. While I would personally love to see Iron Gods adapted and think it would do well, I think I would face similar difficulties to S&S for those friends.

I am interested in finding out if those same friends who haven't been super into S&S as they were RotR will be more interested in S&S as an expansion for the app version of the game.


I feel I should post for why a good gamer friend of mine did not purchase S&S after playing it. He said he'll play it again if I insist but he won't buy it. He liked Shadowrun: Crossfire (whereas I preferred Pathfinder). His reason for not purchasing it is because he doesn't like that player's decks serve as both health and playable cards.

He doesn't like games in general that play like that (he mentioned WoW TCG as an example I believe - where you can use cards as resources instead of for what's on the card).

That having been said, I don't mind the mechanic but I thought I'd post why he doesn't like it. He said if the game had a way to manage health separately from the player's deck, he'd be willing to purchase it.

Anyway, just thought I'd pass it along.


I have the RotR and some of the adventure decks where I hope to pick the rest of them up this year.

I did not purchase S&S as I like the non-pirate theme better. I enjoy the RotR characters more... I am more interested in more RotR adventures not a whole new "realm/theme".


I haven't purchased the add-on PACG Society scenarios because there's an unannounced "surprise" for the Drive-Thru RPG correction cards, and I think it's going to be a print version of the PACG Society Scenarios (or at least custom cards).

I haven't played RotR or S&S yet because I'm too busy with the Adventure Guides, and I keep getting teased along with corrected cards, and now iconic heroes with cards, that I could actually benefit from because I haven't played the games yet.

I'm a bit unsure about Wrath of the Righteous because I don't know how PACG would sit with my group, and now it's started to get eclipsed by other unrelated boardgame releases; but I have had fun working on user mods *for* these games. Now if only those corrected cards would ship.....


Pirates.
I have everything from the PACG RotR set and I love it. But I'm just not a fan of pirates. This goes for my Pathfinder RPG group as well. We've not tackled the Skull and Shackles AP and probably never will. We're old D&D players. The pirate theme just isn't for us.
That being said, we've finished RotR AP and we loved it. So when I got PACG RotR, it was like re-reading an old favorite book. I got to relive the old battles and meet up with old NPCs. I found myself taking pictures of the scenario and location cards and sending them to my RPG group with captions like "Remember when we were here fighting this guy?" It was awesome.
I love your game and I plan to buy the upcoming adventure, but considering the investment needed to play the full adventure, the pirate theme just wasn't compelling enough for me to make that investment. Stick with the traditional fantasy theme and I'll buy every set you put out.


Cost, both money and time. I have a ton of board games I already haven't played out due to lack of time and players and no group with which to play an ongoing adventure card game vs. an actual RPG campaign.

I play it a little; I threw some money into picking up one class deck so I could try it out. With friends who have sets I don't see myself putting any more money into it.


Loved the first Pathfinder card game, got everything I could for it. Skull and Shackles didn't really float my boat (no pun intended). I guess it was the theme that didn't interest me. Pirates? meh.


i bought the whole ROTRL series. i'm considering getting S&S but i'm not that into the pirate scene...plus i'm also playing several other games (im only at adventure3 of ROTRL) :)


I spent a fair amount of time on Rise of Runelords, and felt that the next installment wasn't going to advance the game play much more, and so decided to wait it out until I read reviews on the next installments. So far I haven't read or seen any game play that made me want to purchase another set.


Personally I just got into pacg in January and picked up a used base rotrl with all add-ons and promos still sealed for a killer deal and am playing through it with my fiance. We both love it. I subscribed in time to get s&s adventure deck 5 and 6 And plan on eventually going back and catching up. if I could get the base and decks 2-4 with promos now it would be a no brainer and I would sit on it until we had the time to play it. But for now by the time we get through rotrl, wrath will be released...

Also to reiterate what others have said pirate themes are lost on me.


Rise of the Runelords saw me play over eighty solitaire games and I just burned out. The final adventure pack has yet to be opened and played.

The pirate theme of S&S is intriguing (and I'm not much of a pirate fan), but I wasn't going to purchase another base game and a bunch of adventure packs.
My interest and gaming priority was set on acquiring and playing Eldritch Horror (for solitaire play) for summer/fall 2014.

The third Pathfinder base set has me intrigued with its inclusion of a D20 die.
I'll be keeping an eye out for more information and reviews when it's finally released.

I am waiting to buy S&S and its AP for clearance price at some point.
Thanks for the chance to give our motivations.


Personally we have purchased all the adventure path and the class decks.

I think that the difficulty factor was much better in S&S than with RotR but I can understand that the Pirate theme could put many players off.

I am concerned that WotR was maybe not the best selection for the next AP - would have preferred Jade Regent or Council of Thieves.

I may suspend my subscription for that release - I am working on adapting Carrion Crown at the moment anyway and we can use the time to playtest it rather ehilst others are playing Wrath.

We will still purchase Class decks and Inconic miniatures during that time as they are released.

gk.


4 reasons really:

1) Lack of spare $$$ (I did manage to complete my Runelords set though).

2) Falling Australian $ against the US

3) two words 'Australia' & 'Shipping' (costs...well, that's 3 words....!)

4) My friend bought it. So now I have RotRL and He has S&S. should be able to sort out playing between us. As an aside - he only knew about it from me though, so we are even - 1 in and 1 out :)

Jaynay


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

Interesting to see how many potential players seem to be put off by the pirate theme. I can see that for the roleplaying version (but not really understand, because romanticized pirates are fun!), but for a game like this, which is basically a board game, I think it's a weird decision.


The answer is unfortunately easy: I don't like boats and pirates, so the theme of this set was clearly a turndown for me, though I am eager to see Wrath of the Righteous be released. Some of the Skull & Shackles heroes from the character sheets available on this website looked amazing though, and I really hope to see an Oracle, Swashbuckler, Magus and/or Warpriest for the next Class Deck releases.

Liberty's Edge

I haven't bought the S&S set because of the pirate theme. Sorry, but I really, really can't get past that. I love the character designs, though!


RotR ACG was our first Pathfinder experience, and it was great. We bought the base game, and all of the adventure packs and had a wonderful time with them. We still do!

The problem was (and remember we're new to the franchise) if you ask anyone in the group the best part of the game, none of the responses would be that we were pumped to see how the story resolved, which is a shame as it's obviously a little brother to the RPG. The story just didn't punch through via the card game format. After playing for a month or so I ended up reading up on the full RPG storyline to help flesh it out a little. It actually made the game even more enjoyable for me (seeing how it was implemented in card format) but I am sure I am in the minority.

Instead, the group fondly remembers grinding for loot, levelling up, how awesome the holy candle is, and that bastard villain. No real idea why he's a bastard, but we got him and that was cool. It basically became (again, for a group of newcomers) Diablo in card game form - and we loved it.

So when the new game seemed (almost) the same thing focused on a new plot, no-one was excited as the plot wasn't what excited us in the first one. It was the cool "holy sh*t we found the villain with one card left in the blessings deck" moments, or making your mates promise to make you cups of tea for a month in exchange for some awesome loot you found (which I can't use anyway, but that's not the point)...

We would love an addendum to RotR complimenting our existing box of awesome with new shiny loot, villains and monsters. New smaller, simpler (storywise) stand alone side quests that perhaps even help flesh out Sandpoint for Pathfinder newbies, as I'm sure for many this is their first experience with the franchise. Finally, a rating system - story packs for new parties (equivalent to say adventure pack 2), for mid strength (adventure pack 4 equivalent), and a new epic level for people that just love their maxed out characters now gathering dust (Adventure pack 6++).

Either that, or a really different take on the RPG -> card format. Otherwise we are super happy with what we have currently!

I hope I haven't prattled on for too long. We really do love the game!


I didn't buy S&S because of the theme (pirates & guns). I am eagerly looking forward to Wrath of the Righteous.


Pathfinder Pathfinder Accessories Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber

I am going to answer this question on a technicality. I did not actually purchase the S&S base set. I was gifted the set for my birthday. There are a few things I need to mention so you can get a full perspective from me.

Looking back from where I am today, I do not believe I would have purchased S&S for me. I did help playtest S&S, and I really came to like Damiel and Alahazra and others. I liked the characters. The theme of the AP, to me, was essentially meaningless.

Now, I own Runelords and all the packs to go with it. I still have not finished it yet. I am somewhere in pack 4. I look for games that I can play solo at my house. PACG fits that bill. Sure, some friends and I can play the game as well. And we have. But, we are all also involved in every other weekend role playing games. Meaning, we are in a different role playing game every weekend. So, free time becomes a factor. And Dragon Age Inquisition is eating away at most of my free time right now.

I was thinking about this some last night when I read this thread for the first time. I cannot answer truthfully if I would have purchased the Runelords set if my friends and I hadn't just started the Runelords AP a couple of months before the PACG got announced.

So, for me, the Runelords card game was a nice addition to the AP we were currently playing in. So, the timing was impeccable.

So, yes, I own the S&S base set and the 2nd pack. I figure I will eventually get the rest of the packs, but they are not high on my list right now.

As far as going forward, I am already subbed for the WotR set. Now, let me explain why I am subbed for the but not too high on S&S. In a few months I will be running my first campaign for some of my friends (once one of our current games ends). The AP I am running is WotR. So, I have a personal connection to WotR. But, after that? I do not foresee me buying any more sets. I would have 3 sets by that point.

And, it's not like I can combine all the sets to play one massive game. Much like the way I can with the other solo style card game that I play - Lord of the Rings the Living Card Game. Regardless of how many deluxe expansions come out, it is still just one game. Not multiple games that can't be mixed.

It may be somewhat incoherent, but that sums up my reasons for technically not purchasing S&S.


I opted not to purchase S&S because:

1) A friend of mine was gifted the set plus a few APs. We currently have a game of ROTR going (1 year in and we've finished AP2:5 I think, so this will take a while), but I figured we'd move to his S&S set eventually.

2) Cost: I purchased all of ROTR and I've only manged to complete it 1.9 times. So I haven't really gotten my money's worth out of the first set.

3) A break: I followed ROTR closely with its bi-monthly plan, and trying to keep up with the monthly plan of S&S seemed daunting, given 1) & 2). I grabbed a few Class Decks in the hiatus though.

I'm planning on buying the entire Wrath AP, though. Just anxiously awaiting its release, at this point.


I encountered PACG about two months ago, and decided that it's a perfect fit in my diabolical plan to step my wife up the tabletop echelons from Carcassonne to Mage Knight. When deciding between RotR and S&S, the primary factor ended up being Kittenhoarder and Autoduelist's Adventure Guide for RotR, which holds a lot of appeal for me.* The upfront difficulty, additional ship mechanic, and the lack of a proper sorcerer also pushed me away from S&S; not forever, but it was enough to calm my doubts about getting the "older" game first.

* Seriously, Paizo needs to offer official Adventure Guides for future releases; it made this game 5X better and, surprisingly, more appealing to my non-gamer friends.


I have not bought S&S mainly due to the facts that I have not completed the RotRL fully and I just can't justify buying another base set while I still have so much play left in the current set. I could easily get a couple more play throughs from the base just by switching up my party and/or playing with characters I have not tried yet. I do own all the items for RotRL available except the large play mat, which shall be purchased shortly I hope. I may purchase S&S at a later date or I may skip it and purchase the set coming up after it. I feel as if the base sets have been released to close together for me personally.


I wanted to add that while I was excited about the monthly release schedule at first, it has actually been a bit overwhelming in practice. I feel like I must keep up, from a play perspective, and when I don't it gets discouraging. I am glad we are getting a bit of a break until WotR.

It is a tough balance for me to have not too much, and not too little in the PACG. I like the monthly pack releases, but I think a planned break in between sets is a good idea.


Pathfinder Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Pathfinder Accessories, Rulebook Subscriber; Pathfinder Battles Case Subscriber

Don't know if this is the info you are looking for....

I bought it but I don't know if we will ever run it. I bought it because I am a collector, and with RoTRL ACG I decided I wanted to collect this game. The game mechancis for S&S didn't draw me in. I really really enjoy the RotRL ACG but I like the High Fantasy aspect.

I get that S&S is also high fantasy but I've never been into Pirate Themes, so there isn't the draw for me that Rune Lords and Righteous does.

So I am the category of 'I bought it to collect it, but don't know if I will ever play it' category.

I will also be subscribed for the Wrath of the Righteous set, looking forward to playing that one :D


7 people marked this as a favorite.

For those of you who thought the story for the PACG games were lacking - and it's the only thing holding you back from future PACG purchases - check out the Paizo Community Use Registry for the "Pathfinder Adventure Card Game [product name] Adventure Guide". I've been working with a writer/editor on Boardgame Geek to provide some narrative for the games, and it's totally 100% free to use. I've gotten a lot of favorable responses on BGG, so I hope you find it useful.

I'd also be remiss if I didn't point out this is only possible because of Paizo's Community Use Policy, which allows fans to legally create content for Paizo's products without violating copyright (including using Paizo's artwork). It's something those other popular RPGs don't have.


I purchased all of the RotRL series and started working through the game but having dealt with trying to work out if I was ordering the Chinese vs US printing and then following the threads on the card errata I was not inclined to spend anymore money on the PACG series. I have played a friends S&S and that didn't change my mind.


I did purchase S&S base game but we haven't even completed the first couple of scenarios. It wasn't as exciting for us. My group consists of myself, my 13yr old son and my wife. The pirate theme was ok, but we found the ship mechanic a bit confusing. I got tired of trying to follow all the forum threads and errata for how to play the ships. We have slowly drifted away from the card game all together.


For me it was primarily a time/money thing. I subscribed to RoTR and play it solo, but to this day I'm still only about half way through! There's a lot of stuff in that box and it just seemed crazy for me to make another investment in an entirely new base set and adventure path when I haven't scratched the surface of what I've already got.

Now, assuming I DID get everything possible out of RoTR, I still don't think I would've jumped in with S&S. I'm just not into the piratey, sea-faring theme. It also didn't seem like my own personal issues with the game were being addressed: the lack of story context and adventure variety.

Paizo Employee Chief Technical Officer

Thanks for all the feedback—please keep it coming!


As the majority of what people said already, I personally do not like the pirate theme myself and would've skipped it and waited for Wrath; however, it was gifted to me last Christmas.

Since I had the Base Set for S&S, I thought I might as well complete the AP and get all the adventure packs.

I like the Diablo-esque style of the game and with the lack of those in video games lately, PACG quickly became a huge fix for me and my siblings. My brother tends to get bored easily, so it is important to keep things fresh. Even though it is pirate themed, it is still fresh and new content. Our alternative is to just redo Runelords with different characters, so S&S is a better choice for us.

With that said, I'm still enjoying it because the core game is still the same. We can quickly get over the theme since we liked the gameplay to begin with.

Paizo Employee Chief Technical Officer

Autoduelist wrote:
I haven't purchased the add-on PACG Society scenarios because there's an unannounced "surprise" for the Drive-Thru RPG correction cards, and I think it's going to be a print version of the PACG Society Scenarios (or at least custom cards).

So in general, I'm not going to be responding a lot in here—I'm here to listen and learn—but I will just say that that's not what the DriveThru secret project is.

I'm guessing you haven't seen an actual scenario yet—they're basically laid out like 8.5x11 cards, with considerably more text than a poker-sized card; there's no way to reduce them to card size and still have them be useful. That said, sometimes the scenarios actually include images of newly designed cards that are used via proxy; if these cards are ever made available via DriveThru, they will be an accessory to the PDF, not a replacement for it. In short, there's no reason to wait on that.


Zaister wrote:
Interesting to see how many potential players seem to be put off by the pirate theme. I can see that for the roleplaying version (but not really understand, because romanticized pirates are fun!), but for a game like this, which is basically a board game, I think it's a weird decision.

I don't think it's wierd. I want to enjoy the theme of the game I'm playing.

It's the same reason I steer away from military themed games...not my thing.
I love the game play of PACG, but I don't like pirates enough to spend $100+ on this version. I'll wait for the next set to be released and play a theme I enjoy.

Dark Archive

I have played 3scenarios now in the s&s op and have not bought the base set because I am having fun with the group in op and I cannot afford the purchase arm. I will say that another reason I don't like s&s really is that only the swashbuckler has a way to prevent ship damage more times than most and I have no interest in playing one of those. I am loving my word and ranger arm and can't wait to play my rogue sometime in the future.

Hope that helps explain a few things.


Does it count if we bought it but haven't played it yet?

I just let the subscription stuff keep piling in, but we still have yet to finish RoTR with our limited time to play. I don't have the heart to bust apart our box to go solo, waiting for the digital version by Obsidian for that.


I’ll start by saying that I currently own the base sets as well as all adventure decks for both RotRL and S&S. I’m about ½ ways through the RotRL adventure and have not yet started S&S. Unlike many posts in this thread I picked up S&S because the pirate theme appealed to me. However, I don’t plan on purchasing the next base set and am on the fence about any purchases for subsequent sets.

To put my feedback in perspective I’ll give some background on myself. I have limited time for playing games due to job and family responsibilities, and when I do play it is often solo. My favourite solo game is the Lord of the Rings LCG. The art is excellent, the mechanics require a lot of interesting gameplay decisions and each new adventure pack has a rich theme and unique mechanics. I’ve logged over 200 plays and still enjoy it.

When RotRL was first announced I had high hopes for it as it sounded like a fantasy card game with interesting campaign play and character progression. Now about half way through I’m enjoying it, but I’m not sure I’ll still have an appetite for more after I finish. My main concerns are:
• I don’t find the mechanics involve as much interesting decision making as I’d like. The main decision seems to be how many resources to spend for each encounter and how to balance pushing your luck versus conserving resources.
• There isn’t a lot of variation in gameplay from scenario to scenario. This by itself would not be as big an issue for me if the theme and story really game through, but the limited text and limited variation in mechanics do not immerse me in the story. As others have pointed out, the fan made adventure guide does a great job helping to bring out the story.
• I would prefer more of a challenge – most scenarios I win on the first try. I appreciate that the campaign and character progression aspect of the game would not work well if characters frequently died, but the scenarios could be made more difficult to win without requiring the characters to die in a loss.

Now my perspective is coming from someone who plays strictly solo. I am also playing with 4 characters as I thought this would promote more interesting decision making. In hindsight I think it is preventing me from enjoying the main strength of the game, the character building, as it would if I’d stuck to 2 characters since I’d be able to get more invested in each character. I also suspect the game comes to life more when playing with a group as it seems more geared to a social experience as opposed to a solo one. The limited time I have to play probably also detracts from the experience because it can be a few weeks between games for me which limits the immersion I have in the game. However, I suspect a large pool of current or target players are in the same situation as me – have limited time to play and play strictly solo.

Adding more variation and decision making to the mechanics would be the biggest positive change for me, but also the hardest to implement. Easer things to do that would also have a positive effect and might keep me purchasing subsequent sets would be:
• Adding some more story text to the game to set-up each scenario and give some background on the various locations and allies/henchman/villains encountered. This could be via a 1-2 page insert in each adventure pack.
• Adding a map to the base set showing the various locations. I’ve always found maps add to the theme.


I still have yet to finish the first box with my family. I wish there was a digital verison I could play with my online friends to take out the prep work and keep track of everything. You could knock out a game in no time online otherwise Tabletop with friends in person or Skype is still king in a time spent setting. I will buy all your products eventually but playing only with the family or solo as my own team just doesn't happen enough. On a side note my daughters Twighlight Sparkle really needs nerfed! Love your stuff!


It's too expensive. Your question is about the base set, but purchasing the base set is, more or less, a commitment to getting the rest. That's a very expensive $120 board game (using discounted prices from buying elsewhere) that doesn't get as many plays as it could because of dedication required to it (time to play, setup, cleanup, deck management...).

And that's excluding all the very-off-putting extras, like the $30 (THIRTY!?!?!) for the UltraPro little piece of cardboard character mats that somehow have game content.

And then there are the promo cards -- as a completionist, I like to get all the game content available for a game I commit to. ROTR showed me that's simply not going to happen for a PACG game unless I go and take another mortgage. And the rampant errata/misprints (that alone is enough to make me want to wait until after an entire line has been out for a good long while!)

And then there's storage. The box inside looks nice, like everything was thought out, but it's actually not useful at all. Even if you don't sleeve the cards (and I'm not one who does), there's all the time, effort and materials spent finding a decent way to store the cards.

AND THEN the guild adventures are a new thing for S&S that cost even more money (each sold separately, of course!)

So, ROTR is probably it, unless Paizo changes the way it is going to do things for the future. Ideally, boxing the ENTIRE line up in one bulk-priced bundle instead of doing reprint runs on the separate content.

But, that's unlikely because here we are with zero delay in the next one coming out. I might be able to overcome dread of the excessive costs if the release schedule were not so aggressive.

Scarab Sages

Gandalf73 wrote:
However, I suspect a large pool of current or target players are in the same situation as me – have limited time to play and play strictly solo.

I play solo and in two different groups (one with friends / Hawkmoon, one with people at work during lunch). I will say that I believe it's possible to keep up with the monthly release schedule only in solo play - or, possibly, if you're in college and all your friends are a five-minute walk from you, and everyone has oodles of spare time / flexible schedules.

Most of the people with whom I play cannot get together regularly enough to do more than about 2-3 scenarios per month - one game night's worth (3-4 hours, maybe 5 hrs tops). The work-group has been taking two weeks (two hours) to complete (or fail) one scenario and do deck cleanup and all that (because someone shows up five minutes late, it takes 3-5 to setup, even with everything in the box, etc.).

So...while I am buying everything because I myself really like the game, I concur with the "limited time to play" sentiment, and believe that they're releasing more content than many groups can likely complete between release windows.

I would also say, Gandalf73, that I agree with your supposition that the game "comes to life" in group-play more than in solo-play.

Grand Lodge

While I (obviously) have purchased S&S along with all of the accessories as well as a second set of class decks, a couple of people that I played RotR with did not.

The first was because he felt that Paizo threw away all the work he did building up a character in RotR and didn't want to start all over with S&S. Plus the cost involved with starting over. If there had been content that he could continue with his character(s) then he'd probably have purchased that.

The second was definitely because of cost. He and I both bought RotR but we ended up using just once set (obviously) to play. He knew that I would be buying all of it so he didn't. We actually have only played a couple of scenarios because we have other games to play that are on our list.

And that feeds into my concern. 6-7 months cycle of Adventure Paths is aggressive. Factor in scenario failures, real life, illnesses, weather, etc. and you barely have time to finish a set within that time. Then you factor in that a lot of us like to play other games with our friends. I know, it's ludicrous, but we don't just play PACG. In fact, my friend and I haven't even touched S&S since the beginning and played a couple of the base scenarios. So I understand that Paizo wants to push out two sets per year, but something people have already said to me about WotR is that they won't pick it up because they want to buy other stuff ... and haven't finished playing S&S. And I can completely understand that. If I had the opportunity, I'd probably wait until early summer before purchasing WotR so that I could make sure S&S was played through (in OP). Closer to 9 months after the initial release of S&S.

And as opposed to others, I don't enjoy this game as a solo player. I bought RotR and S&S to play with others. To be able to participate in OP and meeting new people to play a game that I enjoy. The only time I solo is to catch up a character or two to play with groups (at their level).


I have bought Skull & Shackles - but nearly didn't . Like many I was not really a fan of the ocean bound theme but ended up getting it because the previews promised a cleaned up system and more challenging play. I liked Rise of the Runelords but started to find it a bit repetitive (scenarios very samey) and some of the card interpretations and errata very frustrating and clunky.

I am really glad I decided to give it a go. It has a real high fantasy feel with just enough flavour introduced that allow buckles to be swashed and ships to be sunk. I have been full tilt into Skulls and Shackles since Christmas clocking somewhere near 40 scenarios played (I have not yet played beyond adventure 3). It is my go to solo game (it has replaced Lord of the Rings lcg for me as I really enjoy the character building aspects and old school thump and loot like RPGs in my youth).

I really like the pace of releases for Skull and Shackles about 8 months start to finish seems fine to me to keep the interest for new stuff going without being overwhelmed. I will be ready for the next adventure path in May.

Mike


Honestly, for me it was a mix of money and time, both of which I had much less of in the second half of 2014. I was looking forward to playing S&S, and excited to hear about the new version, though I'll probably sit that one out too. I'd very much like to find a reliable group to play with before I'd pick up a new version. That said, if time or money (preferably both) increase in the near future, I'll definitely be picking up the new one!

That said, I also agree with some of the people in this thread that the release schedule is very fast to keep up with. If a person was doing the OP as well, I don't see how they would have much time for other recreational activities.


I want to reiterate that I played all the way through RotR with a full 6 person group, and most of the way through it with another 3 person group and loved every session.


The Rise of the Runelords card game tipped our group over into trying out the Pathfinder RPG and playing the adventure path for the first time. We had been talking about trying a tabletop RPG for a long time but becoming intrigued in the story hiding behind the cards in the card game got us to commit to learning the core rules, buying minis, all that jazz. (I'm admittedly the only one in the group who has never tried tabletop, the others have played a small amount of D&D...but nothing like what paizo's APs offered).

I bought the entirety of the Runelords card game but we never got past adventure 3, since all of our game time has been switched over to tabletop time. We plan to play through the card game after the AP is finished (we're almost done, knocking on big K's door now). The card game is a pretty cool way to recap adventures, and remember fights that were otherwise forgotten.

As for S&S, the original plan was to beat RotR, then do the S&S AP alongside the card game. But now I think I'm going to let the group pick what AP to do next (I GM). The group is pretty enamored with the Varisian setting and seems to be leaning towards the sequel, Shattered Star. We like pirates but I don't know if we like pirates enough to commit another 1.5 years~ towards pirate games! If we do not go on to the S&S AP we will not be buying the card game.. not enough time to play the card game, and the card game has been more fun knowing the story behind it (something that could be solved with more flavor text maybe?).

So I guess TL;DR - we might not be spending money on S&S but that just means our group is spending money on different Paizo products instead.


My only reason is time. I have three games going now (one solo, one with my wife, one with my son) with different characters. Two of them are on Scenario 3 and one is still on scenario 2. We're averaging maybe 2 adventures a month, so it's going to take a while just to finish these. At some point next year when I finish all 6, we may get S&S, or skip to the next one. We will probably buy whatever Path is available at the time we finish RotR.

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