A Cunning Plan

Thursday, October 4, 2018

Illustration by Alexandur Alexandrov

The heroes of the Against the Aeon Throne Adventure Path have routed an occupying force, braved the dangers of Azlanti space, met a whole host of new and bizarre beings, and staged a daring prison break, but their efforts all come to a head in the campaign's final volume, "The Rune Drive Gambit," by veteran adventure author Larry Wilhelm.

Upon locating where the Azlanti are keeping the rune drive, the PCs must confront the scientists studying the ancient device, some of whom might even be sympathetic to the PCs' cause. (The Azlanti Star Empire doesn't exactly pay for overtime, after all.) As the PCs try to unravel the mysteries of the rune drive in hopes of either destroying it or using it, they are hounded by an elite member of the Aeon Guard and eventually face the Azlanti noble in charge of the entire operation! Will they survive to return to the Pact Worlds? Or will the Azlanti Star Empire be triumphant once again?

Illustration by Jakub Bazyluk

In addition to this gripping adventure, this volume features some ideas brought to you by Tracy Barnett of how you can continue this campaign after the last battle, including a way to bring the characters to our next 3-part Adventure Path, Signal of Screams. Incidentally, this article also features a combination of creature and artifact that makes me very happy.

Finally, apart from the usual array of new aliens and worlds, you can read all about the Stewards in this detailed article by Lyz Liddell. We're very excited to bring you information about this peacekeeping organization's history, leaders, and goals, which we have only touched on before now. You'll also find two new Steward archetypes to supplement the one we presented in Starfinder Pact Worlds!

As this brings us to the end of our first experiment into shorter Adventure Paths, we hope we enjoyed coming along with us for the ride. And if you want to see us try this abridged length again, please let us know!

Jason Keeley
Developer

Welcome to Outpost Zed

Thursday, September 13, 2018

No one said traveling to the Azlanti Star Empire would be easy. In fact, most everyone says the exact opposite. Imperialist and xenophobic, the Azlanti aren't going to take kindly to a handful of Pact Worlders showing up in their space to cause trouble and interfere with their grand plans. Luckily, as with any large empire, there are spaces on the fringes where the eyes of the conquerors don't always peer too closely.

Illustration by Mirco Paganessi

Illustration by David Franco

In Starfinder Adventure Path #8: Escape from the Prison Moon, the PCs begin their sojourn into Azlanti space at a former mining platform and space station known as Outpost Zed, home to a wide array of smugglers and outlaws who want to avoid the gaze of Azlanti officials. The heroes will need to trade for goods and information there if they want any chance of being able to rescue their android friend from her cruel captors. But will they be able to prove themselves worthy of trust by Outpost Zed's inhabitants, whose ways and languages are extremely alien to those from the Pact Worlds?

In addition to a rollicking adventure by the always awesome Eleanor Ferron where the PCs will meet several new beings and perform a daring prison break, this volume also includes a ton of information about the Azlanti Star Empire. From its storied history and current state of affairs (by Starfinder Creative Director and Azlanti enthusiast Robert G. McCreary) to a detailed look at the Star Empire's 17 officially designated "sentient alien species" (by the wildly imaginative Saif Ansari), you'll soon find the Azlanti Star Empire as the newest villains you'll love to hate!

Jason Keeley
Developer

Rule of Threes

Thursday, August 9, 2018

The initial volume of the Against the Aeon Throne Adventure Path releases this month, marking several changes to the Starfinder Adventure Path format, some permanent, some more experimental. Firstly, as many of you know by now, Starfinder Adventure Path is becoming a monthly product! We'll be delivering new adventures, new articles, and new creatures to you every 30 days or so until someone makes us stop. Heck, it's worked pretty well for Pathfinder all these years, so I think we'll probably be fine. We have a lot of exciting campaigns and stories that we want to share with you, so we hope you'll join us for this journey among the stars.

Illustration by David Melvin

Secondly is our exploration of a shorter campaign length. Both Against the Aeon Throne and the following Adventure Path, Signal of Screams, are presented in just three volumes, giving groups a chance for a somewhat extended experience in the Starfinder universe without having to commit to a full six-volume campaign, which can usually take at least a year to play. When we decided to double our production of adventures, we also thought the change would be a good opportunity to experiment a bit with the format. And the plots and themes we wanted to work with at the time seemed to lend themselves to shorter arcs. Thus, the three-volume campaign was born!

These shorter campaigns let us explore a slightly more focused narrative, much in the same way a Pathfinder Module tells a complete, self-contained story. We can really hit the most important plot points with big, splashy encounters and not have to worry about sustaining that level of energy over six adventures. While the six-volume campaign is great for telling epic, sweeping tales, these shorter adventures allow us delve into moments that might affect the characters on a more personal level. However, that doesn't mean the fate of the galaxy won't be at stake!

That isn't all we're trying out over the next several months. While the beginning of Against the Aeon Throne is for new 1st-level characters, the first adventure of Signal of Screams is for 7th-level characters. This will mark the first time an Adventure Path won't begin at 1st level! That being said, if your group isn't comfortable with starting at 7th level, then we made sure that the two Adventure Paths dovetail nicely into one another. Once you've finished with Against the Aeon Throne, you can transition right into Signal of Screams. Sure, there will be a slight change of tone in the adventures, but if your group doesn't mind the shift, then you should go for it!

Illustration by Mark Molnar

As these adventures get released, we are very interested in hearing your feedback about the changes. How do you like the three-volume format? Are six-volume Adventure Paths too long for your group? Would you like to see more content that starts at higher levels? Or do you prefer the dangerous thrill of those first few levels? Let us know!

And don't worry, the Starfinder Adventure Path line returns to the usual six-volume campaign in February of 2019 with Dawn of Flame!

Jason Keeley
Developer

Starfinder Adventure Path News!

Friday, January 26, 2018

As we head into the new year and the second half of the Dead Suns Adventure Path, it seems like a good time to update folks on what to expect from the Starfinder Adventure Path in the near future. Since the release of the Starfinder Core Rulebook last year, one thing we've heard over and over is that people want more Starfinder! To that end, starting in August 2018, the Starfinder Adventure Path goes monthly! That means a new adventure will be available every month, and you'll get at least two full Starfinder campaigns every year.

But that's not all! Also in August 2018, the second Starfinder Adventure Path will present a complete Starfinder campaign in just three volumes, followed by another three-volume Adventure Path in November. Not only will this make for shorter, and hopefully more manageable, campaigns, but it will also enable us to experiment even more with the traditional Adventure Path format going forward. This isn't the end of the six-volume Adventure Path, however. We'll be returning to that length in 2019, and our plan is to release new Starfinder Adventure Paths in both three-volume and six-volume formats in the future—whichever works best for the stories we want to tell.

Whether it's three volumes or six, the Starfinder Adventure Path will still have all of the same content you've come to expect. In addition to the adventures themselves, each volume features additional articles that provide more detail on the Starfinder campaign setting and present new options for players, as well as new alien creatures in the Alien Archives, a new planet to explore in the Codex of Worlds, and a new starship in every installment.

So what can you expect from our first monthly, three-volume Starfinder Adventure Path, debuting in August? It's the Against the Aeon Throne Adventure Path, which pits the heroes against the might of the tyrannical Azlanti Star Empire! To succeed, the heroes must liberate a Pact Worlds colony in the Vast from Azlanti occupation and infiltrate the Star Empire to rescue captive Pact Worlders from imprisonment. At the same time, the heroes will need to prevent the Azlanti from getting their hands on an experimental piece of technology that could shift the balance of power in the galaxy!

The first Against the Aeon Throne adventure, "The Reach of Empire," hits store shelves and paizo.com in August, followed by a new volume every month. Do your heroes have what it takes go Against the Aeon Throne?

Robert G. McCreary
Creative Director