Yarrr! Pirate sounds and words! Yarrr! Dear readers, before we start looking at cards from Pathfinder Adventure Card Game—Skull & Shackles Adventure Deck 2: Raiders of the Fever Sea, I want to take a couple of moments to share some thoughts about the comments on my last blog. I'm sort of curmudgeonly for a woman in her twenties, so some of these thoughts may seem a bit harsh, but deep down, I'm actually a marshmallow. If I had more coffee in my system, all my thoughts would be rainbows and kittens, but alas, I'm out of java.
Yo, Scurvy Dog, I Heard You Like Villains...
Tuesday, September 30, 2014
Yarrr! Pirate sounds and words! Yarrr! Dear readers, before we start looking at cards from Pathfinder Adventure Card Game—Skull & Shackles Adventure Deck 2: Raiders of the Fever Sea, I want to take a couple of moments to share some thoughts about the comments on my last blog. I'm sort of curmudgeonly for a woman in her twenties, so some of these thoughts may seem a bit harsh, but deep down, I'm actually a marshmallow. If I had more coffee in my system, all my thoughts would be rainbows and kittens, but alas, I'm out of java.
Curmudgeonly Thoughts
My name isn't Gary, it's Gaby. I commend you for fixing your error and for making a mistake that didn't result in my name being spelled Gabby or Gabbie. That's just the worst. Gary is a much better error. [Editor's note: We all call her Gary now.]
For those of you that thought Hirgy was not in the spirit of the game...I see that there are words written there but all I can read is "baw baw baw." The Hirgzster is great. Just give him a chance.
For those of you who figured out that the Goblin Weidling is my favorite card because its name is my last name, congratulations! You've scored a gazillion bonus points, which are redeemable for absolutely nothing!!! But you're smart, so, you've got that going for you.
A lot of you said really nice things about my blog and now the pressure is on to keep you entertained and happy. YIPES. This is a way scarier than fighting Hirgenzosk, but I'm going to try.
And now, back to our regularly scheduled programming.
OSS (Obligatory Shark Section)
BONK!
Fun fact: That's what bull sharks actually do. They swim around waiting for some unsuspecting pirate to decide it's a nice day for a dip, and then the bull shark just goes BONK with its nose, like some sort of toothy battering ram. And after it goes bonk, then it goes chomp and that's the end of that.
This shark, like all our other sharks, can't be evaded. Of course, you have to make a check to find out if you're a decent and alert swimmer, or you'll get bull sharked.
Bonus fun fact: Bull sharks can live in either salt water or fresh water. You aren't safe anywhere. Then again, neither are bull sharks. That's because Mike forced upon the game a really bad, really awesome pun, and then we turned it into one of the scariest promo cards ever. Witness the Owlbeartross.
Oh, come on. That's the funniest thing you've heard today.
That poor little Riptide Grindylow. He's just derping along, minding his business and then for basically no reason, you come along and whack him. Now you've done it. This makes the Owlbeartross pretty cross, since Grindylow is his favorite snack food. It's likely that Mr. Tross will now fly off and shuffle himself into a deck you really don't want to see him in, and also likely that he'll go find another monster to beak-chomp. See, he's a big ball of cuddles.
Things that Actually Matter
We've got some wacky stuff going on in our scenarios. One of them has two different ships bopping around. And if you're lucky, you'll end that scenario with a *ton* of plunder.
Devilish due-giving abounds. Rickety Hake abides.
You'll also have the opportunity to help out Rickety Hake, our first ever loot ally. He's this totally nice dude with terrible teeth who fixes up ships in his ship chop shop (say that three times fast!). He's a helpful guy to have around.
In The Secret of Mancatcher Cove, there's sort of a lot going on. It seems pretty normal at first, though. You build out your locations like normal. There's a villain, who I call Inky Izzy, and a named henchman and then some generic Buccaneers. It's sort of weird that there's one less location than normal though. That probably won't be part of some horrible surprise.
It's part of some horrible surprise.
You're playing along and things are groovy gravy. You've closed some locations, and somehow, luck's going your way. You've encountered Inky Izzy and you're even in a position to banish her if your fights go well. And because I'm feeling reasonably nice as I type this, let's say they do. You summon and encounter the ship Thresher. It's not the nicest ship in the world, but again, your fight goes well, and you defeat it. Huzzah for you! Now it's time to fight Inky Izzy. And yet again, in a display of stunningly good luck, you beat her. You take your 1 Acid damage, but that's OK because you've just won. Right? RIGHT?!
Wrong. Hold on to your eye patches, kids, it's about to get crazy.
Remember that scenario card that I showed you a picture of but just sort of glossed over? Turns out that when Inky Izzy goes away you get to build a new location. It's called Mancatcher Cove. It's not the nicest place in the Shackles, but it is by no means the worst. So, what happens when this place gets built? Oh, that's right. You add a villain to it. The Matron is not your friend.
It's not like you didn't see this coming.
Turns out that when you eventually get around to fighting her, she summons a Sea Devil. And if you're lucky enough to beat her, then you get to add the villain Krelloort to that location. Krelloort may have a funny name, but he's not a funny guy. He's kind of a jerk. And he summons somebody to fight if there are cards left in the location deck! Like I said, kind of a jerk. The good news is, if you can get past Krelloort, you're done! You've won!
If you can handle at least three villain fights, countless ship fights, and countless henchmen fights, you've definitely earned the loot for this scenario.
I'm going to leave you on a positive note and just let you bask in the awesomeness of that loot. Speaking of loot... Here's some awesome wallpapers for your computers, if any of you crazy cats still use those.
First off, we're all in. This is an immense product line now, and we're going to do everything we can to keep it on your gaming table. We're deep in design of the third Adventure Path, and we're plotting out the fourth. Our job is to keep giving you reasons to keep playing, and we take that job very seriously.
That means not resting on our laurels. We don't want a carbon copy of Rise of the Runelords with some different chrome on top. Skull & Shackles will require you to strategize differently, to use skills and make checks differently, to build your decks differently, and to advance your character differently. Where Runelords had one scenario per adventure that was atypical in its format, S&S has quite a bit more. You won't see what's coming, and that's going to make it harder to win the game, and we hope you'll like that.
We also want you to see yourself differently. Instead of just our base 11 iconic characters, these products will get us up to 40 uniquely named characters—and even the new versions of familiar faces will play differently from those of Runelords. As of August, you'll have more than 100 role cards available. And there's a personality shift as well: As a general rule, our base 11 iconics are pretty nice people. Not all of our new characters are nice. Some are borderline nasty. We want you to be able to play whatever you want.
We're going to give those characters a lot to play. The weekly organized play scenarios will roll out starting in the summer, and the character/scenario combinatorics are off the charts. (Seriously, we made those charts, and we're off of them.) We care a whole lot about our friendly local gaming stores and game conventions, and want to bring our brand of entertainment to all those places. Wherever you're surrounded by gamers, we'll be there.
We're making more things people want for the game. There are more S&S promos, including our first and most insane promo character. Ultra Pro is making charactermats, card sleeves, adventure mats, and cases for the serious PACG player, all of which have subscriber discounts. These definitely change the play experience in positive ways. There are more fun things in the works, but Vic would hit me with a gaffi stick if I said anything about them.
We're also making a commitment to a living rulebook. We've now got more than 1,500 uniquely named cards for the game (roughly equal to the first four years of Magic: The Gathering), and they all interact in fascinating ways. So that means the rulebook needs to handle everything the game throws at it. That means it's getting bigger, and is unlikely to get smaller any time soon. It'll be updated a few times a year, and each set's rulebook will supersede the previous set's rulebook, modulo any rules unique to that set (e.g., S&S's ships). We want everything to work with everything else, and so we'll stay on top of the forums and address any issues people come across, changing the rules as needed. If you make that kind of commitment to us, we're going to make a similar commitment to you.
So that's it. After almost 2,000 cards passed through my hands in less than a month, I can see the future of this game. If you like it as much as I do, it'll be very bright indeed.
Mike Selinker Designer, Pathfinder Adventure Card Game
Well, it seems we were able to reclaim what was rightfully ours, and the Pathfinders gave a fine thrashing to the pirates on one ship and an inspired proselytizing to another. The Chronicle sheets for the Skull & Shackles Adventure Path are either already up on the Additional Resources page and respective product pages.
Rescue in Riddleport
Monday, June 24, 2013
Venture-Captain Sheila Heidmarch confidently strode into the wharf district's 27th warehouse to find it nearly packed with Pathfinders of all stripes. Hellknights grudgingly rubbed shoulders with buccaneers, twitchy humans bent over their traveling alchemical laboratories, and a small menagerie of trained war beasts looked about hungrily as if more eager to start the mission than their humanoid companions.
"As you know, Pathfinders, more than a month ago a band of Riddleport pirates captured our shipment of Chronicle sheets, determined that they had little resale value, and announced an impossibly high ransom. This is a mistake they shall regret," she promised her motley army. The crowd responded appreciably by waving blades, cheering, and shouting grim vows. Motioning for everyone to be silent, Heidmarch continued, saying, "Fortunately, in the intervening time our long-time friend Guaril Karela has been asking questions around the city to determine exactly when we should strike our enemies. He assures me," she added as the slick Varisian flashed a crooked smile and twirled his moustache, "that his methods were clean enough to make a paladin weep in admiration." Guaril Karela smiled reassuringly for a moment, but his grin melted away in horrified mock innocence when nearly half of the assembled troubleshooters all spat in disgust and disbelief.
With a glance to ensure that there would be no trouble, the venture-captain continued. "I am glad to have this intelligence, for it shall make the operation a safer one. As you well know, I would never send you into dangerous territory underequipped or uninformed—"
Illustration by Daryl Mandryk
Mouths fell open in incredulity. More of the seedier Pathfinders spat upon the floor to express their displeasure, a few tore back sleeves to point at terrifying scars acquired on recent missions, a tall human warrior pointed at the venture-captain and shouted "doppelganger" in open accusation, and a tearful gnome waved a sheet of parchment that bore the names of no less than a dozen deceased animal companions—each name differentiated only by a different ordinal epitaph. As the mutinous din grew louder, Guaril stood and quickly laid out the plan. "There are two ships—The Sanguine Sahuagin anchored in the harbor and the Bog Nixie at a dock to resupply. We know that the Chronicle sheets are evenly split between the two vessels, so we're sending in two teams."
As the Pathfinders' display of defiance died down and a few put away their banners bearing the slogan "Shadow Lodge for Life," Sheila Heidmarch picked up where Guaril had left off. "We intend to put an end to these villains' piracy, so it is your job to run them off or run them through as quickly as possible before they can destroy the cargo. Secure the ships, and from there return the Chronicle sheets here for distribution."
Their orders received, a handful of Iomedaeans and Hellknights shouted their vows to deliver justice, competing with the projected confidence of a halfling who challenged all of the offending pirates to single combat. As almost everyone prepared for the upcoming bloodshed, a Taldan lady reached the front of the crowd, flicked open a fan, began questioning much of the operation's premise, and proposed an alternate solution that might secure a nonviolent resolution. Her well-reasoned oratory began to calm her colleagues, and several of the Iomedaeans began to look somewhat sheepish as if questioning their rash announcements earlier. Nonviolence enjoyed a brief period of popularity before a powerfully built man raised his sword in a battlecry to Gorum and rallied the more bloodthirsty Pathfinders to join him in striking out at the Sanguine Sahuagin. Wayfinders held high, they marched out to board the personal ship of one of the Pathfinders.
Amused, Guaril leaned over to Sheila Heidmarch and inquired with some amusement, "Are they always this rowdy and uncontrollable?" Out of her sight he slipped a handful of faction missions to one of his loyal agents.
"Almost every time," the venture-captain sighed with exasperation. "Sometimes it's a wonder that they listen at all."
Only a handful of Pathfinders remained behind, including the orator, a few delicate spellcasters (both humanand elven), and a handful of others with more exotic lineages who were debating when it is right to kill, what the pirates' motivations might be, whether redemption was out of the question, and the merits of judging others at face value. The small entourage worked its way to the docks and hailed the Bog Nixie's crew, where the three diplomats and their philosophically inclined bodyguards presented a small purse of 50 gold pieces in exchange for all of Chronicles.
The assembled pirates drew cutlasses and shared in a hearty laugh at the paltry offer before one of the pious Pathfinders cradling a heavy scimitar shot back, "If you cannot agree to our terms, and do not wish to seek redemption for your vile acts, then you shall have but one last chance to surrender before we are forced to give you redemption of a different sort."
The pirates simply sneered evilly at the small group before one of them pointing out into the harbor. "Just remember that we only has to signal our pals out there, and all your bits of paper will go sinking straight t'the bottom!" The villains chuckled and shared a few iconic "yarrs" to remind everyone just who was pirate and who was prey.
Just at that moment, the Sanguine Sahuagin's sails burst into flames, and its crew quickly followed suit before diving into the water. The barely perceptible glimmer of wayfinders about the necks of those souls who then climbed aboard and made for the cargo hold were all that the Bog Nixie's crew needed to see to know that their plan had failed. One of the negotiators flicked open her fan to hide her look of disgust at her fellows' tactics before repeating her offer to the befuddled buccaneers.
"Fifty gold?"
Well, it seems we were able to reclaim what was rightfully ours, and the Pathfinders gave a fine thrashing to the pirates on one ship and an inspired proselytizing to another. The Chronicle sheets for the Skull & Shackles Adventure Path are either already up on the Additional Resources page and respective product pages.
I had a good time reading the posts that people made in character, and I was certainly impressed by some of the character profiles attached. Seeing some names that I haven't see around the Pathfinder Society forum was also good fun.
... Illustration by Dmitry Burmak and Daryl Mandryk. Widescreen version here. For Glory, Not Gold! Friday, September 2, 2011A lot of folks have long been clamoring for more Norse-inspired gaming goodness, and we've got that coming for you to the axe-hilt in the upcoming Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Lands of the Linnorm Kings. To get you in that northern Inner Sea mood in the meantime, here's an awesome Linnorm Kings wallpaper featuring the art of Dmitry Burmak and Daryl Mandryk. ......
Illustration by Dmitry Burmak and Daryl Mandryk. Widescreen version here.
For Glory, Not Gold!
Friday, September 2, 2011
A lot of folks have long been clamoring for more Norse-inspired gaming goodness, and we've got that coming for you to the axe-hilt in the upcoming Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Lands of the Linnorm Kings. To get you in that northern Inner Sea mood in the meantime, here's an awesome Linnorm Kings wallpaper featuring the art of Dmitry Burmak and Daryl Mandryk.
