 
Sign in to create or edit a product review. Perspective: played once, read the scenario afterward This scenario is easily one of the best I've played. The atmosphere (with a good GM) is fantastic, the lore/setting/history is interesting, the fights are varied with different challenges to handle (at five players in subtier 1-2 it was the perfect level of difficult but not impossible for my group). While this is mostly a hack and slash adventure, there is at least the possibility of an interesting negotiation with one NPC. The real beauty of this scenario, however, is that every character has an important role: be an *actual* Pathfinder--you need to actualy explore and report (and cooperate) to deliver to the VC some actual material that might end up in a Chronicle. This means actually paying attention to the environment, logging tidbits of discovered information and encounters, and, well, being a Pathfinder. I honestly can't wait to go back to the Gloomspires and do it again. Advice to GMs:
1. Hand each player a blank piece of paper with their name on it. This is a 'journal' purchased for them by the VC. Have them hand it in at the end to see whether they get the second Prestige point. 2. Really play up the foggy, shrouded, not-quite-reality feel of the Gloomspire(s). It will encourage the players to write that sort of stuff down. Perspective: played once, GM'd once This scenario is just all-around awesome. The mission and setting 'fits' the Pathfinder Society in a way that a lot of other scenarios don't: you're actually being sent as archaeologists, and that holds throughout the growing sense of unease, the various hazards, the almost limitless RP opportunities, and the challenging combats -- all the way through to the very end. Easily one of the best out there. Perspective: played once The Rebel's Ransom has everything. Excellent setting, great story, challenging puzzles, several tense combats, a variety of deadly hazards, and a bounty of tingling-sense-that-everything-is-wrong RP opportunities. Simply put, it does everything a scenario should do and does it all extremely well. Perspective: played once, GM'd once Overall this scenario is a fun sandbox/infiltration mission and Riddleport is always an enjoyable destination with some nice settings/lore. The first half is great. However, it gets knocked down to 3 stars due to the extremely high death probability in the second half. Now, I do think that death has a place in the campaign, but my feelings are that death should (generally) come from extraordinary stupid or extraordinarily lucky/unlucky dice rolls. I'm also a person who has smoked goggles on my "every character should buy this basic gear immediately" list. Nevertheless, there are at least three places in this scenario where PC death is unusually probable (ie, far above PFS standards): GMs only!:
1.The basilisk(s). You better hope everybody brought smoked goggles and no more than one PC fails the save, because there's only enough basilisk blood for one stone-to-flesh conversion. 2. The statue must almost certainly be destroyed for the second prestige point, and that's pretty hard to do. Especially when it can one-shot a 1st level character, as I ended up doing. 3. In the upper tier, the statue is equipped with the only tactics section I have ever seen that includes a coup de grace. An unlucky PC could easily become an altar sacrifice.
Still fun, but know that death is a strong possibility going in. Perspective: GM'd once This scenario definitely has its problems, but it easily makes up for these with sheer awesome. There's a lot of combat and not so many RP opportunities, but the story (as connected to Bloodcove) holds together pretty well -- a hyperbole here and there aside -- and helps the PCs feel a great sense of urgency. There is one part to the scenario that almost earns 5 stars all by itself: GMs Only!:
Sure, the final battle can get a bit tedious (there are ways around this). And sure, the ghouls are awful to fight. And sure, that guy with the lance is obnoxious. But the opportunity (as GM) to ask for a player's character sheet, witness the panicked look on their face, and then hand them the statblock for a CR 14 cold iron behemoth and say "you are now in control of this" is just delicious. That piece makes this one of my all-time favorite scenarios. Perspective: GM'd once This story-arc is easily one of my favorites. Part I does a great job of making the PCs feel the hostility of their environment and lets the PCs drive the scenario's (actually logical) plot. Excellent RP opportunities with a few interesting combats. The "sneak around" mechanic is nice in getting the whole party involved, too. Perspective: played once, GM'd once I don't have a ton to add beyond the other reviews, other than that is one of few scenarios that really feel "epic." As a player (and vicariously as the GM), I love the feel of facing down impossible odds and grinning. This is not your standard murderhobo/golden retriever fare. Here at Nesting Swallow you actually get to play a real hero. As a side-note, the preparation mini-game can be tedious if run poorly, but frantic and exciting if done well. ...and it suffers as many middle chapters do. Several of the encounters felt like filler. The story-arc for this chapter was, by itself, decent, but it was not vital to the Quest for Perfection arc as a whole. Still fun with a couple of interesting encounters but would perform better in isolation, I think. (Perspective: GM'd once) Perspective: GM'd once Overall, this was a fun scenario with some good challenges (both combat and environmental) with a great story and an awesome setting. The final location was (unsurprisingly) very enjoyable. What I didn't like were the two needlessly-complicated, 3D on 2D maps that I spent WAY too long trying to make sure I understood correctly. It was definitely not worth the time to try and explain everything to the PCs. GMs:
The BBEG can be pretty deadly and requires some good coordination by the party to succeed, so if your group is looking for a challenge then this scenario fits the bill. Perspective: GM'd once The writing and the environment are really well done and downright disturbing on both sides of the screen. I ran this in a PbP and creeped myself out once or twice, and I knew exactly what was going on. Combats were unusual and interesting, NPCs were awesome, maps were good, plot made a good deal of sense, and RP opportunities were almost boundless. Add some interesting boons to the mix and you've got a great scenario. Medium-sized Spoilers!:
I like that the PCs are SUPPOSED to run away. Even Pathfinders can't defeat anything under the sun. Most of my group stayed at first (one guy rabbit'd immediately with the NPC) but eventually they got the hint once the quakes started. Their collective uncertainty was delicious. Perspective: played once, GM'd once I really love scenarios with an 'epic' feel to the finale. This is one of them. While this is a fairly combat-oriented scenario and the mission is pretty standard for a militarized Pathfinder Society (esp. in Season 5), there were a few good RP opportunities at various points. All in all this is a pretty good time. Would definitely recommend. |
