I spent many, many hours with the old Sierra/Impressions city-building series back in the day. Caesar III was my first PC game, although the improvements in Pharaoh made it my favorite of the series. I didn't particularly care for some of the additions in Zeus, and so I skipped that one, but the change of scenery in Emperor was enough to make me overlook those gripes and lure me back in for one last hurrah.
In more recent years, I've found myself coming back to Europa Universalis III time and time again. The ability to play as almost any historical region from 1399 to 1823 and guide it over hundreds of years of (often wildly divergent, if not outright gonzo) history results in a game that lends itself surprisingly well to immersion for a product that lacks any sort of actual story. There's something about (accidentally) inheriting one's way into a United Kingdom of Great Britain, France, and Greece, or leading an Ottoman Empire that swallows up Italy just in time to inherit the renaissance, or an independent Burgundy that survives into the 19th century that tickles the alternate history buff in me.
It'll never happen, for reasons already stated by others, but I can dream of a Paizo take on Magic of Incarnum. I've been rereading my copy of MoI recently, and while I love the basic mechanical concept, boy, did they ever miss the ball on the fluff side of things. "I draw upon the secret power of souls to... give myself this rockin' new scarf?" Again, I know it'll never happen, but we've seen how Paizo's redeemed some of the goofier monsters of editions past - I can only imagine how they'd redeem an abandoned subsystem with equally-goofy lore attached.
While I'm a massive fan of psionics in my games, I'm actually not that eager to see a Paizo psionics book. While I have no doubt that Paizo would do the concept justice, 3.5 psionics have already found worthy custodians in the Dreamscarred people, who seem genuinelly passionate about their work.
Drawing inspiration from a certain piece of artwork inside Stolen Land, I played up the Stag Lord as a more psychological adversary to the party, replacing his drunkenness with a mystical, spiritual madness and working towards something of a Jack Torrance/Roy Batty vibe. Throughout the middle section of Stolen Land, the Stag Lord hunted the "invaders" in his domain, stalking and striking fear into their hearts. After weeks of hit and run tactics, stalking them from just out of sight, firing arrows aimed not to kill but "merely" injure or frighten, an incident involving the hurtling of a freshly-slain stag into the party's camp late at night finally pushed them into an assault on the crazed bandit's stronghold. There, the Stag Lord's games of fear finally turned deadly, but that's what the Obituaries thread is for.
I've also made Maegar Varn and the entire town of Varnhold into dwarves. Since my Kingmaker party is entirely human, half-elven, or elven, I thought their domain's sister colony was a good opportunity to work one of the other races into the campaign's narrative.
I'll throw in another vote for Kingmaker here. It is, after all, kind of difficult for a party to build their own kingdom without a fair share of roleplaying along the way - and roleplaying of a sort some groups might not see much of otherwise. How often does the chance to be the movers and shakers in a region come along, after all? As has already been pointed out, the dungeons in Kingmaker are mostly short little things, so it's easy to emphasize the exploration and roleplaying aspects of the kingdom much more.
I'd also like to mention Jade Regent. While some of the dungeons in this one are admittedly pretty big, I've found that it's pretty easy to streamline them by leaving out some rooms or omitting the more "filler"-type encounters that bring nothing to the story. The main roleplaying draw to this one comes from traveling halfways around the world with a small group of NPCs I've seen likened to a mobile community/home base . This gives the players plenty of time and ample opportunity to form bonds with the campaign's main NPCs (which the Player's Guide itself strongly encourages), along with a changing backdrop of interesting and exotic locales to roleplay in as the caravan moves along from one land to the next on its journey.
It seems like most of the few changes I enjoyed from 4E are what pathfinder fixed but without the changes that I really did not like from 4E.
I'm going to have to second this, speaking as someone who made the jump to Pathfinder last year after three very dissatisfied years of trying to convince myself 4e was for me. Pretty much all of the gripes I had with 3e by 2007/2008 that left me looking forward to 4e (grapple rules, the "half" races being underpowered, spellcasters having to fall back on crossbows at low levels, non-magical classes becoming dead weight at high levels, save or dies, the overcomplicated skill system, and a few others I'm probably forgetting right now) have been addressed wonderfully in Pathfinder, without any of the entire host of new problems 4e introduced. Essentially, Pathfinder is the game I wanted 4e to be - addressing some long-standing oddities in the 3e rules, while remaining mechanically and thematically compatible with what came before.
On top of this, the material Paizo's published since the Core Rules, such as the Advanced Player's Guide, has shown that there's still plenty of new room to expand and explore within the current ruleset, which is always a good thing too.
Neither of these are so much during the APs themselves as potential continuations after their respective sixth installment, but:
Spoilers for a recent and a not-so-recent AP:
Both Curse of the Crimson Throne and Jade Regent conclude in ways that have the PCs very close to the new rulers of Korvosa/Minkai, or possibly even being those rulers themselves. The kingdom building rules could be used to represent the rebuilding and expansion of the new Korvosan order, or the reassertion of imperial authority in Minkai. Of course, the obvious downside to either of these is that it changes the kingdom building rules from a fixture of the main campaign into more of an endgame reward, so some of the player investment in building up their newly-acquired holdings might be diminished.
This campaign does not have to focus around worshippers of Asmodeus. We picked that god because he is a popular one, a public domain evil deity and provides a natural reason for the party to hang together. "Way of the Wicked" strives above all else to be the evil campaign that actually works and alas for many that means lawful evil.
However, you can completely downplay or even ignore that aspect without having to change a single encounter. This could simply be a campaign about revenge against Talingarde for very personal reasons.
The danger of doing that, as you rightly point out, is that this opens the door for the campaign to degenerate into a festival of betrayal, bickering and back-biting. But if your players can overcome that, we try to give you the tools to play the game that way. Book Two includes an article discussing alternate ways to play the campaign.
Now with months of play reports under my belt, I think you can run this campaign with a group of chaotic evil characters. Have them swear a blood oath to work together and replace Cardinal Thorn with a demon sent from the abyss to sow chaos and death -- the demon Adrastus.
I believe with that one minor change, you can transform "Way of the Wicked" into a chaotic evil campaign.
Regardless, thanks for checking us out and thanks for taking the time to provide us with feedback. We only get better because of people like you.
To expand on this, how significant an impact would be had on the AP's story without the assumption the PCs are ultimately bound to any supernatural/fiendish higher power? While I agree that starting an evil party off as henchmen in some sinister organization is definitely the way to go to avoid having everyone go ax crazy, a decade in the DM's seat has left me burnt out on the "evil god/archdevil/demon lord cult" brand of evil. I'm hoping that running Way of the Wicked with the henchmen/faction aspect intact but without working for something from the lower planes is possible without derailing or changing the plot from the as-written version too much, as I quite liked what I saw in the free preview.
For me, the draw of an Asian-inspired adventure path was partly defeated by having the entire first half of it take place against a non-Asian-inspired backdrop. Not to say the Viking and Inuit themes aren't interesting, of course. Heck, I'd love to see a "Far North" themed AP in the future. It was just a larger thematic shift coupled with a far longer wait to get to the “meat” of the AP than I was prepared for.
So, for my run, I've opted to straight-up handwave the western elements away. Naturally, this has involved taking quite a few liberties with the geography involved in the first two installments, as well as some of the NPCs and locations involved. Some alterations have been relatively inconsequential (replacing the goblins in the first act of Brinewall Legacy with kijimunas) to the more wide-sweeping (while I've kept most of Night of Frozen Shadows intact, Kalsgard and all its NPCs have been modified to be more appropriate to the area I've relocated things to).
The Hungry Storm has proven more troublesome, as the big “cross the north pole in a caravan” adventure. I had considered just handwaving the polar aspect as steppes or a desert instead, but with so much of the adventure so intimately connected to the arctic environment, I’ve opted to just drop that installment altogether and pad out the missing levels with shorter adventures along the road. So far, I've utilized the PFS Quest for Perfection trilogy between Brinewall and Kalsgard, albeit with some major story tweaking to integrate better into the AP’s overarching plot.
Spoilers for non-Jade Regent material ahead:
Rather than Kalsgard, I had the Amatatsu Seal's visions reveal that Suishen had been left for safekeeping at Clouded Path Monastery. After arriving at the monastery, the party learned from the last surviving monk that the yeti had arrived after it had already been ransacked and both the sword and the monastery’s grandmaster abducted by a group of soon-to-be familiar ninjas (While they would find Suishen as per normal in Ravenscraeg; the grandmaster would be less fortunate, ending up behind a certain glass screen). On the way back down the mountain, the party had their first encounter with a certain raven, who flew off after the party's bard fired at it with his crossbow. (As a sidenote, this was to be the start of a running "enmity" between the two, with that damn bird evading crossbow bolts every time it showed up to spy, until said bard finally struck (and for max damage, no less) as Wodes attempted to flee the battle in Ravenscraeg). The following two Quest for Perfection scenarios transformed into a “follow the breadcrumbs” situation, with the border guard from In Hostile Waters and the bandit leader from Defenders of Nesting Swallow both blood geased minions of Kimandatsu. From there, the trail finally led the party to the Kalsgard stand-in and eventually to Ravenscraeg itself. All in all, I’m pleased with how the appropriation of the Quest for Perfection series turned out, as it allowed me to foreshadow the Frozen Shadows and Kimandatsu for much longer (and inadvertently create a serious rivalry between the bard and the bird).
With the Frozen Shadows now out of the way, I’ve some planning to do for the next stage, although I intend to bring in the Ruby Phoenix Tournament just before the Forest of Spirits, at which point I hope to finally start running things by the book (or at least as close to by the book as I’ve ever ran any published adventure).
I'm torn between Kingmaker and Curse of the Crimson Throne, so my vote goes to both.
Kingmaker
Pros
:
Putting the PCs in charge of their own realm makes for an interesting change of pace from standard campaign fare, and allows for some really player-driven storytelling
A largely wilderness/outdoors campaign lets certain characters (i.e. cavaliers) shine more than they might in a "standard" campaign.
The kingdom building rules are a thing of beauty.
Cons
:
Sound of a Thousand Screams fits kinda oddly with the five adventures before it, at least without some heavy foreshadowing added by the DM (Having failed to do that myself, I suspect I'll probably just be swapping it out for something else in my campaign).
There's the occasional curiously-worded monster (It's probably an overreaction on my part, but the Dancing Lady's made me wary of any creatures with Tome of Horrors in their statblocks).
Also, Kingmaker makes me wish Paizo would publish an Advanced Kingdom Guide already. Making me pine for a product that doesn't exist is a negative point, isn't it? :)
Curse of the Crimson Throne
Pros
:
Interesting campaign backdrop.
Probably the most memorable cast of NPCs (and a surprisingly strong BBEG) from any campaign I've been involved in.
Fun dungeons.
Individual adventures that work great as part of the AP and stand strong on their own merits (especially Seven Days to the Grave and Skeletons of Scarwall).
Also, there's great potential for continuing the campaign or starting anew in a follow-up.
Cons
:
I really have to reach to find one here, really. It's 3.5, so some updating is required. But that's more a "fault" of the time it was published in than a flaw with the AP itself. Besides, PF updates can probably be found easily enough on the forums here.
Name: Brother Nevaine Arelle
Race: Human
Classes/levels: Monk 2
Adventure: Stolen Land
Location: Stag Lord's Fort
Catalyst: Insightful Shot, naturally.
The Gory Details: By the time the Stag Lord entered the battle (a prolonged, back-and-forth fray that began with a literal "kick down the front gate" approach), the party had already been softened up by the Stag Lord's (mostly dead by now) minions and pet owlbear. Several failed Perception checks to notice the Stag Lord slinking in the shadows later, the bandit leader took aim at the monk (who unfortunately happened to be the only target within sneak attack range) and fired an insightful shot, instantly taking him from two-thirds his total hit points to -18. The party nonetheless triumphed that day, but not without a price.
Name: Aralandi Talvathir
Race: Elf
Classes/levels: Bard 4 (Archaeologist)
Adventure: Rivers Run Red
Location: The Blighted Hollow
Catalyst: Scythe Tree and a whole lot of bad luck
The Gory Details: After setting out from Tiressia's grove in search of the scythe tree, the party arrived in the Blighted Hollow, whereupon all party members proceeded to bomb their opposed Perception checks. The scythe tree gets a surprise round in, takes a swing at Aralandi, and crits. The entire party then proceeds to roll absolutely terrible Initiative, causing the tree to go first once regular combat begins. Its first branch hits, the second misses (but just barely), and then the third lands a second crit on the already injured bard, resulting in one very, very dead elf.
Presently, my Kingmakers have resolved the situation in Varnhold, and are set to shift their attention to the west soon. Also, I've adapted Kingmaker for a homebrew setting, so obvious non-Golarion details ahoy.
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Iriste du'Sartelle, Grandmistress of the Omtennian Order, Duchess of Omtennia; Female Human Cavalier [Gendarme]
As a scion of one of the Kingdom of Eramis’ most renowned noble houses, few expected Iriste du’Sartelle’s fate to be one of little consequence. Her own considerable skill in both the knightly tournament grounds and the political circles of the upper class ensured her fate would be of even more consequence than anyone could have guessed. Iriste was chosen as the leader of one of the expeditionary bands sent to tame the savage Bloodlands, a band which would in time grow to become the powerful Omtennian Order. A born leader, Iriste’s confidence, boldness, and dedication to the civilizing mission have earned her the admiration of her peers, the loyalty of her soldiers, and, it would seem, the envy of other, less fortunate expeditions.
Devrin Nestaine; Male Human Fighter
The Nestaine family has served various Eramisian noble houses as loyal soldiers and bodyguards for generations. After failing to prevent the assassination of his previous lord, Devrin Nestaine was nonetheless hand-picked by Iriste du’Sartelle to join her expedition into the Bloodlands. In the years since then, Devrin has emerged from the shadow of his greatest failure, serving as the General of the Omtennian Order’s forces. While he still views himself as a mere soldier and nothing more, his tactical prowess and loyalty to both the Order and the fighting men and women beneath him have been instrumental in seeing the Order’s continued growth in a savage land where all others have failed before.
Noran Zeltakher; Male Half-Elf Ranger [Skirmisher]
The bastard son of a Daetharonian ambassador and a Zalecian peasant, Noran left his macabre homeland at a young age to ply his trade as a mercenary - a path that would eventually lead him to Eramis. After some time in Aerisaide, he enlisted with the Bloodlands expedition as a scout and archer. Though possessing the characteristic dourness of his people, Noran has put his mercenary days behind him, having found a more promising path as one of the council members of the Omtennian Order. As Marshal, he has shaped the Order’s highway and wilderness patrols into a force equipped to survive in the harsh realm they seek to tame.
Sallindri Dalmathrin; Female Human Summoner
A noble-born arcanist and former administrator in the bureaucracy of the magocratic Nejassan Empire to the west, Sallindri was forced to flee the Empire of the Arcane after a court scandal she refuses to discuss. After briefly languishing in the Eramisian capital of Aerisaide, she found her way into one of the Bloodlands expeditions. Though a curious choice for the decadent and urbane mage, she saw the expedition as an opportunity to carve out her own little corner of the world. Since then, Sallindri’s spells and arcane knowledge have proven themselves an asset to the Order’s survival. In particular, her flair for the dramatic has been the source of unorthodox solutions to a number of problems faced by the Order’s leadership in the years since their arrival in the Bloodlands.
Sallindri is accompanied by her eidolon, an entity known as Herihex, which takes the form of a statuesque woman with six arms and purple skin.
Torciro Sarre; Male Human Rogue [Knife Master, Sanctified Rogue]
The Kerandian known as Torciro Sarre is an enigma. Arriving without ceremony at Fort Arelle a mere six days after the town’s founding, the strange man informed the leaders of the Omtennian Order that he had been sent by no lesser authority than the Celestial gods themselves to aid them in their quest. Though unnervingly eccentric and possessing some curious notions about the nature of the divine, he has nonetheless proven himself an asset to the Order, using his own unique brand of “diplomacy” to quiet would-be troublemakers.
Annora Varthes; Female Human Witch/Paladin [Oath Against Undeath, Oath of Loyalty]/Eldritch Knight
The Zalecian witch-paladin Annora Varthes was discovered by the party on the road between Fort Arelle and the Order’s capital city of Vendes, defending a group of pilgrims from one of Hargulka’s bands of troll raiders. In recognition of both the Order’s mission and its leaders’ having saved both her life and those of the pilgrims, Annora swore fealty to the Order on the spot. The serviceof a living saint has proven to be a major boon to the Order, interpreted by many as the Celestials themselves giving their tacit approval to their cause. More recently, she has been accompanied by Devrin on a number of diplomatic meetings in Eramis, leading to (as yet unfounded) rumors of a romance between the two.
And now, those who didn't quite make it. (Hence the two PCs above who joined the party at later times).
Aralandi Talvathir (Deceased); Female Elf Bard [Archaeologist]
Hailing from the elven empire of Daetharon, the explorer Aralandi signed up with the Bloodlands expedition in the hopes of exploring some of the ancient elven ruins left by her people millennia ago. One year into the Order’s mission, Aralandi's life was cut tragically short. After taking up the mission to rid the southern woods of a vicious scythe tree, Aralandi became the final victim of very creature the party had set out for. Her remains were interred beneath the sacred grove of the dryad Tiressia. Her loss was especially mourned by Noran, with whom a subtle romance had emerged. A memorial statue has since been crafted, put on display in the Order’s capital of Vendes.
Brother Nevaine Arelle (Deceased); Male Human Monk [Martial Artist]
As a younger scion of a large noble household with little hope of inheriting, Nevaine opted to join the Celestial clergy as a monk. As both an ordained priest and a nobleman, the church's officials hand-selected Nevaine to accompany the mission into the Bloodlands, to prepare the region for the eventual construction of temples to the Celestial gods. Unfortunately, the mild-mannered monk would end up just another casualty of the Bloodlands, taking an arrow to the heart from the Stag Lord as the party made their final assault on the bandit leader's fort. He has since been memorialized with a grand tomb at Fort Arelle.
