 
Sign in to create or edit a product review. Many highs and many lows on this scenario. True ambivalence in the sense that what I liked I really, really liked. And what I did not I found very frustrating and was quite disappointed. The Good
Then, the final combat began. Can't speak to whether it just felt like we nearly died or if the scenario was a true meat grinder. But, by the end I felt bonded with my fellow players like we'd just worked a weeklong event together. Several times I lamented my decision to design a custom mini for my character, who would be dead before I ever got to use it at the table. In short, it was awesome! From this point on... Avast! Here by spoilers! The Bad
Players can begin taking their first real decisions at a tram station near the place: and the goal to return to Freemarkets place: is incorporated well and is natural. Here's where the problem begins:
the Lorespire Complex Module commentary:
Scenario 4-01 p. 6 wrote: The sloping Eye of the Station rises in the distance. A metal blast shield stutters as it struggles to close over the glass dome, its erratic movements an obvious sign that it, too, is malfunctioning. If the characters can see the Eye, this means they have a long line of sight. That also means that they ought to head to their objective by the fastest means possible--a straight line. In this case, that straight line runs directly through Jatembe Park. As a park, there should be less technological equipment to trip up the party. But, that option is foreclosed by the adventure, which doesn't even mention Jatembe Park aside from an entry on the map. The adventure provides no reason why the party cannot travel directly to the Lorespire Complex by the most direct route. I know there were printing errors with that map, but they increase the likelihood the party would want to travel along a straight line featuring what's presumably the least glitching technology-filled route--the park. For reference, this would be like designing a scenario on the Upper West of New York City where the players are trying to get to the Upper East Side (on foot) and denying them the use of Central Park, without explaining how or why they can't use it. Maybe I'm harping on a technicality here. But, one of Starfinder's strengths has been its well well-developed setting. The scenario ought to have at least accounted for this fact. (FYI, my GM did, in at least a plausible way and he should be commended for doing so!) Back to the Good! (But Even More Spoilers)
Things We Know:
a) there's been a technological attack on Absalom Station b) that attack included targeted attacks on the Lorespire Complex, but without clarity as to whether the Complex was the target of the attack or but one of many c) the Society's computer systems and Guidance are uninfected by the virus at least for now We have every reason to be concerned. We have no idea who did this, how it was accomplished (Absalom Station's defenses are--at least in part--directed by the Starstone Reactor and this still got past them!), why they did it, what their plan is, or what will happen next. Consider me excited about finding all of those things out. Great job in kicking off the season metaplot! This model is fantastic. First off, it's totally modular--the setup for the party's goals allow the players a lot of latitude in how they undertake their mission. Because the missions are really modular, you can go in deep on all of them for a home game or just expand the portions that the players are the most interested in if it's a regular society game. This module gives you an opportunity to introduce the leader of every faction to the players, with the exception of the Second Seekers. Since the Second Seekers faction goal is basically "support the First Seeker," players should have a good idea about what the factions are about and be able to connect the very well described and vivid faction leaders with the group they lead. My players had a lot of fun with this one. They had a favorite faction from the start and they ultimately affiliated with that one. But, they all admitted that they enjoyed another faction's mission far more. Definitely use this as an intro to the system and the setting. I ran this on the Monday after it came out. I was not expecting a scenario so long or so convoluted. I agree that the scenario was convoluted. While I hadn't had a lot of time to digest this scenario, I had reread the Pezzack entry from Towns of the Inner Sea, which really helped with the background. Without that base to work with, I would have had a MUCH harder time GMing this thing. The Big Reveal:
Specifically, when Olandil is making his mysterious disappearing act, he does so by claiming to be the Printsmith. If you've read the town's entry in Towns of the Inner Sea, you know who the Printsmith is and even that there is a Printsmith at all. But, absent that, there are no mentions of the Printsmith in the scenario. So, when you get to that big reveal it falls pretty flat. That said, if you have had time to really think through the NPCs and their various factions, this scenario can be a lot of fun and full of intrigue. My players took to this part of the scenario almost immediately. What my players didn't take to was the target of their rescue attempt. They didn't actually sell him back to the government of Cheliax as a slave, but I think that they were tempted. The last mini-quest:
Also, all the stuff about dealing with the Society's reputation...fortunately my PCs made some fantastic rolls in a natural-feeling encounter that won them the second prestige point anyway, but this would have been annoying to run and would have felt tacked on. It's not that I didn't like this scenario or that it didn't have potential. In fact, I think the real problem with this scenario is that Paizo attempted to make it as a Pathfinder Society scenario. There is so much awesome stuff going on here, a part of PCs could have used several sessions to really explore the place. This would have been an excellent plot to develop into the Module line. All in all, I enjoyed the scenario, but I've come to expect more from Paizo. Visit A Gaymer's Quest to read the whole review. Let's start with the obvious: there's a calikang on the cover of this module. I've loved this monster since I first saw it in the Inner Sea World Guide, so I'm always happy to see it getting some press. Sajan and Jirelle look like they will get the best of it. It's interesting that Sajan is holding a weapon. One of the book's later sections goes to great pains to remind us that unarmed combat is melee combat as well, so I would have liked to have seen him fighting unarmed. Calikangs don't have any damage resistance, so a good flurry of blows (unchained or core) would be a great attack on one of these beasts. But that's imputing game design on art. Art's job is too look cool. And while I think it might have been fun to have Sajan flurrying away on the calikang, he and Jirelle (who I hope has some sneak attack damage coming, swashbuckler or no) look like the bad asses they are taking on this hulk. In fact, much of the book's art is really good. It's not an action scene, but page sixteen illustrates all the various swords that exist in the game. It's very cool and helpful--the best quality in a gaming aide. Page 27 also has a good picture of Lini holding what appears to be a spell siphoning sickle and ready to make trouble for anybody messing with her. Visit A Gaymer's Quest to read the whole review. Read the whole review online at A Gaymer's Quest Kobold Press is out with their latest Demon Cult book, Servants of the White Ape. I backed Kobold's Southlands Kickstarter, so I've been receiving these as they come out. I did a review of Demon Cults #1, The Emerald Order, which was a fantastic little sourcebook. I'm even more excited about this book than I was after reading The Emerald Order. First of all, the background here takes place in the "southern jungles." That's a part of the Southlands that we haven't heard much about or explored as of yet. Since this gets dropped in there basically tabula rasa, the most fantastic options that I can dream of get to populate the rest of the jungle. Also, because there's not a lot of detail here, it's easily ported away from it's intended Midgard setting to wherever else I might like to take the Servants of the White Ape. Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It's short (less than 15 pages) but it does have some very strong art. In fact, when you find out what the giant white ape on the cover actually is, you'll want to use this even more! Read the whole review online at A Gaymer's Quest Read the review in full online at A Gaymer's Quest. My copy of the Pathfinder Strategy Guide shipped today! Normally, I like to wait until I have my physical books, but I'm making an exception here. I've gotten into Pathfinder Society here because my friends don't have a lot of experience with RPGs, so this thing is a godsend! I've been looking forward to getting this as a resource that I can bring new players into the game for some time. I'm going to quote a little bit from the introduction here to better give people an idea of what the Strategy Guide is and is NOT, because that's useful to know as well. According to the introduction, the goal of the book is to provide "a friendly and straightforward guide to making your own character and becoming confident in the basics of the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game." (4) "This book will teach you the following:
Similarly, the book isn't:
Read the review in full online at A Gaymer's Quest. Read the review in full online at A Gaymer's Quest. Undead Unleashed presents fifteen entries each detailing one or more unique undead in Golarion. The book begins with a two-page spread giving an overview of each entry. The book has a good spread of challenges and different levels. The weakest is a CR 3 ghastly in an urban environment. The second most challenging is a CR 22 banshee with class levels running a twisted reflection of her former pleasure barge that floats on a lake in the middle of a demon-overrun wasteland. Topping the list is the CR 23 Lord of Mohrgs. At least one of these baddies also has some mythic tiers to really challenge the party. Then come the fifteen four-page spreads for each entry. The first two pages of each entry are devoted to background and a stat block for each entry. The next two pages contain a small map and encounter entries for the specific undead creature's lair. Each of them also includes a haunt. If you're a GM running adventures for PCs that don't necessarily love labyrinthine dungeons, the shorter entries will be perfect for you. The table of contents and the open game license round out the 64 pages. There's also a nice map of the Inner Sea region that shows where each of the baddies make their lair. Read the review in full online at A Gaymer's Quest. Read the full review at A Gaymer's Quest First of all, this review contains spoilers. Secondly, I voted for Victoria Jascko in RPG Superstar last year, so I'm likely to be pre-disposed to voting for her stuff. Daughters of Fury is my first review of a Module. I've got some notes for doing some stuff from the Campaign Setting line as well. Unfortunately, school this semester is keeping me from getting things up too regularly. Fortunately, I generally do have time to make notes. So, when I do have time to transition them from notes into final posts, I will have a lot of them! Daughters of Fury is the most recent adventure published by Paizo as part of its Pathfinder Modules line. It was written by Victoria Jaczko, the winner of last year's RPG Superstar. In fact, Daughters of Fury is developed from her module pitch that won the contest for her. Daughters of Fury is an adventure for 4 third to sixth level PCs. The cover art is awesome, and gives a great visual that a GM can share with his players. But, the PDF takes awhile to load--something that several others have commented about on the Paizo boards. The module's backstory is engaging, but it's also very complex. Consequently, this module requires a very good GM to pull it off. Vegazi is also a hugely important NPC who may or may not get along with the PCs. If she doesn't it could seriously derail the module. This derailment is not the "a few things need to be readjusted on the edges" but the "PCs have totally not bought into the plot hooks" variety. The need for pure souls to change into Erinyes motif is cool (don't have BotD: Devils so unsure if this is canon or development but either way it's a neat gimmick. Would enjoy working that into the result of a knowledge check or as info from an NPC. Read the full review at A Gaymer's Quest So, what do we see inside the Familiar Folio? It’s weirdly organized (pro tip: the familiars are not in the beginning of the book), but has some real gems in it. Almost the first third of the book is devoted to intro content and to archetypes. In fact, there are a whopping nine archetypes in this book and that doesn’t include the options to just give familiars to sorcerers (who do not get a new bloodline related to familiars, in case you are wondering). The book does go a long way to help customize familiars and includes archetypes that familiars can take and feats for familiars. Characters also have options to beef up their familiars, including specializing familiars in a wizard school for a feat, in a sorcerous bloodline in exchange for the 1st level bloodline power, or a witch’s patron in exchange for waiting on patron spells by one level. There are also new familiars. Some are so banal you’ll be shocked they weren’t already included, like chickens. There are some fun tropical and Australian-inspired familiars. Finally, there are three new monster bestiary entries that can function as either monsters or as improved familiars. The front and back covers give comprehensive lists of all the possible familiars in the game, both standard and improved. Further, inside the book is advice for reskinning a familiar from one type to another or even how to retain game balance while modifying a familiar to better reflect the animal’s real abilities. The normal expected items and spells are in this book. The spells are pretty much what you’d expect, though there are some surprisingly inventive drugs and other pieces of equipment. Full review available at Gaymer's Quest! Full disclosure: Even though I love it, I find the large Midgard Campaign Setting difficult to navigate. I know the point of creating a large 3PP campaign setting is to have all the fun with all of your fun subsystems, but it can be a little difficult for me to keep track. That said, it didn't stop me from contributing to the Southland's Kickstarter. And that disclaimer is one of the reasons that I really like the way Kobold Press has developed Jeff Lee’s Demon Cults #1: The Emerald Order. It’s got 14 pages (9.5 of actual content when you take out the front and back cover, TOC, a full-page art piece (good art though!), and ¾ page of OGL). Of that 9.5 pages, .5 is dedicated to anchoring the Emerald Order in Midgard. The other 9 pages are chock full of great ways to take this evil order and incorporate it into any campaign setting. The Emerald Order begins with a three-page spread that covers the organization’s goals. We know that they derive a lot of power from an Emerald Tablet and that they like to work behind the scenes. Jeff Lee has done a good job of being vague enough to make the organization slottable into any campaign while providing concrete examples of how the Order works to achieve its goals. We also get stats on the organization’s leader and a full-color, full-page piece of art illustrating him. Finally, we learn how members of the organization interact with each other and with outsiders. This review is also available in full at A Gaymer's Quest. Read this review in full at A Gaymer's Quest! Paizo’s September 2014 Player’s Companion release is Champions of Corruption. The final book in the Champions of series, this guide is focused on helping players develop evil characters and ground them in the evil organizations that plague the Inner Sea. From the beginning, you can see that the designers took this task seriously. On the front cover, Seltyiel is killing a unicorn. I kind of like that the unicorn doesn’t look all that good though. It would be a lot harder to see Seltyiel killing something that looks super sweet. Rather, it’s milky white eyes make you think that perhaps the unicorn is the corrupt one and the iconic is trying to defend himself. In fact, throughout the entirety of the book, the art makes it clear that these are not characters to trifle with. Gods & (Summoned) Monsters
Moral Uncertainty
Read the rest of this review online at A Gaymer's Quest! Disclaimer: I have yet to read Death's Heretic, so some of the overarching themes of Salim's story are lost on me. I thought about reading it first, but after a conversation with James Sutter at GenCon about seeing people like me (aka homosexuals) in fantasy literature, he indicated that I'd probably be more interested in reading The Redemption Engine. I had read Sutter's serialized stories Boar and Rabbit on the Paizo blog. Those were our first introduction to Bors and Roshad. Finally, this review is intended to be spoiler-free, but that's really impossible unless the review is a blank page or just says, "This is a good book." (It is, by the way). So, while I've left out the plot points, you are going to learn a thing or two about the book. It is, to quote Emperor Palpatine, inevitable. The Redemption Engine is at heart a story about coming to terms with who you are. Salim Ghadafar, a former officer in the Rahadoumi Pure Legion made a bargain with Pharasma, the Goddess of Death. Salim got what he asked for and in exchange he gets to be Pharasma’s immortal enforcer. Salim’s worldview remains staunchly Rahadoumi athiest despite finding himself as the servant of one of them. I’ll deal with the homosexuality issues later. For now, I’ll just say that it was refreshing to read a novel with gay characters that focused on self-actualization that wasn’t about the gay characters’ attempts to come to terms with living within their own skin. In this installation of Salim’s story, he’s off on a new mission for the Lady of Graves in Kaer Maga. Salim spends a good portion of the novel trying to come to grips with his role as Pharasma’s enforcer. Pharasma’s power within him is colorfully described as being highly unwelcome. But when Salim can’t access it he feels barren and empty. Is he coming to terms with his choices? Regardless, he keeps his sense of humor. At one point while reading on a plane, I laughed aloud, stunning the guy in the seat next to me. Read the rest of this review online at A Gaymer's Quest. Paizo’s August 2014 Player’s Companion release is People of the Stars, which presents characters with options for playing characters from space, playing characters that will be traveling into space, and introducing the stars in general into your character concept. Disclaimer: I have not read Distant Worlds and space is not really my jam. That said, I am reading my way through this, the Technology Guide, and The Fires of Creation and I’m really excited about what I’m seeing thus far. So, this comes more from a position of ability to appreciate and less of a position of authority on these topics. Also, I've tried to avoid mentioning anything that would break Paizo's community use policy and to respect their IP. If I've failed in any way, let me know and I will remove the offending content. In general, People of the Stars does exactly what it promises to do: it gives PCs a basic idea on how to play a character from the stars or to prepare themselves to adventure amongst the stars. We get just about everything you could want, except for spaceships, which James Jacobs has indicated they aren’t planning on looking at until they explore portions of the universe that will require them to do so. Now that we know the adventure paths for the next seventeen months, that’s likely to be awhile away. But fear not good groundlings, for People of the Stars has also provided a host of options for characters that are influenced by the stars, even the characters aren’t going to be adventuring among them directly. This is especially true of the astrology-based traits. Each planet has a sidebar that contains just the right amount for someone with only a cursory knowledge of the planet to know. It also gives a trait that plays well for someone who is Golarion-based, but wants a connection to one of the other planets. This strikes me as a good way to give players a connection to the stars without ending up with a party composed of residents of n different planets. People of the Stars also gives some good basic information on space rules without spoiling everything in the Technology Guide. For instance, gravity is discussed, so players have an idea about how combat could work. Other tidbits are given as well: you’ll need to prepare spells with somatic components using the Silent Spell feat if you want to cast them in the void. There’s also some very cool flavor in the gear options provided: the Traveler’s pocketwatch is so evocative of R. Buckminster Fuller’s watch from The Illuminatus! Trilogy I was ready to channel Hagbard Celine. You can read the rest of this review at A Gaymer's Quest. |
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