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Serpents Fall is excellent in the sense that players are able to tie a nice little bow on a number of problems that have plagued them for the past few seasons. Revenge is sweet, and many PCs (and NPCs) enjoy some degree of retribution by the finale. The roleplay encounters are great -- pretty much every combat (potential or otherwise) is prefaced by one -- so it's quite easy to get lost in the moment and behind on schedule. Considering how lackluster the encounters and investigation are, it's time well spent.

Serpents Fall suffers from a similar problem as Part 2: very forgettable encounters. Players are more likely to remember the interactions pre-combat than they are any real threat of death.

There are two potential final encounters, and "the second one" is, I feel, a very dissatisfying conclusion to what has been a solid trilogy for seeker players.

Beyond encounters, the investigation segments feel tacked on and the "awareness" mechanic...

I still recommend doing the entire trilogy, especially for the closure it will offer a number of PCs. I definitely rank it someplace behind Part 1 and well ahead of Part 2.

I've had the opportunity to both play and run this scenario, and both times, it left me wanting.

As a GM, it was somewhat frustrating to prepare... the unclear map delegations became a source of several inside jokes betwixt my players and I. The story is somewhat of an inconsequential mess, initial encounters and puzzles were forgettable, and the final boss would have literally been easier for this particular party if we had chosen hard mode.

As a player, the final boss was certainly a highlight (never thought I'd have to bring out those spells with spell kenning), but one combat an enjoyable scenario does not make.

Had the pleasure of running this for my fifth-star adjudication for two Venture Captains, two Venture Lieutenants, and another experienced GM (there were 21 stars on the opposite side of the screen) in an open slot. After a pretty thorough introduction for the players, this scenario hits the ground running full-tilt.

Combats are tough but memorable -- probably the most interesting fights in the entire trilogy. I've since run this twice and played it once, and in all cases the final fight is a puzzler with a satisfying conclusion.

Highly recommend this as a supplement or alternative to Eyes of the Ten for eligible characters.

So, this 31-page behemoth was one of the five-hour slot scenarios I had to run at GenCon. I enjoyed reading through it... a lot of flavor (some of which the characters may never encounter), a lot of potential combats (about a half-dozen encounters), and extremely sandbox-y. This scenario could easily take a large block of time if you allow it to.

I would certainly recommend this one to enterprising GMs that are willing to allow their players the time this scenario deserves.

Ran this three times at GenCon. This scenario could be quite rough depending on party makeup, and reliance on the NPCs for certain tasks (like massive knowledge checks for low-level parties) can prevent players from getting all of the rewards, but all three of my tables (ranging from Level 1 pregen newbies to a late-night multi-star GM run) were 100% successful with no deaths. This scenario can be jarring, but I was actually a fan of the juxtapositions (as were my players, or at least I got that impression).

I ran this one today for a table of experienced players, levels all across the board... per the rules, my five PCs played up with the 4-player adjustment.

The lead-up to the eponymous dungeon went fantastic. Plenty of opportunity for RP, and it certainly sets the mode for the rest of the adventure. I'm happy to report there was no reason to pull out the NPC Codec.

The map of the first level is a bit confusing.

First "encounter" in CoS was pretty challenging for the table.

The final encounter turned out to be a rough one.

A template is applied to some of the the high-tier baddies, but the resultant hitpoints are miscalculated in the scenario (to the PCs favor). Also, this fight could have used a four-player adjustment.

The factions missions were both completed at the table, though we did not have a Cheliax or Andoran present...

The secondary success condition hinged greatly on the primary success condition... Most tables will get all or nothing, though there are likely some hedge cases in which a table may only accomplish the primary.

Long story short, my table left the Cairn of Shadows with one experience, no prestige, about a third of the possible gold, and their lives.

Final Impressions
This is probably one of the darkest scenarios I've ever read/run, and in the best possible way. It was definitely a test for the party, but they came out of it pleased that they at least survived. This scenario suffers from some de-synchronization between maps and text which could have been prevented with a(nother) proofread. Last, I agree it's a bit unfair to punish the party's loot pool for having an awesome rogue. Great flavor, but mechanically troubled. Would definitely run again, though.

Had the opportunity to run this for our local game store, our first Season 5 scenario, and I feel like things went relatively smoothly. There's a considerable amount of push-back concerning how faction missions are handled now; personally, faction missions have ranged from "enriching additions" to "pointless and tacked-on". This scenario felt a bit meatier than previous outings, and if that's the trade-off for ditching 8 faction missions and corresponding notes, I'm okay with that.

Overall, I enjoyed running it. Quite a bit of substance, some of which will be completely ignored unless an Osirion player is at the table. RP elements were solid, though the combats seemed a little too diluted when scaled down to 4 players.

Our local Pathfinder Society group has a large number of Shadow Lodge devotees, so the clamor to run Rivalry’s End as many times as possible prior to the August cut-off has been great. We are pitched another classic battle between the Society and one of their most hated enemies, the Aspis Consortium, being headed up by none other than Grandmaster Torch.

Rivalry’s End is tough, the RP elements have to be teased out with a heavy hand, and the conclusion is memorable, for better or worse. It’s mechanically worth it to take your Shadow Lodge character through this one, but I imagine it might be emotionally taxing if you have a lot of investment in them.

Way of the Kirin is essentially the going-away part for the Lantern Lodge. For those with any investment in either the Lantern Lodge or their Venture Captain Amara Li, you’ll certainly want to give this scenario a play-through.

PCs are tasked with escorting Amara Li as her bodyguards to help facilitate a very pivotal negotiation for the Lantern Lodge. The scenario plays out like an intense Eastern drama, complete with tea ceremony, samurai duel, and the opportunity to enact your very own “Home Alone” fantasies. Having read and run the scenario, it has a lot of Tian flavor, which is a nice change of pace from the usual Inner Sea daring-do.

For GMs:

The Chronicle Sheet:

As far as detractors, there are only a few. Several faction missions feel tacked-on and don’t necessarily contribute to the feel of the scenario. Low-tier combats didn’t really instill a sense of panic like I had hoped, though perhaps the high-tier offering may strike the fear of Asmodeus into players.

Overall, this is certainly a worthwhile play, and many players may want to spend the next few months getting a character into a position to maximize their chances of getting all of the rewards Way of the Kirin can offer.

The Night March of Kalkamedes is an absolute gem of a scenario; probably one of the most fun I’ve ever run, and I certainly look forward to being on the player-side of the screen once it’s offered at our game store again.

The bulk of the scenario requires a fair amount of problem-solving and skill-sets that don’t see nearly enough light of day in PFS play (at least in my limited experience) -- intimidation and cracking heads isn’t going to deliver you to the finish line with a full-clear. For those more inclined to fight, there are several combat encounters that are made more challenging by your wandering ward risking life and limb to push forward.

The story was rather good, but there is a long delay before players will get any of it -- your Venture Captain gives you some basic introductions during the setup, a half-dozen encounters will go by, until finally in the last act players are hit with a very compelling story-arc. The curious route of the “Night March” makes up for the lack of exposition one would normally get when escorting a VIP.

The chronicle sheet is impressive, considering the party is able to achieve a full clear.

Some notes for GM’s:

A very fun scenario which deviates from the norm; your RP’ers will thank you, and your combat-nuts will love the challenge late in the scenario.