Zene's page

If folks want us to do more 6-part Adventure Paths... PLEASE let us know! The 3 part ones seem to be engaging people more and allow for more stories to be told in a year, and I'm hoping that we'll be able to settle into a rhythum that allows for more frequent higher level 3 part arcs, but if people do still want 6 part ones... we need to know. (And that includes seeing evidence in sales and reviews and the like for parts 4–6 of those Adventure Paths, not just requests at the front end.)

I’m not as much of a fan of the 6-parters. I find that 1) it’s *extremely* rare to find a group whose interest and schedules line up long enough to finish it; and 2) few (if any?) paths in this or any other fantasy ttrpg work well at both low and high levels. They just feel off, in one part or the other; since the scale and scope can’t really transition smoothly and still be believable.

But *hoo boy* am I starving for official (preferably foundry-enabled) 11-20 pf2 content. More of that, please! There doesn’t need to be a ton, but there needs to be more than one

(Side note: I really wish level ranges were *much* easier to find in product descriptions. I understand there’s some standardization, but that’s not obvious to newcomers. Even now with a few APs and stand-alones under my belt, I’m never sure unless I really hunt for it.)

Sorry for reviving the thread, but as a new DM this has come up several times in play already. I don’t see anything about this in the errata on a word search for “critical” —was there ever a ruling, errata, or official response?

(Personally, CF starting at -11, F starting at -1, S starting at 0, and SC starting at +10 makes the most sense to me; is easiest to calculate; and numerically seems fairest. I won’t get into the reasoning and math on that last part because it doesn’t matter and the thread is long enough. It *seems*, though, that of the two interpretations, the one I think makes less sense is the intended one. However, I’d really like to close the book on it with some kind of official word; to prevent at-table disagreements. I’d much rather have a confirmed official less-sensible way of doing it, than the possibility that either interpretation could be right depending on which part of the rules you’re reading.)

Running a group through this now. It’s overall excellent; and the additional gearpunk UI elements and excellent organization make it stand out even from prior foundry adventures.

That said, there are a couple slight negatives, and a moderate problem I’ve noticed (I’m about 1/3 through, running it as a GM.)

Slight negatives: Compared to the beginner box foundry and the AV AP foundry, the art of the maps is noticeably lower quality. It looks kinda like standard drag-n-drop tiles, whereas the prior ones (to me) looked quite unique and detailed. Still good— just not quite as good. Also, there are a few scenes where there are a lot of non-combatant NPCs described to be standing around. None show up as tokens or tile art in the mod. (This may be standard, but it’s a bit frustrating to be describing a busy street or camp or saloon when the map looks nearly empty.)

And then, the problem: So far, I’ve used two maps for the combats; and both had bits that didn’t match the book’s description. I didn’t check every one against the maps in the book, but I did notice, on both maps there is key labeling in the book that isn’t in the foundry mod. On scene in particular references an X on the map —and it’s important to know where that is—but there’s no X on the foundry version. The other has building missing, as well as a sign indicating directionality to the next scene —again, pretty important.

Overall, still excellent, *incredibly* fun, and *so* worth the purchase. But fixing the above would make it both a better adventure, *and* make it more consistent with other pf2 foundry releases.

Does anyone know why the Ironside Quarter is the way it is? (Run-down, mostly abandoned; or if you go by the city map, 100% lumpy ruins)

I thought I’d read something about its history somewhere in the adventure, but I can’t for the life of me find it now. Pathfinder wiki points to a couple blank pages about it.

Does anyone know if I can de- activate the product on one foundry account, and move it to another one?

Zene, if you had scrolled down just a little further, in the same group of questions discussing discounts and pdfs, there is this text:

Foundry VTT Paizo Partnership FAQ wrote:

Does the discount for Abomination Vaults only apply if you buy the re-release?

The Foundry VTT release of Abomination Vaults is based on the forthcoming omnibus edition and will not be purchasable as separate modules for each book. The PDF discount will only apply if you have purchased that edition's PDF. We feel that the content the FVTT release will contain will make it well worth the price.

As the author of that FAQ, I assure you that question was very much at the forefront of my mind when I wrote the article as a whole, and I personally answered that question countless times on the day we announced the partnership renewal.

I wish we could have done more to make it clear this would be the case from the beginning-- but I don't know what more could...

Hi Anathema, thank you for reading and responding to my concerns. I definitely get it, and thanks for pointing out the additional info in further questions below that one. I guess since I wasn't reading the full FAQ top to bottom, but just looking for the question I had; when seeing it answered, I figured, no need to keep reading. Definitely partly on me. Although honestly I think that's both how FAQs are typically used, and how they're typically meant to be used. You find your Q, read the answer, and move on.

Re: What more could you have done. I humbly suggest, if only a specific version of the adventure pdf(s) qualifies for the discount, then having a FAQ that says:

I Already Bought The PDF, Can I Get a Discount?

Yes! In cases where the PDF version of the product is part of what Foundry VTT provides, the cost of the PDF should be deducted from your purchase price of the Foundry VTT version automatically."

is probably a mistake, unless it says, "Yes, IF you have bought Y; but we can't offer a discount if you bought X". Or even just said "but please read the additional questions below for details".

Honestly that would 100% have prevented my confusion.

In terms of the general bad vibes of feeling like I shouldn't have bought the individual versions. This is more on the Paizo side, but I think now that it's out there--and assuming they continue to make it as clear as possible-- if they're ok with folks holding off for potential compilations, then I think this is a fine strategy. If they *don't* want to encourage folks to hold off on purchasing the individual books, then there are a number of other things they could do instead; offer a code to folks that purchased all the chapters, for a slightly reduced compilation pdf, for example. Honestly I think it's more the gesture than the actual savings--it just feels a bit off to have been an early (or early-ish) supporter, in many cases pay *more* than the folks that just bought the compilation pdf...and then be passed over.

That said, understanding that this wasn't a bait-and-switch, and gleaning from the other comments that there actually is quite a bit of new/updated content in the compendium pdf; all makes me feel a bit better about not getting a discount. I appreciate y'all's patience. : )

Folks they've literally said multiple times that the reason behind this is a limitation of their API. Their API can't confirm multiple product purchases at the same time, so it has no way of knowing you bought all three of the previous modules. It can however tell if you bought the single compilation. It sucks for those of us who subscribe, but in the end what you're paying for isn't the AP, you're paying for the hours and hours of work that went into making the amazing Foundry module.

They were also clear from the START that only the compilation would get the discount.

I think the fact that so many folks are upset, is a pretty clear sign that that message didn't get communicated very widely.

I don't read every thread on the forums. I remember reading --maybe it was the original announcement?-- about the discounts. It didn't distinguish between collections vs individually bought books.

(Edit: Found it, in this FAQ https://foundryvtt.com/article/paizo-faq/. Scroll to the question that starts "I already bought the pdf". It still displays misleading info, as of the moment I'm typing this. Paizo, you probably want to have Foundry fix that.)

I'm not claiming I was lied to, or paizo broke a promise. All I'm saying is: it's a bad feeling after the expectation that was set; it's a very customer-unfriendly policy for a company that's usually very good about that kind of thing; and it makes me hesitant to buy certain things going forward.

As for the technical issues -that makes total sense. It also seems like something that could be solved pretty easily by, for example, letting folks email customer service if they have the original pdfs, to get refunded the discount. Customer service could look that up with a super-quick check, though of course I don't know how involved processing a refund is for them. Or, if folks purchase the new one, email customer service to get the original pdf purchase price refunded.

Zene wrote:

--and was under the impression that, just like the beginner box, already owning the pdf would be a benefit. So this is quite the letdown.

There's not two different versions of the Beginner's Box PDF though, is there?

No clue personally, but I'll take your word for it. Regardless, that's why I went on to explain my reasoning. Which has nothing to do with there being multiple versions.

Unless your point is that, going forward, folks should beware buying the non-collected pdfs, as they may not be considered for discounts? In which case yes, fair enough. Would have been nice to know beforehand, though.

Chiming in to add myself to the list of dissatisfied folks. I understand that there's some kind of precedent being referenced; but the fact remains, I bought and legally own the individual pdfs of the adventure. I'm not happy about having to pay the same price as someone who had bought nothing, while folks that happened to buy a different format of the same adventure get a discount; *and*, I get a free pdf with purchase --of the same adventure that I already have pdfs of.

I'm already running this adventure in Foundry VTT. I was really looking forward to upgrading for the parts that remain --and was under the impression that, just like the beginner box, already owning the pdf would be a benefit. So this is quite the letdown. I may hold off on this one. This also makes me a bit wary of purchasing future pdfs, as I'd rather not pay twice should it come out on Foundry.

I realize this may sound like whining to some; but I honestly just wanted to share my feedback with paizo, instead of changing my purchasing behavior invisibly to them.