umopapisdnupsidedown's page

What more needs to be said about this "classic" scenario? I agree with the comments that it can be a bit challenging to run in places, but it's not insurmountable with adequate preparation. A great early effort for a PFS2 repeatable scenario. To me, anyway, it evokes the feeling of a particular Studio Ghibli film (you probably know the one I'm referring to).

There's just one thing that really bugs me about this scenario: the antagonist's(?) name is one syllable from the word for "criminal" in Japanese. However, for the most part, the antagonist is NOT a criminal (and I never choose to run the variation where they are, because it's the least interesting one). So I confess that I change their name when I run this. I also pick different names for the village.

Arcadia is a great place for adventure, and this is a lovely little scenario. I enjoy #1-06 Lost on the Spirit Road, but it has its issues that make it a little challenging to run. Protecting the Firelight feels like a great evolution of the repeatable. In some ways it feels like what Lost on the Spirit Road was trying for, but with some nice innovations and a bit more polish.

I particularly love seeing the return of familiar faces, and the chance to make new friends. The skill challenges are fun, with plenty of nice roleplaying opportunities. The fights are nicely done, with the final battle especially being suitably epic, challenging, fun, and rewarding. I hope we see lots more of the characters and the setting!

You like fights? This scenario has fights. Lots of fights. A couple of satisfying and intriguing ones, even.

Before I ran it, I heard it would run long, and I can confirm that it ran pretty long (if memory serves, I think I was at around five hours, with five players at the higher end of low tier).

There was an interesting combat in the middle, both in terms of the layout and the enemies' abilities. The final combat was satisfyingly challenging with some novel elements. I enjoyed that final battle both when I played the scenario and when I ran it.

I suppose I wouldn't have minded dropping one or both of the other fights (though I enjoyed the first one) and having more of a chance to explore the setting. Overall a good effort, and a scenario I can see myself enjoying again.

This adventure is a lighthearted little jaunt that, for the most part, is decent fun. I loved the colorful characters in this scenario, and the "flavor" of the setting (literally, it turns out). Goblins, kobolds, chicken, what's not to love?

The Chase subsystem, actually. Don't love it. For me it pretty much just turns into rolling until we get enough chase points. Occasionally something interesting pops up but that's the exception rather than the rule. I would love some more dynamic, less monotonous chases. There have been a couple of decent chases in season 5, but the one in this scenario was probably my least favorite. Colorful, just not my cup of tea.

Other than that, a solid scenario and I hope we see more of the characters.

I enjoyed this one as a player, but a few things required some consideration and care when I ran it. For one thing, I told my players to pay special attention to the influence section because they might not have many chances to influence people. I also told them to "remember your mission(s)" when deciding who to influence.

When I played it, we didn't really have a problem with the final encounter. But when I ran it, my players were not as fortunate and it dragged a bit. They eventually got through it though!

One thing my players noticed was that the most natural way of handling one part of the final encounter didn't really have the damage output to actually get the job done. They still managed, just not in that way.

All in all, a scenario with interesting characters and a few cool innovations. I hope we see at least a couple of the characters turn up in the future.

I enjoyed both playing and running this scenario. It was nice to return to the Blackwood Swamp and check in on some old friends. There are also some new characters with nice potential, I hope we see more of them! Just be aware: it runs long, because there's a lot of material to get through. My run clocked in at 5 hours 30 minutes, a full 60-90 minutes longer than usual. But it's a solid scenario, so no regrets.

I won't spoil exactly what the dollhouse is in my review, but once I sorted that out, it made playing the whole thing deeper and more meaningful (especially if one is familiar with some of the lore and politics of Irrisen). I enjoyed the opportunities to roleplay with interesting and compelling characters, and I especially appreciated the opportunity for non-combat resolutions. This Quest is indeed appropriate for all ages, but I find there's plenty in here for adults, as well.

This is a lighthearted adventure intended to introduce some new characters and catch up with old friends. It accomplishes those goals, at least for me. My local players like some of the characters we've met before, so of course I'm happy for them to have a chance to meet again. I recommend running some season 3-4 stuff so your group will be familiar with some of the NPCs, before running this one. It definitely increased my enjoyment.

I can imagine there will be those who won't like this scenario. I'm not one of them. I for one found it refreshing, fresh, fun, and interesting. I also enjoyed the obvious tie-in to previous works. This scenario highlights diverse mechanics and provides plenty of opportunities for strategy, creativity, and roleplaying. If you're looking for "just kill it" this is not that.

Definitely some nice creative use of the Influence subsystem, it really shines in this scenario.