Pathfinder Online: Thornkeep (PFRPG)

I have just received my print copy and I must say this is one of the best pathfinder products I have seen in a while and I hope Paizo can make some more double size adventures

In am planning to use this adventure with Fantasy Grounds and have been busy scanning maps and stuff from the book though I am not happy with my results. Does the pdf version come with maps like the adventure paths?

No, but you can get the maps of the four lower levels as a miniature scale map pack.

I have just received my print copy and I must say this is one of the best pathfinder products I have seen in a while and I hope Paizo can make some more double size adventures

Starting with The dragons demand, the module line is shifting to a quarterly sixty four page format, so you're in luck. :)

Hawkwing wrote:

I have just received my print copy and I must say this is one of the best pathfinder products I have seen in a while and I hope Paizo can make some more double size adventures

Starting with The dragons demand, the module line is shifting to a quarterly sixty four page format, so you're in luck. :)

I had forgotten about that. I do find the modules too short and the adventures to long. I want something that covers 4 or five levels of play. also Thornkeep is the first pathfinder adventure I would be tempted to play with an earlier edition or a retro clone

Bought mine a week ago, and I have to say that I was quite impressed with the Thornkeep village; lots of good ideas, story hooks and NPCs. Well, maybe I wasn't that keen on the goblin tribe living in the village, but I could always ignore them in my games. However, I was more surprised about being disappointed in the adventure; apart from Rich Baker's stuff, all of the dungeon levels seemed uninteresting and had kind of "mishmash" feel to them; especially in the larger context of fitting the whole.

As far as I know, the release date for Paizo products is the same for all retailers, whether online or brick & mortar.

Yes and no. The hobby industry traditionally releases new products on Wednesdays (because that's also the day that new comic books are released) while the book trade traditionally releases new products on Tuesdays. We set Wednesday release dates, but non-hobby bookstores usually delay them to the following Tuesday.

Bought mine a week ago, and I have to say that I was quite impressed with the Thornkeep village; lots of good ideas, story hooks and NPCs. Well, maybe I wasn't that keen on the goblin tribe living in the village, but I could always ignore them in my games. However, I was more surprised about being disappointed in the adventure; apart from Rich Baker's stuff, all of the dungeon levels seemed uninteresting and had kind of "mishmash" feel to them; especially in the larger context of fitting the whole.

I agree with you. The town was well done. I liked the dynamic of each of the local factions working against each other to gain dominance in the area (much like River Kingdoms in general). There were also many easy-to-use adventure hooks.

I ran the Accursed Halls this weekend for Pathfinder Society (lvl 1-2) and was pretty disappointed. The 'storyline' within the halls was weak. Also, the concepts of many of the rooms did not flow well from one to next. Many times, it felt like more of an obstacle course to test the characters on various game mechanics.

I have not read the next few scenarios in the series yet, but considering each was written by a different author, I am expecting a lack of cohesion between each of them. Hopefully that isn't the case.

I did not want to write an actual review since I have not looked over the entire series, but...
I would review the portion of about Thornkeep and the Echo Wood at 5 out of 5 stars.
I would review the Accursed Halls at 2 out of 5 stars.

Is there going to be a print PDF bundle for this?

Is there going to be a print PDF bundle for this?

I don't think Paizo normally does Print/PDF bundles. At least I can't think of any products where they have done so, since one of the incentives for subscribing is a free pdf when your print copy ships.

And in this case they had the 'If you are a Modules subscriber when this ships' as the caveat for a free pdf. So I doubt you'll see that type of discounting on Thornkeep.

So as a subscriber I will get the PDF if I buy it now? Or I had to pre-order it?

You had to preorder it.

:(

Sara Marie,

Crowdforger Pioneer, here, and no rewards to speak of have arrived at my door.

Sara Marie,

Crowdforger Pioneer, here, and no rewards to speak of have arrived at my door.

The Crowdforger Pioneer was a pledge level in the Pathfinder Online: A Fantasy Sandbox MMO kickstarter. The physical Pathfinder product associated with THAT kickstarter is the Emerald Spire mega-dungeon, which has not been released yet.

The product page that you are looking at is for Thornkeep. Thornkeep was a physical product which you could have gotten by supporting Goblinworks 1st kickstarter - Pathfinder Online Technology Demo. The pledge levels in that kickstarter didn't have names - just amounts and pledge rewards.

As the Goblinworks/Kickstarter update that came on April 10 the fulfillment engine for the 2nd kickstarter has been delayed. However, since the projected fulfillment date for your 'Crowdforger Pioneer' is June 2014 they have some time. Which is the same expected time line for the level in which the reward is the pdf of the Emerald Spire dungeon.

I'm a $50 funder for the Online Technology Demo and have yet to be contacted about my hardcopy of Thornwood....

I've sent a message via the Kickstarter webpage too....

Cheers
Mark

Quintain wrote:

Sara Marie,

Crowdforger Pioneer, here, and no rewards to speak of have arrived at my door.

The Crowdforger Pioneer was a pledge level in the Pathfinder Online: A Fantasy Sandbox MMO kickstarter. The physical Pathfinder product associated with THAT kickstarter is the Emerald Spire mega-dungeon, which has not been released yet.

The product page that you are looking at is for Thornkeep. Thornkeep was a physical product which you could have gotten by supporting Goblinworks 1st kickstarter - Pathfinder Online Technology Demo. The pledge levels in that kickstarter didn't have names - just amounts and pledge rewards.

As the Goblinworks/Kickstarter update that came on April 10 the fulfillment engine for the 2nd kickstarter has been delayed. However, since the projected fulfillment date for your 'Crowdforger Pioneer' is June 2014 they have some time. Which is the same expected time line for the level in which the reward is the pdf of the Emerald Spire dungeon.

Ah, sorry, my confusion then. Appreciate the explanation.

I'm a $50 funder for the Online Technology Demo and have yet to be contacted about my hardcopy of Thornwood....

I've sent a message via the Kickstarter webpage too....

Cheers
Mark

Looks like we should have sent an email at the end of October directing you to manage your pledge, pick the shipping address, etc on the My Pledge Page here at paizo.com.

The pledge tool is being revised at this point to accommodate the latest kickstarters reward tiers so please email customer.service@paizo.com with your shipping address so we can hook that up and get you your book.

thanks
Sara Marie

Hi I am very confused about Thornkeep and Kickstarter for the Pathfinder MMO.

I did get a message that I qualify for the crowdfunder level, does this mean I was supposed to receive this product?

There's nothing on Paizo.com indicating that I am supposed to get this. Only the message from Goblinworks. And no shipping notice or receipt.

Anyone?

There were two Kickstarters done for the Pathfinder MMO;

Given your wording, I'm assuming you did not back the First one.

Lol, some of those reviews are harsh.

To all the GMs and players who gave this module 5 stars you have obviously NOT RUN OR PLAYED THIS ADVENTURE.

Reviewing the product based on the writing, printing and artwork is one thing.

Reviewing the actual playability is another.

This adventure was run for us by a seasoned GM with good chops of 10+ years of GMing. Even our GM at times was left scratching his head at the encounter decisions and storyline twists this adventure takes. This guy even went to great lengths to try an make the storyline work by adding in extra NPCs with knowledge of what was going on beneath Thornkeep.

You know an adventure is a stinker when even the paladin character suggests going back up the the keep and burning it and the entire town down and tossing in the adventure book as kindling.

After six game sessions the GM gave the adventure the boot and moved on to another adventure.

For those who are raving about the actual village of Thornkeep, yes it makes a decent generic village but we've all seen better. Just not worth the price of the adventure or PDF to have another generic village to work out of.

So write a review if you disagree. EDIT: Since the relative posts got deleted, yes I have been informed you have already written one. Good.

Just because you've had one kind of experience doesn't mean everyone had the same issues or problems. It doesn't mean they didn't run the adventure. People are allowed to have different opinions.

I removed some posts that were less than civil as well as some that got caught in the crossfire. If you'd like to reconsider word choice and repost, you are welcome to do so. Thanks.

I have played the first two levels as PFS, here on the boards, and they were great fun. Even without using the village much.

BTW, some things in the latest review don't quite line up with what's actually written in the adventure. For example, it states that the encounters in a certain chamber of Erik Mona's Sanctum of a Lost Age are TPK killers for a party of level 4-5. Which is true, because that part of the book is for parties of level 7+ ;)

It the worst thing I ever paid for in the game world or any other. Do not buy or play it a waste of time. Sad part I had such high hopes for this book. It sad.

It the worst thing I ever paid for in the game world or any other.

Really?

As you can see from my 3-star review, I thought it was far from perfect, and of course we're all entitled to our own opinion. But if this is truly the worst thing you've ever purchased, I think you may need to get out more. ;-)

Surely dampens my enthusiasm for Emerald Spire. My biggest worry was lack of continuity I had hoped that Thornkeep might be a prelude to quash these worries. Nope.

I'm still baffled over the scale on the map for the first level.

For instance:

I'm having troubles finding the GM's Society chronicle sheet for Thornkeep. I'm not talking about the one that are filled out for the players to keep, I'm talking about the one for the GM specifically. Have I missed this somewhere?

Sorry, I was confused and was thinking of a session sheet. I know where to find these now.

I'm still baffled over the scale on the map for the first level.

For instance:
** spoiler omitted **

I concur...it really doesn't make sense.

I have tons of flip mats with blank sides, more than anyone else in my local area, and even I don't own enough blank ones to draw out The Accursed Halls, and since I was looking to run a series of Thornkeep PFS runs in the near future, that's very frustrating.

I ran the Accursed Halls with two 2nd level characters and both players enjoyed it. We ran through the whole thing in one session (but they did have to rest a few times; dungeons in the middle of town are great for that, but as they get a bit better known they might well find out the town isn’t as safe as they think it is). I used the plot hook that the party were hired by a wannabe Pathfinder to investigate the Door and see if they could get it open.

They were also aware that there was a reward for the signet ring, and for the head of a renegade goblin who was holed up in there (wanted in connection with a recent attack on the Woodbristle homestead), which encouraged them to explore even though they appeared to find my main plot hook a bit underwhelming.

The map of the Accursed Halls confuses the heck out of me, with the regular switches from level 1 to level 2 and back again. Fortunately my players were quite patient with me.

One of my players is very good at riddles – much better than the other player and myself. I took quite a lot of satisfaction when it was the other player who figured out how to open the Door. Maybe I need to put in more non-riddle puzzles in my adventures.

So, I have both Thornkeep and its map pack, both in print and PDF format. Unfortunately, the map pack doesn't include the top level, the Accursed Halls. Anyone have an image of that map part without the key associated with it?

What levels are these dungeons for?

It covers levels 1–7.