Pathfinder Adventure Path: Rise of the Runelords Deluxe Collector's Edition (PFRPG) Hardcover

This book is well worth the price. The quality is amazing, the prints are beautiful (actually going to frame them and hang them) and the individual handouts are extremely helpful.

There is literally only 1 tiny thing that I was thrown off-guard about with this book and that is with the locking hinge with the grimoire case. There is a single piton about a centimeter long that is holding the hinge in place and if you hold the case upside down it falls into the metal casing in a way that it allows for the hinge to be removed, and if the hinge is removed and you turn the case right-side up the piton will fall out. Easy remedy, keep the book right-side up or flat on its back to let gravity do its work to keep the hinge in place.

So that is the only concern I had and wanted to put that out there for anyone who wants to purchase this fine piece of awesomeness so they are not caught off-guard as well.

I love this thing. I've had it for a while now and the only complaint I have is the star on the cover. The seven pointed star emblem on the cover of the case (not on the book inside) arrived partially scratched off and over time (maybe a few months) it has gathered a couple more scratches so I'm kind of bummed by it's lack of perfection. Everything else is wonderful!

Just got the deluxe edition as a pre-birthday gift from my players, and I have to say: It's the most awesome and unique roleplaying item I've ever had. Needless to say, I'll be using it for many forthcoming sessions, know all I need is a new haircut and color, some diamonds in my forehead and on my hands and loose a few pounds ... ;-)

If paizo ever considers doing other adventure paths in a deluxe edition/reprint (please consider it? plz) - I would suggest to stock some more AP related stuff into the box, like the Sandpoints Pawns, GameFlip mat, a printed version of the Players Guide (to the AP) etc.

When he drops it on the table video, it didnt seem that heavy to me. when i went to lift it out of the box, i almost dropped it before i got a second hand in there!

This is a serious amount of metal, and that leather is SO SMOOTH to the touch. this is not a book make to look like a leather and metal bound tome, this IS a leather and metal bound tome!

the artwork in envelopes are also vastly better quality than what the video presents. the stock they are on cant be called paper, not sure what the industry term is for it. it is extremely thick and durable and the colors just shine off it.

Words cant describe... should have sent a poet...

There's not much I can add in a review that hasn't already been said by the others, except that it looks far better in person than it does in the pictures and videos.

My only possible complaint might be that the simulated edges of "pages" on the presentation box seem a bit too white, and might have used a very light stain to a colour more like aged parchment, but that's only a very, very minor nit-pick, and the case still looks great without it.

The hardware seems to be steel, and it's fastened to the cover with screws, making the construction quite sturdy. The clasp is a perfect fit - neither too loose, nor too snug.

The apparently fake leather of the box and book looks and feels quite real, and it's very soft and comfortable to the touch. This may be the nicest cover material of any book in my small collection. The spine of the box and book are textured as if the contents were bound with a heavy cord under the leather (though I don't think that's actually the case, rather just a simulation.)

The inside of the box cover seems to be a very heavy, high-quality paper, and the box itself is lined with a nice, black cloth, with a dark red ribbon which makes lifting the contents out of the box easier. The inside dimensions of the box are just right for holding your typical RPG book, or the Pathfinder DM screen and one or more Flip Maps, for example. (As others noted, if it's not holding the special edition RotRl book, it would make a fine box to store a DM's screen, dice, paper, and other such materials in.)

The book is printed in vivid colour in high-quality detail on heavy paper. This is the first time I've seen a Pathfinder adventure path of any sort, but I would have to imagine this is much higher quality printing than the original. The artwork is quite beautiful, meeting or exceeding Paizo's usual standards, the text is crisp and easy to read, and everything seems quite well-organized and easy to follow. The adventure is quite detailed (there is, perhaps, almost too much detail: the information provided is quite dense). The binding seems quite secure and well-done - this book seems to be designed for the long-haul (I can't really say the same for any of my other game books.)

The detachable hand-outs are quite a nice touch, though perhaps not really practical for real-life gaming, as I would imagine it could be quite easy to abuse the book by removing and replacing the handouts until things get dog-eared and distressed. Indeed, I would have to say that the book is best used for display as a collector-item only, rather than used on a real-world game table.

The high-quality art prints are another nice touch and could also be used as hand-outs or visual aids, though these seem more like bonus material than an integral part of the adventure path. Each print is protected in its own high-quality translucent paper (not plastic) envelope for protection, and yes the prints do seem to be nice enough to frame if you are so inclined.

I've shelved the book on my bookshelf next to the special edition of The Other Guys' fake-leather-bound special-edition 3.5E core rulebooks; the fit right in with each other, though I'd say that Paizo's product is much nicer than the Other Guys' special edition books.

The whole package seems to me to be worth the price, and I'm sure it will hold its value quite well for the future. Paizo have gone above and beyond on this product, and they've earned 5/5 stars for it.