Pathfinder Adventure Card Game: Skull & Shackles Base Set

Announced!

See today's Paizo Blog for more!

Avast me hearties! Hoist the mainsail, weigh anchor and let the winds blow us for aye!

I haven't played the first one, but I was told these card games basically go through the story of the APs. is this true?

They sound interesting, but I don't want to spoil the actual adventures for my players if that was the case.

They do go through the AP stories, and will reveal information about the setting and characters.

Will people who complete the Rise of the Runelords Adventure Path be able to carry their characters over to Skull and Shackles in any capacity?

You're starting with low-level challenges here, so just like RPG Adventure Paths, we expect you to "roll up a new character." And frankly, we're giving you a lot of reasons to want to, with new classes, new powers, and new cards.

Will there be new characters for the classes that appear in Rise of the Runelords or will we see Valeros as the Fighter again?

If so, will we see new powers/rearranged stats or just a different pic/story and recommended starting deck?

(REALLY looking forward to this game every month by the way! Keep it coming!)

You're starting with low-level challenges here, so just like RPG Adventure Paths, we expect you to "roll up a new character." And frankly, we're giving you a lot of reasons to want to, with new classes, new powers, and new cards.

Then why does the Adventure Path have a reward for completing it? If that is the end of the character's life/use why even give a reward?

Vic Wertz wrote:

You're starting with low-level challenges here, so just like RPG Adventure Paths, we expect you to "roll up a new character." And frankly, we're giving you a lot of reasons to want to, with new classes, new powers, and new cards.

Then why does the Adventure Path have a reward for completing it? If that is the end of the character's life/use why even give a reward?

Just because there is no material currently planned for high-level characters after finishing the 6th chapter of an AP doesn't mean there never will be. Kind of a future proofing measure. Also, you or other fans can always dream up custom scenarios for such characters.

Will there be new characters for the classes that appear in Rise of the Runelords or will we see Valeros as the Fighter again?

If so, will we see new powers/rearranged stats or just a different pic/story and recommended starting deck?

(REALLY looking forward to this game every month by the way! Keep it coming!)

Valeros will still be the fighter, and he will have the same iconic artwork, but he will have different stats and powers.

What classes and characters will we be seeing in this set? Rise of the Runelords had the core book classes/iconics and I'm wondering if any of the others will see some love in this one.

EDIT:

Nevermind, it's right there in the product description.

That being said, will it be possible to play characters from the previous game in this one? I don't mean fully leveled characters, but classes that don't appear in this set but did appear in RotRL.

They have said yes, but you might run into some complications in that some characters might be built around card types that will be more or less prevalent in S&S than they were in RotRL. For instance, with guns being a part of S&S, I'd expect a number of the ranged weaponry cards to be guns rather than bows or crossbows - but if firearms proficiency is separate from weapons proficiency, Harsk might find himself locked out of many good ranged weapon options. (Note: I have no idea if anything I just said will actually be true; this is a purely hypothetical example.) There might be other, similar problems for other characters.

The converse, though, is what has me pondering. Since I am head over heels in love with Lirianne and a big fan of gunslingers, I want to be able to play Lirianne in RotRL - not to mention whatever comes out in Feb 2015 - but I'm worried about how feasible she will be without guns in the weapon decks. How hard or easy will it be to bring those elements into other AP decks?

The converse, though, is what has me pondering. Since I am head over heels in love with Lirianne and a big fan of gunslingers, I want to be able to play Lirianne in RotRL - not to mention whatever comes out in Feb 2015 - but I'm worried about how feasible she will be without guns in the weapon decks. How hard or easy will it be to bring those elements into other AP decks?

If you tried to play Lirianne without guns, she would likely have quite a few wasted abilities. But, I wouldn't see any problems with taking all of the firearms from the Skull & Shackles set and the chapter packs and mixing them into the weapons of the corresponding RotRL cards. It might be a bit of work to manage where the cards are and such, but I think she would mostly work fine as long as she has enough guns available. She might have a few powers that work with some of the other mechanics unique to S&S, though.

The converse, though, is what has me pondering. Since I am head over heels in love with Lirianne and a big fan of gunslingers, I want to be able to play Lirianne in RotRL - not to mention whatever comes out in Feb 2015 - but I'm worried about how feasible she will be without guns in the weapon decks. How hard or easy will it be to bring those elements into other AP decks?

All I've got is hopes and speculation to share...

My greatest hope is that these games are almost completely compatible with each other. I know that the backs of the cards from the current set do not have their AP identified on them, and I hope that doesn't change... but even if it does, I expect that when appropriately sleeved, you will only be able to tell the difference between—for example—a RotR Blessing of the Gods and a S&S Blessing of the Gods because it will likely have different card art including a different AP banner at the top.

Because of that, I speculate that you could draw Lirianne into RotR, including the guns she will inevitably have access to. So another thing I'm hoping for is that Mike Selinker's team at Lone Shark Games works to balance the new characters for play in RotR. And I know that's a tough balancing act, too, because that means they have to be balanced for both PACG Adventure Paths, and what tips the scales slightly more toward balanced for one AP could easily put the other one completely out of balance.

Will there be a small intro adventure like there was in Rise of the Runelords?

The first PFACG set, Rise of the Runelords, started as a base set with a short intro of three scenarios, then six Adventure Decks, each representing one chapter of the AP.

The description here implies that this box will include the first chapter of the AP, instead of a short intro.

Is it the general intent that future iterations of the game will have a base set with 1 chapter, then each of the other 5 chapters will be a single Adventure Deck?

So, instead of Base Set plus Character Add-On plus 6 Adventure Decks, we will see Base Set/Chapter One plus Character Add-On plus 5 Adventure Decks to complete the six chapter AP?

The Rise of the Runelords base set also included the first adventure deck, just as this one will. The listing says "Nearly 500 cards", and since the The Wormwood Mutiny adventure deck probably will account for 110 cards only, I think it's safe to assume there will be introductory scenarios.

It's looking like there are actually going to be *5* introductory scenarios in addition to the 5 that make up the first chapter of the Adventure Path.

Yes, the cardbacks are the same, and you should have no problem mixing and matching cards from the two sets.

This is probably a given, but I figure I'll ask here (may have even missed it, I do that from time to time); Can we use characters from the previous game. For example, if I really like Lem, and he's not present in the S&S set, can I sue the Lem from ROTRL instead. Furthermore, if I don't like the Valeros from S&S would I be able to use the Valeros from ROTRL instead.

This is probably a given, but I figure I'll ask here (may have even missed it, I do that from time to time); Can we use characters from the previous game. For example, if I really like Lem, and he's not present in the S&S set, can I sue the Lem from ROTRL instead. Furthermore, if I don't like the Valeros from S&S would I be able to use the Valeros from ROTRL instead.

Well, a new version of Lem is in S&S, but I get your point. Yes, you can use previous characters in the new set. For some characters you might want to add some RotRL boons into the S&S pool to make them fully effective (similar to adding guns to RotRL to play it with Lirianne). The only example I can think of off hand is moving over Amulet of Mighty Fists-type cards if you want to use Sajan in S&S, but there might be others you'd want to consider.

will the rules be streamlined or made easier to understand?

The rules will be based largely on the updated rulebook we released yesterday, with some additions and a few tweaks here and there, but probably no sweeping changes.

This should be obvious but I rather ask for clarity. This base set does not combine in any way with RotRL? And is in now way required to buy RotRL to use this set?

This should be obvious but I rather ask for clarity. This base set does not combine in any way with RotRL? And is in now way required to buy RotRL to use this set?

The Skull & Shackles set is completely independent of the RotRL set, yes.

Will this be part of the adventure card subscription? or will the subscription end when Rise of the Ruelords does? I am subscribed currently for the cards, but wouldn't want to pay the, no doubt,huge shipping on this over to me in New Zealand.

Will this be part of the adventure card subscription?

Yes.

Will this be part of the adventure card subscription? or will the subscription end when Rise of the Ruelords does? I am subscribed currently for the cards, but wouldn't want to pay the, no doubt,huge shipping on this over to me in New Zealand.

Yeah me too, it'll have to be stop sub, buy on Amazon, re-up sub after. Hopefully we can start with the add-on set.

TinyTitan wrote:

This should be obvious but I rather ask for clarity. This base set does not combine in any way with RotRL? And is in now way required to buy RotRL to use this set?

The Skull & Shackles set is completely independent of the RotRL set, yes.

Thanx, is there a card list I can view somewhere? Just card titles will do, not looking to print them or anything lol. Would be nice to see the card names on a list while I wait for my order lol.

Kraal55 wrote:

Will this be part of the adventure card subscription? or will the subscription end when Rise of the Ruelords does? I am subscribed currently for the cards, but wouldn't want to pay the, no doubt,huge shipping on this over to me in New Zealand.

Yeah me too, it'll have to be stop sub, buy on Amazon, re-up sub after. Hopefully we can start with the add-on set.

Me too. The box size is extremelly cost proibitive to me.

cartmanbeck wrote:

TinyTitan wrote:

This should be obvious but I rather ask for clarity. This base set does not combine in any way with RotRL? And is in now way required to buy RotRL to use this set?

The Skull & Shackles set is completely independent of the RotRL set, yes.

Thanx, is there a card list I can view somewhere? Just card titles will do, not looking to print them or anything lol. Would be nice to see the card names on a list while I wait for my order lol.

There is no card list at this time. Not only is the set still in development, but... we like for people to be surprised when they open the box. We'll sneak some peeks in Paizo blogs in the coming months, though!

Will ordering the Skulls and Shackles game and the Character Add on deck come with any promo cards and/or other exclusives by purchasing directly from Paizo?

Pathfinder Adventure Card Game *subscribers* get free promo cards with their shipments. (We also insert promo cards into some paizo.com orders, but there are no guarantees on that...)

Pathfinder Adventure Card Game *subscribers* get free promo cards with their shipments. (We also insert promo cards into some paizo.com orders, but there are no guarantees on that...)

I have accepted the fact that I will never have Promo cards (cept maybe eBaying them). I be Canadian EH! Point is that shipping costs to me are insane. The base set $59.99 + $41 shipping? Even with the subscription rate that is just not going to happen. [SARCASM] I will just have to support my local Hobby shop [/SARCASM] since they sell it at $59.99 CAD.

Your local hobby shop should be able to get a limited number of most of the promos from its distributor. They're not only available from paizo.com.

So could you take the skull and shackes characters and use them directly company with Rise of the Runelords?

Also any guesses on the next set after Skull and Shackles?

So could you take the skull and shackes characters and use them directly company with Rise of the Runelords?

Yes... but certain cards from one set may not be as effective in the other; for example, the gunslinger Lirianne will not be as useful in an Adventure Path that doesn’t have firearms (unless, of course, you also bring some firearms into the game).

Also any guesses on the next set after Skull and Shackles?

There are people making such guesses here.

Any word on the dice that will be shipped with the new AP? I personally didn't like the dice that came in the RotR AP. They just seemed a little bland, and didn't offer any flavor.

I know that I can get themed dice from Q-Factory, but I was wondering about the 'stock' AP set. Thanks!

The S&S dice will be very similar to the RotR dice in terms of materials and texture. However, I believe that we're going to have new molds in place, where all dice use the same font, and the d10 has a "10" on it instead of a "0".

Okay, I guess I was not expecting a big difference between the two. I think it is interesting that you have a different mold for the ten-sided die, though. I didn't know that the 0 instead of 10 was big enough a deal to make that change. I guess I come from a background of tabletop and trading card games, though.

Has there been any thought to changing the dice that come with the APs, though?

Clearly, we need to provide a playable game to people who don't have "weird gaming dice", but since many of the potential customers already have huge collections of dice, providing special dice is not a wise investment—the added cost would force us to either increase the retail price or reduce our profit margin, while not making the game notably better to most purchasers. The Base Set is already very expensive to manufacture, so we use standard low-cost materials for making the dice—the same dice we use in our Beginner Box, and the same dice used by many other manufacturers.

When we were printing in China, our only reasonable option was a standard dice mold, which has a 0 on the 10-sider and uses 3 different fonts among the 5 dice. (Speaking for myself alone, the last bit bugs me more than the first bit.)

We're printing Skull & Shackles entirely in the US, and in a volume sufficient to justify making our own die mold, so we're going to fix those issues. We intend to use our new mold for a good long while, so the cost of making it is negligible. Yes, we *could* do something fancy with the mold, but making them easy to read is a more important goal, especially for the benefit of people unaccustomed to "weird gaming dice".

Thanks for getting back on this with such detail. I see what you are saying, though. When you get the mold, you really need to consider the ROI, and legibility should be at the top of the list on improvements. The 3 different fonts issue is pretty big for me as well, which is one of the reasons that I do not use the RotR dice very often.

So I finally gave in and got the Rise of the Runelords card set and I've been having a lot of fun with it. One thing I've found I like to do is use the iconic pawns from the NPC Codex Box to mark their locations. I've even gone so far as to use the Bestiary and RotRL pawns for monster, henchman, and villain encounters. ^_^

If I end up getting this S&S card set I'd like to do the same. Which should be fine for the banes but there's some iconic character pawns missing! :/ Is there any chance of there being an "Advanced NPC Codex" and pawn set? I'd really like to have markers for the APG and ACG classes. :)

Speaking of dice, have you considered using a different color for each die? If it's not cost-prohibitive, that might make it easier for people to differentiate between the different "weird gaming dice" if they're not already used to them.

For myself, I'm already used to weird dice, but I ended up buying them in different colors anyway. Why? Because I hate having to roll the same die multiple times for one check, so I bought a lot of additional dice. Having each type be a different color makes it marginally faster to pick the correct dice out of the pile.

Yeah, it would cost significantly more. All the dice are in one steel mold, so they're made at the same time using the same plastic and then handled as a single unit.

Yeah, it would cost significantly more. All the dice are in one steel mold, so they're made at the same time using the same plastic and then handled as a single unit.

Thanks for taking the time to respond. I love the fact that Paizo actually talks about their business with customers, and not just their products. I learn a lot. But it must be time-consuming on your part.

Thanks for getting back on this with such detail. I see what you are saying, though. When you get the mold, you really need to consider the ROI, and legibility should be at the top of the list on improvements.

I'd prefer lower cost and no dice. They are in all the stores and I already have tons of dice that are fine. Then everyone can pick out their own set with their own preferences.

I'd prefer lower cost and no dice. They are in all the stores and I already have tons of dice that are fine. Then everyone can pick out their own set with their own preferences.

Dice may be available in gaming stores, but this game goes out to places that do not carry such accessories. We want people to be able to pick this game up and start gaming right away, not to have to spend an additional $5+ for dice. I may have enough dice to fill a gumball machine the size of my head, but there is always someone who has never played a card game, and has never seen these funny dice. Why make it harder for them to start playing by asking them to buy just one more thing?

Kraal55 wrote:

Will this be part of the adventure card subscription? or will the subscription end when Rise of the Ruelords does? I am subscribed currently for the cards, but wouldn't want to pay the, no doubt,huge shipping on this over to me in New Zealand.

Yeah me too, it'll have to be stop sub, buy on Amazon, re-up sub after. Hopefully we can start with the add-on set.

My understanding is that the adventure decks are included in the subscription, not the boxed base set. You'll notice that the upcoming products listed with the subscription go from RotRL 6 to S&S 2; there is no mention of the base set.

The subscription listing is currently incorrect. The Base Set is indeed part of the subscription, as is the Character Add-On Deck; both ship in August.