Pathfinder Adventure Card Game: Rise of the Runelords Base Set

Announced! Product image is a mockup!

How long would it take to play through Burnt Offerings? How variable are the instances of games?

Subscribed!!!!!

w00t!

How long would it take to play through Burnt Offerings? How variable are the instances of games?

I was part of the playtest for this game. Each chapter of the AP was broken down into 3-6 scenarios. Burnt offerings, for example, was five scenarios. Each scenario has a specified amount of cards to be played through depending on the number of players. Each session plays out in roughly an hour. New groups may take up to two hours as they learn the rules. Once we got the hang of things, we were finishing some scenarios in as little as 45 minutes. You should expect to play through the majority of a chapter in a four hour session. Playing longer may get you through the whole thing.

Each time you play through a scenario, you randomly choose monsters, traps, and treasure that you can find. Some games we had plenty of trouble with bad luck and tough monsters. Others it was a cakewalk. It's very different, especially as you go through the various scenarios. Each scenario has new villains, goals, and locations. As you progress through chapters, new cards are introduced to represent the new slew of monsters, tougher traps, and fatter loot that you may find.

Overall, it's very different everytime and comes in very manageable chunks if you only have a small amount of time to play.

Announced! Product image is a mockup!

Though the actual layout will probably change a bit, the mockup does use the correct all-new Wayne Reynolds cover painting.

So shiny!

I'm guessing that the Base Set's classes are Fighter, Wizard, Cleric, and Rogue.

When this is shipped, will the game rules be made available as a downloadable PDF (added to the purchaser's account)? I'd like to get my hands on the rules as soon as I can so that I can be ready to play once the cards arrive.

$60!? Too rich for me!

Sixty dollars is an investment in entertainment...

But comparatively speaking a core card game set from the Living Card Game series from Fantasy Flight Games (Android: Netrunner, Lord of the Rings, Star Wars) have from 225 to 252 cards, plus cardboard tokens.. which we can equate to a decent set of dice and call it even.

Their suggested retail price for those games is $40.00

This game has almost 500 cards, and has a suggested retail price of $60.

Now if the game is too expensive for reasons of personal finance, that is of course understandable. No argument. You have to take care of your business.

But I think the price is competitive while still actually having a margin. FFG's boxed sets would seem to be a relatively fair apples to apples comparison.

Just sayin'.

I can't wait for August! Mythic and a new way to play Pathfinder? DOUBLE GOODIES!!

+1 Subscriber! :)

The Pale :)

I'm guessing that the Base Set's classes are Fighter, Wizard, Cleric, and Rogue.

Unless something has changed, the base set should include the iconic characters of those four plus Ranger, Bard and Sorcerer.

I'm very interested to see what has changed in the final game since the forum playtest here, especially for the characters.

How variable are the instances of games?

I was also fortunate enough to spend time s a play tester for this product.

The game instances are really pretty variable by the core rules. This variability was perceived by many of the play testers as reducing how much each scenario FELT like the corresponding portion of RotRL.

It is relatively easy (if you want to spend a little time on it) to pick and choose things instead of have them determined by random selection from a larger deck to FORCE each scenario to FEEL like the corresponding portion of RotRL. This basically throws out the mechanic that keeps replayability high, though. If you do this once, and then return to the core mechanic for later attempts at the scenario, you can duplicate the FEEL of RotRL once, and then simply enjoy the unique game play other times.

Sixty dollars is an investment in entertainment...

But comparatively speaking a core card game set from the Living Card Game series from Fantasy Flight Games (Android: Netrunner, Lord of the Rings, Star Wars) have from 225 to 252 cards, plus cardboard tokens.. which we can equate to a decent set of dice and call it even.

Their suggested retail price for those games is $40.00

This game has almost 500 cards, and has a suggested retail price of $60.

Now if the game is too expensive for reasons of personal finance, that is of course understandable. No argument. You have to take care of your business.

But I think the price is competitive while still actually having a margin. FFG's boxed sets would seem to be a relatively fair apples to apples comparison.

Just sayin'.

Oh, you're probably right.

When the fact that Paizo was working on an adventure card game was announced, my thought was "that's neat - I will want to check it out". My brain then figured we were looking at a $19.99-$24.99 card game. When I saw $60 - that blew that thought out of the water. :)

(And what's with yet another incarnation of Rise of the Runelords? Enough with the runelords! A Pathfinder reprint, a super double-dog deluxe version, the comic series, now the card game. I mean, move on already!)

I'm sick of the bloody runelords and their perpetual rising! ;)

And likewise, DaveMage, there is nothing wrong with being intentional and thoughtful about where to spend your money.

I completely respect that it has to be a considered decision. :)

I love the idea of Runelords as the basic set.

I am looking forward to this. I ordered it as soon as I saw it the other day and when Jim said he subscribed I found that link. I did not see it the first time around.

Can't wait.

I'm sick of the bloody runelords and their perpetual rising! ;)

Would it help to think of them as Ascending Azlanti?

As a GM who probably won't get his players to play RotR until... maybe 2018 but is much more likely to get them to play a card game from time to time, how spoilerific will this be for the actual AP?

How kid-friendly is this game? How complicated is it, and how much tactical acumen is called for?

And how PG-rated will the Hook Mountain Massacre deck be?

EDIT: DaveMage, there's a 20% discount for subscribing. :)

I have not played the AP, yet.

Now I will recognize some names, expect certain types of opponents during the AP (which the player guide should provide, anyway), have a pretty good idea of some of the location concepts, and some clue about how nasty the boss fights might be.

And I probably won't remember any of them in great detail a year form now.

How kid-friendly is this game? How complicated is it, and how much tactical acumen is called for?

One of the play test leads had an all child group he was running through the game. I know they were young to pre-teens, but I don't remember HOW young.

Nothing prevents everybody getting involved and helping everybody else out during their turn. Heck, a couple of the characters seem most powerful when helping others.

Tactics aren't as important as strategy, IMO. It is a deck-building game. Using the cards that you draw seemed pretty simple. Picking the right cards to add to/keep in the deck as you go along is harder.

Many of the scenarios use very different goals and serious rule modifications to enhance the feel of the scenario. Some of them require more intelligent play. Which is almost as much about the random opposition deck builds as it is the modified rules.

I would love to subscribe to this but shipping and handling to germany is at over 60 bucks (likely because the box is large and heavy).

Belky wrote:

I'm guessing that the Base Set's classes are Fighter, Wizard, Cleric, and Rogue.

Unless something has changed, the base set should include the iconic characters of those four plus Ranger, Bard and Sorcerer.

This is correct; the Character Add-On Deck includes Barbarian, Druid, Monk, and Paladin.

As a GM who probably won't get his players to play RotR until... maybe 2018 but is much more likely to get them to play a card game from time to time, how spoilerific will this be for the actual AP?

You can easily avoid reading the flavor text that's designed to help bring you into the story, but you'll nevertheless encounter characters, locations, monsters, villains, and other NPCs, and you'll follow the general storyline. But I don't personally think that experiencing either one before the other makes anything less fun. (You will need to trust your players not to bring in out-of-game knowledge to their RPG sessions... and there will be things that they might *think* they know from the card game that won't be true in the RPG, and vice versa.)

How kid-friendly is this game? How complicated is it, and how much tactical acumen is called for?

Speaking from a product labeling standpoint, it's marked ages 13 and up. We have had younger playtesters who have been able to enjoy the game; bright kids will do just fine, so long as they're able to remain attentive for the hour or so it takes to play. Tactical acumen is rewarded for sure; but since it is a cooperative game, you can probably still succeed most of the time even if just a couple of players have developed that skill.

And how PG-rated will the Hook Mountain Massacre deck be?

The only hint of what might be going on there is this bit of flavor text on Mammy Graul's card:

“Is that you, butter knuckles? Climb on over your brothers and give Mammy a squeeze!”
—Mammy Graul

I would love to subscribe to this but shipping and handling to germany is at over 60 bucks (likely because the box is large and heavy).

Yeah, it's 14"x14" and weighs about 6 pounds (at current estimate). International shipping will be a killer on that; there's no way around it. You may find it worthwhile to purchase the Base Set locally and begin your subscription after that, when we'll be releasing bimonthly card decks.

Will future adventures retail for less?

What's the mechanics like? This reminds me a little of Warhammer Fantasy 3rd ed.

Will future adventures retail for less?

What's the mechanics like? This reminds me a little of Warhammer Fantasy 3rd ed.

The bimonthly Adventure Decks are $19.99.

The mechanics are pretty unique, and not much like WF at all.

MicMan wrote:

I would love to subscribe to this but shipping and handling to germany is at over 60 bucks (likely because the box is large and heavy).

Yeah, it's 14"x14" and weighs about 6 pounds (at current estimate). International shipping will be a killer on that; there's no way around it. You may find it worthwhile to purchase the Base Set locally and begin your subscription after that, when we'll be releasing bimonthly card decks.

We received a better materials sample from the printer, and it looks like the Base Set will be closer to 4 pounds than 6. It's still going to be expensive to ship, but not quite as bad as we thought yesterday.

My question is how differently does this play from other deck-building games, such as Dominion, Thunderstone, or Marvel Legendary? Obviously, it is coopertive and all that entails, but I would like to know more before subscribing. Don't get me wrong, another way to interact with Golarion is pretty sweet in-and-of-itself, but I am a pretty big deck-building fan so thus, I have a lot of bases covered already. In what way will I be able to "hook" by gaming group who are already familiar with the basic mechanics of deck-building?

I find it difficult to explain, but... the Pathfinder ACG is less about *building* your deck and more about *evolving* your deck as you adventure. As you play, you gain and lose cards, and at the end of each session, your party rebuilds their decks with the things they acquired during the scenario, and you usually have some choices to make that direct your character's development.

Like I said, it's difficult to explain.

We will be releasing the rulebook as we get closer to the game's release, and we'll find other ways to give you a better peek into what makes this game unique.

Thank you for that fine answer! I figured more previews were going to come up, but I'm happy to hear that the rulebook will also be available for perusal.

Can't wait until the rulebook is released! From what I've heard, this looks very interesting.

Can't wait

What do the dice look like? Do they have any special engravings or just numbers? What color/pattern are they? What dice(D20, D6, D10 etc.) are included?

By the description it sounds a bit like the Living Card Game system by Fantasy Flight. Would that be an accurate description?

What do the dice look like? Do they have any special engravings or just numbers? What color/pattern are they? What dice(D20, D6, D10 etc.) are included?

They're standard dice, much like the ones in the Beginner Box. d4, d6, d8, d10, d12, cast in blue with white numerals.

By the description it sounds a bit like the Living Card Game system by Fantasy Flight. Would that be an accurate description?

It's similar in that there's a base set followed by regular non-random releases that extends the storyline and offers new options... but the similarities don't go much deeper than that.

So, by my understanding, the base set will include the Fighter, Wizard, Rogue, Cleric, Bard, Ranger, and Sorcerer, with enough cards/materials for 4 players to use any 4 of those classes. The class add-on will contain Druid, Monk, Barbarian, and Paladin, plus enough cards/materials for an additional 2 players. Am I correct on this?

That's correct!

(And what's with yet another incarnation of Rise of the Runelords? Enough with the runelords! A Pathfinder reprint, a super double-dog deluxe version, the comic series, now the card game. I mean, move on already!)

I'm sick of the bloody runelords and their perpetual rising! ;)

To be fair, I think the comic series is an original story that, while taking place in Varisia, has next to nothing to do with the Runelords or their rising ;) I haven't read it though; I've just heard that.

Will there be "prestige classes" available as alternate character progression?

Will there be "prestige classes" available as alternate character progression?

Something very like that, yes. Each character class has a corresponding "role" card, which you get as part of the reward for completing the Hook Mountain Massacre Adventure Deck.

(This is something we added after the playtest. Hey, playtesters: Surprise!)

Excluding the Burnt Offerings Adventure Deck that comes with Rise of the Runelords Core Set, are there 5 bi-monthly Adventure Decks for Rise of the Runelords and are they titled the following?

The Skinsaw Murders (Adventure Deck 2)
Hook Mountain Massacre (Adventure Deck 3)
Fortress of the Stone Giants (Adventure Deck 4)
Sins of the Saviors (Adventure Deck 5)
Spires of Xin-Shalast (Adventure Deck 6)

Will future Adventure Paths be adapted to the game and have a similar release schedule? Core Set(with dice), Character Add-On Deck, 5 bi-monthly Adventure Decks?

That's the plan!

Any chance we'll see some Base Classes such as Magus or Alchemist in those future sets?

It's possible. And if there's demand, there's a possibility you won't have to wait until then.

I really hope you guys adapt Second Darkness(Underdark) & Serpent's Skull(Pirates/Lizards/Mayan Temples)!!!

Will we be able to combine the cards from different adventure paths?