paizo.com Recent Reviews of Starfinder Society Scenario #1-03: Yesteryear's Truthpaizo.com Recent Reviews of Starfinder Society Scenario #1-03: Yesteryear's Truth2024-02-03T04:20:56Z2024-02-03T04:20:56ZStarfinder Society Scenario #1-03: Yesteryear's Truth: Starship combat scks! (1 star)David E.https://paizo.com/products/btpy9tt0?Starfinder-Society-Scenario-103-Yesteryears-Truth2024-02-03T04:09:12Z<p><b>Starfinder Society Scenario #1-03: Yesteryear's Truth</b></p><p>2 hors of hell.</p><p><b>Starfinder Society Scenario #1-03: Yesteryear's Truth</b></p><p>2 hors of hell.</p>David E.2024-02-03T04:09:12ZStarfinder Society Scenario #1-03: Yesteryear's Truth: First contact and a true Starfinder mission (5 stars)Darius Silverbolthttps://paizo.com/products/btpy9tt0?Starfinder-Society-Scenario-103-Yesteryears-Truth2020-04-13T13:29:19Z<p><b>Starfinder Society Scenario #1-03: Yesteryear's Truth</b></p><p><b>Story: </b>
<br />
This is a wonderful role play heavy scenario and it is great. My parties have enjoyed getting to know the locals and learning about the cultures of the two civilizations. The story does continue in a later scenario as well which is always fun to see. </p>
<p><b>Time </b> (Based on a 4-hour slot):
<br />
Starship encounter with new players can take a fair amount of time. This particular starship encounter can run extra long with the nature of the encounter. </p>
<p><b>GM’ing Notes: </b>
<br />
2 Standard flip mats used and one small work custom map. There is a starship encounter here so having the players think and assign roles is important. Having a cheat sheet for the various starship roles with the DC’s is a must for any convention. </p>
<p><b>Last Words: </b>
<br />
Excellent scenario, also good for younger crowd. A solid role play encounter and not too deadly and I think it is one of the best adventures in the first season and even present a moral question for the party at the end. I would love to see more stories from Jason Keeley.</p><p><b>Starfinder Society Scenario #1-03: Yesteryear's Truth</b></p><p><b>Story: </b>
<br />
This is a wonderful role play heavy scenario and it is great. My parties have enjoyed getting to know the locals and learning about the cultures of the two civilizations. The story does continue in a later scenario as well which is always fun to see. </p>
<p><b>Time </b> (Based on a 4-hour slot):
<br />
Starship encounter with new players can take a fair amount of time. This particular starship encounter can run extra long with the nature of the encounter. </p>
<p><b>GM’ing Notes: </b>
<br />
2 Standard flip mats used and one small work custom map. There is a starship encounter here so having the players think and assign roles is important. Having a cheat sheet for the various starship roles with the DC’s is a must for any convention. </p>
<p><b>Last Words: </b>
<br />
Excellent scenario, also good for younger crowd. A solid role play encounter and not too deadly and I think it is one of the best adventures in the first season and even present a moral question for the party at the end. I would love to see more stories from Jason Keeley.</p>Darius Silverbolt2020-04-13T13:29:19ZStarfinder Society Scenario #1-03: Yesteryear's Truth (5 stars)Jessica Catalanhttps://paizo.com/products/btpy9tt0?Starfinder-Society-Scenario-103-Yesteryears-Truth2019-01-31T17:45:17Z<p>This is one of my very favourite early SFS scenarios. </p>
<p>[Spoiler omitted]</p>
<p>I really loved the premise of this adventure. It’s very much a ‘first contact’ situation, and I thought it followed through on this wonderfully. Roleplaying this was one of the highlights of this scenario. As expected for a scenario of this kind, social skills are very important to the mission, which could be hard for some groups. That being said, they have plenty of chances to make friends with both types of locals, and the module can progress as scheduled even if they fail to do so. I loved the history this scenario lets you uncover, and that your actions can affect the planet’s future. I particularly like its ties to other scenarios, including Into the Unkown, Cries from the Drift, and Yesteryear's Sorrow.</p>
<p>For those of us who game with kids, I'd like to point out that this is an awesome scenario to play with kids. Mine both adored it.</p><p>This is one of my very favourite early SFS scenarios. </p>
<p>[Spoiler omitted]</p>
<p>I really loved the premise of this adventure. It’s very much a ‘first contact’ situation, and I thought it followed through on this wonderfully. Roleplaying this was one of the highlights of this scenario. As expected for a scenario of this kind, social skills are very important to the mission, which could be hard for some groups. That being said, they have plenty of chances to make friends with both types of locals, and the module can progress as scheduled even if they fail to do so. I loved the history this scenario lets you uncover, and that your actions can affect the planet’s future. I particularly like its ties to other scenarios, including Into the Unkown, Cries from the Drift, and Yesteryear's Sorrow.</p>
<p>For those of us who game with kids, I'd like to point out that this is an awesome scenario to play with kids. Mine both adored it.</p>Jessica Catalan2019-01-31T17:45:17ZStarfinder Society Scenario #1-03: Yesteryear's Truth: Explore! (4 stars)Woranhttps://paizo.com/products/btpy9tt0?Starfinder-Society-Scenario-103-Yesteryears-Truth2019-01-21T08:02:57Z<p><b>Starfinder Society Scenario #1-03: Yesteryear's Truth</b></p><p>This scenario is really fun if your character loves the 'explore' part of the society. And your character will have plenty of time to do so in this scenario.</p>
<p>The story is great, I'll give no spoilers, with plenty of interesting choices with potentially big impacts for your character to take.
<br />
The only thing making it 4 stars is the space combat, as it can take way too much time if things dont go your way.</p><p><b>Starfinder Society Scenario #1-03: Yesteryear's Truth</b></p><p>This scenario is really fun if your character loves the 'explore' part of the society. And your character will have plenty of time to do so in this scenario.</p>
<p>The story is great, I'll give no spoilers, with plenty of interesting choices with potentially big impacts for your character to take.
<br />
The only thing making it 4 stars is the space combat, as it can take way too much time if things dont go your way.</p>Woran2019-01-21T08:02:57ZStarfinder Society Scenario #1-03: Yesteryear's Truth: Good scenario. Excellent for a group of experienced players. (4 stars)pithica42https://paizo.com/products/btpy9tt0?Starfinder-Society-Scenario-103-Yesteryears-Truth2019-01-06T21:45:14Z<p><b>Starfinder Society Scenario #1-03: Yesteryear's Truth</b></p><p>Just ran this scenario, having never played it prior, for the first time. </p>
<p>Overall, I think the scenario was good. I really like first contact scenarios, generally, and this one had some interesting twists. The fact that the results of that twist were put entirely into the hands of the players to decide about was a solid design choice. The combats were varied and interesting, and there was a plethora of skill checks to give everyone a chance to shine. </p>
<p>While it wasn't needed for my group, I'm glad the scenario considered a party without a magic user and had a translation option for that. </p>
<p>The starship combat was interesting to run as a GM with some key differences that kept it from feeling like 'more of the same'. </p>
<p>My one critique is that, like many of the early scenarios, the starship combat takes too long. If you have a group that is optimized for Starship combat, and knows what they're doing, I imagine it would be a fast, fun, and exciting one. But with a party that isn't set up for it, it can turn into a slog (like most of them). </p>
<p>In spite of that, critique, I highly recommend this scenario for anyone that likes the 'boldly going' and 'seeking out new life' type stories. I'd put it at 3/5 for new players or players that dislike Starship Combat, but 5/5 for experienced players that do.</p><p><b>Starfinder Society Scenario #1-03: Yesteryear's Truth</b></p><p>Just ran this scenario, having never played it prior, for the first time. </p>
<p>Overall, I think the scenario was good. I really like first contact scenarios, generally, and this one had some interesting twists. The fact that the results of that twist were put entirely into the hands of the players to decide about was a solid design choice. The combats were varied and interesting, and there was a plethora of skill checks to give everyone a chance to shine. </p>
<p>While it wasn't needed for my group, I'm glad the scenario considered a party without a magic user and had a translation option for that. </p>
<p>The starship combat was interesting to run as a GM with some key differences that kept it from feeling like 'more of the same'. </p>
<p>My one critique is that, like many of the early scenarios, the starship combat takes too long. If you have a group that is optimized for Starship combat, and knows what they're doing, I imagine it would be a fast, fun, and exciting one. But with a party that isn't set up for it, it can turn into a slog (like most of them). </p>
<p>In spite of that, critique, I highly recommend this scenario for anyone that likes the 'boldly going' and 'seeking out new life' type stories. I'd put it at 3/5 for new players or players that dislike Starship Combat, but 5/5 for experienced players that do.</p>pithica422019-01-06T21:45:14ZStarfinder Society Scenario #1-03: Yesteryear's Truth: Good Role-Play Elements, Very Hard Combats (3 stars)Ralph Dulahttps://paizo.com/products/btpy9tt0?Starfinder-Society-Scenario-103-Yesteryears-Truth2018-09-28T22:38:24Z<p><b>Starfinder Society Scenario #1-03: Yesteryear's Truth</b></p><p>Yesteryear’s Truth was my second adventure in the land of Starfinder. I’m writing this from the perspective of a player from actual play experiences. If I had to summarize the scenario I would label it as having an interesting premise and setting, along with fun interactions with NPCs, but hampered by some of its combat set pieces.</p>
<p>In the scenario the player characters are tasked to investigate a newly-discovered world, those who discovered it having been driven off from it by an orbital defense grid. Rather than considering that maybe the planet wants to be left alone and respect their sovereignty, Venture Captain Arvin explains the last ship just didn’t have enough firepower to deal with it, and sends you to investigate. Oh, and you’re told to make “peaceful contact” with them, which seems dubious if you’re destroying their defense systems so you can stop by and say hello. But I digress.</p>
<p>After reaching the planet and dealing with the problem waiting in its orbit, you head on down to the planet. There is some unpleasantness, but then you make contact with some of the natives of the planet. What follows is some great interactions with the inhabitants, and an investigation into their past, and a decision on the part of the PCs that will affect the planet’s inhabitants one way or another.</p>
<p>The non-combat parts of this adventure are great. The player characters get to interact with an all-new culture, and their can be a great deal of ethical dilemmas within the party based on people picking different sides on what should be done. If I were rating this scenario on the RP aspect alone it would get a four from me. As it is, however, the combats drag it down to a three.</p>
<p>Yesteryear’s Truth has three combats, two land-based and one spaceship battle. I have to commend the author for how good the final battle is, as it felt like an even battle that neither side had an advantage on due to base power level, and that smart thinking was just as important as the luck of the dice. It’s not often that I find such in scenarios in recent times, and it was a very welcome change.</p>
<p>The other two battles, however, were very problematic. In the case of the space battle, we went before our opponent on the first round, and I managed to score a critical hit for near-maximum damage, disabling the main schtick of our opponent. Two rounds later I scored another critical, and did a respectable amount of damage. With two criticals so early on it would seem like the battle would have gone fairly quickly. Instead the battle dragged on for around an hour, with our foe seemingly refusing to go down, and our success coming after we sustained significant damage. I was honestly left wondering how we would have ever managed to defeat our opponent without those two crits, given how we barely got by with them. I noted earlier Venture Captain Arvin comments the last ship didn’t have enough firepower to get by the orbital defenses, and I really don’t think the ship they send you in does, either.</p>
<p>As for the other land-based battle, I was in a party consisting of a second-level envoy, technomancer and mechanic, and I was playing a first-level soldier. Our envoy went down in the first round of combat from our foe’s first attack, and I could plainly put the blame on that player’s decision to go in for meele. However, our opponent had such a high attack bonus that the only time he failed to hit us was on the sole occasion he rolled a “one” to hit. Aside from that he hit every time. Our mechanic quickly went down and I only managed to stay up because Constitution is my highest stat. I ended up having to flee, our foe chasing behind me like a reenactment of a Benny Hill chase scene, until our technomancer was able to take it down with shots and spells from a long distance. When our GM later told us he was attacking with penalities as part of the adventure’s adjustment for Tier 1-2, we were all looking at one another with disbelief that it had been penalized at all while we fought.</p>
<p>If these two combats weren’t such a death zone, I would gladly give this adventure a 4. As it is I’m giving it a 3, and suggesting that GMs refrain from running the scenario for characters who are first level or not combat focused.</p><p><b>Starfinder Society Scenario #1-03: Yesteryear's Truth</b></p><p>Yesteryear’s Truth was my second adventure in the land of Starfinder. I’m writing this from the perspective of a player from actual play experiences. If I had to summarize the scenario I would label it as having an interesting premise and setting, along with fun interactions with NPCs, but hampered by some of its combat set pieces.</p>
<p>In the scenario the player characters are tasked to investigate a newly-discovered world, those who discovered it having been driven off from it by an orbital defense grid. Rather than considering that maybe the planet wants to be left alone and respect their sovereignty, Venture Captain Arvin explains the last ship just didn’t have enough firepower to deal with it, and sends you to investigate. Oh, and you’re told to make “peaceful contact” with them, which seems dubious if you’re destroying their defense systems so you can stop by and say hello. But I digress.</p>
<p>After reaching the planet and dealing with the problem waiting in its orbit, you head on down to the planet. There is some unpleasantness, but then you make contact with some of the natives of the planet. What follows is some great interactions with the inhabitants, and an investigation into their past, and a decision on the part of the PCs that will affect the planet’s inhabitants one way or another.</p>
<p>The non-combat parts of this adventure are great. The player characters get to interact with an all-new culture, and their can be a great deal of ethical dilemmas within the party based on people picking different sides on what should be done. If I were rating this scenario on the RP aspect alone it would get a four from me. As it is, however, the combats drag it down to a three.</p>
<p>Yesteryear’s Truth has three combats, two land-based and one spaceship battle. I have to commend the author for how good the final battle is, as it felt like an even battle that neither side had an advantage on due to base power level, and that smart thinking was just as important as the luck of the dice. It’s not often that I find such in scenarios in recent times, and it was a very welcome change.</p>
<p>The other two battles, however, were very problematic. In the case of the space battle, we went before our opponent on the first round, and I managed to score a critical hit for near-maximum damage, disabling the main schtick of our opponent. Two rounds later I scored another critical, and did a respectable amount of damage. With two criticals so early on it would seem like the battle would have gone fairly quickly. Instead the battle dragged on for around an hour, with our foe seemingly refusing to go down, and our success coming after we sustained significant damage. I was honestly left wondering how we would have ever managed to defeat our opponent without those two crits, given how we barely got by with them. I noted earlier Venture Captain Arvin comments the last ship didn’t have enough firepower to get by the orbital defenses, and I really don’t think the ship they send you in does, either.</p>
<p>As for the other land-based battle, I was in a party consisting of a second-level envoy, technomancer and mechanic, and I was playing a first-level soldier. Our envoy went down in the first round of combat from our foe’s first attack, and I could plainly put the blame on that player’s decision to go in for meele. However, our opponent had such a high attack bonus that the only time he failed to hit us was on the sole occasion he rolled a “one” to hit. Aside from that he hit every time. Our mechanic quickly went down and I only managed to stay up because Constitution is my highest stat. I ended up having to flee, our foe chasing behind me like a reenactment of a Benny Hill chase scene, until our technomancer was able to take it down with shots and spells from a long distance. When our GM later told us he was attacking with penalities as part of the adventure’s adjustment for Tier 1-2, we were all looking at one another with disbelief that it had been penalized at all while we fought.</p>
<p>If these two combats weren’t such a death zone, I would gladly give this adventure a 4. As it is I’m giving it a 3, and suggesting that GMs refrain from running the scenario for characters who are first level or not combat focused.</p>Ralph Dula2018-09-28T22:38:24ZStarfinder Society Scenario #1-03: Yesteryear's Truth: Entertaining but short (4 stars)NgoDraconemhttps://paizo.com/products/btpy9tt0?Starfinder-Society-Scenario-103-Yesteryears-Truth2018-04-14T03:52:09Z<p><b>Starfinder Society Scenario #1-03: Yesteryear's Truth</b></p><p>I found the plot entertaining and the social aspect to be enjoyable. The session felt short and concluded within 90 minutes.</p><p><b>Starfinder Society Scenario #1-03: Yesteryear's Truth</b></p><p>I found the plot entertaining and the social aspect to be enjoyable. The session felt short and concluded within 90 minutes.</p>NgoDraconem2018-04-14T03:52:09ZStarfinder Society Scenario #1-03: Yesteryear's Truth: Fun, But Predictable (4 stars)ScrollMasterRobhttps://paizo.com/products/btpy9tt0?Starfinder-Society-Scenario-103-Yesteryears-Truth2018-01-20T14:34:32Z<p><b>Starfinder Society Scenario #1-03: Yesteryear's Truth</b></p><p>If you've watched or read lots of Sci-fi over the years, you will be able to figure out just what happens in this scenario in a few minutes. It was still fun to play.</p><p><b>Starfinder Society Scenario #1-03: Yesteryear's Truth</b></p><p>If you've watched or read lots of Sci-fi over the years, you will be able to figure out just what happens in this scenario in a few minutes. It was still fun to play.</p>ScrollMasterRob2018-01-20T14:34:32ZStarfinder Society Scenario #1-03: Yesteryear's Truth: Great Final Choice! (5 stars)Eric Collins - Francehttps://paizo.com/products/btpy9tt0?Starfinder-Society-Scenario-103-Yesteryears-Truth2018-01-11T20:54:47Z<p><b>Starfinder Society Scenario #1-03: Yesteryear's Truth</b></p><p>A very complete scenario, with - already - nice variations on the space combat mechanics, and a very rich storyline where the PCs see a lot of fun - and moving - moments, and have to make serious choices, none of them better or worse.
<br />
Very enjoyable.</p><p><b>Starfinder Society Scenario #1-03: Yesteryear's Truth</b></p><p>A very complete scenario, with - already - nice variations on the space combat mechanics, and a very rich storyline where the PCs see a lot of fun - and moving - moments, and have to make serious choices, none of them better or worse.
<br />
Very enjoyable.</p>Eric Collins - France2018-01-11T20:54:47ZStarfinder Society Scenario #1-03: Yesteryear's Truth: The Best Yet (5 stars)Jhaemanhttps://paizo.com/products/btpy9tt0?Starfinder-Society-Scenario-103-Yesteryears-Truth2017-12-26T02:19:25Z<p><b>Starfinder Society Scenario #1-03: Yesteryear's Truth</b></p><p>NO SPOILERS</p>
<p>If other scenarios have drawn inspiration from influential SF like Firefly and Aliens, Starfinder Society scenario # 1-03 "Yesteryear's Truth" might be best described as influenced by classic Star Trek. This is the type of scenario I was hoping we'd get: one with big ideas, first contacts, and hard choices with no easy answer. It's the best of the scenarios released so far, and was a treat to both read and to run. I loved it, and only players who hate social encounters should skip it.</p>
<p>SPOILERS</p>
<p>"Yesteryear's Truth" assigns the Starfinders to journey to a newly-discovered planet in the Vast called Elytrio. A previous SFS expedition had tried to approach Elytrio but was driven away by an orbital defense platform (in a nice tie-in, that ship was the one the PCs are sent to recover in Into the Unknown—a fact I played up since my players had also played that one). The mission briefing with Venture-Captain Arvin is a bit bland—I wish the writers had given him a personality with some "pop" to role-play. (There's a nice little cameo from Fitch, the faction leader for the Wayfinders.) The main choice the PCs need to make early on, and it's an important once for this scenario, is whether to take a lightly-armed but fast vessel or a slower but heavily-armed starship.</p>
<p>The reason the choice of starship matters is that, on approach to Elytrio, the PCs have to engage in starship combat with the orbital defense platform. The trick with the platform is that it doesn't attack directly but instead releases, every round, an armed drone. It comes loaded with twelve of the buggers! (though it'll only dispatch four onto the battlefield at any one time) My players quickly figured out the right approach and focussed all of their missiles on the platform itself. I have heard horror stories of other groups thinking they should focus on the drones or bringing the lightly-armed ship that doesn't have missiles, which has led to a •long• slog that lasts hours. That certainly wasn't my experience, but I think there are still some wrinkles that need to be ironed out with starship combat being too easy and/or too long. Still, I thought the encounter was a solid and original one that forced the players to do some strategic thinking.</p>
<p>After defeating the platform, scans of Elytrio shows a large city protected by a force field in the midst of a post-apocalyptic wasteland. When the PCs land nearby and set off on foot for the city, they're attacked by a scaled, lion-sized lizard creature called a sand brute. This is very much a "random encounter" type of combat, but it's the last taste of battle the players will get for a while in the scenario so I thought it was okay. And, the battle against the sand brute is the premise for the PCs encountering a hunting party of the residents of Elytrio: sentient human-sized cockroach-like creatures called the Ghibrani!</p>
<p>This is the point where the scenario really starts to come into its own. The PCs have their work cut out for them in making first contact, as they have to overcome barriers with language (some options are embedded into the scenario) and customs in order to make their peaceful intentions known. If things with the hunting party go awry, there are instructions given to the GM on how to jump ahead. But if things go well, the PCs will be invited back to a nearby series of cliffside caves where the ghibrani live. In order to impress the tribe, the PCs need to take part in (and perform well in) a ritual dance—a fun but important scene, as failure means they've already lost out on the secondary success condition! Conversation with the ghibrani will allow the PCs to start to piece together some of Elytrio's history. The ghibranis they're talking too are called "husk" ghibranis and, generations ago, decided to live in the wastelands following the precepts of their god, Mother Touloo. </p>
<p>After the dance (or after a failed encounter with the hunting party), the PCs will meet a ghibrani named Klarima. Klarima, however, is not a husk ghibrani but a member of one of the winged, city-dwelling ghibranis known as the "membranes." Klarima, like most of the ghibranis, is happy to meet outsiders from another world and will offer to take the PCs back with her through the force field to the city where she lives, Arkeost.</p>
<p>Arkeost is described well as a city built for those who can fly where most of the mundane tasks are done by little robot drones. However, as the PCs will soon witness firsthand, the drones frequently suffer from glitches and malfunctions, and the infrastructure of the city has been decaying for years. Klarima takes the PCs to meet with the leaders of Arkeost, the Most Elevated. This is another important and delicate social encounter, with the crux being the ability of the PCs to eat (or feign eating) some disgusting ghibrani food to avoid offending the Most Elevated! As with the dance for the husk ghibranis, there are various options presented on how to accomplish the task, but failure means failing the secondary success condition. These social encounters are done well, with lots of opportunity for conversation and role-playing, but also with real importance (and consequences) attached to them.</p>
<p>Conversation with the Most Elevated fills in more of the details about Elytrio. Generations ago, there was a nuclear war between nation-states that devastated the planet. Some of the ghibrani sought refuge in force-field protected cities like Arkeost, while others followed the revelations of Mother Touloo and endured the hardships and radiation of the wastelands (and thus, lost the use of their wings). The membrane ghibranis of Arkeost do not understand the technology of their ancestors and have established a taboo keeping them from entering the mainframe building where the city's computer systems and thousands of drones are controlled. But, they're happy for outsiders to investigate and see if they can figure out why the city's automated services are suffering so many problems of late.</p>
<p>The last section of the scenario has the PCs enter the mainframe area. There's a couple of ancient security robots that have to be destroyed (hardly any challenge in the session I ran) before the malfunctioning computer can be found and repaired. But the players will soon realize that that was the easy part. The hard part isn't something that can be overcome with lasers or skill checks. Records found in the mainframe reveal that ghibrani society is built on a pack of lies! Generations ago, concerned that Arkeost could not support so many refugees, the city's leaders secretly concocted an elaborate fraud on its people by inventing "Mother Touloo" and her "revelation" that her followers should leave the city in order to find enlightenment in the wastelands. Those who went became the husk ghibranis, while those who stayed became the membranes. The PCs are then faced with the terrible choice of what to do with the information: keep it to themselves, tell only the membranes, tell only the husks, or tell both sides. Their choice could lead to reunion or civil war, and the entire burden falls on them. I thought it was a fantastic situation to put the PCs in, as it came about naturally through the story and wasn't a contrived last-minute add-on. A good GM will give the players a full opportunity to debate what should be done, and their choice is one of the reporting conditions that could affect future scenarios involving Elytrio. If I had a complaint about the scenario, it would be that the wrap-up (after their choice) is done in summary form and the PCs don't get to see the full result of their choice yet. But it leaves a fascinating hook for a future scenario, one that I really hope writers follow up on in a future season.</p>
<p>As I said at the beginning, Yesteryear's Truth is a scenario with some big ideas behind it. It's a substantive scenario and a memorable one. Making first contact with an alien race and discovering the secrets of their civilization is classic Star Trek, and I'm really recognizing the range of stories that Starfinder can tell. This is a more role-play heavy scenario than some previous ones, but I didn't mind it one bit. Overall, I hope we see more scenarios like this one that have depth and intelligence behind them.</p><p><b>Starfinder Society Scenario #1-03: Yesteryear's Truth</b></p><p>NO SPOILERS</p>
<p>If other scenarios have drawn inspiration from influential SF like Firefly and Aliens, Starfinder Society scenario # 1-03 "Yesteryear's Truth" might be best described as influenced by classic Star Trek. This is the type of scenario I was hoping we'd get: one with big ideas, first contacts, and hard choices with no easy answer. It's the best of the scenarios released so far, and was a treat to both read and to run. I loved it, and only players who hate social encounters should skip it.</p>
<p>SPOILERS</p>
<p>"Yesteryear's Truth" assigns the Starfinders to journey to a newly-discovered planet in the Vast called Elytrio. A previous SFS expedition had tried to approach Elytrio but was driven away by an orbital defense platform (in a nice tie-in, that ship was the one the PCs are sent to recover in Into the Unknown—a fact I played up since my players had also played that one). The mission briefing with Venture-Captain Arvin is a bit bland—I wish the writers had given him a personality with some "pop" to role-play. (There's a nice little cameo from Fitch, the faction leader for the Wayfinders.) The main choice the PCs need to make early on, and it's an important once for this scenario, is whether to take a lightly-armed but fast vessel or a slower but heavily-armed starship.</p>
<p>The reason the choice of starship matters is that, on approach to Elytrio, the PCs have to engage in starship combat with the orbital defense platform. The trick with the platform is that it doesn't attack directly but instead releases, every round, an armed drone. It comes loaded with twelve of the buggers! (though it'll only dispatch four onto the battlefield at any one time) My players quickly figured out the right approach and focussed all of their missiles on the platform itself. I have heard horror stories of other groups thinking they should focus on the drones or bringing the lightly-armed ship that doesn't have missiles, which has led to a •long• slog that lasts hours. That certainly wasn't my experience, but I think there are still some wrinkles that need to be ironed out with starship combat being too easy and/or too long. Still, I thought the encounter was a solid and original one that forced the players to do some strategic thinking.</p>
<p>After defeating the platform, scans of Elytrio shows a large city protected by a force field in the midst of a post-apocalyptic wasteland. When the PCs land nearby and set off on foot for the city, they're attacked by a scaled, lion-sized lizard creature called a sand brute. This is very much a "random encounter" type of combat, but it's the last taste of battle the players will get for a while in the scenario so I thought it was okay. And, the battle against the sand brute is the premise for the PCs encountering a hunting party of the residents of Elytrio: sentient human-sized cockroach-like creatures called the Ghibrani!</p>
<p>This is the point where the scenario really starts to come into its own. The PCs have their work cut out for them in making first contact, as they have to overcome barriers with language (some options are embedded into the scenario) and customs in order to make their peaceful intentions known. If things with the hunting party go awry, there are instructions given to the GM on how to jump ahead. But if things go well, the PCs will be invited back to a nearby series of cliffside caves where the ghibrani live. In order to impress the tribe, the PCs need to take part in (and perform well in) a ritual dance—a fun but important scene, as failure means they've already lost out on the secondary success condition! Conversation with the ghibrani will allow the PCs to start to piece together some of Elytrio's history. The ghibranis they're talking too are called "husk" ghibranis and, generations ago, decided to live in the wastelands following the precepts of their god, Mother Touloo. </p>
<p>After the dance (or after a failed encounter with the hunting party), the PCs will meet a ghibrani named Klarima. Klarima, however, is not a husk ghibrani but a member of one of the winged, city-dwelling ghibranis known as the "membranes." Klarima, like most of the ghibranis, is happy to meet outsiders from another world and will offer to take the PCs back with her through the force field to the city where she lives, Arkeost.</p>
<p>Arkeost is described well as a city built for those who can fly where most of the mundane tasks are done by little robot drones. However, as the PCs will soon witness firsthand, the drones frequently suffer from glitches and malfunctions, and the infrastructure of the city has been decaying for years. Klarima takes the PCs to meet with the leaders of Arkeost, the Most Elevated. This is another important and delicate social encounter, with the crux being the ability of the PCs to eat (or feign eating) some disgusting ghibrani food to avoid offending the Most Elevated! As with the dance for the husk ghibranis, there are various options presented on how to accomplish the task, but failure means failing the secondary success condition. These social encounters are done well, with lots of opportunity for conversation and role-playing, but also with real importance (and consequences) attached to them.</p>
<p>Conversation with the Most Elevated fills in more of the details about Elytrio. Generations ago, there was a nuclear war between nation-states that devastated the planet. Some of the ghibrani sought refuge in force-field protected cities like Arkeost, while others followed the revelations of Mother Touloo and endured the hardships and radiation of the wastelands (and thus, lost the use of their wings). The membrane ghibranis of Arkeost do not understand the technology of their ancestors and have established a taboo keeping them from entering the mainframe building where the city's computer systems and thousands of drones are controlled. But, they're happy for outsiders to investigate and see if they can figure out why the city's automated services are suffering so many problems of late.</p>
<p>The last section of the scenario has the PCs enter the mainframe area. There's a couple of ancient security robots that have to be destroyed (hardly any challenge in the session I ran) before the malfunctioning computer can be found and repaired. But the players will soon realize that that was the easy part. The hard part isn't something that can be overcome with lasers or skill checks. Records found in the mainframe reveal that ghibrani society is built on a pack of lies! Generations ago, concerned that Arkeost could not support so many refugees, the city's leaders secretly concocted an elaborate fraud on its people by inventing "Mother Touloo" and her "revelation" that her followers should leave the city in order to find enlightenment in the wastelands. Those who went became the husk ghibranis, while those who stayed became the membranes. The PCs are then faced with the terrible choice of what to do with the information: keep it to themselves, tell only the membranes, tell only the husks, or tell both sides. Their choice could lead to reunion or civil war, and the entire burden falls on them. I thought it was a fantastic situation to put the PCs in, as it came about naturally through the story and wasn't a contrived last-minute add-on. A good GM will give the players a full opportunity to debate what should be done, and their choice is one of the reporting conditions that could affect future scenarios involving Elytrio. If I had a complaint about the scenario, it would be that the wrap-up (after their choice) is done in summary form and the PCs don't get to see the full result of their choice yet. But it leaves a fascinating hook for a future scenario, one that I really hope writers follow up on in a future season.</p>
<p>As I said at the beginning, Yesteryear's Truth is a scenario with some big ideas behind it. It's a substantive scenario and a memorable one. Making first contact with an alien race and discovering the secrets of their civilization is classic Star Trek, and I'm really recognizing the range of stories that Starfinder can tell. This is a more role-play heavy scenario than some previous ones, but I didn't mind it one bit. Overall, I hope we see more scenarios like this one that have depth and intelligence behind them.</p>Jhaeman2017-12-26T02:19:25ZStarfinder Society Scenario #1-03: Yesteryear's Truth: Fun Roleplaying, slightly annoyed at Formatting (4 stars)CdnDemoniachttps://paizo.com/products/btpy9tt0?Starfinder-Society-Scenario-103-Yesteryears-Truth2017-12-09T06:39:40Z<p><b>Starfinder Society Scenario #1-03: Yesteryear's Truth</b></p><p>Ran at 1-2 Tier. </p>
<p>Overall I really enjoyed the focus on diplomatic role-play. There is a lot of nuance in guiding how to portray the Ghibrani and can be a lot of fun when you take the time to improv the interactions.</p>
<p>Our group decided to skip the Starship combat altogether as it did shape up to look like a tedious grind like everyone else is saying, and I'm sure my opinion of the scenario would have suffered if we bothered to slog through it. </p>
<p>My one major frustration is that the summary at the beginning of the scenario is referenced multiple times by what the Ghibrani know (or not know) about their planet's past, but the information isn't organized in a clear way so it requires the GM to reread the lore over and over to know who knows what. I felt that this could have been organized better, and that I would've been able to integrate the multiple aspects of the lore into the RP if it was.</p><p><b>Starfinder Society Scenario #1-03: Yesteryear's Truth</b></p><p>Ran at 1-2 Tier. </p>
<p>Overall I really enjoyed the focus on diplomatic role-play. There is a lot of nuance in guiding how to portray the Ghibrani and can be a lot of fun when you take the time to improv the interactions.</p>
<p>Our group decided to skip the Starship combat altogether as it did shape up to look like a tedious grind like everyone else is saying, and I'm sure my opinion of the scenario would have suffered if we bothered to slog through it. </p>
<p>My one major frustration is that the summary at the beginning of the scenario is referenced multiple times by what the Ghibrani know (or not know) about their planet's past, but the information isn't organized in a clear way so it requires the GM to reread the lore over and over to know who knows what. I felt that this could have been organized better, and that I would've been able to integrate the multiple aspects of the lore into the RP if it was.</p>CdnDemoniac2017-12-09T06:39:40ZStarfinder Society Scenario #1-03: Yesteryear's Truth: Great premise brought down by a few complications (3 stars)Athos710https://paizo.com/products/btpy9tt0?Starfinder-Society-Scenario-103-Yesteryears-Truth2017-11-14T20:06:55Z<p><b>Starfinder Society Scenario #1-03: Yesteryear's Truth</b></p><p>This scenario had a perfect premise for the Wayfinders, first contact with a new species. Unfortunately, it is marred by a couple plot points and combat issues.
<br />
Played and ran this one in the 1-2 tier.</p>
<p>Combat issues:
<br />
[Spoiler omitted]</p>
<p>Plot points
<br />
[Spoiler omitted]</p><p><b>Starfinder Society Scenario #1-03: Yesteryear's Truth</b></p><p>This scenario had a perfect premise for the Wayfinders, first contact with a new species. Unfortunately, it is marred by a couple plot points and combat issues.
<br />
Played and ran this one in the 1-2 tier.</p>
<p>Combat issues:
<br />
[Spoiler omitted]</p>
<p>Plot points
<br />
[Spoiler omitted]</p>Athos7102017-11-14T20:06:55ZStarfinder Society Scenario #1-03: Yesteryear's Truth: A little of Everything and my favorite so far (5 stars)Anaba Boeskahttps://paizo.com/products/btpy9tt0?Starfinder-Society-Scenario-103-Yesteryears-Truth2017-11-05T19:22:06Z<p><b>Starfinder Society Scenario #1-03: Yesteryear's Truth</b></p><p>Very solid and you get a taste of all things Starfinder should be about. Space combat was good, very good RP elements, combat was fine, and loved the dilemma at the end. Very nice boon as well.</p><p><b>Starfinder Society Scenario #1-03: Yesteryear's Truth</b></p><p>Very solid and you get a taste of all things Starfinder should be about. Space combat was good, very good RP elements, combat was fine, and loved the dilemma at the end. Very nice boon as well.</p>Anaba Boeska2017-11-05T19:22:06ZStarfinder Society Scenario #1-03: Yesteryear's Truth: Great story brought down a bit by puzzling combats (4 stars)AFlashInTimehttps://paizo.com/products/btpy9tt0?Starfinder-Society-Scenario-103-Yesteryears-Truth2017-11-05T13:08:20Z<p><b>Starfinder Society Scenario #1-03: Yesteryear's Truth</b></p><p>Based only on story, this scenario is my favorite SFS scenario that I've ran or played so far (everything up through 1-04). However, some confusing, time-consuming combats make the overall rating suffer a bit (particularly the starship combat).</p>
<p>Starship combat </p>
<p>[Spoiler omitted]</p>
<p>Terrestrial combat</p>
<p>[Spoiler omitted]</p>
<p>Story</p>
<p>[Spoiler omitted]</p><p><b>Starfinder Society Scenario #1-03: Yesteryear's Truth</b></p><p>Based only on story, this scenario is my favorite SFS scenario that I've ran or played so far (everything up through 1-04). However, some confusing, time-consuming combats make the overall rating suffer a bit (particularly the starship combat).</p>
<p>Starship combat </p>
<p>[Spoiler omitted]</p>
<p>Terrestrial combat</p>
<p>[Spoiler omitted]</p>
<p>Story</p>
<p>[Spoiler omitted]</p>AFlashInTime2017-11-05T13:08:20ZStarfinder Society Scenario #1-03: Yesteryear's Truth: Strong Concept, Weak Execution. (3 stars)Kaushal Avan Spellfirehttps://paizo.com/products/btpy9tt0?Starfinder-Society-Scenario-103-Yesteryears-Truth2017-11-02T04:53:03Z<p><b>Starfinder Society Scenario #1-03: Yesteryear's Truth</b></p><p>This evening I had the opportunity to play Yesteryear's Truth for myself, and consider what others had said about it in previous reviews. The title of this review says it all: Yesteryear's Truth has good ideas held back by poor writing and execution and, probably, an under-prepared GM.</p>
<p>Yesteryear's Truth begins with a meeting with a forgettable Venture-Captain who provides pretty minimal information and pushes you on your way. Another VC stops you to give you a tech item which gets invalidated pretty quickly, and honestly seems to be more of a bane than a boon (which is disappointing for an asset).</p>
<p>The scenario has about three combats in it, all of which are flavorless and droll. The starship combat, which I've found to be more a tedious chore than a white-knuckled dogfight, was made interesting by the introduction of multiple enemies, but bad luck and an understaffed ship (we were running with a barely legal table) dragged it out into a tedious grind.</p>
<p>The second and third combats don't pick-up. Enemies have no character, and the second fight even has the gall to take place in a completely empty map. Given how critical cover and elevation is to not getting hit in this game, it seems like an oversight to throw the players into a 24-by-36 space with nothing else to work with.</p>
<p>The story is where this path gets most of its stars from, although even this seemed more interesting in theory. The author did a good job of making the new alien race that inhabited the planet seem, well, alien, complete with missing concepts like "curiosity" and "peace." This actually led to some great moments in conversation where we roleplayed our struggle to communicate our alien concepts to them.</p>
<p>However, as fun as this was, it was all a bit superficial. None of what we did counted for squat, and in the end we would up just walking straight into the one place we were told was taboo to go, with no resistance or threat of punishment.</p>
<p>In reviews I've read of various Starfinder scenarios, authors compare the themes in the scenario to popular TV shows. "Fugitive of the Red Planet" was compared to Firefly. This one was compared to "Star Trek." Heck, that conversation happened at our table, too.</p>
<p>The reason I bring this up is because it seems to me as if Starfinder Scenarios are too preoccupied with evoking the particular media that inspired them, and not demonstrating enough ownership over the in-game universe and it's lore. In some regards, I understand that. This is a very new product, and authors are still finding their voice within the setting without wanting to rock the boat too hard. But that trepidation is holding back what could be some great stories.</p>
<p>Hopefully moving forward, scenario authors can be more comfortable crafting stories with actual consequences. Stories that are more than toothless evocations of particular shows, and more narratives that present the questions and themes that have defined the Sci-Fi genre.</p>
<p>One last gripe about the scenario, since I must get it off my chest. The scenario is too reliant on its own unspoken internal logic when passing out rewards. We wound-up missing a reward, simply because the idea of doing what we needed to get it never occurred to us. Heck, there weren't even any context clues to tell us about the valuables.</p><p><b>Starfinder Society Scenario #1-03: Yesteryear's Truth</b></p><p>This evening I had the opportunity to play Yesteryear's Truth for myself, and consider what others had said about it in previous reviews. The title of this review says it all: Yesteryear's Truth has good ideas held back by poor writing and execution and, probably, an under-prepared GM.</p>
<p>Yesteryear's Truth begins with a meeting with a forgettable Venture-Captain who provides pretty minimal information and pushes you on your way. Another VC stops you to give you a tech item which gets invalidated pretty quickly, and honestly seems to be more of a bane than a boon (which is disappointing for an asset).</p>
<p>The scenario has about three combats in it, all of which are flavorless and droll. The starship combat, which I've found to be more a tedious chore than a white-knuckled dogfight, was made interesting by the introduction of multiple enemies, but bad luck and an understaffed ship (we were running with a barely legal table) dragged it out into a tedious grind.</p>
<p>The second and third combats don't pick-up. Enemies have no character, and the second fight even has the gall to take place in a completely empty map. Given how critical cover and elevation is to not getting hit in this game, it seems like an oversight to throw the players into a 24-by-36 space with nothing else to work with.</p>
<p>The story is where this path gets most of its stars from, although even this seemed more interesting in theory. The author did a good job of making the new alien race that inhabited the planet seem, well, alien, complete with missing concepts like "curiosity" and "peace." This actually led to some great moments in conversation where we roleplayed our struggle to communicate our alien concepts to them.</p>
<p>However, as fun as this was, it was all a bit superficial. None of what we did counted for squat, and in the end we would up just walking straight into the one place we were told was taboo to go, with no resistance or threat of punishment.</p>
<p>In reviews I've read of various Starfinder scenarios, authors compare the themes in the scenario to popular TV shows. "Fugitive of the Red Planet" was compared to Firefly. This one was compared to "Star Trek." Heck, that conversation happened at our table, too.</p>
<p>The reason I bring this up is because it seems to me as if Starfinder Scenarios are too preoccupied with evoking the particular media that inspired them, and not demonstrating enough ownership over the in-game universe and it's lore. In some regards, I understand that. This is a very new product, and authors are still finding their voice within the setting without wanting to rock the boat too hard. But that trepidation is holding back what could be some great stories.</p>
<p>Hopefully moving forward, scenario authors can be more comfortable crafting stories with actual consequences. Stories that are more than toothless evocations of particular shows, and more narratives that present the questions and themes that have defined the Sci-Fi genre.</p>
<p>One last gripe about the scenario, since I must get it off my chest. The scenario is too reliant on its own unspoken internal logic when passing out rewards. We wound-up missing a reward, simply because the idea of doing what we needed to get it never occurred to us. Heck, there weren't even any context clues to tell us about the valuables.</p>Kaushal Avan Spellfire2017-11-02T04:53:03ZStarfinder Society Scenario #1-03: Yesteryear's Truth: Fun Adventure for the most part (4 stars)Harrowed Wizardhttps://paizo.com/products/btpy9tt0?Starfinder-Society-Scenario-103-Yesteryears-Truth2017-10-14T22:55:15Z<p><b>Starfinder Society Scenario #1-03: Yesteryear's Truth</b></p><p>As has been mentioned, the starship combat in this scenario can drag. It took my group about 2 hours to finish it up. Rarely did the players feel like they were in danger, it just took that long to actually take out the main baddie.</p>
<p>The rest of the scenario was quick, flavorful and fun. My players had an awesome time having some first-contact and getting to interact with a species that none of them had messed with before.</p>
<p>The final decision at the end of the scenario resulted in near 15 minutes of discussion between the players to decide what to do. I loved it! I also think the players enjoyed it as well, getting to face a moral dilemma at the end of it all. We ended up determining how I would report it by table vote, and they went the Prime Directive route.</p><p><b>Starfinder Society Scenario #1-03: Yesteryear's Truth</b></p><p>As has been mentioned, the starship combat in this scenario can drag. It took my group about 2 hours to finish it up. Rarely did the players feel like they were in danger, it just took that long to actually take out the main baddie.</p>
<p>The rest of the scenario was quick, flavorful and fun. My players had an awesome time having some first-contact and getting to interact with a species that none of them had messed with before.</p>
<p>The final decision at the end of the scenario resulted in near 15 minutes of discussion between the players to decide what to do. I loved it! I also think the players enjoyed it as well, getting to face a moral dilemma at the end of it all. We ended up determining how I would report it by table vote, and they went the Prime Directive route.</p>Harrowed Wizard2017-10-14T22:55:15ZStarfinder Society Scenario #1-03: Yesteryear's Truth: Easiest 5 star review I've ever had to give (5 stars)WalterGMhttps://paizo.com/products/btpy9tt0?Starfinder-Society-Scenario-103-Yesteryears-Truth2017-09-29T17:12:48Z<p><b>Starfinder Society Scenario #1-03: Yesteryear's Truth</b></p><p>This is my favorite SFS scenario out thusfar. The encounters were strong, but not overwhelming, the plot was well done with several vibrant, memorable characters, and the ending leaves the PC with a major moral quandary. My players spent a good 15 minutes debating what to do as I filled out sheets, and it’s great to provide that kind of unique experience for your table. </p>
<p>I felt that the "set up" of the scenario was perfect for me as the GM to really flesh out with descriptive text. We get a great skeleton of a scenario, with some meat, but the rest you've got to describe yourself. It was as if the scenario was an underhanded pitch, and I was able to knock it out of the park by drawing on pop culture and bring it to life.</p>
<p>Space Ship Combat: This is the third time I’ve done combat, and this one was the most exciting. With multiple smaller combatants, the PCs movement on the map is vibrant and becomes important. Given the raw stats of how ship combat tends to work, most 1 on 1 battles become people moving around one another and getting in good arcs. With 2-4 enemies, that’s less possible so PCs instead are scrambling to take down targets and disable systems. All of my players had a role to play, and the flavor of a dated drone deployment module gave me a lot to work with. </p>
<p>All that said, I have run combat three times now and tend to run my combats quickly, so I could see this scenario going long if this part drags (as others have said). My advice would be to keep it simple. My drones only moved and shot, and my platform only advanced and pooped out drones. Nothing fancy. This helped emphasize the "primitive technology" of the platform and allowed my players to accurately guess upcoming actions. So they got to feel reactive and smart, besting my drones. Overall this is the only starship combat I haven't hated. A+</p>
<p>Husk Culture: I depicted this as tribal and unburdened by technology. Not quite luddite, but not too far removed from it either. Inspired by some characters from the Borderlands series, they arrived and polished off the Sand Brute in the second encounter, before butchering it up for use as food, armor, and war paint. We had a great time describing non-verbal communication, and the scenario does well presenting those rules in detail.</p>
<p>Membrane Culture: This was presented as a group of individuals so far into sedentary ways that no further progress was being made (scientifically, physically, socially, etc). Basicically just like the humans in the movie WALL-E. At one point, I described a membrane by a food dispenser who was shoveling a continuous stream of soft-serve ice cream into his mouth.</p>
<p>Arkeost: I envisioned a technologically advanced but dated mega-city, that was also fairly vacant (given the lack of half its populace). So like the ghost planet from Serenity, mixed with some of the “giant force-field protecting us” of Ergo Proxy.</p>
<p>The Great Sin: So for the great reveal, I embellished a bit. The PCs had already indicated that they thought both groups were just ignorant (Husks for obvious reasons, but the Membranes because they refused to accept their technology was imperfect), so were inclined to help both out. I pulled from various sources to play this up, but basically the trope of the repentant scientist that did something evil and then offs themselves rather than lives with the guilt of it.</p>
<p>So when they accessed the data terminal in the end, I had the information presented through a series of “video diaries” of a lead scientist and some government officials talking about the plan to reduce population within Arkeost. She played like the female doctor from V for Vendetta (the coroner), originally on board with the plan, but by the end disgusted by what they had done. For the final recording, after the Husks had been tricked out of the city, I had her speak “about knowing what she had to do.” Then she ordered the robots from the previous encounter to open fire and they proceeded to massacre the rest of the people involved. “I’ll have the drones clean the room and dispose of the bodies. Then I’ll kill myself. Now my people can live without the Sin of what we have done.”</p>
<p>It really made my party appreciate why they had separated the Husks from the city, and caused the discussion about what to do with the technology to become even more intense. One of my players said “I completely understand why she did what she did,” in reference to the fictional scientist. The vote came down at a 2-2-1. Two wanted no one to know, two didn’t care, and one wanted to share it with Husks.</p>
<p>Overall I loved running this and will happily run it again.</p><p><b>Starfinder Society Scenario #1-03: Yesteryear's Truth</b></p><p>This is my favorite SFS scenario out thusfar. The encounters were strong, but not overwhelming, the plot was well done with several vibrant, memorable characters, and the ending leaves the PC with a major moral quandary. My players spent a good 15 minutes debating what to do as I filled out sheets, and it’s great to provide that kind of unique experience for your table. </p>
<p>I felt that the "set up" of the scenario was perfect for me as the GM to really flesh out with descriptive text. We get a great skeleton of a scenario, with some meat, but the rest you've got to describe yourself. It was as if the scenario was an underhanded pitch, and I was able to knock it out of the park by drawing on pop culture and bring it to life.</p>
<p>Space Ship Combat: This is the third time I’ve done combat, and this one was the most exciting. With multiple smaller combatants, the PCs movement on the map is vibrant and becomes important. Given the raw stats of how ship combat tends to work, most 1 on 1 battles become people moving around one another and getting in good arcs. With 2-4 enemies, that’s less possible so PCs instead are scrambling to take down targets and disable systems. All of my players had a role to play, and the flavor of a dated drone deployment module gave me a lot to work with. </p>
<p>All that said, I have run combat three times now and tend to run my combats quickly, so I could see this scenario going long if this part drags (as others have said). My advice would be to keep it simple. My drones only moved and shot, and my platform only advanced and pooped out drones. Nothing fancy. This helped emphasize the "primitive technology" of the platform and allowed my players to accurately guess upcoming actions. So they got to feel reactive and smart, besting my drones. Overall this is the only starship combat I haven't hated. A+</p>
<p>Husk Culture: I depicted this as tribal and unburdened by technology. Not quite luddite, but not too far removed from it either. Inspired by some characters from the Borderlands series, they arrived and polished off the Sand Brute in the second encounter, before butchering it up for use as food, armor, and war paint. We had a great time describing non-verbal communication, and the scenario does well presenting those rules in detail.</p>
<p>Membrane Culture: This was presented as a group of individuals so far into sedentary ways that no further progress was being made (scientifically, physically, socially, etc). Basicically just like the humans in the movie WALL-E. At one point, I described a membrane by a food dispenser who was shoveling a continuous stream of soft-serve ice cream into his mouth.</p>
<p>Arkeost: I envisioned a technologically advanced but dated mega-city, that was also fairly vacant (given the lack of half its populace). So like the ghost planet from Serenity, mixed with some of the “giant force-field protecting us” of Ergo Proxy.</p>
<p>The Great Sin: So for the great reveal, I embellished a bit. The PCs had already indicated that they thought both groups were just ignorant (Husks for obvious reasons, but the Membranes because they refused to accept their technology was imperfect), so were inclined to help both out. I pulled from various sources to play this up, but basically the trope of the repentant scientist that did something evil and then offs themselves rather than lives with the guilt of it.</p>
<p>So when they accessed the data terminal in the end, I had the information presented through a series of “video diaries” of a lead scientist and some government officials talking about the plan to reduce population within Arkeost. She played like the female doctor from V for Vendetta (the coroner), originally on board with the plan, but by the end disgusted by what they had done. For the final recording, after the Husks had been tricked out of the city, I had her speak “about knowing what she had to do.” Then she ordered the robots from the previous encounter to open fire and they proceeded to massacre the rest of the people involved. “I’ll have the drones clean the room and dispose of the bodies. Then I’ll kill myself. Now my people can live without the Sin of what we have done.”</p>
<p>It really made my party appreciate why they had separated the Husks from the city, and caused the discussion about what to do with the technology to become even more intense. One of my players said “I completely understand why she did what she did,” in reference to the fictional scientist. The vote came down at a 2-2-1. Two wanted no one to know, two didn’t care, and one wanted to share it with Husks.</p>
<p>Overall I loved running this and will happily run it again.</p>WalterGM2017-09-29T17:12:48ZStarfinder Society Scenario #1-03: Yesteryear's Truth: Not as bad as others are saying (4 stars)VampByDayhttps://paizo.com/products/btpy9tt0?Starfinder-Society-Scenario-103-Yesteryears-Truth2017-09-19T14:44:09Z<p><b>Starfinder Society Scenario #1-03: Yesteryear's Truth</b></p><p>I know a lot of others are coming down hard on this scenario, but I just GMed it and my group had fun. They did have a level 3 soldier/Solarian playing with them, so the combats were a breeze, so I can't speak to that, but the rest was fine.</p>
<p>The first space combat is a bit annoying, but the PCs used smart maneuvering to stay out of the firing arcs of the drones and just shot the main ship a bunch. It didn't take too long. One thing for GMs, just roll one piloting check for the drones and use that for the 'initiative' for all of them. Helps speed things up a lot.</p>
<p>The PCs ended up correctly guessing the big plot twist about halfway through the scenario, but still liked it in general. They were sad that there was no option to convince the Starfinders to provide humanitarian aid, as they were big on helping them rebuild.</p>
<p>Only complaints I really have for this scenario is that it really assumes the PCs will have certain skills-Diplomacy and Engineering in particular. It's easy for a party to miss out on a bunch of stuff or do very poorly if they lack those skills. Luckily our party had them, but it's something that might not happen with every group.</p>
<p>Lastly: a word to future GMs for this: </p>
<p>[Spoiler omitted]</p><p><b>Starfinder Society Scenario #1-03: Yesteryear's Truth</b></p><p>I know a lot of others are coming down hard on this scenario, but I just GMed it and my group had fun. They did have a level 3 soldier/Solarian playing with them, so the combats were a breeze, so I can't speak to that, but the rest was fine.</p>
<p>The first space combat is a bit annoying, but the PCs used smart maneuvering to stay out of the firing arcs of the drones and just shot the main ship a bunch. It didn't take too long. One thing for GMs, just roll one piloting check for the drones and use that for the 'initiative' for all of them. Helps speed things up a lot.</p>
<p>The PCs ended up correctly guessing the big plot twist about halfway through the scenario, but still liked it in general. They were sad that there was no option to convince the Starfinders to provide humanitarian aid, as they were big on helping them rebuild.</p>
<p>Only complaints I really have for this scenario is that it really assumes the PCs will have certain skills-Diplomacy and Engineering in particular. It's easy for a party to miss out on a bunch of stuff or do very poorly if they lack those skills. Luckily our party had them, but it's something that might not happen with every group.</p>
<p>Lastly: a word to future GMs for this: </p>
<p>[Spoiler omitted]</p>VampByDay2017-09-19T14:44:09ZStarfinder Society Scenario #1-03: Yesteryear's Truth: Tedious waste of potential (2 stars)NiTessinehttps://paizo.com/products/btpy9tt0?Starfinder-Society-Scenario-103-Yesteryears-Truth2017-09-17T20:34:48Z<p><b>Starfinder Society Scenario #1-03: Yesteryear's Truth</b></p><p>Yeah, I get it. It's a new system and nobody has a lot of experience designing for it. Still.</p>
<p>There are two things majorly wrong with <i>Yesteryear's Truth</i>. The following conclusions are drawn from running this at Tier 1-2.</p>
<p>[Spoiler omitted]</p>
<p>As it stands, <i>Yesteryear's Truth</i> is a whole lot of wasted potential.</p><p><b>Starfinder Society Scenario #1-03: Yesteryear's Truth</b></p><p>Yeah, I get it. It's a new system and nobody has a lot of experience designing for it. Still.</p>
<p>There are two things majorly wrong with <i>Yesteryear's Truth</i>. The following conclusions are drawn from running this at Tier 1-2.</p>
<p>[Spoiler omitted]</p>
<p>As it stands, <i>Yesteryear's Truth</i> is a whole lot of wasted potential.</p>NiTessine2017-09-17T20:34:48ZStarfinder Society Scenario #1-03: Yesteryear's Truth: Very good Star Trek like scenario (5 stars)pauljathomehttps://paizo.com/products/btpy9tt0?Starfinder-Society-Scenario-103-Yesteryears-Truth2017-09-04T02:23:31Z<p><b>Starfinder Society Scenario #1-03: Yesteryear's Truth</b></p><p>I've just finished running the Quests and the first 3 PFS scenarios at a Con. These reviews are partly for the impression that they collectively left on me and so the beginning of the reviews are identical.</p>
<p>Together, these form a wonderful introduction to both Starfinder and the Society. There are lots and lots of background details that just pop out and are very evocative of the setting. Together, they illustrate just how wide a range of possible games can be run using Starfinder and the variety of adventures that we can hopefully expect in Society play.</p>
<p>The end result of running this material is that I am much happier with both the mechanics and setting than I was going in. The game plays better than it appears that it might, all the characters were participating in all the scenarios and none really dominated any particular scenario.</p>
<p>And the setting has become quite interesting. There are LOTS of stories to be told and the system is robust enough to tell most of them :-).</p>
<p>=== Yesteryears specific review</p>
<p>Ok, this was wonderful in so many ways.</p>
<p>It REALLY felt like an episode of Star Trek (the original series). Other than the fact that probably even Kirk wouldn't have slept with the alien babe :-).</p>
<p>The starship combat was very different from the two combats in the quest. Its nice to see that the rules support at least 3 combats with quite different feel even at level 1 with simple ships and only 1 per side.</p>
<p>[Spoiler omitted]</p>
<p>I thought this a good mix of roleplaying and combat.</p>
<p>One small nit - They should have given me the stats (or at the very least the page number) for the translator device. Finding it was a bit of a pain</p><p><b>Starfinder Society Scenario #1-03: Yesteryear's Truth</b></p><p>I've just finished running the Quests and the first 3 PFS scenarios at a Con. These reviews are partly for the impression that they collectively left on me and so the beginning of the reviews are identical.</p>
<p>Together, these form a wonderful introduction to both Starfinder and the Society. There are lots and lots of background details that just pop out and are very evocative of the setting. Together, they illustrate just how wide a range of possible games can be run using Starfinder and the variety of adventures that we can hopefully expect in Society play.</p>
<p>The end result of running this material is that I am much happier with both the mechanics and setting than I was going in. The game plays better than it appears that it might, all the characters were participating in all the scenarios and none really dominated any particular scenario.</p>
<p>And the setting has become quite interesting. There are LOTS of stories to be told and the system is robust enough to tell most of them :-).</p>
<p>=== Yesteryears specific review</p>
<p>Ok, this was wonderful in so many ways.</p>
<p>It REALLY felt like an episode of Star Trek (the original series). Other than the fact that probably even Kirk wouldn't have slept with the alien babe :-).</p>
<p>The starship combat was very different from the two combats in the quest. Its nice to see that the rules support at least 3 combats with quite different feel even at level 1 with simple ships and only 1 per side.</p>
<p>[Spoiler omitted]</p>
<p>I thought this a good mix of roleplaying and combat.</p>
<p>One small nit - They should have given me the stats (or at the very least the page number) for the translator device. Finding it was a bit of a pain</p>pauljathome2017-09-04T02:23:31ZStarfinder Society Scenario #1-03: Yesteryear's Truth: Well themed, but Starship Combat drags (3 stars)Alyssa Suthertownhttps://paizo.com/products/btpy9tt0?Starfinder-Society-Scenario-103-Yesteryears-Truth2017-08-24T21:34:50Z<p><b>Starfinder Society Scenario #1-03: Yesteryear's Truth</b></p><p>The Starship combat encounter in this scenario took my group two and a half hours to resolve (and even then, only because we could see which way it was going and called it due to time). When the GM has multiple ships to control and the players between them have only one, this leads to the majority of time spent being players sitting at the table while the GM rolls dice. This is not an enjoyable experience for the players. </p>
<p>The encounter also seemed to be very luck dependent. Talking to some other groups, I found that some defeated it easily within a few rounds, and others dragged on and on and were soundly defeated. The difference was mostly based on two things: the skill level of the player playing pilot, and the luck of the dice. Other players did not feel that they had meaningfully contributed to the outcome of the combat. However, I believe this is a general problem with Starship combat, and not with this scenario in particular.</p>
<p>That said, once we reached the planet, things were much better. There were some great social encounters, a couple of tactical combats, and the scenario ended with a very juicy moral dilemma. I look forward to seeing more scenarios set on this planet in the future.</p><p><b>Starfinder Society Scenario #1-03: Yesteryear's Truth</b></p><p>The Starship combat encounter in this scenario took my group two and a half hours to resolve (and even then, only because we could see which way it was going and called it due to time). When the GM has multiple ships to control and the players between them have only one, this leads to the majority of time spent being players sitting at the table while the GM rolls dice. This is not an enjoyable experience for the players. </p>
<p>The encounter also seemed to be very luck dependent. Talking to some other groups, I found that some defeated it easily within a few rounds, and others dragged on and on and were soundly defeated. The difference was mostly based on two things: the skill level of the player playing pilot, and the luck of the dice. Other players did not feel that they had meaningfully contributed to the outcome of the combat. However, I believe this is a general problem with Starship combat, and not with this scenario in particular.</p>
<p>That said, once we reached the planet, things were much better. There were some great social encounters, a couple of tactical combats, and the scenario ended with a very juicy moral dilemma. I look forward to seeing more scenarios set on this planet in the future.</p>Alyssa Suthertown2017-08-24T21:34:50ZStarfinder Society Scenario #1-03: Yesteryear's Truth: Very "Star Trek" - great moral dilemma at the end (5 stars)Natalie Kertznerhttps://paizo.com/products/btpy9tt0?Starfinder-Society-Scenario-103-Yesteryears-Truth2017-08-24T18:11:04Z<p><b>Starfinder Society Scenario #1-03: Yesteryear's Truth</b></p><p>I've run this adventure three times in the past week: twice at GenCon, and once here back at home. </p>
<p>You're tasked by your VC to make First Contact with a new species on remote planet - sure they don't have warp capabilities yet, but still, the Wayfinders are there to make sure you make a good first impression.</p>
<p>We start off with some space combat, which can quickly get out of hand for the PCs if they don't realize how to win, but it's terribly fun as GM to see them looking that scared.</p>
<p>Once that's complete, you explore an irradiated planet in the Vast and meet it's inhabitants, who have their own cultures and religion. Throughout the course of your investigation of this new species and new planet, you make a startling discovery about the planet's past, a discovery that could completely upend life for all it's inhabitants. You're faced with a choice about what to do with this new information. What will you do?</p><p><b>Starfinder Society Scenario #1-03: Yesteryear's Truth</b></p><p>I've run this adventure three times in the past week: twice at GenCon, and once here back at home. </p>
<p>You're tasked by your VC to make First Contact with a new species on remote planet - sure they don't have warp capabilities yet, but still, the Wayfinders are there to make sure you make a good first impression.</p>
<p>We start off with some space combat, which can quickly get out of hand for the PCs if they don't realize how to win, but it's terribly fun as GM to see them looking that scared.</p>
<p>Once that's complete, you explore an irradiated planet in the Vast and meet it's inhabitants, who have their own cultures and religion. Throughout the course of your investigation of this new species and new planet, you make a startling discovery about the planet's past, a discovery that could completely upend life for all it's inhabitants. You're faced with a choice about what to do with this new information. What will you do?</p>Natalie Kertzner2017-08-24T18:11:04Z