In crumbling Alluvion, the goddess Triune’s city domain within the Drift, the heroes are thrust into the center of tensions between anxious factions at the heart of the Drift Crisis catastrophe! By agreeing to aid a desperate android priest of Casandalee, the heroes can start to help healing these divides. But first, they must curry the favor of a community of ysoki scrappers outside of the Dark, a neighborhood where technology doesn’t work that hasn’t been touched by light for decades. Exploring those murky streets, they confront undead menaces and otherworldly spirits of hatred and anger, eventually restoring light and power to the cursed region, and shining further illumination as to the origin of the Drift Crisis!
A Light in the Dark is a Starfinder adventure for four 7th-level characters, launching the 3-volume Drift Hackers Adventure Path. Drift Hackers is the exciting conclusion of the Drift Crisis, an event taking place across the entire Starfinder game line, in which faster-than-light travel breaks down and the galaxy is thrown into chaos. In addition to the adventure itself, this book includes a player's guide filled with character creation advice and new gear designed just for Drift Crisis players, along with an Adventure Toolbox filled with new rule options and strange alien creatures.
Written by: Jessica Catalan
ISBN-13: 978-1-64078-485-7
The Drift Hackers Adventure Path is sanctioned for use in Starfinder Society Organized Play. The rules for running this Adventure Path and Chronicle sheets are available as a free download (5.2 MB PDF).
Other Resources: This product is also available on the following platforms:
So this book is good overall, but it suffers from being the setup book for rest of ap. Since book 2 and 3 are about dealing with Architects, this book is mostly for showcasing effects of Drift Crisis on people of Alluvion, helping refugees and solving problem of The Dark district that existed before drift crisis but got made worse when it got populated by monsters from ethereal plane. I kinda feel like this adventure is lot more effective if GM has run players games in Alluvion before, kinda makes me wish there had been module there at least once, but it is cool to compare dead suns Alluvion article and Alluvion in crisis article(I wonder if we will get post drift crisis Alluvion in later book, maybe a planar one?)
I won't get into my usual "I wish starfinder aps had npc articles" soapbox, so instead I note that I like how many different npcs you get to meet and help during the different events(I also like they tend to come in group of threes, even if that isn't intentional(I suspect it is for lot of them) its nice nod to Triune xD). The various events give lot of good chances for PCs to be big dang heroes.
On reread of this, I was much less enthusiastic on the drone race and gambling segment. First time reading it I liked how many different solutions and options it had for pcs, I still do like that part of it. On this time I realized that it took six pages for one small side segment that feels disconnected from rest of book, like I get its supposed to be break from doom and gloom, but I think its kinda like how people's least favorite attack of the swarm book tends to be the one without any swarm units to fight. It also feels kinda weird to me that even though it got six pages to it, it feels like stuff got cut from editing(like I kinda expected at least mention of "And yeah obviously if characters didn't cheat, they are golden") Its still fun skill challenge/roleplaying segment, but I feel like I would have preferred it to be shorter and more page/text space dedicated to other things.(note: I also realize it serves the role as "during crisis people try to distract themselves with various things" showcase which is nice, but my issue here is that while its lengthy it doesn't really focus on that aspect a lot since primary goal is to "how to get this ysoki out of gambling debt" which isn't really related to thematic nature of the area itself.)
Then there is The Dark segment which feels kinda weird to me. The Dread has cool art and all, but its just big obstacle monster than villain or big bad of the book. But the biggest thing that bothers me about The Dark segment is that it simply comes down to fixing the power obelisk after which power is restored and cybernetics don't malfunction again. Like... Does that mean the locals could have fixed it at any time if they researched how to fix it, but took long time with it because they figured out "Its gotta be Triune's will that it isn't fixed yet"? I was kinda expecting The Dark segment to reveal WHY The Dark existed in first place, like that there was something in the area causing technology to malfunction or whether the negative energy plane collusion theory was right.(I guess it might still be right if undead are here because of combination of it and etherreal plane?) But considering none of the monsters are behind it as they appeared with drift crisis, and the ysoki having spent research on how to fix it, it really feels like "Oh... So it was ordinary malfunction all along?" Which just makes me wonder why Triune didn't bother fixing it or sending anyone to fix it. I guess Triune is hands off god who prefers their worshippers to solve problems on their own without being told to? Yeah I was expecting bigger answer or at least hints of grander mystery related to existence of the dark.
But yeah, as said, lot of stuff I like, but as setup book I think it needs something surprising to make it as exciting as books it is setting up. Its fairly what you would expect from the shop blurb premise
High five for Jessica C! I like how both Drift Crashers 1 and Drift Hackers 1 are written by a Jessica :) You can't kick off a Drift Crisis AP without us.
Huh right forgot that starfinder mid tier 3 parts were a thing :O so this is the levels 7-12 one huh. I wonder if Drift Crisis will also get the levels 13-20 one or if devastation ark sold that badly that at most we get the standalones for those levels (which would be cool as well, I just hope we get multiple choices for high level content in different form xD)
But yeah cool, this is technically planar adventure since its located in Alluvion :D Also fun to have drift crisis adventure in drift itself
I had hoped this would be a 6 part adventure path taking us up to level 20. In D&D 5E there is only one adventure published by WOTC that goes to L20. And with Starfinder only one. This is disappointing as there is only so many times I want to play level 1 to 12 repeatedly. I know Aaron Shanks said to me once on another forum that high level adventure is a perfect place for Starfinder Infinite, I agree partly, but that is not a good substitution for actual official Paizo made adventures. I think that 2 more three part adventure paths similar to Devestation Ark would be awesome and would love to see more people push for this on the forums as Paizo (unlike WOTC) pay attention to fans and subscribers. If enough people request and talk about it I am sure Paizo would do so.
I was also hoping for a 6 parter to, level not as big of a deal for me and my groups, but someday perhaps.
Can't wait to see how all these products fit together and have a fun and different experience in GMing and as a player as well hopefully in this year long event.
Thing is for th 15-20 level stuff, it usually takes a couple of them to have everyone to get the feel of them, for those who are designing and wring them, So as Paizo has the number and if it fell under what they thought I hope they realize they need to do at least one or two more.
And one has to remember that a 6 Parter level 1-20 is a HUGE commitment and with it extra page counts per module to do it justice, but you never know I guess what the future might hold.
I mean, Starfinder AP issues are one third shorter than their Pathfinder equivalents, so they basically literally can't go from 1 to 20 unless they 1) Become substantially longer (Unlikely); or 2) Become 9 books long (Really unlikely).
Anyway, this one sounds fun - something urban, for a change, it seems.
ICYMI: Devastation Ark is the only Starfinder high level Adventure Path. (Many here know that.) The AP after Drift Hackers is unannounced.
hey there, long time listener, first time caller.
first, thank you for all of the soul-crushing work that you do monitoring these message boards. yikes.
This sounds super fun! any update on release date? I'm running a 7th level mini campaign culminating in the drift crisis occurring, and was hoping to tie into this AP for a longer story.
I mean, Starfinder AP issues are one third shorter than their Pathfinder equivalents, so they basically literally can't go from 1 to 20 unless they 1) Become substantially longer (Unlikely); or 2) Become 9 books long (Really unlikely).
Anyway, this one sounds fun - something urban, for a change, it seems.
It's kinda why I'm curious about how long the hardcover books will be.
Like would they be long enough to allow higher level range or at least the darn npc articles I keep yammering about? :'D
I had hoped this would be a 6 part adventure path taking us up to level 20. In D&D 5E there is only one adventure published by WOTC that goes to L20. And with Starfinder only one. This is disappointing as there is only so many times I want to play level 1 to 12 repeatedly. I know Aaron Shanks said to me once on another forum that high level adventure is a perfect place for Starfinder Infinite, I agree partly, but that is not a good substitution for actual official Paizo made adventures. I think that 2 more three part adventure paths similar to Devestation Ark would be awesome and would love to see more people push for this on the forums as Paizo (unlike WOTC) pay attention to fans and subscribers. If enough people request and talk about it I am sure Paizo would do so.
If there was enough fan demand, they wouldn't have slashed AP output to 6 a year instead of 12, so I think the burden of proof is on you to show that there's sufficient demand out there. Tondro mentioned this last year during a Q&A but 14-20 are money losers. The thing that sells is 1-7. Posting on forums doesn't keep the lights on or pay the writers, moving pallets of product does.
I don't like saying this, because I love Starfinder and have been a supersubscriber to it for years but clearly its other fans are either not numerous enough or don't put their money where their mouth is and just suck on the SRD.
Anecdotally as a GM I was mostly bored during Devastation Ark. It was FUN, the group had FUN, but it was mostly watching the encounters as written get completely bulldozed by large bags of player tricks but with bigger numbers. The closest I got to killing a player was a Disintegration spell that nearly killed someone, and a trap that killed someone but she had used Akashic Resurrection on herself so it was a wash.
I don't like saying this, because I love Starfinder and have been a supersubscriber to it for years but clearly its other fans are either not numerous enough or don't put their money where their mouth is and just suck on the SRD.
The sci-fi fans on the Pinnacle forum are clamouring for a Starfinder for Savage Worlds kickstarter. They're saying they would likely buy Starfinder lore books and Starfinder adventures from Paizo to run in Starfinder for Savage Worlds, if that ever happens.
I would love to know if PF1 books saw a boost in sales following the very succesful kickstarter for Pathfinder for Savage Worlds.
Just saying, the customers are there, if Paizo want them.... ;p
ICYMI: Devastation Ark is the only Starfinder high level Adventure Path. (Many here know that.) The AP after Drift Hackers is unannounced.
hey there, long time listener, first time caller.
first, thank you for all of the soul-crushing work that you do monitoring these message boards. yikes.
This sounds super fun! any update on release date? I'm running a 7th level mini campaign culminating in the drift crisis occurring, and was hoping to tie into this AP for a longer story.
You are welcome. I'll get some help soon. :)
Starfinder Adventure Path #49: A Light in the Dark (Drift Hackers 1 of 3) is scheduled for release December 14. Volumes 2 and 3 release in late February and late April.
I can say that Starfinder is pretty much dead here in Germany.
I don't think it will reach AP issue 100 as it is.
Sad.
I mean, it literally won't reach the number 100 if they are switching to hardcovers, so even ignoring the doomsaying, that would be about 25 ears in future if they would release two hardcovers per year. (not something I likely see happening though since I'd imagine if they release hardcovers it'd be one per year)
I don't want to spend more time about complaining on doomsaying because I think everyone understands why doomsaying is very frustrating already :'D
So. I am soon meeting with Thurston Hillman, the new Managing Creative Director (Starfinder), to discuss the future of Starfinder and its promotion. The Starfinder Team is solid. We've products plan into the future. I am enthusiastic. Be not afraid.
For me, not quite "afraid" just a bit worried about the next couple years of Starfinder and the direction the AP's, modules and one shots might be going.
Not the right thread for this for that topic me thinks!!
My group I'm running this and I are looking forward to this AP, once they survive the first one that is, LOL
For me, not quite "afraid" just a bit worried about the next couple years of Starfinder and the direction the AP's, modules and one shots might be going.
Not the right thread for this for that topic me thinks!!
My group I'm running this and I are looking forward to this AP, once they survive the first one that is, LOL
Tom
From what I understand... one shots aren't going anywhere... there won't be anymore.
Yep, thats the word, so sad, and they really could'nt make any money on them , or is it more lack of Starfinder peeps to design then write em??........
Yep, thats the word, so sad, and they really could'nt make any money on them , or is it more lack of Starfinder peeps to design then write em??........
They straight up said that it's because the person who was heading those products is now in charge of Starfinder overall. So I mean...if you liked that style of adventure, who knows, maybe Thursty's cooking up more of the same on the SF side now? Who knows, maybe this will mean more Bounties, more often, or something. It doesn't have to be all doom-and-gloom "poor sales" or "can't hire writers" ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Hey, significant problem with the PDF at time of writing. When I first opened it, I noticed that the inner back cover was included alongside the inner front cover (instead of its actual location)--creating an odd "three panel foldout." Not a big deal by itself, just not something I've seen Paizo do before.
But then I went to grab images and saw that we're back to slicing every image on every page to ribbons. A quick check reveals that this is true of both the single file and file-per-chapter versions. Unlike Fly Free or Die, this hasn't reduced the file size (as compared to the Drift Crashers average).
I'm hoping that this PDF was accidentally released in a flawed state, and not that we're back to the Devastation Ark/Fly Free or Die status quo.
Was there any fix to this yet or still a mess? Won't buy it for a while as I'm still running Crashers, but nice to know the product is functioning on a basic level ya know.
Pathfinder Maps, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Maps, Starfinder Society Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber
Aaron Shanks wrote:
Thanks for bringing these product issues to our attention. I have created a ticket regarding the interactive maps, "three panel foldout" issue, etc.
Thanks Aaron, the three panel foldout thing is also an issue on the new Blood Lords volume btw. It makes Adobe go all wonky once you scroll to the inside cover and shrinks the rest of the pages in the issue.
I just purchased the Starfinder Adventure Path #49: A Light in the Dark (Drift Hackers 1 of 3) PDF and noticed there are no interactive maps included with the download. I see in the the post above there is a ticket in to fix the issue(s). Once fixed, will I be able to download the updated Adventure Path and Interactive Maps?
I just purchased the Starfinder Adventure Path #49: A Light in the Dark (Drift Hackers 1 of 3) PDF and noticed there are no interactive maps included with the download. I see in the the post above there is a ticket in to fix the issue(s). Once fixed, will I be able to download the updated Adventure Path and Interactive Maps?
If you bought the PDF, it's permanently in your library, which will automatically update if/when they modify the product. Which is to say, if/when they upload a new file, just download it again and you'll be good to go.
So still not fixed yet I take it? Anyone at Paizo who could give us a time line please for this?
PSSSTT........ (Looking at you Aaron!!)
Tom :)
We have the interactive maps and will get them uploaded soon. You will get an email when the update happens. Thanks for your patience.
Also HI! I'm Jon, and I'm the new Community and Social Media Specialist here. So, I'll be your interface for questions, comments, issues, etc. Aaron gets to step back and focus on being the Director of Marketing now. He'll still be around though, no worries there.
The ship clash at the beginning of the AP is entirely superfluous since all the rest of the action takes place in the city so I didn't pay attention to it.