Pathfinder Adventure Path #204: Stage Fright (Curtain Call 1 of 3)

xroot wrote:

Is this set in a particular area of Golarion, or meant to be flexible on location?

It's mostly set in Ravounel, but has excursions elsewhere.

That made my decision for which AP to do after Gatewalkers, as most of my group was in Hell's Rebels a few years ago.

The "dangerous foe" from the past is a no-brainer for us: Carman Rajani from "Hands of the Devil" infamy.

This is the way.

Drat and botheration -- a second Adventure Path visit to Lost Omens Campaign Setting-era Ravounel and it's another that will focus not a whit on institutions or politics. I should probably count my blessings that at least it won't re-present the canned stuff from the Campaign Setting book as if five years hadn't passed since the campaign setting changeover and as if almost a decade hadn't passed since the first AP visit.

I like!!

Drat and botheration -- a second Adventure Path visit to Lost Omens Campaign Setting-era Ravounel and it's another that will focus not a whit on institutions or politics. I should probably count my blessings that at least it won't re-present the canned stuff from the Campaign Setting book as if five years hadn't passed since the campaign setting changeover and as if almost a decade hadn't passed since the first AP visit.

There's a fair amount of politics and institutions, and it very much does build upon the events that played out here in Hell's Rebels and in Age of Ashes... but it's presented mostly through the lens of "Your PCs are putting on an opera and you need to do a lot of gladhanding, sponsor-chasing, and other sorts of social encounter stuff to make sure the opera is well funded, advertised, supported, and has the resources it will need."

We haven't had a good chance to really talk about the themes and goals of this Adventure Path yet at al, apart from this store page. We will eventually, but until then, it's best not to make TOO many assumptions about it! :-)

but it's presented mostly through the lens of "Your PCs are putting on an opera and you need to do a lot of gladhanding, sponsor-chasing, and other sorts of social encounter stuff to make sure the opera is well funded, advertised, supported, and has the resources it will need."

Which is telling of just how little wherewithal the confederal or communal governments have to sponsor or endow artistic endeavors from the public treasury, and just how completely the hope as of 4719 that its people might "build Ravounel into a fairer and kinder society," Sutter et al., Pathfinder Lost Omens World Guide, at *105 (2019), has been betrayed.

Zimmerwald, it's truly beautiful that you've kept at like a decade straight of posting about a real-world historical equivalency to Golarion that only exists within your head and the "novelization" of Hell's Rebels you said you wrote.

Why is this guy so deep into the “Ravounel is actually a failed state. Trust me.” Train?

Too much political science education.

James Jacobs wrote:

but it's presented mostly through the lens of "Your PCs are putting on an opera and you need to do a lot of gladhanding, sponsor-chasing, and other sorts of social encounter stuff to make sure the opera is well funded, advertised, supported, and has the resources it will need."

Which is telling of just how little wherewithal the confederal or communal governments have to sponsor or endow artistic endeavors from the public treasury, and just how completely the hope as of 4719 that its people might "build Ravounel into a fairer and kinder society," Sutter et al., Pathfinder Lost Omens World Guide, at *105 (2019), has been betrayed.

Maybe wait a few months before you jump to conclusions? Or perhaps look forward to a different Adventure Path? We do four of them a year these days, so hopefully one of them will be of interest to you and won't feel like a betrayal.

Personally, I'm incredibly proud of the hard work the authors have put in to create what is one of the most unique and unusual Adventure Paths I've had a chance to work on yet. But no, this is not an Adventure Path where Ravounel's government subsidizes the PCs' goals and removes from them the need to go on an adventure. It is, in fact, PART of the plan to "build Ravounel into a fairer and kinder society" by creating a new world-class production that will put Ravounel on the art-scene's center stage as its own thing rather than a subset of Cheliax for the first time.

That sort of thing doesn't happen overnight.

That said, if you've got a different set of ideas you'd like to explore in your own version of Golarion where Ravounel is a failed state, that's fine! That's not a theme we're embracing as the published baseline. Please don't mistake "we haven't published adventures in Ravounel" for an indication that we intend to leave the new nation to fall apart through intentional neglect. We can't tell every story all at once.

All I want to know is...

Will the BBEG take such a long!!!!! time!!!!! ... to!!!!! ... argh ... argh ... argh ... die?

(If there isn't at least three Discworld references per book in this particular AP, I will consider it a failed experiment.)

All I want to know is...

Will the BBEG take such a long!!!!! time!!!!! ... to!!!!! ... argh ... argh ... argh ... die?

(If there isn't at least three Discworld references per book in this particular AP, I will consider it a failed experiment.)

I'm not a fan of Discwolrd, so any references from that in here will be accidental or sneaky references from authors that I didn't catch on account of me being Discworld-ignorant.

Leliel the 12th wrote:

All I want to know is...

Will the BBEG take such a long!!!!! time!!!!! ... to!!!!! ... argh ... argh ... argh ... die?

(If there isn't at least three Discworld references per book in this particular AP, I will consider it a failed experiment.)

I'm not a fan of Discwolrd, so any references from that in here will be accidental or sneaky references from authors that I didn't catch on account of me being Discworld-ignorant.

...Ah. I'll magnanimously consider that a draw, and grade it on its own merits.

I point to my misspelling "Discworld" as "Discwolrd" as additional evidence of my ignorance.

It is, in fact, PART of the plan to "build Ravounel into a fairer and kinder society" by creating a new world-class production that will put Ravounel on the art-scene's center stage as its own thing rather than a subset of Cheliax for the first time.

That sort of thing doesn't happen overnight.

Will any of the following come up in the course of play, or as memoranda to GMs?

1. Ownership of the Opera House (i.e., is it a public institution, a worker cooperative, a publicly-traded corporation, or private property?);
2. Organization of (i.e., wall-to-wall, by trade, not at all) and bargaining with (i.e., collectively or individually) Opera House employees;
3. Organization of and possible competition with established librettists and composers;
4. Management of the Opera House (i.e., by appointees of its owners and/or of the state, by elected delegates).

I hope we get a subsystem for creating more or less successful art works. With impact on the fame of PCs.

James Jacobs wrote:

It is, in fact, PART of the plan to "build Ravounel into a fairer and kinder society" by creating a new world-class production that will put Ravounel on the art-scene's center stage as its own thing rather than a subset of Cheliax for the first time.

That sort of thing doesn't happen overnight.

Will any of the following come up in the course of play, or as memoranda to GMs?

1. Ownership of the Opera House (i.e., is it a public institution, a worker cooperative, a publicly-traded corporation, or private property?);
2. Organization of (i.e., wall-to-wall, by trade, not at all) and bargaining with (i.e., collectively or individually) Opera House employees;
3. Organization of and possible competition with established librettists and composers;
4. Management of the Opera House (i.e., by appointees of its owners and/or of the state, by elected delegates).

Spoiling for spoiler reasons...

I hope we get a subsystem for creating more or less successful art works. With impact on the fame of PCs.

Does Golarion have publicly traded corporations?

Does Golarion have publicly traded corporations?

Not significantly. That sort of storyline lends itself better, in my opinion, to Starfinder

Never been more excited for an AP!

Ed Reppert wrote:

Does Golarion have publicly traded corporations?

Not significantly. That sort of storyline lends itself better, in my opinion, to Starfinder

Yeah, I should probably have said "a joint-stock company." The point is the combination of many small capitals, not the trading of shares on a stock exchange.

SatiricalBard wrote:

James Jacobs wrote:

xroot wrote:

Is this set in a particular area of Golarion, or meant to be flexible on location?

It's mostly set in Ravounel, but has excursions elsewhere.

Holy moly, this will be the PERFECT sequel to my current Hell's Rebels (shortened to 4 books, ending at level 11 or 12) campaign!!!

Not least because we literally have a bard whose background was that they worked in stage management at the Kintargo Opera, before a certain villain turned up and shut it down!

If you ended your Hell's Rebels game at the end of book 4, then 100% that is the all time perfect choice, guaranteed! My suggestion would be to aim at ending it at level 12—the first chapter of Curtain Call, where the PCs are 11th level, are mostly about setting the stage and rolling right in from the end of Book 4 of Hell's Rebels (with a "your party spent several years relaxing in retirement" interlude to give Ravounel time to recover) would be a pretty elegant match. I'll have to remember that when I create the Player's Guide for Curtain Call. Good point!

Council of Thieves ends with the PCs at more or less the correct level as well, if there is an appetite to present multiple alternative lead-ins. "They ended up in Kintargo as welcome political asylees" would be a reassurance for the Children of Westcrown after their fate was left ambiguous in Hell Comes to Westcrown.

I'm really hoping this is what my player's and I hoped Extinction Curse was going to be. We are in book 6 of EC, and while fun, we started in hopes of it being a true Circus adventure, then we're disappointed partly into book 2 and on when the circus felt more like an afterthought.

Not to criticise as we are still having fun (book 5 was very entertaining as an AP book). That said, if this AP keeps the Opera front and center the whole way (with related adventuring of course) it may just be my groups dream AP.

I'm really hoping this is what my player's and I hoped Extinction Curse was going to be. We are in book 6 of EC, and while fun, we started in hopes of it being a true Circus adventure, then we're disappointed partly into book 2 and on when the circus felt more like an afterthought.

Not to criticise as we are still having fun (book 5 was very entertaining as an AP book). That said, if this AP keeps the Opera front and center the whole way (with related adventuring of course) it may just be my groups dream AP.

The Opera plays a key role throughout, never fear! For GMs who want to know a bit more of what to expect before reading the synopsis for the three adventures in the first volume...

Has it been stated where in Ravounel this is taking place? Is it Kintargo or another settlement in the nation?

Invictus Fatum wrote:

I'm really hoping this is what my player's and I hoped Extinction Curse was going to be. We are in book 6 of EC, and while fun, we started in hopes of it being a true Circus adventure, then we're disappointed partly into book 2 and on when the circus felt more like an afterthought.

Not to criticise as we are still having fun (book 5 was very entertaining as an AP book). That said, if this AP keeps the Opera front and center the whole way (with related adventuring of course) it may just be my groups dream AP.

The Opera plays a key role throughout, never fear! For GMs who want to know a bit more of what to expect before reading the synopsis for the three adventures in the first volume...

** spoiler omitted **

I appreciate this on multiple levels. Firstly is that it's new and experimental. A bold choice, and I like it. Secondly is that it's explicitly a sequel to a previous AP. We've had continuations of a story with different casts (the Runelord Saga), but never a proper sequel in the APs. Thirdly is that this will tie into the War of Immortals somehow. The death of a God is very operatic, so an opera setting the stage for what is to follow is perfectly appropriate (see what I did there?) Fourthly and finally is that this is a breather before everything goes to Hell. Or perhaps Abaddon. The Outer Rifts? Ah, you know what I mean. Most APs are high stakes for their level, so one that mostly isn't* makes for a refreshing change.

*-- if things go the way I think: the PCs will get roped into watching Gorum's death, but before that they'll just be trying to put on a show.

Has it been stated where in Ravounel this is taking place? Is it Kintargo or another settlement in the nation?

It's set...

Grankless wrote:

Has it been stated where in Ravounel this is taking place? Is it Kintargo or another settlement in the nation?

It's set...

** spoiler omitted **

WOO. Thanks James, gives me a lot of runway to work on the timeskip for my last game....