Pathfinder Society Scenario #6-04: An Enkindled Carnival

Overall, a solid scenario. I GM'ed this in the upper tier with 4 level 6 characters. I really enjoyed GMing the final encounter. I was able to give my players a real fight by moving around and forcing them to trigger the hazards. I refused to end a turn in a spot where anyone could make 3 attacks in one round. I kept the PCs running from place to place as they chased the final "boss" around the boardwalks. No one got the dying condition in the final encounter, but I did do 126 points of damage through haunts and Strikes to a level 6 champion.

The other encounters weren't nearly as exciting. The Carnival activities didn't present much of a challenge. The bears were Commanded away in 2 rounds (players got the secret action info quite easily). I could have used the zombie hulks to kill a PC as they knocked the sorcerer out in one turn after penetrating the front line. Unfortunately the map doesn't allow for them to really use their reach effectively.

The scenario took just over 4 hours to complete.

GM'd this and wow, did it feel like a mix of many different ideas.

So many NPCs, weird plot discussions, and 2 combat encounters that were fairly easy.

The real pain of this scenario is the final encounter. Had my first PC death and almost the rest of the party as well. To no real fault of their own with playstyle. Hazards were crushing. Clumsy, and blinding, 90ft ranges?! Wow.

Would not run again.

Played dream.

I felt that this adventure was a dream. The first part is weird... With illogical events. Than it turn into a nightmare... Like a horror movie scene. And then... It finished like it started.

In final encounter, our group was obliterated by enemies in 4 rounds, but that isn't the reason I'm writing this. After 3 boring, irritating tasks (the most important, with the main protagonist and her slave was over the top), we were brought into circus to play fools for aristocrat's amusement. That was so degrading. Avoid this scenario at all cost.

I've had the opportunity to GM this scenario twice, and in my personal opinion, it's quite well-crafted.

This scenario masterfully intertwines the season 6 Godsrain theme and the overarching metaplot, adding depth to the story while weaving in various layers of foreshadowing. This builds anticipation for future developments, making it a remarkable scenario to run. Beyond that, the carnival setting introduces a diverse array of NPCs, allowing for a wide range of roleplay opportunities. At the same time, the scenario has a well-paced structure, which I think highlights the skill of the writer.

As for combat, I felt that the difficulty was intentionally kept in check, likely due to the metaplot elements. The final encounter, too, allows GMs to make subtle adjustments to the challenge level based on their approach, which, while a bit demanding, remains manageable. Overall, I found this to be a highly enjoyable and high-quality scenario, fittingly tagged as the second entry in the metaplot series.

If I had to point out some drawbacks:

With a large number of NPCs and events, the scenario can be a bit taxing for GMs. Since the scenario is best enjoyed at a leisurely pace, I would have preferred if some encounters were combined or presented as optional to ease the load.
There’s a significant balance difference in the final encounter between Tiers 3-4 and 5-6, where Tier 5-6 can feel much easier.
Illustrations for the carnival scenes would have added to the atmosphere and made it easier to convey the setting.

And I guess my one personal gripe as a GM—I haven’t gotten to play it as a PC yet! Go figure!