What has been done before (Shackled and Worms Spoilers)

[stembolt]

I started this thread to try to give people a chance to say what they liked or didn’t like about the first two APs and how that might apply to the current.

Me First.

I liked the fact that in Shackled the adventure was based entirely out of cauldron. I fleshed out and modified the adventure for my own campaign (currently running). I have dozens of towns folk all detailed out and interacting with the players. As time progresses cauldron will be well detailed in the players minds.

In age of worms one of the things I hated was the fact that it was all over the place. When I get to running it I may entirely change the locations to be more like shackled (or I may not).

I liked in Worms that the PCs fought different and interesting versions of worm creatures. It was a campaign that could actually use an undead hunter type group.

So to get to Savage tide In my opinion I would like to see the same sites be the source of adventure. As in Sasserine and the isle of dread. Also I would like to see a progression of demonic enemies for the PCs to face (Demonhunters) similar to Worms.

My final thought for the moment is it would be really nice to have a system for advancing the PCs ship.

[Sol]

Interesting how no two game masters are alike. I am currently running AoW AP and have read most of Shackled City but not run or played in it. I actually prefer the way that Age of Worms sends the players all over the map (at least in a small localized area, I mean it really is mostly local save for a side trip to the Spire and all), as opposed to the Shackled City in which, as a game master I must really flesh out a city deeply. I prefer to give players new environs as opposed to getting deeply involved in one cities politics. That having been said, I would probably put my money on wide and varried settings for a sea based AP.

[steelhead]

What I liked about the Age of Worms was the way the plot seemed to fit together a little tighter than the Shackled City. Something that the SC didn't have enough of were continuing links between many different adventures. In AoW, NPCs the characters ran into had more staying power and would show up much later in the adventure.

The lower levels AoW had fewer dungeon crawls, which is a good thing. The Whispering Cairn was a wonderful example of how you can break up a dungeon crawl into many different sites that are linked by good story. Also AoW carried the plot a little better in the later (high level) adventures and wasn't just a list of long stat blocks. Richard Pett did a great job of storytelling in The Prince of Redhand. That adventure was a fantastic demonstration of how the D&D rules can be used to reward good roleplaying. The tie-in from that adventure with the saving of Alhaster using authority checks in the final installment was a great idea, though I'm not sure how it will play out in game.

One thing I disliked about both paths was the extreme focus on one type of monster (demons or undead). It really tends to favor or disfavor certain classes. Other than that, both were great examples of a complete campaign and I look forward to the next Path!

[Erik Mona]

One of the goals with the Adventure Paths is to model different types of D&D campaigns. The Shackled City was designed around Cauldron by design, just as the Age of Worms jumped from place to place by design. The Savage Tide will most likely split the difference, with major campaign stops in Sasserine, the Isle of Dread, Scuttlecove, and the Abyss. The PCs' ship and crew will, to some extent, serve as the constant touchstone that made Cauldron such a popular locale.

--Erik

[gaborg]

Eric, you must add some recurring villains to AP3, who get more powerful and change template or something to make them shock the PCs... just like the three stages Vhalantru goes through in the SCAP. My players loved the beast a lot!

thanks in advance! :)