I know its a little early for this question, but, I am about to begin running the STAP and I was wondering if anyone thought this AP was looking to be the best one yet. So far, from what I can tell, the story line looks great. I especially love the NPC's and the backdrops. Keep up the good work, and thanks for all the past ones!
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Going into the STAP, I was a bit dubious that they would ever be able to top AoW, and hence expected a let down. I'm happy to say though, that the exact opposite has happened. I have been running the STAP for several months now, and we will be starting Here There Be Monsters this weekend. I think STAP is actually better than AoW, which is no small feat. This AP has it all. I can't give enough praise for how good it is. If all we got for our subscription cost was the AP itself, I would consider the money well worth the investment for how good the STAP is. Bar none, the best AP so far. It will have some big shoes to fill in a few adventures as I felt the moments when AoW really started to shine were in some of the later adventures like Kings of the Rift and Into the Wormcrawl Fissure. That said, I think that if the first 4 adventures are any indication, this AP is going to be better than AoW at a level similar to how much better AoW was from SCAP.
Hope that helps. If you need any help prepping for the adventures or have queestions about the first several adventures in the path, feel free to post and I will be happy to share my own experiences thus far.
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Bella Sara Charter Superscriber
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I think that each Adventure Path has been a huge learning curve for the editors of Dungeon and that the ST is the most refined, best written, and best executed of the adventure paths. That being said:
I like the roughness of SC, it's more flexible than the subsequent adventure paths and has a much broader invitation to tinker around. ST is plotted pretty tightly, so if you go off the rails (so to speak) you're liable to miss some important bits. SC also has a beautiful hardcover and the benefit of revisions with hindsight.
AoW is a better adventure path if you prefer more dungeon locations. It's largely a move from centerpiece dungeon to centerpiece dungeon. I also like that it's not as cinematic as ST. ST is much more about the story than it is about the individual adventures. If you like that story, you're okay. If you're looking to make your own story, it might provide some (minimal) constraint.
Anyway, I would probably recommend ST because it is the latest and greatest, but just understand that it is a tighter, more focused, and much more cinematic adventure path than the other two.
Sounds great guys, thanks for the seasoned advice. Thanks for the support Brent, I will take you up on that offer real soon!
Personal opinion, this is by far the best AP yet.
Yeah think too this one looks great in many ways.
Not least because the adventures seem to actually follow one another, wherein with the 2 previous ones you would easily wonder why exactly we are supposed to do this next thing..
And with the added time to turn the island into a home :)
A little worried with 9 & 10 following the story logically.
11 sounds like awesome fun tho, but with something of a problem... ie the more they prepare, the weaker D gets, and the more power and levels they aquire.
Would D end up being a walkover for these level 28+ demiliches and artifact packed superheroes.. with each a few personal mythals, that have done every subquest, and a dozen extra ones..?
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problem... ie the more they prepare, the weaker D gets, and the more power and levels they aquire.
Would D end up being a walkover for these level 28+ demiliches and artifact packed superheroes.. with each a few personal mythals, that have done every subquest, and a dozen extra ones..?
Thats when you go into the fight with a escape plan to infuriate the PCs even more.The "Gah! We should have had him" syndrome and all. somewhere on one of these boards there's a thread on the life expectancy of villians... some good ideas there. If you feel big D is going to be a cakewalk, there are always more ways to tweak statistics to make him stronger..
yes, this AP is the best one yet, by far. cinematic action, drama, excellent villains, and a return to some of the more light hearted old school games i used to have as a youngster. when i heard that there was going to be another AP, i thought "oh no, another railroad campaign..." but then i read the synopsis and looked at the sample art. "You had me at 'Isle of Dread.'"
So far I'm really enjoying the Shackled City; I've read over the Age of Worms and as a straight read it hasn't grabbed me the way Cauldron has. Playing it, of course, might be a different story. As for STAP, I've only seen the first three adventures plus the Savage Tidings in Dragon magazine; the fourth one hasn't arrived at my local store yet due to severely unpleasant weather last week.
It really depends on what style of campaign suits you; an Shackled City is very much a location-focused campaign, with most of the action taking place in a very small geographical area. Age of Worms is an undead-fest that travels quite a bit, with lots of hooks to old-school AD&D references. And the Savage Tide gives us a swashbuckling, sea-borne campaign with a strongly cinematic feel.
Personally, I really enjoy a small geographical area that the DM can customize and personalize to his players, reinforcing the 'reality' of the setting and really bringing it to life.
Of course, that might change once I get to run the other AP storylines. It's good to be fickle. :)
A little worried with 9 & 10 following the story logically.
11 sounds like awesome fun tho, but with something of a problem... ie the more they prepare, the weaker D gets, and the more power and levels they aquire.
Where did you find out the synopsis for the future issues? I looked all over and couldnt find any.
Where did you find out the synopsis for the future issues? I looked all over and couldnt find any.A little worried with 9 & 10 following the story logically.
11 sounds like awesome fun tho, but with something of a problem... ie the more they prepare, the weaker D gets, and the more power and levels they aquire.
In the STAP overview/preview.
