Annual prints of the "best of" PDFs???

[Molech]

What are the chances that Paizo will occasionally compile a collection of The Best Of Pathfinder Scenarios and make them available in print?

I'm not a fan of PDFs. But I'd like to see some of these scenarios.

I can certainly understand not printing them all; that would Not work. But what's wrong with a TSR Jam 1999 or a C1, C2, or S4 -- tourney modules that got some serious love?

Couldn't we have a Pathfinder Society Annual with a 1/2 dozen or so adventures? (Or something?)

-W. E. Ray

[Joshua J. Frost]

It's something we've talked about. That's all I have to report.

[Kyle Baird]

Along these same lines, could we get a list of "most played?" (which obviously means most reported)

I think it may be useful for new GMs and players alike to find out which scenarios are seen as "the best."

[Doug Doug]

In theory then, if you had to choose your 6 favorite Season 0 scenarios to appear in a "Best of ..." compilation, what would they be? "You" meaning anyone with an opinion. I don't expect Josh to spill, it'd be like picking his favorite co-worker.

My picks:
1) Frozen Fingers of Midnight
2) Slave Pits of Absalom
3) To Scale the Dragon
4) Mists of Mwangi
5) Decline of Glory
6) Among the Living

[Molech]

I didn't think about it until DougDoug's post, but the Boards seem to be a good place to narrow down a list of candidate scenarios for an annual compilation.

How many folks list the ones he does? I'm sure there's a good handful everyone agrees on.

Then Paizo just has to figure out the cost of making them and how much they think we'd buy 'em. Maybe once a year, instead of a Pathfinder Module, you guys could do a single volume AP sized annual of "The Best PS Scenarios of 09."

-W. E. Ray

[Vic Wertz]

Kyle Baird wrote:

Along these same lines, could we get a list of "most played?" (which obviously means most reported)

I think it may be useful for new GMs and players alike to find out which scenarios are seen as "the best."

I haven't looked at "most reported," but I did, not so long ago, look at "most purchased." Not surprisingly, the ones that have been available the longest have generally been purchased the most. I'd expect "most played" to follow that trend.

[Kyle Baird]

Vic Wertz wrote:

Kyle Baird wrote:

Along these same lines, could we get a list of "most played?" (which obviously means most reported)

I think it may be useful for new GMs and players alike to find out which scenarios are seen as "the best."

I haven't looked at "most reported," but I did, not so long ago, look at "most purchased." Not surprisingly, the ones that have been available the longest have generally been purchased the most. I'd expect "most played" to follow that trend.

You could then divide by the number of days since release and get a ratio. :)

[Mark Moreland]

Vic Wertz wrote:

Kyle Baird wrote:

Along these same lines, could we get a list of "most played?" (which obviously means most reported)

I think it may be useful for new GMs and players alike to find out which scenarios are seen as "the best."

I haven't looked at "most reported," but I did, not so long ago, look at "most purchased." Not surprisingly, the ones that have been available the longest have generally been purchased the most. I'd expect "most played" to follow that trend.

This is probably also a function of them being numbered. Most people (except the really chaotic ones) tend to play things beginning at #1 and working their way sequentially from there.

[DarkWhite]

Why narrow it down to a "best of"?

Of course there may be business reasons, such as cost of re-layout for print publication, marketability, page-count, whether or not to run another pass of editing given 12 months of customer feedback, hind-sight, campaign direction, not to mention the release of the Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook and Bestiary (oops, just mentioned it!)

However, even assuming a straight-up non-edited reprint, if you only published half the scenarios, you've only done half the job. There are still those of us who will need to hang onto our home-printed copies of anything that doesn't get re-published, and those printouts are starting to take up an increasing amount of folder/shelf space.

Voting on the "best of"? There are scenarios I didn't enjoy the first run through, but enjoyed more the second or third time GMing them, and have since become my favourites. This is almost undoubtedly due to becoming more familiar with the scenario, including being better prepared for how players approach certain encounters, to developing personality for key NPCs. I truly think all scenarios released so far are worthy of inclusion in an annual collection.

[Arnim Thayer]

I would be interested in seeing a "Best of Pathfinder Society" Annual, especially if they are updated to use the monster stats from the Bestiary! Add in some author's notes in the sidebar, since they now have feedback from those that have been through it, and I think you have a winner!

[Erik Mona]

I am interested in hearing what people's Top 3 Season 0 scenarios are, and why.

A product like this is a real possibility, and I'd love for some good feedback on it.

Thanks!

[dm4hire]

Erik Mona wrote:

I am interested in hearing what people's Top 3 Season 0 scenarios are, and why.

A product like this is a real possibility, and I'd love for some good feedback on it.

Thanks!

Will have to take some time to think over year zero, but for year one I wouldn't be against Shipyards being compiled.

[Cpt_kirstov]

Erik Mona wrote:

I am interested in hearing what people's Top 3 Season 0 scenarios are, and why.

A product like this is a real possibility, and I'd love for some good feedback on it.

Thanks!

Mists

Spoiler:

it was interesting to have our chainfighter's eyes turn with rage as he attacked the closest thing - me - bringing me from full to 0 with one hit

[Doug Doug]

Erik Mona wrote:

I am interested in hearing what people's Top 3 Season 0 scenarios are, and why.

A product like this is a real possibility, and I'd love for some good feedback on it.

Thanks!

PFS#4 Frozen Fingers of Midnight

Spoiler:

What I liked about Frozen Fingers was the real world culture that players could related to. The Taldan Longaxes were reminiscent of the Byzantine Varangian Guard. The Ulfen funeral traditions mirrored actual Viking traditions. The Ulfen opponents were not evil, they were just following their own cultural code. Skelg was not a choir boy, and some players were uneasy about helping him when he clearly got what he deserved. The whole story wove together nicely and it made sense to the players. The warehouse in Act 2 is one of the most memorable scenes in Pathfinder Society I can think of. Everyone has a story about how they tackled the situation differently. It allowed the players to be creative with how they tackled the objective of recovering the Beacon. Every PC class had a chance to shine. And everyone felt a sense of dread when the Beacon of the North was targeted on them.

PFS#5 Mists of Mwangi

Spoiler:

This was the first scenario that I ate for PFS so I never got a chance to play it. I didn’t like it at first, but then everyone took measures against the Mist when I GMed it. It wasn’t until I ran it next at a convention that a group failed to take counter measures and everyone failed their saves that the true character of this scenario was revealed. I would give the player a handout on applying the template to their PC and their face would light up as they read it. Soon they were running around the museum triggering multiple encounters and having a blast. The museum is a great setting for an adventure and the author inhabits it with an interesting blend of opponents. The final act is challenging and frightening, a suitable climax to a great scenario.

PFS#7 Among the Living

Spoiler:

I think my review of this one sums it up the best, “Taldan high society gets their comeuppance.” The map for this one is awesome, I love the way the players can ‘put out a fire’ on one side of the auditorium and another one flares up across the room. Players love the zombie theme and go bananas when the plague zombies begin to pop up from slain nobility. Another satisfying moment is when the players figure out they’re trapped in the building with a bunch of pampered sissies who an hour before were looking down their noses at them. There were some scathingly funny remarks made around the table when the frazzled nobility starts to give orders to the Pathfinders.

PFS#8 Slave Pits of Absalom

Spoiler:

Although the backstory is a bit shaky (like how a 4hp grit junkie could kidnap a noblewoman), after players get over their skepticism this is a rocking good time. Two elements make it great. One is the haughty slave merchant Pardu Pildapush, who frustrated players enjoyed taking out their frustration on. Getting into Pardu’s office and not getting arrested is always a great role-playing challenge to pull off. The other is getting aboard the No Return. Everyone enjoys ships and sailors. Like the warehouse scene in Frozen Fingers, there’s an opportunity for the players to be creative with how they approach the challenge. The faction missions were also interesting and lent to better-than-average role-play.

PFS#16 To Scale the Dragon

Spoiler:

I didn’t like this one when I played it because it was so tough, but I think that’s the attraction. Climbing a mountain SHOULD be tough. The altitude affects are something that GMs forget to include, but they really drive home the exotic location this scenario is set in. The remorhaz is a classic yet almost never utilized monster that I haven’t seen since G2 Rift of the Frost Giant Jarl, but it really defines the adventure. The taers were a nice touch, many players hadn’t heard of them before. Tie together the dog sleds, the avalanche, the taers, the remorhaz and the grueling alpine conditions and you have a classic & memorable scenario

PFS#24 Decline of Glory

Spoiler:

The role-play really makes this scenario come alive. If you have a bunch of dice-rolling power-gamers at your table, you really aren’t going to enjoy this as much because the combats really don’t bring a challenge. Conversely if you have a table of ‘characters’ the combat encounters take a backseat to the story in this one. I liked the option to talk through many of the encounters without having to roll initiative. The town of Railford and the distillery were briefly detailed but what was given could be expanded on very easily. I think what I liked best about this one was how the story developed as the players moved through it. The whole deed issue was very convoluted but most players did not get caught up in trying to understand the legal aspects. “Possession is 9/10 of the law” is all they had to know. The best results I had when running this scenario is when the players try to align with both sides of the dispute. Again, it is great fun for role-players in this situation.

So in summary, I think what made these scenarios shine was 1) exotic locations, 2) classic monsters & 3) great role-playing situations.

[Mark Moreland]

Erik Mona wrote:

I am interested in hearing what people's Top 3 Season 0 scenarios are, and why.

A product like this is a real possibility, and I'd love for some good feedback on it.

Thanks!

#1 is far and away Mists of Mwangi

Spoiler:

It's got a simple location and provides a wide variety of combats. The fact that players start by possibly fighting one another when the mist hits is sadistically beautiful. I also think that the backstory to this one is one of the most evocative of the first 28 scenarios.

It's harder for me to choose just two more, as I like a lot of them equally, and I don't know how to rank them, but others I enjoyed the most were probably Silent Tide, Our Lady of Silver, the Third Riddle. These stand out in my mind for providing fun, roleplay-heavy encounters and including puzzle elements in place of (or in conjunction with) combat encounters.

[Majuba]

I've only played/run through I think four of Season 0 so far, so I don't have a top 3. But my favorite of them so far has been:

#23, Tides of Morning

I felt it gave more opportunities for role-playing than most, along with interesting combats and a fun mission, I've had a blast running it 4 different times. (And as one of the last of Season 0, it's probably new to more people).

Speaking of which, any chance of PaizoCon scenarios being reported?

[forbinproject]

Frozen Fingers of Midnight -

Spoiler:

viking action plus the possibility of a realy interesting love story between the two main NPCs.

Murder on the Silken Caravan -

Spoiler:

superb plot; an absolutely briliant reveal as the genie is unleashed.

Mists of Mwangi -

Spoiler:

best of the dungeon-crawly-ones, witness the majesty that is Da'tunga!

[Joshua J. Frost]

Majuba wrote:

Speaking of which, any chance of PaizoCon scenarios being reported?

It's, finally, on the top of my to-do list. Assuming something doesn't change between now and Monday morning, I'll start putting those in on Monday.

[KnightErrantJR]

Erik Mona wrote:

I am interested in hearing what people's Top 3 Season 0 scenarios are, and why.

A product like this is a real possibility, and I'd love for some good feedback on it.

Thanks!

1. Mists of Mwangi--

Spoiler:

At its core, its a simple dungeon crawl, and yet it had so much atmosphere (no pun intended) that it was fun to run and fun to watch the PCs play through.

While there a simple "room to room" progression, at the same time, dungeon crawling through a possessed museum made that progression make sense, and the ape was an intimidating "boss" for the fight. Plus, it gave a nice nod towards Mwangi even without taking place there.

2. Murder on the Silken Caravan--

Spoiler:

This one bumped a few others off the list because the others were set in Absalom, and for variety's sake, the Pathfinders really need to travel.

I liked this one for the "jump into the action" start (i.e. explaining the horrible trip the PCs were just on) and the quickly sketched, but still potentially a lot of fun, NPCs that are traveling with the PCs, so that the encounters aren't just encounters, but also excuses to interact with the NPCs in the caravan.

3. Slave Pits of Absalom--

Spoiler:

This was another fun adventure that allowed the PCs to do some roleplaying as well as getting into a few fights along the way. It also allowed the PCs to see parts of Absalom that they might not have gotten to see before as well.

Honorable Mentions and Why They Didn't Make the List--

Spoiler:

Black Waters had some fun NPCs to interact with, but the encounters seemed to slow the scenario down a bit, especially with the interesting but a little awkward rushing water in the last encounter, and the unfortunately substituted lack of an allip at the 1-2 sub tier which made the whole adventure make a little less sense.

Prince of Augustana had a story that nearly everyone that played it loved and really go into . . . and they walked through most of the adventure without a scratch, with their only real injury coming from the sewer gasses in the swarm encounter (which is made slightly less dangerous by the fact that the swarm can get taken out by this blast as well).

Eye of the Crocodile King just barely missed the list. In part because other "sewer" adventures were better story wise, in part because there are lots of "sewer" adventures. Otherwise, this was a really solid adventure that only really suffered because its "another" Absalom adventure and "another" sewer adventure.

[W E Ray]

BUMP

- Molech

[Sans_Serif]

Why not just sort by average customer rating?

[Kyle Baird]

I'd rather see multi-part scenarios (both official and unofficial) grouped together into a module format. For example, Echoes of the Everwar would make a pretty sweet module.

[Craig Stokes]

I wish some of these popular "classic" scenarios could be re-edited to use PFRPG rules and current factions. I understand that it's probably not a financially sound idea but I can still dream, can't I? :-)

[Chris Mortika]

I wonder, Craig.

Reissuing the "Top 10" Season 0 scenarios in a hardcopy format might be the kind of product that earns revenue for the company -- in a way that a simple free conversion would not -- while modernizing the material.

The First Four
01
02
03
04

About the Town
06 - Black Waters
08 - Slave Pits
20 - King Xeros

Far-Flung Adventure
07 - Among the Living (the default 3.5-to-PFRPG conversions don't work well)
16- To Scale the Dragon
24 - Our Lady of Silver (making the combats quite a bit tougher)

[LazarX]

I'm not sure what would be the point.

IF I really liked the scenarios that would fature in a "Best OF", I'd have them already, would probably already have printed out so I'd get no particular benefit form a compilation. Best of books made sense in the pre-PDF age, but today, Pathfinder scenarios practically never go "out of print".

[Chris Mortika]

LazarX,

Some people are avoiding the Season 0 scenarios, either because they don't own a 3.5 Monster Manual, or just aren't comfortable running adventures built for a different system. (That's a fair cop. Pathfinder Society has always featured a lot more human opponents, and undead opponents, than the game in general, and the statblock for an NPC written under 3.5 is quite a bit weaker than the analogous character under Pathfinder.)

And then there are the people who stick to Season 3 and Season 4 scenarios, because they want to avoid the confusion of jumbled-up faction missions. "My NG ranger in the Shadow Lodge because she cares what happens to Pathfinder agents. Why is she running errands for Cheliax?!"

Other people, maybe the same people who bought the "Rise of the Runelords" hardcover revision, are Paizo fans.