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Hey Pathfinders, I'm going to be running an adventure path at my local gaming store and I can't decide between Paizo's "Jade Regent" and Fire Mountain Games' "Way of the Wicked". Been wanting to run Jade Regent for awhile, but Way of the Wicked has an awesome concept
Instead of flipping a coin, I'm going to ask you, the awesome people of the forums for thoughts on which one to run
I'd personally recommend WotW, but that's mainly because the main premise of JR - "PCs are attached to an NPC and their primary goal is supporting her efforts and following her around" - is not something I would enjoy running nor that my players would likely enjoy playing.
WotW is one of the very few adventures written with an Evil PC party in mind, so if your players are up for that then I'd definitely vote in its favor.
I was initially in the same camp as Orthos regarding Jade Regent. That being said I recently teed it off for a couple old gaming pals that begged me to run them on it...and it's really been a blast. Then again, I also have no problem modifying NPCs and plot points within the structure of an AP to fit the feel of a game group. So the whole NPC with pet PCs angle hasn't been an issue like I originally thought it would. The way the adventures are written, it makes it very easy to increase or decrease NPC pressence as needed. Just because gumbo can be hot doesn't mean it HAS to be...you gotta cook your Adventure Path soup to fit your players' tastes. And Jade Regent works well in my (what's the reverse of august?) opinion.
Way of the Wicked...I don't have personal experience running it. But, I have read the books released to date, and dude...dude...if ever there was a time to dust off the Black Mamba villain cape...dude...this path rocks. It's fun to read, the challenges and scenarios are varied, and evil genius player creativity is amply rewarded. Also, it is written by a single author so the whole thing flows like liquid cool off of Iceman's tushy. I should also offer the disclaimer that I did some editting on book 4 so let it be known that I am a pretty big card carrying fanboi for Way of the Wicked.
If your players (or you) have yearned for some evil mastermind villainy...Way of the Wicked rocks out on double necked guitars while slayer plays in the background and pyrotechnics blaze up the sky.
If your players (or you) would like a well put together tour of Golarion, with a solid oriental adventure vibe...Jade Regent offers up the goods.
Tierce,
If you have any questions regarding "Way of the Wicked" I'm happy to answer them.
You know it's funny you're putting out this choice. I am writing (and about to start running) "Way of the Wicked" while playing in "Jade Regent".
I'll abstain from the vote (as I'm clearly biased). But I will mention that I'm having blast playing JR.
Of course, I'm playing Jade Regent as an evil wizard, so that helps. :)
Gary "It's good to be bad" McBride
Fire Mountain Games
(what's the reverse of august?)
February.
Sounds like I'm late to the party, as you've already made your call, but as I am currently actually running both of these campaigns for 2 different groups, I figured I'd pop in a brief 2 cents.
Really, they are both a blast to run. I'm having more fun gaming than I have in years. A big part of the appeal here is that they are both polar opposites.
WotW is pulp villainy in a glorious way. Taking revenge on the man, and tearing down a RIGHTEOUS government.
Jade Regent is really shines on good players. It's all about the epic journey, visiting exotic locales, and ultimately tearing down a CORRUPT government.
If you really don't mind running either one, I would present them to the players. They are so different from each other, that it shouldn't be too hard to elicit a pretty obvious response.
Either way, you'll have fun. Both are fantastic.
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If Jade Regent presents problems for you, I would suggest RotRLor Shattered Star before Way of the Wicked.
I might add that both the Slumbering Tsar Sagaor Rappan Athuk are both very amenable to a public game - probably more so than either RotRL or Shattered Star as they each deal with absences and new additions to the party better than does Way of the Wicked or any of the Paizo APs.
If you really want to get crazy, you play the first 1-2 chapters of Jade Regent, then run the first 1-2 chapters of Way of the Wicked, and keep alternating! Keeps everything fresh, and you get to play both!
If you really want to get crazy, you play the first 1-2 chapters of Jade Regent, then run the first 1-2 chapters of Way of the Wicked, and keep alternating! Keeps everything fresh, and you get to play both!
My group is doing this with Jade Regent (run by me) and Skull & Shackles (run by another in our group), though we're switching with every volume. I ran Brinewall, he ran Wormwood, and now I'm wrapping up Night of Frozen Shadows. Looking forward to Raiders in a couple weeks!