A full AP would take some time to play through and I'm wondering if Paizo has considered doing a mini-AP series? Possibly 3 installments or some such thing; something between a single module and a 6-installment series.
Please keep in mind I don't know what I'm talking about. I really love the AP products so remember this is not a complaint. I'm reading my first (Shattered Star) and am really enjoying it. I've returned to *cough, cough* D&D after many years away and don't yet play. I'm simply collecting and reading everything Pathfinder. My question is based on reading and discussing APs with people who have played. They tend to say a full AP took 6 months, 1 year, or even a year and a half to complete.
Thanks in advance for any insights you can offer.
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They tend to say a full AP took 6 months, 1 year, or even a year and a half to complete.
That's the quick people. One of my groups took 3.5 years to play Crimson Throne, my other 2 are looking to extend that record ;)
There are a few series of modules which may give you what you want, but most of them are 3.5.
The Everflame/Masks/Golden City set is a trilogy which was released very early on for the PFRPG.
Earlier module series could also be converted. There is a 2-part Last Baron series, as well as a 2-part Osirion set (Entombed with Pharoahs/Pactstone Pyramid). And the granddaddy of them all is the Darkmoon Vale series: Hollow's Last Hope, Crown of the Kobold King, Revenge of the Kobold King, Hungry are the Dead, and Carnival of Tears.
While Paizo has no plans to tinker with their flagship product, check out this thread for ideas on how existing APs can be shortened.
They've pretty much always ruled out massive changes to the AP format. James Jacobs mentioned (somewhere or other) that if they were to tinker in this way it would probably be a mild form of tinkering (like one AP of 5 instalments then one of 7). The trouble being that anything too bad (like say a 3/9 split one year) would run the risk of alienating too many subscribers and losing a significant chunk of revenue for a whole year.
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I agree with the OPs thought. However I think it could be done with modules. Maybe do a few sets of Trilogy's? These would be perfect.
I'm currently running two Kingmaker campaign's and both are in their 2nd year and are only half way through (just started the 4th book). One campaign meets for a full weekend every other month, the other meets for 4-6 hours most Tuesdays.
Joana & Scribbling & Steve...thanks for the feedback: links, module series, etc!
Don't get me wrong, I don't want them to change what they have in the APs. I'm just curious about smaller, less commitment-necessary options. Clearly modules are one answer, and a series of them even better.
I agree with the OPs thought. However I think it could be done with modules. Maybe do a few sets of Trilogy's? These would be perfect.
I'm currently running two Kingmaker campaign's and both are in their 2nd year and are only half way through (just started the 4th book). One campaign meets for a full weekend every other month, the other meets for 4-6 hours most Tuesdays.
Yes, one of the things Pathfinder does SO WELL, is overlap and deepen the lore across individual products. More of this with modules would be perfect. You could even provide players a choice of going to one or the other module depending on decisions made at the end of the first...if that made any sense :)
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Lumpkin, you might also check out the Pathfinder Society scenarios. You don't have to do the org play thing with them, just run them like regular adventures.
Several of them are thematically linked, or outright series. However, as they are designed to be run in 4-5 hours they could be good for an extremely short campaign.
it could be possible to publish the equivalent of a 3 mod AP (say level 1 to 10) in one booklet. Cut out lots repetition, story, a gazeteer of only one thing and get it down to 140 pages
While it's an interesting idea, it would be a whole other product line on top of what they're already struggling to keep on schedule. It's not like Paizo's going fishing for new product ideas because they have so much time on their hands and not enough work to do. ;)
I asked about creating shorter APs in the past, and the answer (if I can remember correctly) was that creating 3 short APs would take more development time than 2 long APS, so it's not something they wanted to do.
While it's an interesting idea, it would be a whole other product line on top of what they're already struggling to keep on schedule. It's not like Paizo's going fishing for new product ideas because they have so much time on their hands and not enough work to do. ;)
There were some cryptic remarks somewhereorother about tweaking the modules line in 2013 and/or experimenting with the format (I presume similar to the revamps the players companions have recieved over the years). I think it would be great if the odd "supermodule" would make an appearance.
I'm hoping the final few months of the year will include some announcements about exactly what's in store..