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I'm a relatively new GM, only run a dozen or so PFS tables. I've been playing for about 30 years, 3.P for a couple and Pathfinder for about 3 years, so I am very familiar with the system and the rules.
I'm also getting more comfortable with character improvisation, a background in theatre helps a fair bit with that.
I wanted a couple of choices to present to the players. This is a long-time group, we've been in our current homebrew campaign for 2+ years dealing with kingdom building and some pirate/ship combat. The previous one was Ptolus for 5+ years, and before that another homebrew for multiple years. some players have come and gone, but the group has been in current configuration for about 3-4 years. There are six players and some build faily well optimized characters.
The group seems to pursue a fairly balanced RP/combat play style, leaning somewhat toward the combat end. If we spend too long in a dungeon, everyone is itching to get out and catch up with our NPCs. If we go too long without something to kill, people start getting antsy. We have done many RP-only sessions, but not normally two or more consecutively.
Rise of the Runelords is out, one of the players has run most of it already for students in an after-school club(he is a teacher)
I'm leaning toward offering them a choice between Reign of Winter, Mummy's Mask or Shattered Star. I'd prefer to stick with PFS sanctioned paths as I do play PFS and getting those chronicles would be a nice bonus. I was also debating offering Wrath of the Righteous, but I worry that the mythic will be too much for me to handle.
I think, given what I've read so far (messageboards and the like), that Jade Regent might be too linear for this group. Several players have also expressed their dislike of modern settings and technology in game. That also leads me to the question on Reign of Winter - how integral to the plot is the foray into 20th century earth? Can it be easily refluffed to take place somewhere else?
tl;dr - Which path for a relatively new GM? Preferably relatively non-linear and PFS sanctioned. Doing kingdom building now and just did pirate stuff as well.
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Reign of Winter sounds perfect for you guys; nice blend of combat and roleplaying, WW1 isn't modern anymore, it was 100 years ago ;). I would avoid Shattered Star it can get too heavy on the dungeon crawling and lacks a strong central story.
I don't know anything about the whole PFS connection with APs, but I will still have to recommend Curse of the Crimson Throne, if your group doesn't play it they are missing out on Paizo's best AP to date.
In reign of winter the trip to 20th century Russian takes all of book 5. Rasputin must die. But their is certainly no reason why you couldn't change the name of the world from earth to something of your choice and the technology involved is early 20th century basically cannons grenades, guns, 1917 stuff, and the high level characters can take care of those. Keep in mind that their is some strange things going on in this adventure that couldn't really have happened in our real world so it is really kind of a parallel earth. And like Coridan says it is 100 years ago and Russia which was pretty backward at that time to start with so your not really going into our modern world but a kinda fantasy world with WWI era weapons instead of magic for the characters to face.
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Yeah, all of book 5 might be a bit much for me to change up. I think I would just get annoyed because I think it's an awesome idea and the reviews indicate it's the best of the 6. I would want to run the story as written.
How linear is Jade Regent really? From reading the descriptions more thoroughly, it seems that while the caravan journey itself is fairly straightforward, there is a lot of room for additional material in it's midst.
Jade regent is very linear, which isn't always a bad thing especially for a new GM. The characters have to keep trudging along to the bigger goal. A trek across a continent or 3, no real choices for the character except to keep trekking along. But it is one of the best AP's overall IMO.
Curse of the Crimson Throne is the best overall AP but it is 3e. Kingmaker is very non-linear a sandbox to explore.
Mummy's Mask and Shattered Star are basically dungeon delver's
It really depends on what you like as far as flavor.
Regarding Jade Regent, you might want to take a look at Legendary Games' (a 3PP with some very familiar names among the authors) adventures which take place near or in a polar region. For example, The Baleful Coven and Under Frozen Stars.
Some have commented that JR 3 can be a bit of a slog. (Although in my opinion it's supposed to be a slog as the party is taking a caravan across an entire polar continent to reach the other side of the world.) Anyway, the 3PP product(s) plug in nicely to break the "monotony".
I would advise against Shattered Star, i run all of it i didn't like it very much.
Yes Jade Regent is very linear but that is because it has the 2nd best story in all APs (the first being curse of the crimson throne).
From the 2 other APs you mentioned (mummy's mask and reign of winter), i advise reign of winter but that's mostly because i have heard more (good) things about reign of winter than mummy's mask.
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Thanks. I found a thread here where Brandon Hodge gives an excellent alternative setting for Rasputin Must Die, so I think I will offer them the choice between Reign of Winter and Jade Regent. Thanks for the suggestions.
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This is actually very brilliant using Greyhawk instead of earth. I might use this. :)
Thanks. I found a thread here where Brandon Hodge gives an excellent alternative setting for Rasputin Must Die, so I think I will offer them the choice between Reign of Winter and Jade Regent. Thanks for the suggestions.
Yup, that's what I was just coming here to link. Good stuff =) Granted if you're going to change the setting and the villain, don't forget to change the name of the chapter too ;)