Best AP for a new GM

[ChrisLKimball]

So after 5 years and 3 APs (CoT, JR, and S&S) our faithful GM has been offered his dream job, and will be moving across the country.

And as we wish him well, the show must go on! Several of my group are willing to step up if need be including myself. I know our original intentions were to go to Wrath of the Righteous but I heard it can be a confusing mess for an unorganized GM such as myself. ADD plus not having GMed anything longer then 3 sessions in over a dozen years has me wary to take on such as beast.

Does anyone have any advice on the more GM forgiving Aps? my group has run the aforementioned as well as some of them playing through Kingmaker.

Thanks.

[Mythic Evil Lincoln]

Runelords is probably the most polished, and it saves you some money by being compiled in a single book.

[Aneirin Rhodri]

Run The Dragon's Demand. It's basically a mini AP, will let you get your feet wet and figure how to handle the players and NPCs.

Then, if you still feel up for it, I suggest running Rise of the Runelords. It's got a little of everything a good AP should have: combat, NPC interactions, intrigue, travel, scaling levels if evil, and an ancient threat.

[The_Lake]

Doesn't Runelords take conversion to run? Or is that what anniversary did?

[Arachnofiend]

The Anniversary Edition is a conversion for Pathfinder, yes.

[Douglas Muir 406]

Runelords is a reasonable choice for all the reasons given above. Whether it's the /best/ choice depends on you and your group. I can think of a couple of other possibilities.

Curse of the Crimson Throne -- 3.5, not Pathfinder, but the conversions have long since been done and can be found on these forums. I think the first module is a bit easier because it gives you a series of bite-sized mini-adventures that are pretty simple to run but feed right into the metaplot. It's much more urban AP than RotRL, so if rooftop chases and political intrigue are your thing, this is for you.

Kingmaker -- It's a giant sandbox that ends with your players becoming rulers of a new kingdom. What's not to love? It gets a bit more challenging once the kingdom construction and management rules kick in, but the first module is very straightforward.

Doug M.

[Nearyn]

Runelords anniversary edition. Polished, packed and ready to run as soon as you open the book. Lots of different themes, lots of fun adventure, a well-written plot with lots of high-flying high-fantasy :)

Warm recommendations.

-Nearyn

[LazarX]

If you're really really new, go for a module trilogy first, such as the Curse of the Everflame trilogy which ends with City of Golden Death. (I forget which is the middle title)

Dragon's Demand is another good choice. It'll take a group up to level 7, and it's only buying one book. It's goo test to see if you and your players have the stamina to go for an AP.

[captain yesterday]

Reign of Winter

[Coridan]

If you are unorganized I recommend Carrion Crown, CotCT is the best AP but there are a lot of NPCs to keep track of. Carrion Crown is a bit more "episodic" in nature.

[Douglas Muir 406]

Coridan wrote:

If you are unorganized I recommend Carrion Crown, CotCT is the best AP but there are a lot of NPCs to keep track of. Carrion Crown is a bit more "episodic" in nature.

That's a fair point -- I wouldn't say "a lot" but there are four or five NPCs who are relevant across multiple modules. I think that's a plus, myself, since it allows the PCs' actions (i.e., befriending or insulting a particular NPC) to resonate far into the future. But if you like your APs to be cut up into module-sized chunks that are largely independent of each other, with few or no NPCs carrying over from one to the next, then Carrion Crown may indeed be a better bet.

-- It might help if you gave us some ideas of what your group seems to like? If they love urban intrigue, CotCT is favored; if they like lots and lots of grindy combat, Serpent's Skull; if they want a sandbox, Kingmaker; if a railroad, Reign of Winter. And so forth.

Doug M.