Looking at Paizo's APs in a more piecemeal approach, what parts of AP volumes stand out to you as being the high points of the line?
Fer instance, my Second Darkness library consists solely of Volume 2 because that tower collapse scene sounded so awesome in reviews that I just had to have it. Likewise, Sixfold Trial is the only part of Council of Thieves I have just for Pett's murder play.
But I've really fallen behind in my AP awareness, so I'm wondering what scenes, dungeons, mini-games or other elements appeared in some of the later APs which really stand out as being worth getting on their own.
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Serpent's Skull: Souls for Smuggler's Shiv: Fantastic standalone adventure. Could launch a bunch of different campaigns with that one.
Kingmaker: Sound of a Thousand Screams: A fantastic capstone adventure, the threat feels high level, locations are suitably epic and is just so great.
Skull & Shackles: The Price of Infamy, great sea box and something I'd launch into after Souls for Smuggler's Shiv.
Jade Regent: The Brinewall Legacy - Combine with burnt offerings for a Sandpoint sandbox.
Mummy's Mask: Empty Graves - Zombie Apocalypse!
Iron Gods: Valley of the Brain Collectors: IT'S CALLED VALLEY OF THE BRAIN COLLECTORS!
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Reign of Winter- Rasputin Must Die! - Napalm and Mustard Gas, F&$$ yeah!
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Honestly? My favorite part of Carrion Crown was the first book. The haunting of harrowstone, a classic victorian ghost story, serial killers, and weird happenings! I actually ran the book so well in practice I accidentally gave one of my players claustrophobic nightmares (even though she's not, nor has ever been, claustrophobic). All in all a great 1st level book in my mind.
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Skinsaw Murders - that tower plus those Ogres; just so much awesomeness!
To be honest, I really like the first parts of almost every single AP. Especially (as Dudemeister alteady said) Smuggler's Shiv. A great entry point for a lot of campaigns.
What lies in Dust and Infernal Syndrom I especially love, as I placed them as a city adventure in Ptolus - that was great!
The Vanishing of Varnhold was kind of spooky and most of all it had Spriggans!
And finally, Beyond the Doomsday Door! Nice location, easily useable in any campaign - though I totally changed the room of the final encounter, to make it a huge and epic fight.
Honestly? My favorite part of Carrion Crown was the first book.
Oh yeah. Harrowstone is also in my 'Best Of' library. I wasn't into the idea of an entire AP based around Universal Movie monsters, but the first chapter sounded really good and I wasn't disappointed.
I haven't played it, though. How did the 'earning the town's trust' mini-game work for you?
Iron Gods Book 3, sort of a hidden gem. The town of Iadenveigh seems like a normal sort of six page listing of all the places in town, but every single place has some sort of really interesting hook left hanging there.
That's exactly the stuff I love. Those little elements that remind you to stop the train for a bit and let the players take their lead. Like Carrion Crown, I wasn't on board for a sci-fi AP, but I'll have to go looking for Iadenveigh.
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The trust mini-game actually worked well and forced the party to take up random jobs I created on the Ravengro post-board. They did things like a help a farmer bring in his crop before frost took it, they helped find a family's lost pet, etc. They did all of this to try and win the town over because they had all become entranced by Kendra and wanted to prove to the town she was good peoples.
I quite liked The Varnhold Vanishing.
Is there a way to say why without spoiling anything? I'm currently a player in it and have no idea why we're doing anything or what's going on.
i like it for its american history reference (i.e. see Roanoke Colony) any thing else i could think of would be spoiler-y, just wait:-)
I got that reference. It was spooky in its own way, but with no clues and no information it almost had no purpose.
I have only done Rise of the Runelords, Curse of the Crimson Throne, and Carrion Crown myself. Out of those three though, I have to say both mine and my party's favorites were in CotCT. Seven Days to the Grave is just fantastic as an adventure, and even now my players will break out into a nervous sweat when they have anything to do with Blood Veil. (Especially fun considering we did RotR after Curse of the Crimson Throne.)
Skeletons of Scarwall was another one that my players loved, because this was the first time they really got to learn about Kazavon. Top it off with the fight to put down the Chained Spirit and to get Serithial, and they still love it.
Burnt Offerings is in many ways what I consider the perfect starting adventure, and Nualia is still one of my favorite Paizo-made villains overall due to her backstory.
And finally, there's Book Two of Carrion Crown. Trial of the Beast is just great, and hands down my favorite book I've run period.
The play from Council of Thieves. Probably the most fun straight role playing a portion of an AP we've ever had.
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I quite liked The Varnhold Vanishing.Is there a way to say why without spoiling anything? I'm currently a player in it and have no idea why we're doing anything or what's going on.
Hmm... hard to say why without spoiling things. Sorry :) It does have a nice arc to it. I also like that early on, it is a big mystery, and the heroes don't really know what's going on and why things have happened, and have to explore to figure things out before they confront whatever it was that was behind it.
I haven't played it myself, ran it as GM. My Kingmaker campaign ended shortly after that (as I moved away), and finishing VV was a satisfying way to end that campaign.
My favorite parts were:
RotR: Everything from the start up to the farm in Hook Mountain Massacre, really.
CotCT: Seven Days to the Grave
SD: Shadow in the Sky
LoF: End of Eternity
CoT: The Sixfold Trial
KM: Sound of a Thousand Screams
SS: Souls for Smuggler's Shiv
CC: Trail of the Beast
JR: Forest of Spirits
S&S: Island of Empty Eyes
SS: Curse of the Lady's Light
RoW: Rasputin Must Die!
WotR: haven't read (playing)
MM: Pyramid of the Sky Pharoah
Iron Gods: Valley of the Brain Collectors (although I haven't read The Divinity Drive yet, and it looks excellent)
Y'know, I haven't really pinged on any volume of Kingmaker as a standout chapter, but looking at Varnhold on its own merits, it really is a nice adventure. I haven't had a chance to run it yet, but for those of you who have played it, I have a spoiler-y question about it.
Y'know, I haven't really pinged on any volume of Kingmaker as a standout chapter, but looking at Varnhold on its own merits, it really is a nice adventure. I haven't had a chance to run it yet, but for those of you who have played it, I have a spoiler-y question about it.
** spoiler omitted **
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Thus far, Rise of the Runelords; Hook Mountain Massacre, Graul Homestead. The reactions of my players to all the flesh furniture, rot and traps had them, by the end of it, giving all of their nope
Stolen lands for me.
Gotta second all the comments on The Varnhold Vanishing. When my players walked into the abandoned city... yeah every single one of these guys, most of them gung-ho fear-nothing types, said they had chills from the sheer atmosphere of the place.
Then they found that tannery....
Iron Gods: Lords of Rust is pretty awesome. Pathfinder meets Mad Max!
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Second Darkness - Book 2 - really interesting story and kinda creepy
Kingmaker - Book 5 - The bad guy is a joke but this is where your Kingdom peeks and the war comes.
Serpent Skull - Book 1 - Great story and very much can be played like an
episode of LOST.
Shattered Star - Book 6 - The main story may be over but the best has yet to come!!!
Jade Regent - Book 5 - Finally, FINALLY, you get to explore Tian culture.
Stolen lands for me too
Liked JR 1 and SSt 1 as well