We are almost to issue #100 ! What is your favorite adventure path thus far? Vote now.
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Rise of the Runelords: Anniversary Edition
Serpent's Skull
Iron Gods, even without running it. :3
Iron Gods
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It's still Curse of the Crimson Throne, but Hell's Rebels could surpass it.
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That one where this evil a&!!@+$ has a plan to take over somewhere so they come up with a many layered organization that only seems tangentially related to each other unless you step back and look at the big picture, so the only people that can stop it are the PCs, that is if they can get to the far off complex before they're done with their plan, which is perpetually two weeks from completion.
That one :-)
Contributor
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That one where this evil a%#+!@~ has a plan to take over somewhere so they come up with a many layered organization that only seems tangentially related to each other unless you step back and look at the big picture, so the only people that can stop it are the PCs, that is if they can get to the far off complex before they're done with their plan, which is perpetually two weeks from completion.
That one :-)
My favorite part is the adventure where the PCs have to go get the thing that the bad guys need, except they didn't really need it, and the PCs getting it just plays into the bad guy's plans.
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Don't forget the part where someone is only doing bad things because the evil mastermind (whoever he or she is) is the only one with the cure and or young child. So the only way they'll turn is if the PCs climb to the top of the mountain with the nefarious looking castle to rescue the cure or child from the evil cultists. The question is, will they be in time, or will this golden opportunity slip away...
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Iron Gods.
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Skull and Shackles
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I'd heard the Advanced Class Guide Adventure Path wasn't their best work with many glaring omissions.
I don't have it tho so I could be wrong.
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Plot's a bit on the weak side. Some of the individual adventures make up for it, though.I'd heard the Advanced Class Guide Adventure Path wasn't their best work with many glaring omissions.
I don't have it tho so I could be wrong.
Ultimate Campaign is by far the best campaign Paizo has released. I'd almost say it is the Ultimate one.
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Kingmaker. Although the "Path" part of "Adventure Path" starts out as an "Impassible Forest" which the PCs must hew their way through, it remains so jam-packed with fabulous jumping-off points, it gets my vote as #1.
I also love Carrion Crown, although it feels more like guilty pleasure than genuine respect.
Wrath of the Righteous.
And for the record I've either played or DM'd or both:
Rise of the Runelords
Second Darkness
Council of Thieves
Carrion Crown
and I've prepped Jade Regent and Kingmaker.
Carrion Crown.
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My aren't these answers... dry.
C'mon this the AP boards, where i arose originally like a Phoenix with a need for dramatics (and Galt!!!!!)
Surely we can do better then name only answers:-)
#1 Serpent's Skull
#2 Reign of Winter
#3 Legacy of Fire
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Curse of the Crimson Throne was my favorite to read and it's proving to be one of my most successful campaigns also (we're currently most of the way through episode six).
Serpent's Skull was my most surprisingly good AP - I really have no interest in 'deepest, darkest africa' stories but the players picked it. I think the strength of the opening instalment really carried through the rest of the AP (though they died in the 3rd/4th books before we got to the bits that are commonly cited as problematic).
However, my overall favorite remains Age of Worms - it had a huge number of really memorable scenes and villains. It also helped that my players generally all decided to do what the book expected them to throughout - so there wasn't a lot of frantic rejigging of the story so that PCs will find the clues they need when they suddenly go perpendicular to the plot (which is the way I usually find APs going).
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Difficult question.
At the end of the day, it's Jade Regent because of the asian themes.
Runner up's are Rise of the Runelords Anniversary Edition and Curse of the Crimson Throne. Single best module is, of course, Rasputin Must Die! from Reign of Winter.
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Ok, dramatic presentation of my choice, Skull and Shackles (I seem to be the only one so far...).
I posted a retrospective not too long ago on the S&S board that sums up the majority of my reasoning, but in summary:
1) Vast selection of fascinating NPCs. There are characters in there that my players and I will remember forever.
2) Many opportunities for peripheral show off bits. There's a cardstock sailing ship available that took months for me to construct, but took my player's breath away. Additionally, we constructed several others using insulation foam and flip mats. Pirate maps. Character-specific miniatures. Chests of gold... We always got to play with props.
3) An appropriately big scope, without being world-shaking. While my future adventures in Golarion will likely reflect what has happened in our various adventures, a new Hurricane King is an easier thing to accommodate than, say, the absence of the Worldwound.
4) For my group, an ideal blend of railroad and sandbox. We have previously completed Kingmaker, and attempted Carrion Crown. We found that Kingmaker wasn't suited for our gaming style, because we didn't have enough continuity to pick up a thread months after we first heard it. Meanwhile Carrion Crown moved along at such a pace, players who missed a session were left confused ("Wait, migo? I thought we were dealing with Frankenstein's monster...") S&S by contrast had nice easy-to-summarize chapters that flowed smoothly from one to the next.
Carrion Crown
Most Anticipated: Strange Aeons ;-)
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Age of Worms, Savage Tide, Crimson Throne, and Kingmaker.
2) Many opportunities for peripheral show off bits. There's a cardstock sailing ship available that took months for me to construct, but took my player's breath away. Additionally, we constructed several others using insulation foam and flip mats. Pirate maps. Character-specific miniatures. Chests of gold... We always got to play with props.
Off Topic:
Can you please link to the Cardstock ship you used?
I'm about to delve into Razor Coast and am keen to look into options for ships.
On Topic:
I love Rise of the Runelords AE, and Hell's Rebels (though only just out) is looking FANTASTIC.
Developer
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Off Topic:
Can you please link to the Cardstock ship you used?
I'm not sure if this is the one Drakir2010 was talking about, but Rob McCreary put together this one for our in-house Skull & Shackles campaign.
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I have played or DM'd/GM'd the following:
Shackled City
Savage Tide
Age of Worms (twice)
Legacy of Fire
Council of Thieves
Kingmaker
Serpent's Skull
Jade Regent
Carrion Crown
Skull and Shackles
Mummy's Mask
now playing: Iron Gods & Shattered Star
and about to start to GM Gianstlayer.
Out of that list, I honestly think that the best one, far and away to such an extent that it isn't even really *close* is Kingmaker.
The worst was Legacy of Fire - (and no, it's not even close, either).
I do think that Kingmaker's ultimate villain is not as strongly foreshadowed a villain as she could be and the final volume is fairly weak. That's the part where the shine really starts to come off the AP.
That said, first half in particular is the best of any AP released and the work that both Tim Hitchcock and Greg Vaughan did on Kingmaker is their finest they have each written to date. Given how prolific both authors have been - that is saying something.
I would expect to see a successor campaign to Kingmaker. Not necessarily set in the River Kingdoms, but just generally revisiting the concept of kingdom management and an exploration theme. At its core, it's a solid winner and I would look forward to see what both James Jacobs and Rob McCreary would do to develop the AP concept further.
The worst was Legacy of Fire - (and no, it's not even close, either).
Weaker then Council of Thieves?
I would expect to see a successor campaign to Kingmaker. Not necessarily set in the River Kingdoms, but just generally revisiting the concept of kingdom management and an exploration theme. At its core, it's a solid winner and I would look forward to see what both James Jacobs and Rob McCreary would do to develop the AP concept further.
One idea I can think of for that is to build on the Distant Shores book.
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The worst was Legacy of Fire - (and no, it's not even close, either).Weaker then Council of Thieves?
Hell yes. LoF turns into a choo-choo in an almost DragonLance manner.
I have never played Second Darkness (though I have read it) and like LoF, they each suffer from the same sort of bait and switch given fairly strong design in vols 1 and 2 of the series and then a slide into Sucktastic (albeit for somewhat different reasons, though an inelegant choo-choo train plays a role in both). The Suck just comes in earlier in Second Darkness than it does in LoF.
Reign of Winter suffers from the same Choo-choo ride problem inherent in LoF, I might add. It simply hides it a little better.
Council of Thieves has a lot to recommend it actually. It's biggest problem is that it has a weak beginning. SKR is a fine game designer and world builder, but adventure design has never been his forte. Add to that that the PF core game was still being developed at the time he was writing it and vol 1 just didn't work out as well as it could have.
I was not a fan of Bastards of Erebus, but Richard Pett's Sixfold Trial which is Vol II of Council of Thieves is excellent and that volume of Pathfinder Adventure Path (when considered as a coherent whole 96 page book) is still probably the best overall AP volume released, and if not - definitely top 3 through the first 99.
The worst thing about Council of Thieves is that it really has nothing to do with the title. It builds false expectations and that is not a sin players or GMs easily forgive. Shadows Over Westcrown would have been a better, and certainly more accurate, title.
Every AP benefits from a GM taking steps to customize the setting and add his or her flourishes to the campaign. There is plenty of room to do that with Council of Thieves; perhaps more than almost all other PF APs other than Kingmaker. Council of Thieves has potential - you just have to work at it a little more (and you have to fix Vol 1 - we covered that on the podcast when we reviewed it).
I'm not sure if this is the one Drakir2010 was talking about, but Rob McCreary put together this one for our in-house Skull & Shackles campaign.Off Topic:
Can you please link to the Cardstock ship you used?
That is indeed the one I used. Don't let the size of it intimidate you if this is your first time. I'd never even done a single cardstock wall before, and yet I wound up with a showpiece.
Skull & Shackles is the only one I've ever run and has been a lot of fun. It's my favorite.
Hell's Rebels, Mummy's Mask and Serpent's Skull also intrigue me.
Kingmaker
1. Kingmaker - I like the sandbox. So much potential for customizing this.
2. Rise of the Runelords - the amount of community created content brings Sandpoint and it's environs to life.
3. Wrath of the Righteous - if only because of the over-the-top rocket tag lunacy of Mythic powers was entertaining.
That is indeed the one I used. Don't let the size of it intimidate you if this is your first time. I'd never even done a single cardstock wall before, and yet I wound up with a showpiece.I'm not sure if this is the one Drakir2010 was talking about, but Rob McCreary put together this one for our in-house Skull & Shackles campaign.Off Topic:
Can you please link to the Cardstock ship you used?
Thanks Adam and Drakir2010, that's the exact one I was looking at as well.
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We are running through them in chronological order and so far the rankings are as thus:
1.) Curse of the Crimson Throne. (fantastic storyline and execution)
2.) Rise of the Runelords. (A great intro campaign with epic goals, although book five (Runeforge) really bogs down the pace of the campaign. It's essentially six modules in one of pure dungeoncrawl, which gets dull, but book six picks right back up)
3.) Second Darkness (We had a ton of fun with this one and I did everything I could to ratchet up the tension and threat of the Drow. Reading through all six modules ahead of time is essential in weaving a fluid storyline though)
4.) Legacy of Fire. (we are 1/3 through this one and having a great time. A solid understanding of middle-eastern culture really helps to have. Historic culture, not the quagmire that exists today)
I haven't run the rest, but Kingmaker, Carrion Crown, Skull & Shackles, Giantslayer and Hell's Rebels all look pretty fun.
1) Curse of the Crimson Throne
2) Shattered Star
3) Wrath of the Righteous
There are so many fun adventure paths to choose from! I also really loved Carrion Crown and Serpent's Skull.