Ranking Starfinder APs


General Discussion


Pathfinder Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Rulebook, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

So almost 5 starfinder APs have now come out (Dead Suns, Against the Aeon Throne, Signal of Screams, Dawn of Flame, Attack of the Swarm). How would you rank them?

(I ask in part because I'm curious, but also because I'm considering running one of them, and would like a feel for which of the APs people are most enthusiastic about.)

Acquisitives

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Pathfinder Adventure Path, Rulebook, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

We have run DEAD SUNS and AGAINST THE AEON THRONE.

Dead Suns has some challenges, but each volume is fun.

Aeon Throne is a great adventure, and we really liked the 3 volume format.

Dark Archive

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Signal of Screams is definitely not for everyone. If I hadn't been running it I would never have played it, and I don't think I would have had any regrets. Against the Aeon Throne was fun to run, and I believe play, and if the local group offers it again, I would play it. Attack of the Swarm is giving me some issues on the handling of the subject matter, but that may be in part because of the number of my players who have military experience. Some elements are leaving us a bit incredulous.

Liberty's Edge

World of Dim Light wrote:
Some elements are leaving us a bit incredulous.

Which elements are those?

Sovereign Court

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We're wrapping up Dead Suns and looking to schedule the last book of Aeon Throne.

Dead Suns started out a bit "meh" for us as we were still finding out feet in the game system, but after a party reconfig in book 3, we really hit our stride. My favorites were book 4 (imaginative, funny) and book 6 (epic, edge of my seat).

Aeon Throne really could have benefited from a players' guide that hints that you should be able to use disguises.


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Shisumo wrote:
World of Dim Light wrote:
Some elements are leaving us a bit incredulous.
Which elements are those?

In the first book abandoning a vehicle with two auto cannons and two HMG.


Pathfinder Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Rulebook, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

Thanks to everyone for the feedback! So far, it seems like Against the Aeon Throne is people's favorite.

Haven't seen any comments about the Dawn of Flame AP. Does anyone have any thoughts about the relative merits of this AP?


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I'm running Dawn of Flame right now, and I've run about half of Dead Suns and played in about half of Against the Aeon Throne.

Of those three, Dead Suns is the weakest in terms of gameplay. There's a lot of encounters that are just "here's an open room and a thing that wants to bite your head off", especially from mid book 1 through book 2. The plot is also both slow to get moving and not very interesting. Book 3 and onwards spice things up in that respect, but it never really deviates from the core concept.

AtAT delivers the biggest punch from the get go plot wise, and probably has the most interesting plot overall. The sneaky elements don't always work hand in hand with the combat - it ends up being a bit too easy to just murderhobo your way through the Aeon Throne's soldiers. This is probably the overall best of the three, but its also a pretty paint-by-numbers adaptation of Star Wars tropes.

Dawn of Flame has been great so far in terms of encounters (though my group's only about 2/3rds through book 1), with lots of variety in how PCs can approach things. It introduces more compelling conflicts and mysteries than either of the other two APs, in my opinion. There are some weak and railroady bits, but I didn't have too much difficulty spicing them up. The individual books look like they had great stories, but the overarching plot is so-so at best.


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Have not started Dawn of Flame yet and only a little way into Swarm.

of the ones I played.

Aeon throne had the most well rounded experience where the story and encounters all worked together and created an easy fun flow that made it the most fun. A bit of world building but more encounters that felt like filler.

Dead Suns was a little more generic and as such felt long. it tried to do a bit of everything which can be good but also added to my feelings that it kinda dragged on.

Signal of screams did three genres of horror so it was hard for me to find a comfortable flow. I personally enjoyed the suspense of book 1 and the supernatural investigation in book 2 but I dont think I would play it over again unlike either of the other 2.

All that said. I am really excited to start Dawn of Flame. Most of my playgroup would note that I have been talking about it for months.
It has a great setting that does a lot of starfinder world building and looks to have lots of investigation (my favorite part of SoS) and supernatural mysteries.

Swarm I am not far enough in to get a good feel for the campaign but the starship trooper space marine feel has been fun

Dark Archive

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Pathfinder Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

I'd say Dead Suns is on bottom with exception offinal two books, the first three are kinda slow build up and fourth book feels they could have done something more fascinating(I think biggest issue is that ruined alien civilization you are exploring is too human like mentality and culture wise, so it feels more like post apocalyptic adventure than exploring and finding out about dead civilization).

Agaisn the aeon throne is pretty great even if it has wacky "Geez, azlanti suck at planning defensive architecture, why did they put generator in first few rooms after entrance?" type deal, its short but really tight story of facing agaisnt evil empire. Signal of screams sounds great, but haven't read it in order to play it.

Dawn of Flame is overall great, but has the problem all starfinder aps have: No space to detail NPCs so that results in stuff like overall big bads being really flat character without backstories and basically, just big bad bosses to defeat mechanically.

Attack of the swarm is best AP so far despite it still being silly its AP until level 12 with premise of the sixth book. It does have some silly war movie cliches and it has the usual problem of not being able to well develop NPCs despite lot of them becoming PCs' crew on their starship. There is only one pretty well developed NPC and its because entire book is about interactions with them. That said yeah, besides book 2 ending up feeling like filler, it is really well made bug war thematically.

Dark Archive

Neuromancer wrote:
Shisumo wrote:
World of Dim Light wrote:
Some elements are leaving us a bit incredulous.
Which elements are those?

In the first book abandoning a vehicle with two auto cannons and two HMG.

Actually, the abandoned vehicles aren't the issue. Those are abandoned because of not being able to reach the destination in them. But, under what is essentially a martial law situation, having certain methods of dealing with an attempt to incite mutiny from a previously discredited individual result in chastisement is one. And the military organizational structure has some issues, along with 'congratulations, you've shown yourself to be elite soldiers, so now were going to assign you as first responders with no training or equipment for the job'.

Liberty's Edge

World of Dim Light wrote:
But, under what is essentially a martial law situation, having certain methods of dealing with an attempt to incite mutiny from a previously discredited individual result in chastisement is one.

Yeah, I'm not going to lie: I was kind of incredulous when I hit that scene, and pretty much instantly decided to rewrite it or chuck it if/when I ever run the AP.


Shisumo wrote:
World of Dim Light wrote:
But, under what is essentially a martial law situation, having certain methods of dealing with an attempt to incite mutiny from a previously discredited individual result in chastisement is one.
Yeah, I'm not going to lie: I was kind of incredulous when I hit that scene, and pretty much instantly decided to rewrite it or chuck it if/when I ever run the AP.

As someone who hasn't read the AP: details?


Pathfinder Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Rulebook, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

Thanks to everyone for the suggestions. I’ve pulled the trigger and ordered Against the Aeon Throne!

Dark Archive

Pathfinder Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
Metaphysician wrote:
Shisumo wrote:
World of Dim Light wrote:
But, under what is essentially a martial law situation, having certain methods of dealing with an attempt to incite mutiny from a previously discredited individual result in chastisement is one.
Yeah, I'm not going to lie: I was kind of incredulous when I hit that scene, and pretty much instantly decided to rewrite it or chuck it if/when I ever run the AP.
As someone who hasn't read the AP: details?

It has silly case of someone nobody else aboard ship likes running mutiny attempt by nagging a lot :p


CorvusMask wrote:
It has silly case of someone nobody else aboard ship likes running mutiny attempt by nagging a lot :p

In defense of the scene:

(1) The "unsettled civilians led by a demagogue" is a classic scene in a lot of military-themed stories.

(2) The book puts no restrictions on how PCs deal with the matter, though it obviously prefers a certain approach.

Spoiler:

Historically, mass retreats have been bloody, terrible things. It make sense for the Defense Force to want to appear to be capable peace-keepers, rather than shooting anyone who disagrees with them. They want to keep the civilian and military factions aligned as they try to redeploy.

(3) It gives a chance for diplomatically inclined PCs to shine.

Dark Archive

Pathfinder Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

I agree with all of those points besides that none of the civilians actually agrees with the guy and they are described as being non-enthusiastic about it and when you talk him down they are like "Thank god for that"(only point they react negatively is if you put mutiny down by threatening with violence)

Like I don't think there is anything silly about mutinies in war time, I think its silly that essentially only single person has problem with PCs and even when he "convinces" them to go along with it they don't really have heart in it.

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