I'm reading through the books, currently about half-way through book 3, and it feels like this AP has great flavor, but it kind of feels like the potential for roleplay is relatively limited and that this is more of a combat-focused AP line. Curious about other folks impressions, particularly from GMs who have run (or are running) the AP.
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It depends on what you consider to be "Roleplay potential." There aren't deep social intrigues or the like. But there are a lot of moments where PCs can solve problems and develop characters.
Book 1 is definitely combat focused, but there are parts that work well for roleplaying instead of fighting.
Thanks!
I guess part of what I'm reacting to is they have this uncommunicative enemy. It just is, without any dialogue or discussion. And, against that, while the PCs are ostensibly defending their homes, there isn't a lot of meat to dig in on with relationships that they'll care about long term.
Here are some refugees; escort them and forget them. Here are some survivors on another planet; save them and forget them. Etc.
I haven't really hit book 4 and I'm worried my players may just glide through book 3, not feeling much reason to care about the survivors. If we ran the AP, I may try to have their character backgrounds tie into these things.
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Role play potential is what you make it really. the group I'm playing in had a character's brother in with the prison escapees in book 1. The group I'm GMing had one of the players wanting to be from a space station so they ended up being from Spacedock Prime - 1 (that might have been evil of me). The interactions with the refugees rely heavily on the GM interjecting personality into them. No the books don't hold your hand and give you a script for every minor conversation but the trip from Suskillon takes minimum 3, maximum 9 days. enough time for you to build up some dialog and RP moments, maybe even make a permanent pen pall out of one of them or something if you wish. It just depends on how much a GM is willing to do some extra work besides read the text block the AP gives you. I would also heavily encourage RP moments between the players themselves. A big part of most war movies that this AP emulates is the relationship between the soldiers themselves more than relationships between the soldiers and outside world.
Here are some refugees; escort them and forget them. Here are some survivors on another planet; save them and forget them. Etc.
I'm not trying to offend, but to me, you seem to have a strange idea of roleplaying. Roleplaying is what you make of it. It's not about having a tea-party or the enemy monologuing, or about inter-party conflict about whether the enemy should be killed or not.
It's about if, why, and especially how you escort those refugees or save those survivors, and if, why, and how they are remembered.
And as always, an adventure path is a framework. Those NPCs should absolutely interact with the players, and if you want them to show up later, make them.
... one of the players wanting to be from a space station so they ended up being from Spacedock Prime - 1 ...
Oh god, that's amazing and delicious. I have to remember that one if I ever find maps so I can run this AP.
Oh man if I ever run book 1 again, I might begin with a session on space dock 1 before the players are dispatched to their patrol zone.
Its genius