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There's no "GM school" out there. The best ways you can become a good GM, as a result, are by being a GM, by playing with or watching other GMs, or by reading published adventures. I've learned a LOT of my skills as a GM and adventure writer by reading adventures and running published adventures. I've long felt that a GM who deliberately avoids reading (much less running or incorporating) adventures written by other people is denying themselves one of the best ways to self-improve.
I've been GMing for more than forty years. When I started, the -only- published adventure I was aware of was "The Temple of the Frog" in the "Blackmoor" supplement. We just dove in and did whatever crazy thing seemed cool to us. When they started to become available, modules, adventures and campaigns were revelatory because they almost always included ideas we hadn't seen before or hadn't considered for inclusion in our own stories.
Becoming a good GM is not just about experience. I know some very inexperienced GMs who shock me with their excellent storytelling skills. Most of these have expressed concern at their lack of experience while simultaneously being great GMs.
Being, or becoming a great GM involves:
1) Emotional intelligence, a willingness and ability to work with your players to deliver a fun experience for all concerned;
2) A willingness to improvise when preparation inevitably isn't enough (and believe me, I'm an over-preparer);
3) Preparation; No set amount - just know your setting and characters.
4) Reading. Read fantasy fiction, history, game modules, other games, anything you can. It will enrich your game.
But most of all, be willing to try again. Very few people are great right out of the gate.
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For those playing the home game... we knew that the Isle of Dread was in Mystara, but decided to bring it into Greyhawk for Savage Tide because it was such a great location, and because we wanted to show in print that it was okay to borrow something from one campaign and put it into another.
Considering how many AP's I've stolen for my Mystara game*, I would be a hypocrite if I didn't agree. It was just surprising to see it done (semi)officially.
*and StarDrive/Alternity, GH, Star Trek, Ringworld, etc. stuff I stole for Dragonstar, and the Mythago Wood stuff stolen for Ars Magica, and various stuff stolen for Laundry Files, and...
My own home campaign is a gloriously messy mix of Tolkien, Moorcock and Byzantine history with a dash of Le Morte D'Arthur thrown in. And then a vast asteroid full of Gygax slams into all that.
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Wonderful guide! I had - some years ago - started something similar to this guide before realizing that I just didn't have enough experience yet with all the APs out there and setting it aside. It's fantastic to see a single reference that talks about all these different APs.
Of course, my own opinions are quite different than what's listed in both the poll and your ratings Tarondor (I was bored to death by Kingmaker by the end of Book 2 for example, and think its probably one of the worst APs they've made), but the summaries and discussion on each rating are quite a good reference for GMs looking for their next game. Having GM'd Iron Gods for example, your comments there are spot on and I think very helpful to a prospective GM.
Creative Director
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For those playing the home game... we knew that the Isle of Dread was in Mystara, but decided to bring it into Greyhawk for Savage Tide because it was such a great location, and because we wanted to show in print that it was okay to borrow something from one campaign and put it into another.
Considering how many AP's I've stolen for my Mystara game*, I would be a hypocrite if I didn't agree. It was just surprising to see it done (semi)officially.
*and StarDrive/Alternity, GH, Star Trek, Ringworld, etc. stuff I stole for Dragonstar, and the Mythago Wood stuff stolen for Ars Magica, and various stuff stolen for Laundry Files, and...
It's also hardly the first time that something like this has been done officially, of coruse... Bloodstone Pass was originally in Greyhawk and shifted to Forgotten Realms by the end of that four part series. And Ravenloft's snatched up all sorts of stuff from all sorts of settings.
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My own home campaign is a gloriously messy mix of Tolkien, Moorcock and Byzantine history with a dash of Le Morte D'Arthur thrown in. And then a vast asteroid full of Gygax slams into all that.For those playing the home game... we knew that the Isle of Dread was in Mystara, but decided to bring it into Greyhawk for Savage Tide because it was such a great location, and because we wanted to show in print that it was okay to borrow something from one campaign and put it into another.
Considering how many AP's I've stolen for my Mystara game*, I would be a hypocrite if I didn't agree. It was just surprising to see it done (semi)officially.
*and StarDrive/Alternity, GH, Star Trek, Ringworld, etc. stuff I stole for Dragonstar, and the Mythago Wood stuff stolen for Ars Magica, and various stuff stolen for Laundry Files, and...
Wow. You and I use similar material for inspirational source material.
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Gygax is one of those people where more I learn about them personally more I get disappointed ^_^; And I haven't seen most of his work so I don't have same type of attachment to his work as lot of D&D fans do.
I am however wondering if I should try to find Vance's or Moorcock's books that helped inspire lot of D&Disms(and apparently were super popular back in 70s or whenever they were written again), though I am kinda worried if writing style has aged and is hard to read nowadays. I've never been able to read Lord of the Rings x'P
(yeah I say lot of fantasy fan heresy here)
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Gygax is one of those people where more I learn about them personally more I get disappointed ^_^; And I haven't seen most of his work so I don't have same type of attachment to his work as lot of D&D fans do.
I am however wondering if I should try to find Vance's or Moorcock's books that helped inspire lot of D&Disms(and apparently were super popular back in 70s or whenever they were written again), though I am kinda worried if writing style has aged and is hard to read nowadays. I've never been able to read Lord of the Rings x'P
(yeah I say lot of fantasy fan heresy here)
Haven't read Vance, but Moorcock's Elric stuff is just fantastic.
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though I am kinda worried if writing style has aged and is hard to read nowadays. I've never been able to read Lord of the Rings x'P
I also couldn't get through LotR, but I did read and enjoy the Dying Earth stories by Vance that I read.
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Honestly, I was flabbergasted that anyone would bother responding to a poll, but not bother responding to all 8 questions.
I answered the poll but not all of the questions as they didn't all apply to me. One asked what APs you've played in and I have played in none since I am the forever GM for Pathfinder in my group.
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I took the survey, started reading through the write-ups, and am planning to return to this thread (and the guide) when I have more time. This is a great overview of Paizo's story-telling in past years!
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Hey Tarondor
Love the effort and work, is this still active and might you look in on Starfinder AP's for the same treatment? I'd be VERY interested (and I bet others as well!!) with those results, and a lot less to go through as well :)
Thanks
Tom
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Thank you for the effort!
I appreciate your guide; however, I regard Age of Worms and Savage Tide as the best of the best ever produced for the game (not only Pathfinder but D&D also, any edition).
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@Tarondor: Thank you for putting together this guide!
While I might not agree with every point/ranking in it, nonetheless it is a valuable resource for gaining an overview of all the paths listed in it.
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I love Shackled City with some of the bolt-on additions people had come up with on the forums (notably in making the bad guys a bit more prevalent earlier)
I'd like to see Tarandon add in some of the 3pp APs (Slumbering Tsar, Zeitgeist, Wicked Way, Razor Coast). Wicked Way in particularly I think is a better AP than Hell's Vengeance. And also update for Outlaws and Frozen Flame.
I agree Age of Ashes is highly overrated, I thought it was meh at best.
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It's hard to rate Age of Ashes since the primary problem affecting it is "the hazards and antagonists are overtuned" since it was largely written before the 2e rules were finalized. How much you feel comfortable massaging the math so your players have a good time depends on you. The basic frame of the adventure is pretty fun, but I wouldn't recommend it to someone who doesn't know 2e well enough to spot the pain points and know how to fix them.
Like every GM is going to have different strengths and weaknesses and part of mastering the craft is figuring out where yours lie. Some people might think "working the villain into the story sooner" is the easiest thing in the world and some will struggle. Some people will think "fix all the math so the combat has appropriate difficulty" is their least favorite thing and some people will think it's NBD.
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Will this guide be updated again soon? Maybe after Blood Lords?
This is great - would be great to see another update in a year or so.