Pathfinder 1E Have you played or run Paizo's Adventure Paths?

[MerricB]

Here's a question for you all: Have you played or run Paizo's Adventure Paths, and how did you find them?

I'm going to make some more comments below, but for now, I'm going to set up a poll; there will be three "level-bands" for each series, so you can give us an idea of how much you've played. Choose the bands that most cover your experiences - only the low-level adventures? Only the high-level adventures? All the adventures?

Cheers!

 

[Mouseferatu]

While I've read SC and ST (and very much loved the latter), and have been desperate to play through AoW, I've not had the opportunity to run or play in any of them.

 

[demiurge1138]

I've run Age of Worms since the beginning, and once all my players come back to school, I'll finish it.

Demiurge out.

 

[MerricB]

Age of Worms
I ran this series first, with my Friday night group, all the way through. My basic impressions were that it started with a lot of potential in Diamond Lake, abandoned that potential, ran into some plotting issues, and then began to get back together when the group travelled to Greyhawk.

The Hall of Harsh Reflections allowed me the most opportunity to customise the adventure, as it involved a lot of wandering around The Free City (of Greyhawk), a place I've run adventures before. So, that was fun. Champion's Belt works as a logical successor to this, and A Gathering of Winds manages to provide a very solid adventure and tie-up to the Diamond Lake threads.

That these three adventures hit the "sweet spot" of D&D - levels 7-12 - and were also my favourite adventures to run probably means something.

The Spire of Long Shadows hits a wall very quickly: a lot of really tough monsters. To survive it, you really need to follow the 9:05 plan - battle, rest, battle, rest, battle, rest. It'd probably be the most improved by a 4e sensibility. Of course, it's also trying to pack too much XP into too little adventure. The "vision then XP" thing is ridiculous when used to the extent it is.

Things got back on track with The Prince of Redhand, which manages to ignore the problems encountered with high-level 3e play by being a strong-roleplaying experience. The Library of Last Resort is a mixed bag, with the first wilderness adventure not paying enough attention to the fact that the PCs can fly, as well as some too-complex encounters. OTOH, it's got some great moments.

The final trilogy of adventures deteriorate in quality; I felt confused running Kings of the Rift as I didn't think it gave the PCs enough guidance on where to go (my players not being in the habit of casting "commune with plot"); Into the Wormcrawl Fissure had things looking up, but Dawn of a New Age wandering into the realms of "we hate the rogue" too much, despite some strong set-piece encounters.

Cheers!

 

[Beckett]

The AoW game I've been running is on hiatus while we work no a few other things. We just finished part 6.

My ST game finished up part 5 a few weeks ago, then we started up the first issue of Pathfinder. It looks like we'll be starting part 6 on Thursday.

 

[MerricB]

Shackled City
I managed to run the first 3 adventures before my players decided that having jobs or studying was more important than role-playing - thankfully, in a couple more months we'll be back running it again. This was done using the hardcover. Of the three APs, this is the one I dislike. There's some strong ideas in it, but...

...I don't like the setting much
...the plot is weak.

My biggest problem with the first 3 adventures in the series - well, more Drakthar's Way and Flood Season than Life's Bazaar - is that the dungeons are too big. They really feel like "oh, the PCs need to gain 2 levels, so we need this many encounters, so here you go"... and given the time limitations on the quests, it makes no sense whatsoever to have the PCs go in, fight a few battles, then retreat. It makes even less sense in Flood Season given the location of the major dungeon. When the PCs rest for the first time, why don't the villains escape?

Just one note: when you need a reactive dungeon, I prefer if the text notes what the likely actions will be.

Cheers!

 

[MerricB]

Savage Tide
Without a doubt, my favourite of the three APs so far. I've run the first three adventures.

One reason for this is that it sets the PCs up with a strong patron from the very beginning - the other two APs tend to "we're an adventuring party looking for action, and the next adventure holds a new hook" for the first few adventures, giving a lack of cohesion. Lavinia is also a really cool character to role-play.

Also, it allows me to do lots of impressions of Captain Barbossa. We're both Australians. Piracy is in our blood!

There is no Honor does wander into trouble with the construction of the dungeon (I think I've mentioned how much I hate 5' corridors when I've got 6 PCs?) but is strong plotwise and thematically. The Bullywug Gambit builds on this, and, surprisingly, The Sea Wyvern's Wake is an extremely strong role-playing adventure, with some good combats thrown in to keep everyone happy.

Of course, the last does have a few problems - sea monsters attacking ships always presents presentation difficulties - but the option of using several fun NPCs makes up for it.

Part 4? We begin that this Friday!

Cheers!

 

[Hawklord]

Played through the Shackled City with a cleric of St Cuthbert and loved it right up to the end when I thought it fell a little flat - escpecially with some unresolved plot threads around Occipitus.

Currently DMing The Age of Worms - only got as far as the Three Faces of Evil so far - but (fingers crossed) no major issues so far. Other than nearly wiping the party out at the end of the Whispering Cairn. That last encounter was a killer!

I'll have to watch out for the points you raise for the adventures coming up, Merric.

Playing in Savage Tide with a Paladin which from what I hear could be problematic. Not been too much of an issue so far, but we'll see!

So far so good with all the APs!



.

 

[delericho]

I ran my group through the whole of Shackled City (magazine version). We had a really good time.

I then ran my group through part of the first adventure in the Savage Tide. For some reason, it just didn't quite work, but I think that was probably that my group were really looking for something else in their campaign. With luck, we will be able to come back to it some day, and try again.

 

[Monkey Boy]

I ran the savage tide concluding at the battle for farshore. We finished at around level 11.

Saving Farshore seemed like a suitable and climactic place to finish things. The Shrine of Demogorgon took the wind out of the parties sails with the final original party members perishing to those damn demonic apes. It's hard to continue the motivation in a campaign where all the original PC's have perished.