Pathfinder 1E Your Pathfinder campaigns - running Adventure Paths, published adventures, or homebrew?

MerricB · Jan 31, 2013

G'day, all!

For those running or playing campaigns using the Pathfinder system (and only Pathfinder), do you primarily run Adventure Paths (either Paizo or 3rd party), published adventures or homebrew adventures?

I exclusively use APs. (I run 4 games. My homebrews I run in the AD&D and 4E system; I don't have the time for writing another campaign).

Feel free to elaborate on your answer below. (I know there'll be people who mix published adventures and homebrews; just pick one or the other based on what you think makes the more significant contribution to your game).

Why is this only about Pathfinder? Mainly because one of the chief selling points of the system (to my eyes at least) are the many APs they put out, but there's a lot of stuff for enabling self-created games, and I'm wondering what others use the system for.

Cheers!

Ahnehnois · Jan 31, 2013

I use a fair amount of PF rules material, but I consider my game to be 3.5 rather than PF.

That said, I do find the topic interesting. I would never use a published adventure. There's a lot of people playing 3.5 and a lot playing PF, and the differences in mechanics are pretty small, but I wonder if there are cultural differences because of the campaign setting and the adventure products.

Jacob Marley · Jan 31, 2013

I am currently playing through the Skull & Shackles Adventure Path; before that, we ran through the Kingmaker Adventure Path. If I were to DM Pathfinder, I think I'd probably stick to running one of the Adventure Paths. Over the years I have developed a number of tools and techniques to run 1st Edition and 3rd Edition D&D adventures. While Pathfinder is a 3.x derivative, it is not a 1:1 translation. At this stage in my life I am not willing to put in the work required to transition my tools from 1st Edition and 3rd Edition to Pathfinder (or 4th Edition, D&DNext, DCC, C&C, whatever). Running Adventure Paths is just plain easier (though, not as enjoyable).

Wycen · Jan 31, 2013

I chose Adventure Paths, but I would maybe choose Published adventures noting that AP's also double as published adventures, but I get your drift. Then again I'm not running anything, but I'd considered it and it would be taking parts from published adventures.

I would almost call 2012 the Year of Pathfinder, for me at least. At the start of the year I was playing 3 different Pathfinder games with 3 different groups. 2 used AP's and the 3rd is a sandbox with bits taken from all over the place, by the DM's admission.

Game 1 was Curse of the Crimson Throne. By summer it was dead after a particularly bad sequence of events initiated by someone several of us figured out we didn't like - he was the new guy vouched for by one person, but things didn't work out.

Game 2 was Carrion Crown. By Christmas I was ready to bail on this campaign for reasons you can find buried here in this forum probably 2 or 3 months back. I talked to the DM after we finished the anti-climactic battle in book 2 and decided it wasn't worth continuing for me.

Game 3 is still going on and it is a homebrew sandbox. We've recently had some drama, based on bad decisions but we'll probably get past it. The DM has 3 spiral bound books, with all the hexes mapped out. And he's not finished. Over Christmas we explored a salt mine that he created after finishing his 3 books. I know he's borrowing things from various sources not only because he's said as much, but because he's posted pictures for the group and some of them I recognize like Ridddleport from Golarion. During the summer break when 1 player was in South America the DM ran Crypt of the Everflame for new 1st level characters to join the group.

I've considered running a one-shot or 2 shot using this same group so the DM can take a break and play, but first I have to find something I want to run and then fit it into his hexes somewhere. I'm really thinking about an underwater or moon trip, but that's about as far as I've taken things.

Dice4Hire · Jan 31, 2013

I do not play Pathfinder but I am very curious how the poll works out. With all those APs published are they used? So far it looks like they are mostly used.

Good thread idea.

pogre · Jan 31, 2013

The only reason my group is playing Pathfinder is to run through one of their APs (Rise of the Runelords). It's a fine game, but I like other systems to homebrew with but I'm too lazy to convert the AP!

S'mon · Jan 31, 2013

When I run Pathfinder rules (Beginner Box) I use mostly published short adventures, 1-2 sessions mostly. I had a nice Gygaxian Yggsburgh campaign using PBB. I used the Yggsburgh book material, the PBB Black Fang adventure, Crypt of the Everflame, a free Paizo download adventure, a conversion of B9 Castle Caldwell (not a good module!), etc.

I don't think the Pathfinder system is a good match for the Adventure Path style, if I do run a Paizo AP I'll probably use 4e; I've been converting Curse of the Crimson Throne to 4e. Whereas I do think the 3e/PF system works well for Gygaxian sandboxy play.

marelion · Jan 31, 2013

I only do homebrew, no matter what the system.

Note that this entirely a gaming-style decision. I gm for groups who are very heavy into method-acting amd most published adventures I`ve seen or played in don`t really leave enough room to fit our taste. Every once in a while I steal some neat ideas for encounter set-ups but since our group isn`t possesed of too much tactical ingenuity I often have to tone these encounters down quite a bit.

Also, our party layout is not really standard. We have a human druid 8, a Wizard 3/Cleric 3/Mystic Theurg 2, a halfling (archery) Ranger 8, an human Barbarian(Invulnerable Rager) 8, a halfling Sorcerer(draconic bloodline) 8 and an Aasimar Knight 1/Bard 6/Battle Herold 1. We recently went through "Tearing the Weave"(converted from 3.5 to Pathfinder) with the player of the bard as GM and our lack of melee prowess, tactical experience and system knowledge (we had 4 new players, 2 of whom had never played an RPG before) gave us a hard time in many encounters.

To accomdate for this I`ve deceided to switch to homebrew once more since higher-level Dnd/Pathfinder is not a wole lot of fun with new players.

delericho · Jan 31, 2013

I haven't thus far been tempted (and so won't vote in the poll), but for me the use of Pathfinder is indeed connected to the use of their Adventure Paths - if I were to use one of the APs, I would use Pathfinder to run the campaign (rather than fuss about adapting to another system), and likewise the only reason I can see myself running Pathfinder is if I were running one of the APs.

NewJeffCT · Jan 31, 2013

I like the idea of Adventure Paths, but they didn't translate as well to my old gaming group. They seemed to take a more sandbox approach when playing Rise of the Runelords, while they had a really linear attitude towards Kingmaker - each time they got a clue/lead, they'd charge on towards where it led.