Freeport or Shackled City

[Big Bucket]

Another vote here for Freeport, great stuff.

I just finished reading Shackled City and will be running that soon, so I'm not saying its bad, its just that I prefer Freeport.

 

[Numion]

Put another way. If the adventure path adventures did not exist, how playable would Cauldron be standing alone? If no Freeport adventures existed, how playable would Freeport (the main book) be standing alone.

I propose that without the adventure path adventures, Cauldron barely exists. I propose that without the Freeport adventures, Freeport (the main book) remains a vital setting.

Well, there you said it. Without the adventures Freeport is a setting, not a campaign.

I guess it's just differing definitions. The thread started from comparing Freeport series of modules and the Shackled City. Now both of those are campaigns, with the same caveats - the latter modules expect certain level of xp from the previous ones. When you move to comparing SC to Freeport series + Freeport campaign setting, it's comparing apples to oranges. Greyhawk campaign setting is to SC what Freeport campaign setting (main book) is to the Freeport series. So yeah, it supports more campaigns, but IMHO SC fits the definition of a campaign better than a campaign setting.

This shouldn't have been a reason for me to get this argumentative though, so please accept my apologies

 

[GVDammerung]

Well, there you said it. Without the adventures Freeport is a setting, not a campaign.

I guess it's just differing definitions. The thread started from comparing Freeport series of modules and the Shackled City. Now both of those are campaigns, with the same caveats - the latter modules expect certain level of xp from the previous ones. When you move to comparing SC to Freeport series + Freeport campaign setting, it's comparing apples to oranges. Greyhawk campaign setting is to SC what Freeport campaign setting (main book) is to the Freeport series. So yeah, it supports more campaigns, but IMHO SC fits the definition of a campaign better than a campaign setting.

This shouldn't have been a reason for me to get this argumentative though, so please accept my apologies

No apology necessary. I enjoyed the exchange and I thought we were reasonably polite for holding differing views. I do take your point generally and I specifically agree it is a case of differing definitions and tastes.

For me, Freeport's combination of larger setting material + adventures exceeds in value Cauldron's combination of setting material plus larger adventures. Both are campaigns just of different sorts.

 

[JoeGKushner]

No apology necessary. I enjoyed the exchange and I thought we were reasonably polite for holding differing views. I do take your point generally and I specifically agree it is a case of differing definitions and tastes.

For me, Freeport's combination of larger setting material + adventures exceeds in value Cauldron's combination of setting material plus larger adventures. Both are campaigns just of different sorts.

The one thing I think Shackled City has all over Freeport, outside of the full color format and all ( ), is that it has a more consistant tone. Sometimes there are things that pop up in Freeport that are just... out of place with the majority of it.

 

[Napftor]

People who want pirates without gunpowder confuse me.

Since your eyeballs are here, Mr. Pramas, any chance the Freeport PDF stuff, which so far has been of high quality, could get the rights to Print On Demand?

Indeed, I would love to see Vengeance in print.

 

[Desdichado]

I prefer Freeport, for the same reasons as GlassJaw (I was going to say something very similar until I saw that he already had.) What I'd really like to see, though, is a Cauldron sourcebook that's divorced from the Shackled City Adventure Path. I think it's a cool town on it's own.

 

[Numion]

I prefer Freeport, for the same reasons as GlassJaw (I was going to say something very similar until I saw that he already had.) What I'd really like to see, though, is a Cauldron sourcebook that's divorced from the Shackled City Adventure Path. I think it's a cool town on it's own.

It is interesting place, but is it big enough to warrant a sourcebook of its own? I think it has very nice flavor, with all the stuff and festivities to honor the founders, the festival itself, etc.. that make it feel like a real place with history, but it's still a fairly minor city sitting in a caldera.

BTW, I've had a liking for fantasy city adventures with festivals in em since Shadows over Bögenhafen and Power Behind the Throne* in Warhammer Fantasy

* The first time I ran an RPG session without a single fight**. Well ok, a city watchman kicked a PC for running his mouth, but since no melee ensued, I'm counting that

** That feat remains unmatched to this day, IIRC

 

[SoulsFury]

Thanks everyone for all the input, I made my decision... I'll be going with Freeport. I'm sure there will be other campaigns though, so eventually I might be posting the thread: Shackled City or Age of Worms?

Nik