Simplicity
Explorer
The latest Adventure Path module, "Secrets of the Soul Pillars" just came
out in Dungeon #109. Unfortunately, it's the first of the series that I just
don't like at all. Up until now, I've thought the adventures have been stellar.
Not this one.
The adventure weighs in at a hefty 37 1/2 pages, but in those pages there's remarkably little for an adventure party to do, and almost no justification to do it. Here's what I mean... In the 37 1/2 pages, we have:
1 full page illustration at the beginning.
4 pages of preparation/background/setting.
1/2 a page detailing how to scale the adventure.
4 1/2 pages detailing how previously met people can help the players in an investigation.
1/2 page detailing feats in non-core books.
1 page of campaign seeds and "story so far" sidebars.
That brings the adventure text size down to about 26 pages. It's almost like the Adventure Path series is crushing itself under its own weight. The adventure feels remarkably epic in terms of the people you meet, but remarkably non-epic in terms of the scope of the adventure itself.
The plot itself is ...
Anyways, I was disappointed in this one. I hope the next Adventure Path isn't so weighed down in setting details that it has no room for plot. Really, if the people playing this adventure weren't playing it as part of the adventure path... What do they care that Cauldron is set at the top of a volcano and the proprietor of Surefoot Livery is a 5th level Expert? Why does this sort of info need to be repeated here again and again?
Argghhh....
out in Dungeon #109. Unfortunately, it's the first of the series that I just
don't like at all. Up until now, I've thought the adventures have been stellar.
Not this one.
The adventure weighs in at a hefty 37 1/2 pages, but in those pages there's remarkably little for an adventure party to do, and almost no justification to do it. Here's what I mean... In the 37 1/2 pages, we have:
1 full page illustration at the beginning.
4 pages of preparation/background/setting.
1/2 a page detailing how to scale the adventure.
4 1/2 pages detailing how previously met people can help the players in an investigation.
1/2 page detailing feats in non-core books.
1 page of campaign seeds and "story so far" sidebars.
That brings the adventure text size down to about 26 pages. It's almost like the Adventure Path series is crushing itself under its own weight. The adventure feels remarkably epic in terms of the people you meet, but remarkably non-epic in terms of the scope of the adventure itself.
The plot itself is ...
only effective if the players are curious about odd things for no apparent reason. Oh there's tons of important things going on. The players just don't get understand any of it.
Assassins come after the players. The players kill the assassins, find out that a high priest of Wee Jas sent the assassins after the players. So the players track the priest down... okay ... and then... the players decide that a random necromantic artifact, a cage, hanging in a Temple to the god of Death and Magic is important. Heck, it must be important because there's a handout that talks about it in some other priests quarters! Amongst the thousands of other scrolls that must be lying about the place.
So, the players are supposed to say, "Hey that looks funky. Lets go investigate a dungeon that is somehow related to it, but how we're not sure." Rather than "Hey. Someone is putting freaking OGRES in the town guard, taxing the hell out of the people, and making everyone really unhappy. Let's go find Lord Vhalantru, and beat the crap out of him."
Supposing that the players do investigate the mildy related dungeon to the semi-related artifact to some priest who tried to kill them, they may discover big things to kill... and some pillars that tell them that when you put something in the cages something bad will happen. Whoah. You mean to tell me that the giant hanging empty cage artifact that looks like it was made out of skulls and ribcages... is EVIL? Noooooo... It's a good thing there's a dracolich to guard that sort of information because, man ... hooo-boy. You don't want that getting out.
Assassins come after the players. The players kill the assassins, find out that a high priest of Wee Jas sent the assassins after the players. So the players track the priest down... okay ... and then... the players decide that a random necromantic artifact, a cage, hanging in a Temple to the god of Death and Magic is important. Heck, it must be important because there's a handout that talks about it in some other priests quarters! Amongst the thousands of other scrolls that must be lying about the place.
So, the players are supposed to say, "Hey that looks funky. Lets go investigate a dungeon that is somehow related to it, but how we're not sure." Rather than "Hey. Someone is putting freaking OGRES in the town guard, taxing the hell out of the people, and making everyone really unhappy. Let's go find Lord Vhalantru, and beat the crap out of him."
Supposing that the players do investigate the mildy related dungeon to the semi-related artifact to some priest who tried to kill them, they may discover big things to kill... and some pillars that tell them that when you put something in the cages something bad will happen. Whoah. You mean to tell me that the giant hanging empty cage artifact that looks like it was made out of skulls and ribcages... is EVIL? Noooooo... It's a good thing there's a dracolich to guard that sort of information because, man ... hooo-boy. You don't want that getting out.
Anyways, I was disappointed in this one. I hope the next Adventure Path isn't so weighed down in setting details that it has no room for plot. Really, if the people playing this adventure weren't playing it as part of the adventure path... What do they care that Cauldron is set at the top of a volcano and the proprietor of Surefoot Livery is a 5th level Expert? Why does this sort of info need to be repeated here again and again?
Argghhh....
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