Ring Side Report-RPG Review of Pathfinder Society Scenario #6–05: Slave Ships of Absalom
Originally posted at Throat Punch Games, a new idea, everyday!
Product- Pathfinder Society Scenario #6–05: Slave Ships of Absalom
System- Pathfinder
Producer- Paizo
Price- ~$4 here http://paizo.com/products/btpy9985?Pathfinder-Society-Scenario-6-05-Slave-Ships-of-Absalom
TL; DR- Some problems hurt a good story that's part of this year's metaplot. 83%
Basics-Someone is selling tainted slaves in the Inner Sea! A slave at a party had a spell cast upon her that allowed someone to eavesdrop on the guest. Can you and the rest of the Pathfinder Society make some friends by discreetly finding out who is behind this?
Mechanics or Crunch- This is a reasonable short adventure as it's designed for Pathfinder Society play. However, some major missteps happen over the course of this story. One is the players can fail a few rolls and be completely out of luck when it comes to the mystery. In addition, like most PFS modules, there are some roleplaying and 2-to-3 fights. However, one of these fights is pretty tough and can easily wipe most parties if the GM doesn't pull a few punches. This isn't a bad module, but some of the Pathfinder mechanics work against the fun your players could have. 3/5
Theme or Fluff-Overall, I liked the story of this one. There is a decent amount of roleplaying that can happen while still having the combat that some players crave. However, some of the story seems off. A character won't help the players even after the players save that person's life! That kind of seems out of the realm of believably even with magic and elves about. Also, this module is about slavery, so some players won't like working for NPC's who openly own slaves. 4.5/5
Execution- This is done by Paizo. They know how to layout a book. It's easy and quick to read. The art is good, but as always I'd like a bit more. What is here is well done. 5/5
Summary- This is a short, fun adventure that isn't without its faults. I enjoyed running this for my players, and they enjoyed playing this adventure. It has the standard problems that can plague a Pathfinder game: combats based on CR alone and rolls killing investigation/roleplay. Those are some problems that can really gum up this adventure's gears. Also, this is a module that deals with slavery. If you're players are not comfortable with that, then this will not be fun for them. If you want a module set in Absalom where you have a decent mix of investigation and combat, this is a better than average module. Also, if you want to get deeper into the Year of the Sky Key, then this an good start to the metaplot. 83%
Originally posted at Throat Punch Games, a new idea, everyday!
Product- Pathfinder Society Scenario #6–05: Slave Ships of Absalom
System- Pathfinder
Producer- Paizo
Price- ~$4 here http://paizo.com/products/btpy9985?Pathfinder-Society-Scenario-6-05-Slave-Ships-of-Absalom
TL; DR- Some problems hurt a good story that's part of this year's metaplot. 83%
Basics-Someone is selling tainted slaves in the Inner Sea! A slave at a party had a spell cast upon her that allowed someone to eavesdrop on the guest. Can you and the rest of the Pathfinder Society make some friends by discreetly finding out who is behind this?
Mechanics or Crunch- This is a reasonable short adventure as it's designed for Pathfinder Society play. However, some major missteps happen over the course of this story. One is the players can fail a few rolls and be completely out of luck when it comes to the mystery. In addition, like most PFS modules, there are some roleplaying and 2-to-3 fights. However, one of these fights is pretty tough and can easily wipe most parties if the GM doesn't pull a few punches. This isn't a bad module, but some of the Pathfinder mechanics work against the fun your players could have. 3/5
Theme or Fluff-Overall, I liked the story of this one. There is a decent amount of roleplaying that can happen while still having the combat that some players crave. However, some of the story seems off. A character won't help the players even after the players save that person's life! That kind of seems out of the realm of believably even with magic and elves about. Also, this module is about slavery, so some players won't like working for NPC's who openly own slaves. 4.5/5
Execution- This is done by Paizo. They know how to layout a book. It's easy and quick to read. The art is good, but as always I'd like a bit more. What is here is well done. 5/5
Summary- This is a short, fun adventure that isn't without its faults. I enjoyed running this for my players, and they enjoyed playing this adventure. It has the standard problems that can plague a Pathfinder game: combats based on CR alone and rolls killing investigation/roleplay. Those are some problems that can really gum up this adventure's gears. Also, this is a module that deals with slavery. If you're players are not comfortable with that, then this will not be fun for them. If you want a module set in Absalom where you have a decent mix of investigation and combat, this is a better than average module. Also, if you want to get deeper into the Year of the Sky Key, then this an good start to the metaplot. 83%
