Pathfinder Society Scenario # 9-15: "The Bloodcove Blockade" [RPG]

 

NO SPOILERS

I played The Bloodcove Blockade via play-by-post, using the Iconic investigator, Quinn.  I really enjoyed the first third of the adventure, and the rest is fine.  There's plenty of opportunity to use social skills like Disguise, Bluff, Diplomacy, and more.  Combat is less emphasized, though there's one that proved a real slog for the group I was in.  The storyline is good, though there's perhaps too many story threads and a dubious timing mechanism--I remember losing track of the plot at one point.  The scenario definitely makes use of (and adds to) existing setting lore and has good maps and artwork.  Overall, I think I'm going to place this one in the "good but not great" category.

SPOILERS!

As the name implies, the scenario takes place in Bloodcove, a port city in the Mwangi Expanse.  Bloodcove is a major trading hub for the Aspis Consortium and is used to channel relics stolen from the area's indigenous inhabitants, ore from mining operations, and a variety of smuggled goods.  In a briefing given jointly by Fola Barun (whom I don't know) and Guaril Karela (whom I know and love), the PCs are told that their mission is designed to turn the city against the Aspis Consortium.  Fola's  reason is to do good for the sake of doing good (cutting off an Aspis mining operation from supplies before it can inadvertently set free an asura trapped for centuries in a temple), while Guaril and the Exchange Faction's reason is to make room for the Pathfinder Society to become a major player in the city.  I like the joint motivation, though turning an entire city against those Aspis snakes seems like a big responsibility for a group of relatively inexperienced Pathfinders.

The PCs are told that the best place to start is a warehouse owned by the Vanji Prospector's Guild, which is essentially a front for the Aspis Consortium in Bloodcove.  The goal is to infiltrate the place posing as customers, pilfer or snatch any records that would make the organisation look bad, and see if a captured Pathfinder spy named Malika Fenn is being held there.  This was my favourite part of the scenario, as it really gave an opportunity for some under-utilised skills (like Bluff and Disguise) to shine.  Posing as Aspis agents, my group gathered a lot of intel in the warehouse, found Malika, and was then able to launch a surprise attack from the inside to rescue her.  It was one of those rare times that a plan all comes together, and was a lot of fun.

After the warehouse, the PCs' next task is to turn two particularly influential figures in Bloodcove against the Aspis Consortium.  The first person is Erwyn Harvacus, powerful leader of the Saltroot druid circle, a group that uses its control over nature to make Bloodcove a feasible trading port.  Persuading Erwyn is handled as a pure role-playing/skills challenge, with various bonuses that can be used based on the information obtained from the warehouse.  This works well, though there isn't any tips on how the GM should role-play Erywn's mannerisms or style of speaking, info which can really make lengthy encounters with NPCs come alive.  The second person the PCs need to convince is Ungala, the leader of a group of warriors who try to stop the theft and smuggling of cultural relics by confronting any Indiana Jones-types who come to the Mwangi Expanse.  But Ungala is too busy to talk, as her forces have been decimated by a mysterious supernatural killer.  To earn her support, the PCs need to track down and destroy a weird monster called an adhukait.  At low subtier, the adhukait has spell resistance, DR, a couple of types of resistances, some immunities, and (worst of all) regeneration.  In the game I was in, this battle was a long, tedious thing because we just couldn't inflict enough damage on a regular basis to overcome its defenses and outpace its regeneration.  The battle lasted 11 rounds, and I think the GM took mercy on us and perhaps gave us the win.  To be fair, there was a way we could have learned what the foe was and prepared better, but we failed the necessary skill check.

Once Erwyn and Ungala are on board, the only thing left to do is give them the signal to start the blockade of Aspis ships and caravans.  As the PCs are likely to incur retribution for this, Guaril strongly advises the group to leave the city first.  However, whether they leave on foot or by boat, the Aspis have already learned of the group's presence and arranged an assassin to ambush them.  The assassin is an archer and doesn't present much risk.  The scenario has a "delay" mechanic embedded throughout in which the GM is supposed to keep track of how long the PCs take to accomplish their tasks (while hinting that they need to hurry), and the number of "delays" gives more time for the assassin to prepare.  I think the mechanic was more trouble than it was worth, and for the players it created this weird sense of urgency for seemingly no reason--after all, a blockade of supplies is going to take a while in event to have any effect on the mining operation, and the group doesn't know about the assassin.

I'll go ahead and note here that the scenario makes excellent use of previous PFS scenarios set in and around Bloodcove by giving players special bonuses if they have a relevant Chronicle sheet.  It also seems like a scenario that must tie into other Season 9 adventures, as there's not a definitive resolution of the "Aspis could set free an asura in the temple" risk.

Overall, I think The Bloodcove Blockade was a solid, fun scenario that holds appeal to various character builds.  It's not flawless or full of amazing twists, but should be a satisfying experience for players and GM alike.