A City in Chaos: The Dynamic World of Curse of the Crimson Throne

The Curse of the Crimson Throne is a popular adventure path for the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game. It is set in the city of Korvosa, a bustling metropolis in the fictional world of Golarion. The adventure path spans six chapters, taking players on a thrilling journey filled with political intrigue, urban exploration, and epic battles. The adventure begins with the funeral of the city's beloved Queen, which quickly turns into chaos as a deadly plague spreads through the streets. The players, as heroes drawn from all walks of life, must navigate the treacherous politics of the city while also uncovering the secrets behind the curse that plagues Korvosa. Throughout the adventure, players will find themselves embroiled in a web of conspiracy, facing off against corrupt officials, dangerous cults, and even supernatural horrors.

As for the notes about the Direption, I notice that the lines about the records of the ship's activity are a new addition to the Anniversary Edition (released in 2016), so I'm willing to bet whomever added it forgot to account for the timeline of the original book and used the anniversary's release as the baseline. Given that, I'd set the timeline as being 13-5 years ago (so 4695-4703), and the owner's death as 3 years ago (so 4705).

And so the characters venture into a crime-ridden city district that has been quarantined and left to rot they need to rescue a friendly NPC and a politically significant NPC. To add further confusion, one of the rumours states They never caught the Key-Lock Killer; he just vanished after killing nine people in their own locked homes back in 4797.

Throughout the adventure, players will find themselves embroiled in a web of conspiracy, facing off against corrupt officials, dangerous cults, and even supernatural horrors. The Curse of the Crimson Throne is known for its complex and engaging storyline, as well as its memorable cast of characters. One of the highlights of the adventure path is the exploration of Korvosa itself.

Pathfinder Adventure Path: Curse of the Crimson Throne (PFRPG)

The kings and queens of Korvosa have long ruled under the shadow of the Curse of the Crimson Throne—an infamous superstition claiming that no monarch of the city of Korvosa shall ever die of old age or produce an heir. Whether or not there is any truth to the legend of the curse, Korvosa's current king is but the latest victim to succumb to this foul legacy. Now, the metropolis teeters on the edge of anarchy, and it falls to a band of new heroes to save Korvosa from the greatest threat it has ever known! This hardcover compilation updates the fan-favorite campaign for use with the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, including new and revised content and nearly 500 pages packed with mayhem, excitement, and adventure!

This hardcover edition of Curse of the Crimson Throne contains:

• All six chapters of the original Adventure Path, expanded and updated for use with the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game.
• An in-depth gazetteer of the city of Korvosa as it exists under the rule of its new queen.
• An array of new rules options for characters, ranging from campaign traits to spells to magic items.
• An expansive appendix with statistics, descriptions, backgrounds, and rules support for the 12 most important NPCs in the campaign.
• A bestiary featuring nine monsters from the original Adventure Path making their debut under the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game rules.
• Dozens of new illustrations, never-before-seen characters, location maps, extensive new encounter locations, and more!

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The Gold Standard For Adventure Paths

This AP is widely considered one of the (if not THE) best Adventure Paths for good reason. It really is that good. Tons of really interesting NPCs and storylines. Lots and lots and lots of room for a GM to add their own touches. An excellent story that makes the PCs feel like heroes. Villains they really want to beat. Heck, it's even a good introduction to the pathfinder system and world.

Not only that, but since it's so popular, there's tons of advice about what changes to make, what to keep an eye on, and how to make changes that can improve it. This edition is a fantastic deal and an excellent campaign and I can't recommend it highly enough.

Frick it my review got deleted

I wrote fricking long review about great time I had with running the whole campaign(and post campaign) and then it got deleted by the fricking "too much backtracking" page dagnabbit

I'm not gonna write the entire thing again, so here is in short: This campaign has great recurring NPC cast(most of later APs have problem with introducing cool NPCs and then rest of books never mentioning them again), great themes, great villains, Kazavon's awesome hair, allows multiple approaches to different situations(such as infiltrating with sneaking or talking through places instead of just fighting through them. Kinda reminds me of Deux Ex computer games in a way), awesome locations, awesome post campaign potential and is one of my favourite APs ever.

Good value, but some reservations

Short Version: A smart buy but held back by structural issues.

It's hard to get better adventure value for your dollar than this or the Rise of the Runelords collected edition. If I were reviewing on that alone, this would be 5 stars and then some. But there's more to an adventure than that.

The AP's hook is quite good, but almost immediately discarded in favor of saving the city. This can be helped a good session 0, but still feels artificial.

Even looking at the new plot, many elements feel shoehorned in. People point to volumes 4 and 5 for this, but there are sections in 2 that exist only to kill time as the plot advances and an entire dungeon in 3 that is cool but can seem forced if the players don't kick in the door right away. Any of these alone would be fine, but each makes the next more obvious.

That being said, there's a lot of cool stuff going on here, it just takes at least a star's worth of work to stitch it together.

3.5 vs. Pathfinder comparison!

I´m gonna list the differences between the original AP#7s chapters and it´s adaption into the hardcover edition:

Inside front cover:
The "Korvosan Hierarchy" overview is not reprinted.
Part 1:
The illustration on page 6 is exchanged for a cartoony new one on page 12 of the HC.
Page 10 of AP#7 has a map where the 8 locations in Korvosa that are important for book 1 are marked and named. This map is reprinted on page 400 of the HC but that one shows ALL important locations of the campaign at once, marked with letters and numbers.
"Lamm´s Lambs" stats are upgraded to young human on page 18 of the HC.
"Yargin Balko" now has a full body illustration instead of an upper body one. "Hookshanks Gruller" gets a full body illustration. "Giggles" gets a fbi. "Gaedren Lamm" gets a fbi.
Part 2:
King Eodred Arabasti gets a head illu. "Imps and Dragons" gets an illustration. "Meet the mob" gets a "Amin Jalento" head illu and his battle stats.
Part 3:
The illustration of "Sabina Merrin" on page 25 is not reprinted (she gets a new one on page 455).
Part 4:
"Cressida Croft" gets a head illu (and fbi on page 443). The Queens gets a new veiled head illu (the old one is more mysterious). The "renegade guards" stats in "All the Worlds Meat" get new stats. "Verik Vancasterkin" is upgraded from fighter 3 to fighter 4.
Part 5:
The "Ambassadors Secret" gets a new head illu. The fbi of "Vencarlo Orisini" from page 34 is not reprinted. The fbi of "Devargo Barvasi" on page 37 is replaced with a new one that is very much less impressive. He is upgraded from rogue 4 to rogue 5. "Majenko" is changed from pseudodragon to house drake. The illustration on page 41 is replaced with a new one (page 57). Both are equally creepy.
Part 6:
The "Trinia Sabor" fbi from page 43 is not reprinted (she gets a new look on page 460, but the old one is flashier). She is upgraded from bard 4 to bard 5. "The Shingle Chase" gets a better illustration. Curiously it features the old flashier Trinia Sabor outfit instead of the new.
Part 7:
The Owlbear skeleton gets gorgeous art on page 59 of the HC. The cool illustration on page 52 is replaced by a cool new one on HC page 61.
Cabbagehead´s head illu is replaced by a fbi. The "Gaekhen" head illu is not reprinted. "Vreeg" gets a much better new fbi.
Concluding the adventure:
The famous "green dress Illeosa Arabasti" illustration from page 56 (on which the first miniature is based) is NOT reprinted!
The Blackjack illustration from page 57 is replaced by a much better one on HC page 67.
Appendixes:
The 4 page Harrow article is updated to a 14 page one!
The 8 page "people of the road" article about varisians is not reprinted.
The 6 page Pathfinder´s journal is not reprinted.
Bestiary:
The illustration of the "Dream Spider", the only creature that hasn´t been adapted to a Bestiary yet, is not reprinted from page 82 but it´s stats are.
Inside back cover:
The "Korvosas enemies" overview is not reprinted.

While the new edition HC is better overall and everything needed for playing the campaign is included, updated and streamlined, quite a few cool things are left out.
I´m glad i got the original AP #7 too.

Even better than the original

Read my full review at Of Dice and Pen.

It was perhaps inevitable that Curse of the Crimson Throne would one day also receive a similar treatment to Rise of the Runelords. There’s no special anniversary to celebrate this year, but does there really need to be? Much like its Runelords predecessor, the new hardcover compilation of Crimson Throne updates the adventure path to Pathfinder rules and also expands on the story where beneficial and streamlines in other areas. It also takes advantage of the most recent rules supplements, making use of newer monsters, classes, and feats where appropriate.

At nearly 500 pages in length, it is actually a substantially larger tome than the hardcover Runelords (a good 50 pages or so longer), and its extra length is certainly put to good use. Indeed, it manages to make one of the best adventure paths even better.

This is absolutely not true. An event takes place in Rise of the Runelords that leads to the events in Book 2 of Curse of the Crimson Throne. The players can squint and never know the difference, but if they play Rise of the Runelords after a clever player will think 'wtf - did this happen before Curse'? Because yes, in fact, it did.

The city is depicted in vivid detail, with its distinct districts, diverse population, and rich history. From the opulent palaces of the ruling class to the grimy streets of the slums, players will have the opportunity to immerse themselves in the vibrant and dynamic world of Korvosa. The Curse of the Crimson Throne also offers a variety of gameplay experiences, ranging from political intrigue and social interactions to dungeon crawls and epic battles. The adventure path is designed to cater to a wide range of player preferences, allowing for both roleplaying and combat-focused gameplay. Overall, the Curse of the Crimson Throne is a beloved adventure path that has captivated players with its engaging storyline, rich world-building, and diverse gameplay experiences. Whether you're a fan of fantasy politics, urban exploration, or thrilling combat encounters, this adventure path offers something for everyone. So gather your friends, prepare your characters, and prepare to embark on an unforgettable journey through the treacherous streets of Korvosa..

Reviews for "Charting a Course: Tips and Tricks for Game Masters Running Curse of the Crimson Throne"

1. John Smith - 2/5 - I was really disappointed with "Curse of the Crimson Throne". The storyline felt disjointed and the characters lacked depth. I found it difficult to connect with any of them and therefore, couldn't get invested in the overall plot. Additionally, I found some inconsistencies in the world-building, which further detracted from my enjoyment. Overall, I was left feeling unsatisfied and would not recommend this book to others.

2. Sarah Johnson - 1/5 - "Curse of the Crimson Throne" was a tedious read for me. The pacing was incredibly slow, and it felt like nothing of substance happened for the first half of the book. The writing style was also lackluster, with cliched dialogue and unengaging descriptions. I was hoping for a thrilling adventure, but instead, I was met with a lackluster and forgettable story. Unfortunately, I cannot recommend this book to anyone looking for an exciting and well-written fantasy novel.

3. Emily Roberts - 2/5 - I was really looking forward to reading "Curse of the Crimson Throne", but it ended up falling flat for me. The characters lacked depth, and their motivations were unclear. I found it difficult to connect with them and didn't feel invested in their outcomes. The plot also felt predictable, and I wasn't surprised by the twists and turns. Overall, I found this book to be underwhelming and wouldn't recommend it to others who are looking for a captivating fantasy read.

4. Michael Thompson - 3/5 - "Curse of the Crimson Throne" had its moments, but overall, I found it to be a mediocre read. The world-building was intriguing, but the pacing was off, and certain sections dragged on for too long. Additionally, I found some of the plot points to be contrived and predictable. Despite these flaws, the book did have some redeeming qualities, such as certain atmospheric scenes and glimpses into the rich history of the world. However, I would only recommend this book to fans of the genre who have exhausted other options and are looking for a different fantasy experience.

Never a Dull Moment: The Exciting Pacing of Curse of the Crimson Throne