Starfinder Society Scenarios: Survivor’s Salvation and Treading History’s Folly

Today we’re going to take a look at the two most recent Starfinder Society Scenarios that are currently available for purchase, and let you know we thought. Although you’ll find references to events in each that I liked or disliked, and comments about specific characters, these scenarios are not explored in detail. It’s not my intention to spoil the events in these scenarios, or give summaries and full reviews, but to share my opinions and provide recommendations. That said, if you want to avoid even minor spoilers I recommend you check out a different article. Whether you intend to use them in home games of the Starfinder Roleplaying Game, sanctioned scenarios for use with the Starfinder Society Organized Play, or just want to read a nifty new adventure, we’ve got you covered! So sit back, and get ready to explore the Pact Worlds!

Starfinder Society Scenario #1-30: Survivor’s Salvation is a Tier 1-4 adventure written by Kiel Howell. It takes place on Absalom Station, beginning in the Downlow District, then travelling to the Lorespire Complex (home of the Starfinder Society), and down to the Spike. This scenario does not contain starship combat.  It features the Faction (Exo-Guardians) tag, and continues the ongoing Scoured Stars storyline, particularly the events of Scenario #1‑99: The Scoured Stars Invasion. Although playing #1-99 before this scenario is not necessary, doing so will lend more emotional weight to the events of this scenario. Survivor’s Salvation uses two custom half-page maps, and no flip-mats. In addition to the Starfinder Core Rulebook, this scenario features content from the Alien ArchiveAlien Archive 2Armory, and Pact Worlds. All necessary stat blocks are included in the scenario itself. If you happen to have any characters who are doctors, psychologists, healers, or particularly caring or empathic I highly recommend you bring them. This is a great scenario to role-play such characters. On the other hand, if you’ve got particularly blood-thirsty, insensitive, or mean PCs, I recommend you let them sit this one out, and bring a different character. This scenario touches on serious themes such as mental health, PTSD, and depression, so if you’re uncomfortable with such topics, you might want to give this scenario a pass. Finally, it should be noted that my kids (who are nearly seven and eight years old) would be freaked out by the final villain in this scenario. You have been warned! Haha.

Survivor’s Salvation begins in a warehouse that serves at the Exo-Guardians base of operations, which Starfinders who have played #1-01: The Commencement or #1-04: Cries from the Drift will recognize. There your players will have a brief chat with Zigvigix, leader of the Exo-Guardians. Ziggy informs the party that Hurondo, a high-ranking shobhad Starfinder who retired after being rescued from the Scoured Stars system, recently went missing. Hurondo runs a medical facility within the Lorespire Complex called Respite, which offers support and services to Starfinders who have suffered trauma. His disappearance has Ziggy worried, so they want you to investigate. At Ziggy’s request you can check out Respite, interview Hurondo’s co-workers and patients, and try to track the big fellow down. Because this is a mystery I won’t reveal too much more abut the plot than that. I will say that more than one life hangs in the balance. No pressure! Other than Zigvigix this scenario has no recurring characters. New characters of import introduced include Hurondo, Jiwalla Zarvim (a ysoki who works at Respite), Petine, Bygones-B, Quadrant-2, Orghuun, and Bargai (a deaf vlaka who I really enjoyed).

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Bargai, a deaf vlaka from Starfinder Society Scenario #1-30: Survivor’s Salvation. Illustrated by Nicolas Espinoza. Art courtesy of Paizo Inc.

Mental health is a touchy subject for some, and I thought this scenario did a wonderful job of shining a light on trauma, depression, post-traumatic stress, and other mental health issues, along with the stigma that can be associated with them, without being insensitive or preachy. You have plenty of opportunities as players to offer support to, gain insight from, and empathize with the various side characters throughout this scenario, all while fulfilling your mission objectives. In fact, the opening series of social encounters at and around Respite turned out to be one of my very favourite parts of the scenario. I also really enjoyed the tense social interactions with Bargai. The true villains of this scenario were exceptionally well-utilized, and I can’t wait to see what further events they could later be linked to. The final battle is quite dynamic, but to retain the element of surprise we won’t go into any more detail that that. Overall, I loved this scenario. It had a ton of engaging social interactions, interesting enemies, and a dynamic final encounter. It’s one of those scenarios where your actions clearly matter. I give it five out of five stars.

Starfinder Society Scenario #1-31: Treading History’s Folly is a Tier 3-6 adventure written by Vanessa Hoskins. It takes place on Kukanou-2b, a hot, toxic, shattered moon in the Vast that orbits the gas giant Kukanou. You’ll definitely need to use your armour’s environmental seals for this mission, so if you’re using a character who doesn’t have armour, buy some. This scenario features the Faction (Second Seekers [Jadnura]) tag and does not contain starship combat. It continues the ongoing Scoured Stars storyline — particularly Scenarios #1-11: In Pursuit of the Scoured Past, #1-13: On the Trail of History, #1-17: Reclaiming the Tome-Lost Tear, #1-23: Return to Sender, #1-99: The Scoured Stars Invasion, and #1-29: Honorbound Emissaries — although it does so in a completely different way than Survivor’s Salvation. It features a minor encounter that has ties to Scenario #1-24: Siege of Enlightenment and will have further connections to the upcoming Scenario #1-37: Siege of Civility. If you have any characters who have played Siege of Enlightenment I recommend bringing them along, but not at the expense of characters with ties to the Scoured Stars. Finally, characters who have the ‘Abysshead Download’ boon from Scenario #1-06: Night in Nightarch will need to endure an unfortunate surprise (which I enjoyed!). Treading History’s Folly makes use of Pathfinder Flip-Mat: Cavernous Lair and Pathfinder Flip-Mat Classics: Village Square.  In addition to the Starfinder Core Rulebook it contains content from the Alien Archive and Armory. It’s only recurring characters are First Seeker Jadnura (who was previously featured in Scenario #1-99: The Scoured Stars Invasion and #1-26: Truth of the Seeker) and Iteration-177 (who was previously featuring in Scenario #1-05: The First Mandate, #1-11: In Pursuit of the Scoured Stars, and #1-29: Honorbound Emissaries).

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The symbol of Kadrical. Illustration by Graey Erb. Art courtesy of Paizo Inc.

Treading History’s Folly begins when the PCs accept a secret mission on behalf of First Seeker Jadnura. Wracked with guilt over his past decisions, which lead to many agents losing their lives in the Scoured Stars Incident, Jadnura is searching for meaning. He wants a team of reliable agents to visit the location where he originally found the Tear that lead him to discovering the Scoured Stars trinity system. Your PCs mission it to investigate the site and see if he missed anything that could have fortold the danger the system posed. It’s a fun adventure that features a few interesting social interactions, and plenty of traps, hazards, and enemies. My favourite part was the exploration of Xaharee. It’s a really cool, atmospheric location, that gives clever PCs the chance to learn a LOT about the Scoured Stars trinary system and the Tears. Although some of this information can be gleaned from previous scenarios, a lot of the information is brand new. Very cool! There’s also a surprisingly touching player hand-out, which I always enjoy. This scenario’s chronicle features two easy to acquire boons and some nice thematic gear for both sub-tiers. One of the boons is another segment of the mysterious ‘Journey to the Scoured Stars’ boon which doesn’t do anything right now but promises to do something in the future. The second boon is a really useful limited use ally boon. Overall, I really enjoyed this scenario. It was unique, atmospheric, and enlightening, I give it four out of five stars.

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An earth elemental haunted by the mentrasi from Starfinder Society Scenario #1-31: Treading History’s Folly. Illustration by Graey Erb. Art courtesy of Paizo Inc.

Thanks for joining me today. I hope you come to love these two solid Starfinder Society Scenarios as much I do. Be sure to come back later this week when we take a peek at the two newest Pathfinder Society Scenarios.

Jessica

 

New Starfinder Society Scenarios: Duskmire Accord 9 & Yesteryear’s Sorrow

We’ve looked a lot at the Pathfinder Playtest lately, but today we’re changing gears.  We’re going to take a look at the two most recent Starfinder Society Scenarios that are currently available for purchase, and will let you know we thought. Although you’ll find references to events in each that I liked or disliked, and comments about specific characters, these scenarios are not explored in detail. It’s not my intention to spoil the events in these scenarios, or give summaries and full reviews, but to share my opinions and provide recommendations. That said, if you want to avoid even minor spoilers I recommend you check out a different article. Whether you intend to use them in home games of the Starfinder Roleplaying Game, sanctioned scenarios for use with the Starfinder Society Organized Play, or just want to read a nifty new adventure, we’ve got you covered! So sit back, and get ready to explore the Pact Worlds!

DUskmire Accor 9 Starfinder 1-22Scenario #1-20: Duskmire Accord 9 is a Tier 1-4 adventure written by Brian Duckwitz. It takes place on Salvation’s End, which is an artificial moon that was previously visited in Starfinder Society #1-00: Claim to Salvation and Starfinder Society #1-09: Live Exploration Extreme! Those of you who have the ‘Claimant to Salvation’ boon from 1-00 should definitely slot it for this one.  This scenario features no special tags and does not involve starship combat. It uses Pathfinder Flip-Mat Classics: Swamp twice, and Pathfinder Flip-Mat: Hamlet once. It also uses a custom map of the terrain (though it won’t be needed for tactical movement). In addition to the Starfinder Core Rulebook, this scenario makes use of the Alien Archive, although all the necessary stat blocks are included in this scenario.

For those of you who don’t yet know, Salvation’s End is filled with a bunch of automatically-controlled simulations and experiments, each run in an individual self-contained area called a ‘vault.’ Duskmire Accord 9 tasks your team of Starfinders with exploring one such vault called ‘Duskmire Accord.’ Your mission is to determine the source of its power and give it a look see. It’s a fun romp that will take cunning, diplomacy, and tact to accomplish — or not! There’s more than one way to accomplish your mission, and I’m very curious to hear what methods see the most play. There’s a wonderful cast of side characters in this one, from the new drow Venture-Captain Kunoris Vex (the Starfinder in charge of the new Lodge at Salvation’s End), straight through to all of the residents of the vault. It’s a great change of pace from both of the scenarios that came before it in this location. I don’t want to spoil too much about the residents of the vault, but I can say I loved all of them.   And the art for the ghost of the swamp?! SPECTACULAR! The boons are flavourful and fun, but not amazing. Overall I really enjoyed this scenario. I took me a long time to decide if I would give this four or five stars, but in the end I decided to give it five out of five. It’s not over-the-top-awesome like some of the others I’ve given five stars, but I think the interesting, fun social encounters, and the quirky cast of characters will really make it a joy to play. I give this scenario five out of five stars.

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Sparklemane from SFS #1-20: Duskmire Accord 9. Illustrated by Graey Erb. Art courtesy of Paizo Inc.

Yesteryear's Sorrow Starfinder 1-21Scenario #1-21: Yesteryear’s Sorrow is a Tier 3-6 adventure written by Jason Keeley. It takes place on the planet of Elytrio, homeworld of the ghibrani, who were previously introduced in Scenario #1-03: Yesteryear’s Truth (and Dead Suns: Book 5 of 6: The Thirteenth Gate). There you will investigate an abandoned military bunker in order to salvage armaments for the Exo-Guardians. I highly recommend playing through Yesteryear’s Truth before playing Yesteryear’s Sorrow. It will be infinitely more interesting if you have. If you’ve got the ‘Friends of the Ghibrani’ boon you should definitely slot it! This scenario features the Faction (Exo-Guardian) tag and does not involve starship combat. It makes use of two custom maps, and has a lot of unmapped areas (although all of the area that will feature battle are mapped). In addition to the Starfinder Core Rulebook this scenario makes use of content from Dead Suns: Book 5 of 6: The Thirteenth Gate, although all the necessary information from that adventure is included in this scenario. This scenario features a few recurring characters including Zigvigix, leader of the Exo-Guardians, whom you meet in ‘the Nest’, the base of the Exo-Guardians that will be familiar to players of #1-01: The Commencement. In addition, your players will be escorted to their destination by a local guide — either the Husk Dystane, or the Membrane Klarima. Both of these characters are originally from Yesteryear’s Truth, and which one joins you will depend on who your player’s befriended in that previous scenario. Both guides have different skills, benefits, and tactics, which is really nice to see. As for new characters? I ADORE the new fey that was introduced in this scenario. The art for this guy is wonderful. There’s an intriguing social encounter right near the beginning which you can choose to get involved in (or not). This encounter teases events that will be occurring during the upcoming Against the Aeon Throne Adventure Path (which begins with Against the Aeon Throne: Book 1: The Reach of Empire) and will hopefully lead to further Starfinder Society Scenarios involving the Azlanti Star Empire (a girl can hope!). This scenario featured nice ecological information on all of its enemies and hazards, which I always enjoy and gives GMs something interesting to tell their knowledgable players. The location explored in this scenario is very, very, large, and although lots of areas are thoroughly detailed, others are entire floors summarized by a single sentence. Due to the length of Society Scenarios, striking the right balance between detail and brevity in important and unimportant areas is difficult to say the least. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn’t. I thought that this scenario did a wonderful job of finding that sweet spot. The location felt vast, without feeling rushed or skimmed over. Obtaining your objective is both challenging and fun. There’s a wonderful selection of player handouts which will be of particular interest to those of you who have played through Yesteryear’s Truth. This scenario also did a wonderful job of slowly cultivating a spooky atmosphere, closer to the end. Overall, I give it four out of five stars.

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Nighthopper from SFS #1-21: Yesteryear’s Sorrow. Illustrated by Nicolas Espinoza. Art courtesy of Paizo Inc.

Thanks for joining us today! We’ll see you next time when we talk about the new Pathfinder Society Scenarios that are out, and the beginning of Season Ten!

Until then,
Jessica

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