Last night's session was a milestone for my group. Though we have completed a Pathfinder Adventure Path in the past (Wrath of the Righteous), this was the first one we completed with me in the DM's seat.
A few years back, I decided I would run the APs in order, starting with Rise of the Runelords. That one wrapped up in the fifth book, with the characters' lives ending in Runeforge, the magical research center created by the Runelords. Curse of the Crimson Throne came to its conclusion during play of the third book under Arkona Manor when the party fell to the claws of Sivit, the darksphinx. After that, the group (down a couple of players, I'll add) failed saves against Drow sleep poison and were quickly outmatched by Depora at the end of the first book, bringing our Second Darkness run to a close.
Then, we started Legacy of Fire. The opening felt weak, though the action and story were compelling enough to keep play going. There were times when the story fell flat, not supporting the overall narrative, and focus was lost a little. There were times I had to bolster or scale back the number of encounters to keep things exciting/stop the game from becoming a slog. Despite this, after 41 sessions since 2017, we completed the Adventure Path.
I only hope my players had fun through the campaign. Something about the end rang hollow to me, but I can't place it. It's not that they didn't have to fight for the win, it's not that I don't think they were rewarded with a bad campaign (or Dungeon Master!). I keep going back to the denouement. Legacy of Fire's epilogue isn't as satisfying to me as the three previous APs'.
We talked about it as a group after we finished, and everyone seemed ok with it. Sometimes it's a curse being the DM, when you read and know more about it all. It does feel good to not TPK in one of these and actually see it to the end, though Jhavhul did his best to try to change that.
The Council of Thieves is next in the series, but it's been requested that Forgotten Realms 2 be next. Looking forward to that!
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