Free to start
Whenever I describe Pathfinder Adventure Card Game to somebody (usually when I am trying to get them to play it), I start with a caveat. “On its surface, all you really do is flip a card and roll some dice. But for some reason I like it.” Indeed, it seems like there isn’t a lot of decision making at first, and the whole appeal is in the role-playing and story. After a while, it becomes clear there’s more to it than just its base mechanics, but it definitely turns some mechanics-focused gamers off.
Anyway! Obsidian has been working on a digital adaptation of PACG called Pathfinder Adventures. It’s scheduled to release on iPads and Android tablets on March 29. Interested players can download it for free, but it only includes the introductory adventure, Perils of the Lost Coast. Additional adventures in the Rise of the Runelords path will be available as premium downloads.
Perils of the Lost Coast is a decent introduction. It consists of three scenarios, culminating on a classic fight against a big dragon. In honesty, that’s about as far as I’ve ever been with the tabletop version, because setting up a 30+ game campaign with 4-6 working adults is never easy. It can be played solo, but I’ve never wanted to go through the rigmarole of resetting everything for two separate in-progress campaigns. The digital version should reduce that barrier to entry, so I may actually make it to the end of the adventure path on my own. A few months after launch, online multiplayer will be implemented, so maybe I can even convince some faraway friends to join in.
For those who do finish off Rise of the Runelords in Pathfinder Adventures, we can expect more adventure paths in the future. The tabletop version already has two more, with a third in the pipeline.