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Something Erratic, Something Dramatic: Pathfinder Adventure Path #204 – Stage Fright Reviewed

Sami YuhasAug 15, 2024

Title: Pathfinder Adventure Path #204 – Stage Fright (Curtain Call 1 of 3)

Authors: Richard Pett, with Rue Dickey, Katrina Hennessy, and Isis Wozniakowska

Artists: Miguel Regodon Harkness, Mylene Bertrand, Roman Kierszenbaum, Robert Lazzaretti, Ilina Naydenova, Elisa Serio

Year: 2024

Genre: First chapter of the Curtain Call Pathfinder adventure path

Pages: 94 pages

MSRP: Softcover $29.99 or $19.99 in PDF

Stage Fright sees players contacted by a renowned director and librettist who hopes to turn the party’s grand adventures into an opera. What begins as a test of mettle soon evolves into an offer to join the theatrical ranks – even as something far more sinister unfolds.

While every adventure is flavored by the GM and the players, Stage Fright and the Curtain Call Adventure Path are perhaps unique in that they explicitly invite everyone in as co-authors of the experience. If slotted in as part of an existing campaign, prior Big Bads are free to make an ominous return; if starting fresh, the table can work together to hash out the villain and their party’s history. While the text does make certain assumptions, Richard Pett and team have even gone out of their way to ensure workarounds for parties whose Big Bads may not fit the requirements as written, allowing for maximum narrative impact and player satisfaction.

Stage Fright knows its audience. It knows the delight of swapping stories with other tabletop gamers and of fondly recalling adventures long past. It knows the importance of drama, of tension, of the highs of success and the lows of defeat. While the framing device could feel silly or clunky in other situations, here, it feels like a knowing wink to everyone at the table – there is joy in recapturing the moment and challenge in attempting to recreate it anew for an audience. While bigger things are to come, both for the Adventure Path and for Golarion in general, everything about the design of this outing feels like an homage to the dramatics of tabletop roleplaying.

Part of that, too, comes in the range of experiences; Stage Fright delivers a mix of combat, fun puzzles, and social maneuvering. Now that they’re in show business, the party will need to manage not only their heroics, but also the ins-and-outs of getting a show off the ground. There are more than a few unexpected challenges, but each provides a unique opportunity for stellar roleplay. Despite its historical evolution from wargaming-adjacent systems, Paizo tend to favor the idea that combat should be used to support story, rather than the other way around; that’s on full display here, as while combat is present and exciting, its presence is in support of the narrative arc, rather than being the driving force.

After the adventure itself, “Showtime!” details theatre in Golarion and even delves into specific theatrical traditions. This material isn’t necessary, per se, but it’s a wonderful piece of worldbuilding. Understanding the different operatic traditions allows for GMs to pepper details in via NPCs or other sources, enriching the experience and creating a fuller, more embodied world for everyone at the table.

Stage Fright feels like a far larger adventure than just its three acts and takes care to put its theatrical guns on the wall for later. The balance of gameplay elements, obvious love for the craft of making theatre, and general joy make this a winner on all accounts and sets the (rather literal) stage for an exciting second act.

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Sami Yuhas

Writer, gamer, and necromancer bard (at least in D&D). Sami focuses primarily on board and tabletop gaming, with a focus on sci-fi and fantasy, as well as worker-placements and co-op titles. She prides herself on the ability to overthink world building in games, and cites a three post manifesto on the costuming of XCOM 2 as among her greatest nerd achievements.