Tusk, Tusk, Tusk: Pathfinder – The Resurrection Flood Reviewed

Title: Pathfinder Adventure Path #207 – The Resurrection Flood (Triumph of the Tusk 1 of 3)

Publisher: Paizo Inc

Authors: Brian Duckwitz with John Compton and Michelle Y. Kim

Artists: Biagio d’Alessandro, Zach Causey, Cagdas Demiralp, Roman Kierszenbaum, Luis Salas Lastra, Robert Lazzaretti, Mayra Luna, and Firat Solhan

Year: 2024

Genre: First chapter in the orc-centric Triumph of the Tusk Pathfinder roleplaying adventure path

Pages: 92 pages

MSRP: $29.99 for the softcover or $19.99 in PDF

Structurally, The Resurrection Flood shares some commonalities with Pactbreaker, the opening act of the Wardens of Wildwood Adventure Path. Both see player characters arriving as participants to a grand event meant to foster a spirit of peace, if not unity. The party can embark on various side quests and encounters to build reputation, which will be useful later on in the story. A great cataclysm eventually elevates the party to players of far greater importance, setting the stage for the forthcoming adventure.

To be clear: there is nothing wrong with this formula. The challenges, encounters, and side quests are designed to offer a wide variety of characters a chance to shine. No matter what a player character’s talents may be, The Resurrection Flood ensures they’ll have a chance for a crowning moment of awesome.

Moreover, the formula lends itself to a well-balanced and well-paced adventure, something that allows GMs to feel confident that players will enjoy and engage with no matter their preferred play style. The reputation building encounters can even help GMs to put Chekov’s metaphorical gun on the wall, creating a sense of narrative intentionality as early game moments can be revisited (or, on occasion, recontextualized) as the Adventure Path progresses.

Again, these are all excellent structural decisions that we have seen work before – and therein lies the snag. Paizo has spent so much time working to push the envelope and elevate its storytelling that when it delivers a fun, well-balanced, well-structured adventure that shares just enough with a recent release to ring a bell, it feels a little off – perhaps unfairly so.

Triumph of the Tusk sets out its own unique tantalizing question; can the existential threat of the Whispering Tyrant unite a group of disparate, violence-prone groups and, if so, what will it take to forge that alliance? While Pactbreaker leaned heavily on its real world allegory, The Resurrection Flood is instead far more concerned with its storyworld and with exploring the consequences of recent in-universe events. Neither approach is “better” or more impactful, and some groups may appreciate the step back from reality that The Resurrection Flood provides. Its battles and set pieces are almost guaranteed to be crowdpleasers and the lead-in to the second chapter is strong.

In short: The Resurrection Flood is a good adventure. It has obviously been designed with thought and care by a team with a clear vision and good execution. It’s an outing that balances player agency and GM manageability without calling attention to doing just that. Every element serves a purpose and there is a strong opportunity for roleplay. There is something here for just about every kind of player and that’s no small feat to accomplish. If this is a formula, then it’s a solid one; for the majority of Paizo fans less interested in the minutiae of narrative structure than in plain old enjoyment, this will be deeply satisfying time spent at the table – but don’t worry, there’s still a good time to be had for us sticks-in-the-mud, too.