Adventure Path

An Adventure Path is a series of interlinked adventures for tabletop role-playing games which can be played in succession and lead characters to advance from lower to higher levels, through a particular path of events.

History

Though the term was originally applied to the series of Third Edition modules for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game beginning with The Sunless Citadel, it was later applied to several lengthy series, each consisting of 11-12 installments, published sequentially in Dungeon magazine. Paizo Publishing then began publishing Adventure Paths for their Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, and in 2007 Paizo attempted to trademark the term "Adventure Path," but the US Patent & Trademark Office determined that it was too generic for protection. Adventure Paths are also available from third party publishers, such as 0Onegames's Road to Revolution campaign arc, EN Publishing's War of the Burning Sky series for D&D 3rd Edition and subsequently updated for D&D 4th Edition, and its ZEITGEIST adventure path is due for release throughout 2011 and 2012.

Background

Typically set in the Greyhawk campaign setting, the Dungeon adventure paths are:

Shackled City is also available as a hardcover book, and both Dungeon publisher (previously editor-in-chief) Erik Mona and current editor-in-chief James Jacobs have repeatedly expressed a desire to do a similar collection of Age of Worms and, in the further future, Savage Tide and its eventual successors. However, this is subject to approval from Wizards of the Coast, which has not been received to date.[1]

Both the Age of Worms and Savage Tide Adventure Paths were supported with articles in Dungeon's sister publication Dragon, entitled "Wormfood" and "Savage Tidings" respectively.

Future

With the transference of Dragon and Dungeon back to Wizards of the Coast, Paizo is continuing the Adventure Path concept in their new monthly publication, Pathfinder.

Wizards of the Coast continued the Adventure Path concept in the monthly online Dragon and Dungeon publications until the launch of the 5th edition of the game, at which time it swapped to a hardcover mega-adventure mode of publication.

Pathfinder Adventure Paths

Dungeon Adventure Paths

References

  1. ↑ Mona, Erik et al. (2006-01-28). "Dungeons & Dragons: The Age of Worms Adventure Path Hardcover". Paizo.com.