So, what's the good stuff?

I'm thinking about running another AP, but before settling on one I figured I should check in with the hivemind here about what's good and what isn't. As a reference about previous experiences with PF2 APs and preferences:

1. I've been a player in Age of Ashes up through book 3 and I have enjoyed that, though part is probably because the GM's pretty good at filling things out. I've recognized that some things have been overtuned but we've bumbled through.

2. I've run Extinction Curse book 1 and 2, and did not particularly like it. My two main complaints are (a) there's too much Xulgath stuff and not enough circus stuff, and (b) there are too many dungeons, particularly ones on a timer.

3. I've been a player in Agents of Edgewatch book 1, and that didn't work out well at all. Much overtuned, the end dungeon was way too big, and the adventure (much like Extinction Curse) seemed too afraid to lean into its theme.

4. I have perused Fists of the Ruby Phoenix, but was turned off when I realized that the first installment expects the PCs to gain 4 levels in 4 days. That's a really grueling pace, and one that will leave casters completely exhausted and feeling useless much of the time.

5. I like my dungeons small, like 4-5 encounters. A dungeon that's supposed to get you through a whole level's worth of XP is far too big, and should probably be split into 2-3 stages (even if they might be part of the same physical structure). As a corollary, you generally shouldn't be getting one level in one day even outside of dungeons.

6. Ideally, there should be a mix of dungeon and non-dungeon content. As an example of how not to do it, take Legacy of the Lost God:

7. If the adventure has a theme, lean into it. If I'm playing the Circus AP, I want lots of circus stuff. I don't need to also deal with the repercussions of nonsense some god did a couple of millennia ago and villains wanting revenge for it. Or if what seems to be a theme isn't, make that abundantly clear. For example, the 1e Serpent's Skull AP tells the players to make PCs that are, for whatever reason, on a ship heading from the Inner Sea region to Sargava, but spells out that this is a jungle exploration AP, not a seafaring AP.

8. It's good if there are plenty of challenges in the adventure where fighting is at best plan B or C, and which can more easily be solved by figuring out non-violent ways of dealing with them.

So, are there any APs out yet that would suit me? Strength of Thousands looks promising, but are there any others along the same lines?

I think you would enjoy both Strength of Thousands and Blood Lords (which is less a "be evil" AP than you would expect- you're just cogs in an evil machine; the main theme in the AP is "making the best of it.")

I'll second both of those. I have personal experience running Strength of Thousands, and can confirm it's great. Lots of little dungeons and small tasks to do with plenty of time for doing magical school stuff in between, and the timescale means you can plop in as much downtime as you want, at least in the early books.

Strength of Thousands commits hard to non-violent solutions as a core theme, even as the plot takes you on a bit of a meandering path through the varied situations Magaambyans have to deal with. I think it's excellent.

Quest for the Frozen Flame is solid, with caveats that there's some plot rewriting needed (to my understanding?) and that the AP really, really wants to be using the ABP rules without ever saying so out loud. If you like the Ice Age vibes and hexcrawling, I'm not sure you'll find anything better outside of swapping systems to Primal Quest.

I would personally advise skipping Outlaws of Alkenstar. It's bumpy enough that it got my friend running it to give up on Pathfinder! Wildly inconsistent tone and a whole lot of railroading really let this one down, while it's reluctant to commit to its setting (i.e. banning mages in the Mana Wastes). The coolest thing in it is hiding in the Continuing The Campaign Section.

I don't know why, but Paizo' second APs (Second Darkness and Extinction Curse) both suffer from this wild mismanagement of expectations (expect one theme of AP and get a COMPLETELY different one).

Interestingly, they have a few other similarities too.

TBH I would have thought one such AP would have been enough to learn this lesson.

To the OP, reading your post made me think of Strength of Thousands too, but I have neither played nor read it.

I don't know why, but Paizo' second APs (Second Darkness and Extinction Curse) both suffer from this wild mismanagement of expectations (expect one theme of AP and get a COMPLETELY different one).

Interestingly, they have a few other similarities too.

TBH I would have thought one such AP would have been enough to learn this lesson.

Pouint of Pedantry: Second Darkness was the third AP. Rise of the Runelords and Curse of the Crimson Throne preceded it.

The Raven Black wrote:

I don't know why, but Paizo' second APs (Second Darkness and Extinction Curse) both suffer from this wild mismanagement of expectations (expect one theme of AP and get a COMPLETELY different one).

Interestingly, they have a few other similarities too.

TBH I would have thought one such AP would have been enough to learn this lesson.

Pouint of Pedantry: Second Darkness was the third AP. Rise of the Runelords and Curse of the Crimson Throne preceded it.

My very bad. I was sure it was the second (and CoCT the third), likely because of association with the AP's title.

Paul Watson wrote:

The Raven Black wrote:

I don't know why, but Paizo' second APs (Second Darkness and Extinction Curse) both suffer from this wild mismanagement of expectations (expect one theme of AP and get a COMPLETELY different one).

Interestingly, they have a few other similarities too.

TBH I would have thought one such AP would have been enough to learn this lesson.

Pouint of Pedantry: Second Darkness was the third AP. Rise of the Runelords and Curse of the Crimson Throne preceded it.

My very bad. I was sure it was the second (and CoCT the third), likely because of association with the AP's title.

Another point against the "second APs have issues" hypothesis: The second AP for PF1 was Kingmaker; the first was Council of Thieves (which did have the entire mismanagement of expectations with that speech at the beginning).

If we go by experience with adventure paths, Second Darkness was the 6th 3e Paizo AP (3rd on Golarion), so I really would not try and see a pattern here :D
Not enough data points.

To the main topic, I will add my vote to Strength of a Thousands.
Most AP's have at least 1 big dungeon somewhere, this one is at least on the lower end of the scale.

If you don’t like dungeons or prefer small dungeons I then would suggest Quest for the Frozen Flame.
Never played it but read through the first book and know the gist of the story and arc. It’s mostly about survival, and trying to stay ahead of a looming threat until your able to take care of said threat.