Carnival of Tears (GameMastery Module) [Englisch] [Taschenbuch]

Caveat #1: I've only read, not played or DMed this adventure.
Caveat #2: I haven't read any of the other modules or setting books related to this adventure.

First, the spoiler free portion of the review.

While this adventure takes place in Paizo's campaign setting of "Golarion", it feels relatively easy to drop into another campaign world as long as the Fey are an important and mysterious element. It feels as though it would work best if the characters were based in the small village nearby, but of course, characters just passing through would work fine too. A point is made at the end of what happens to the village based on what the characters do, which is a nice touch if the characters are indeed based nearby.

There are references to important characters from previous modules, with not enough description for the DM other than to know which side they're on. Again, a good DM should be able to run this adventure without the previous modules, but even a mention of which module the character appeared in would have been helpful. One character which seems to make a first appearance here is not given any game stats. While it's very probable the character's stats won't be needed, I found this an unnecessary omission.

As far as production goes, this is a very polished module. The pages are glossy and in full color, with excellent use of white space and side bars. The maps are extremely nicely done.

The adventure itself is quite good and turns what most people can imagine from a real world carnival into its fantasy form. In some respects, it feels a bit out of place as it's almost _too_ modern in feel, but for the most part it works. When the action starts, the characters will likely feel somewhat frantic, and the horror parts of the module are well detailed. The only major warning is that if this were a movie, it would be closer to films like "Hostel" than it would be to any PG-13 horror films. Obviously the DM can tone down descriptions, but make no mistake, this is a horror module.

In general I recommend this module in spite of a few minor omissions and inconsistencies. I have a few more caveats below though, more regarding the kinds of players who would be needed to have fun in this module.

SPOILERS:
One relatively major inconsistency involves a major behind the scenes non-player character who is at least partially responsible for the events that occur. While likely much more powerful than the player characters (her stats are never given) she instead approaches them to take care of the problem, rather than participating directly. More of her motivation for doing it this way is needed, because as it's written, she has as much, if not more, to lose if the Carnival's events are not stopped.

Another potential problem is that players who prefer action over role playing might find the first part of the adventure (where they wander the carnival, helping out people in 'mundane' situations and participating in the events) a bit, well, mundane. Unfortunately the DM can't easily omit this part as the latter half is dependent somewhat on what the characters choose to do, and from an adventure standpoint, the horrific latter half works best when contrasted with the normal appearing first half. If your players like lighter, free form role play, along with horror and action, then they'll probably adore this module.