Dragon 174 - Scales of War Adventure Path: Test of Fire - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 asmodeuslore Jan 12, 2010 7:32:34	Dragon 174 Scales of War Adventure Path: Test of Fire by Scott Fitzgerald Gray Tiamat's last stronghold in the planes is the legendary City of Brass. Your job is to take it away from her. Talk about this Article here.
#2 307Ale Jan 12, 2010 10:34:49	The link posted above works, but the link from the content calendar is broken. This is probably because the calendar link goes to 2010January and the above link goes to 2009January. I think the article was uploaded to the wrong year.
#3 Herrozerro Jan 12, 2010 12:36:13	AsmodeusLore It's Dungeon actually.
#4 Imruphel Jan 14, 2010 7:42:54	The best thing about this adventure? We're now only one more instalment from the end of Scales of War. Not so much an adventure path but a series of disappointments after disappointments and proof that, even though the idea of recreating Dungeon and Dragon as digital products was a great idea that suits me perfectly, Dungeon adventures without Paizo talent is a really bad combination. Oh, and an adventure path should be, um, coherent. Or even a path. Of adventures. Not a collection of random encounters. The second best thing about this adventure? I needed a good picture of an efreet for my own adventure and I also needed one of a blue dragon. The fact that both are in the same picture is even better. The third best thing about this adventure? Nothing. Yet another crappy instalment in the Scales of War series of loosely-linked encounters (no, not adventure path).
#5 307Ale Jan 14, 2010 10:08:40	The third best thing about this adventure? Nothing. Yet another crappy instalment in the Scales of War series of loosely-linked encounters (no, not adventure path). I hate to feed the trolls, but I think you're being a bit harsh. Some of the modules tie in better than others, but there are plot elements that run from beginning to end. The modules are far more than a "collection of random encounters". I don't really have any hope of changing your mind, but I wanted to post just in case one of the authors drops by the forums. I want them to know that your response doesn't speak for all of us.
#6 307Ale Jan 15, 2010 11:01:05	Note: The article on the main site has been moved to the correct year, so the above link no longer works. This is the correct link: Scales of War: Test of Fire
#7 sfgray Jan 16, 2010 16:21:46	…I wanted to post just in case one of the authors drops by the forums. Yeah, what are the chances of that happening?
#8 Imruphel Jan 16, 2010 18:21:38	The third best thing about this adventure? Nothing. Yet another crappy instalment in the Scales of War series of loosely-linked encounters (no, not adventure path). I hate to feed the trolls, but I think you're being a bit harsh. (snip) No, mate, I am really not a troll nor am I trolling. I honestly believe that Scales of War is just a mess, not an adventure path. And because I don't think WotC can do a good adventure path I am posting my opinion as part of the feedback that will, I hope, convince them not to attempt another adventure path again. That said, I am delighted with my DDi subscription. I consider the two Builders and Compendium access to be worth the price of my subscription, together with the ability to grab all of the art and maps used in both Dungeon and Dragon. So while you will never find me complaining about the price of my subscription, or even the price of D&D books, I will bag Scales of War at every opportunity (except the bits I like: I love the goblin attack in the first adventure with the ogre throwing barrels of oil- that rocked!).
#9 maelora Jan 18, 2010 14:37:43	I concur. SoW is a horrible, incoherent mess. It feels like they're just not trying. And an endless series of unconnected fights does not an 'adventure path' make. And uncritical fanboyism helps nobody, particularly the authors. Are WotC ever going to produce an 'adventure' worthy of the name?
#10 cerestus Jan 19, 2010 9:00:41	I have enjoyed playing in the SoW adventure path. Granted I haven't read them because I am a PC in them since the 4th quest came out or so. There is something to be said for the value of receiving an out of the box campaign that you can run for a year. To be fair though, I never played through one of Pazio's. I think they probably need a little (a lot) editing because a non optimized party can run into a few TPKs. I know we did not enjoy being tossed into lava that did 10d10 fire (when you enter and when you start your turn) and ongoing 15 while vulnerable 5 to fire. I had 70 HP max as a cleric. Fighting a level 17 encounter at level 8 was pretty silly too. It was supposed to be a three faction battle, but we murdered faction 1 before faction 2 appeared with the heavy use of daily powers. We weren't just defeated, we were massacred.
#11 tomlib Jan 21, 2010 7:47:01	Fighting a level 17 encounter at level 8 was pretty silly too. It was supposed to be a three faction battle, but we murdered faction 1 before faction 2 appeared with the heavy use of daily powers. We weren't just defeated, we were massacred. I think you are referencing the Grand Cathedral battle in The Temple Between and, if so, I couldn't agree more. That was a poorly designed fight. I actually brought it up at EnWorld and the author responded to my criticisms by saying he didn't fully understand the dynamics of 4th Edition at the time he wrote that encounter and agreed it wasn't the best. If that makes you feel any better. :-) I'm also a player in the SoW and I'm finding them ok at best. The Temple Between, our current location, has some excellent role-playing at the start but the combats are a nightmare of boredom. The way things are going right now I suspect we will abandon SoW out of boredeom with endless encounters and very little coherent plot but I could be wrong. The first adventure in an AP should be so important but it seems like we really never got to a first adventure and things have just rambled from one spot to another. The big thing that is wrong for me is the lack of a connected thread. I know many people claim that is up to the GM and there is a connecting string but as I a player I don't see it. We started in Brindol with the theft of the relics from the Red Hand of Doom and I hoped to see the entire AP center around those items and the theft. Anyway, just one player's opinion. Happy Gaming, Tom

Post/Author/DateTime

Post

asmodeuslore

Jan 12, 2010 7:32:34

Dragon 174
Scales of War Adventure Path: Test of Fire
by Scott Fitzgerald Gray

Tiamat's last stronghold in the planes is the legendary City of Brass. Your job is to take it away from her.

Talk about this Article here.

307Ale

Jan 12, 2010 10:34:49

The link posted above works, but the link from the content calendar is broken. This is probably because the calendar link goes to 2010January and the above link goes to 2009January. I think the article was uploaded to the wrong year.

Herrozerro

Jan 12, 2010 12:36:13

AsmodeusLore It's Dungeon actually.

Imruphel

Jan 14, 2010 7:42:54

The best thing about this adventure? We're now only one more instalment from the end of Scales of War. Not so much an adventure path but a series of disappointments after disappointments and proof that, even though the idea of recreating Dungeon and Dragon as digital products was a great idea that suits me perfectly, Dungeon adventures without Paizo talent is a really bad combination. Oh, and an adventure path should be, um, coherent. Or even a path. Of adventures. Not a collection of random encounters.

The second best thing about this adventure? I needed a good picture of an efreet for my own adventure and I also needed one of a blue dragon. The fact that both are in the same picture is even better.

The third best thing about this adventure? Nothing. Yet another crappy instalment in the Scales of War series of loosely-linked encounters (no, not adventure path).

307Ale

Jan 14, 2010 10:08:40

The third best thing about this adventure? Nothing. Yet another crappy instalment in the Scales of War series of loosely-linked encounters (no, not adventure path).

I hate to feed the trolls, but I think you're being a bit harsh. Some of the modules tie in better than others, but there are plot elements that run from beginning to end. The modules are far more than a "collection of random encounters".

I don't really have any hope of changing your mind, but I wanted to post just in case one of the authors drops by the forums. I want them to know that your response doesn't speak for all of us.

307Ale

Jan 15, 2010 11:01:05

Note: The article on the main site has been moved to the correct year, so the above link no longer works. This is the correct link:

Scales of War: Test of Fire

sfgray

Jan 16, 2010 16:21:46

…I wanted to post just in case one of the authors drops by the forums.

Yeah, what are the chances of that happening?

Imruphel

Jan 16, 2010 18:21:38

The third best thing about this adventure? Nothing. Yet another crappy instalment in the Scales of War series of loosely-linked encounters (no, not adventure path).

I hate to feed the trolls, but I think you're being a bit harsh. (snip)

No, mate, I am really not a troll nor am I trolling.

I honestly believe that Scales of War is just a mess, not an adventure path. And because I don't think WotC can do a good adventure path I am posting my opinion as part of the feedback that will, I hope, convince them not to attempt another adventure path again.

That said, I am delighted with my DDi subscription. I consider the two Builders and Compendium access to be worth the price of my subscription, together with the ability to grab all of the art and maps used in both Dungeon and Dragon. So while you will never find me complaining about the price of my subscription, or even the price of D&D books, I will bag Scales of War at every opportunity (except the bits I like: I love the goblin attack in the first adventure with the ogre throwing barrels of oil- that rocked!).

maelora

Jan 18, 2010 14:37:43

I concur. SoW is a horrible, incoherent mess. It feels like they're just not trying. And an endless series of unconnected fights does not an 'adventure path' make.

And uncritical fanboyism helps nobody, particularly the authors.

Are WotC ever going to produce an 'adventure' worthy of the name?

#10

cerestus

Jan 19, 2010 9:00:41

I have enjoyed playing in the SoW adventure path. Granted I haven't read them because I am a PC in them since the 4th quest came out or so. There is something to be said for the value of receiving an out of the box campaign that you can run for a year. To be fair though, I never played through one of Pazio's.

I think they probably need a little (a lot) editing because a non optimized party can run into a few TPKs. I know we did not enjoy being tossed into lava that did 10d10 fire (when you enter and when you start your turn) and ongoing 15 while vulnerable 5 to fire. I had 70 HP max as a cleric.

Fighting a level 17 encounter at level 8 was pretty silly too. It was supposed to be a three faction battle, but we murdered faction 1 before faction 2 appeared with the heavy use of daily powers. We weren't just defeated, we were massacred.

#11

tomlib

Jan 21, 2010 7:47:01

Fighting a level 17 encounter at level 8 was pretty silly too. It was supposed to be a three faction battle, but we murdered faction 1 before faction 2 appeared with the heavy use of daily powers. We weren't just defeated, we were massacred.

I think you are referencing the Grand Cathedral battle in The Temple Between and, if so, I couldn't agree more. That was a poorly designed fight. I actually brought it up at EnWorld and the author responded to my criticisms by saying he didn't fully understand the dynamics of 4th Edition at the time he wrote that encounter and agreed it wasn't the best. If that makes you feel any better. :-)

I'm also a player in the SoW and I'm finding them ok at best. The Temple Between, our current location, has some excellent role-playing at the start but the combats are a nightmare of boredom.

The way things are going right now I suspect we will abandon SoW out of boredeom with endless encounters and very little coherent plot but I could be wrong. The first adventure in an AP should be so important but it seems like we really never got to a first adventure and things have just rambled from one spot to another.

The big thing that is wrong for me is the lack of a connected thread. I know many people claim that is up to the GM and there is a connecting string but as I a player I don't see it. We started in Brindol with the theft of the relics from the Red Hand of Doom and I hoped to see the entire AP center around those items and the theft. Anyway, just one player's opinion.

Happy Gaming,

Tom