DRAG2-2 This Gathering Storm - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 BRJN Jun 28, 2010 20:04:27	I got a chance to play this module at Origins over the weekend. Alas that I enjoyed another module more than this one. This module isn't bad - I won't tell people to Stay Away - but it can be improved. I enjoyed it for character background reasons.* The basic setup is a very long skill challenge followed by a hard fight. The skill challenge represents a lot of investigation and detective work. I think I would prefer a fight to break up the skill challenge. For instance, have the Eyes of Justice jump the PCs after they find out who "the Dread Pirate Roberts" {names changed to evade spoilers} friends are but before they find out where he is hiding. In our case, the EoJ tried to jump us in the slums just outside town near dusk. As the locals began slamming shut windows/doors/whatever, our deva decided to discuss religious philosophy with the esteemed leaders of the righteous (dripping sarcasm) and I made a point to say, "We are going back to town. Would you like to join us? You can bring your friends along too - if you think you'll need them." This broke up an ambush and publicly humiliated them. I think it also earned us one of our rewards, "Under Watchful Eye" Player advice: Do not play this module several times in a row, using different characters each time. Our Warden was going through for her third time. In an effort to avoid committing spoilers, she wouldn't participate! I'm a ham actor but I'm not much into detective novels or mysteries; I need all the help I can get to RP one. Having one person who just sat there was ... disconcerting. I've nothing against playing a mod with different characters, but break it up with other stuff so you can come back and add to the new table's fun, too. DM advice: Know Your Table. Every one of our players wore wedding rings; one pair was in fact married to each other. When we got to the gambling ship and the dancing girls, we did not need a long discussion of the unspoken services the girls could also provide. (Maybe teenagers need to be informed?) A to-the-point mention that these things exist would have been sufficient for us. And you may call me a prude ... later. When the PCs get to the "trophy tree", the color text should be changed to indicate more than swords, armor, helmets, axes. If 'give us shineys' includes the fact that the guardian can be bribed, describe some jewelry, coins, &c on the tree, too. We found this out when I failed a skill check: "I want to offer to pay GP to pass. I'll use Bluff to pay as little as possible." And I rolled really bad. So we had to pay a pretty penny for the chance to not get beat up. The finale fight was actually fun. We posted ourselves on an island with a bridge to the shore and another to the boat. (Sam Gamgee: Do you have your rope?) Our Warden finally woke up and began to shine: given the bridge covered with enemies, another guy tried to jump across the strait to our island; she Immediate Reactioned him into deep water ... wearing plate armor. (I still don't know how she did it). Be sure to read the rules on drowning {smirk}. The map suggested several possible tactics and strategies; the DM tried them. This map was well-conceived and fun to play on. Besides the headlong charge over the bridge, several ways to open up flank attacks - both ways - were provided. This prevented both us and the foes from doing the turtle thing and setting up a Defender-killing grindfest. One of the treasure bundles is very thematically appropriate. I will suggest DMs put it on some NPC's feet (not the guys in full plate, though) and show off a bit. Whoever thought to put this item in should be praised and complimented - so I will do so here. WELL DONE. * Character Background Reasons: I have played CORE 1-13 The Fate of Camp 15. So my former employer has business contacts in Westgate. I am thinking of this as 'opening up new territory' for the company. (Maybe I can contract the Dread Pirate Roberts to escort a merchant ship to some other port?)
#2 wbbuch Jun 29, 2010 13:21:24	My experience with this mod from Origins: Show I both DM'ed and played this mod and I will say this: from speaking with different people who played the adventure at different tables it sounds like everyone was getting a very different experience. Some people ended up with three combats, some only two, and some bargined their way out of a fight and only had one combat. I DM'ed the mod on the spur of the moment because the table I was supposed to run didn't go off, so I was literally reading it for the first time as I was taking the players through. I didn't catch until later that the players could have bargined their way out of the fight with the fey - so my players ended up forced into that combat. One thing I did tone down was that I only made the bramble hazzard attack if the players moved into them - adjacent was just too overpowering for a group made up of all level one characters (even on low...) which was the make-up of my table. If I read the adventure correctly there should NOT have been three combats - but I could be wrong. One of my friends told me their DM had them fight the EoJ in town, the fey on the way to the pirate camp, and the EoJ again at the pirate camp. I don't believe that's the way the mod was intended. Overall I liked the mod and really look forward to running it again for my local LFR group when I have a chance to prep the mod and run it properly. I think if done right this can be a very fun adventure.
#3 Madfox11 Jul 01, 2010 2:41:50	Show There should definitely be only two fights. PC choices and results of the skill challenges can influence which fights, and I can understand how a DM can use three if the PCs are extremely foolish, but even that is a bit unlikely.

Post/Author/DateTime

Post

BRJN

Jun 28, 2010 20:04:27

I got a chance to play this module at Origins over the weekend. Alas that I enjoyed another module more than this one. This module isn't bad - I won't tell people to Stay Away - but it can be improved. I enjoyed it for character background reasons.*

The basic setup is a very long skill challenge followed by a hard fight. The skill challenge represents a lot of investigation and detective work. I think I would prefer a fight to break up the skill challenge. For instance, have the Eyes of Justice jump the PCs after they find out who "the Dread Pirate Roberts" {names changed to evade spoilers} friends are but before they find out where he is hiding.

In our case, the EoJ tried to jump us in the slums just outside town near dusk. As the locals began slamming shut windows/doors/whatever, our deva decided to discuss religious philosophy with the esteemed leaders of the righteous (dripping sarcasm) and I made a point to say, "We are going back to town. Would you like to join us? You can bring your friends along too - if you think you'll need them." This broke up an ambush and publicly humiliated them. I think it also earned us one of our rewards, "Under Watchful Eye"

Player advice: Do not play this module several times in a row, using different characters each time. Our Warden was going through for her third time. In an effort to avoid committing spoilers, she wouldn't participate! I'm a ham actor but I'm not much into detective novels or mysteries; I need all the help I can get to RP one. Having one person who just sat there was ... disconcerting. I've nothing against playing a mod with different characters, but break it up with other stuff so you can come back and add to the new table's fun, too.

DM advice: Know Your Table. Every one of our players wore wedding rings; one pair was in fact married to each other. When we got to the gambling ship and the dancing girls, we did not need a long discussion of the unspoken services the girls could also provide. (Maybe teenagers need to be informed?) A to-the-point mention that these things exist would have been sufficient for us. And you may call me a prude ... later.

When the PCs get to the "trophy tree", the color text should be changed to indicate more than swords, armor, helmets, axes. If 'give us shineys' includes the fact that the guardian can be bribed, describe some jewelry, coins, &c on the tree, too. We found this out when I failed a skill check: "I want to offer to pay GP to pass. I'll use Bluff to pay as little as possible." And I rolled really bad. So we had to pay a pretty penny for the chance to not get beat up.

The finale fight was actually fun. We posted ourselves on an island with a bridge to the shore and another to the boat. (Sam Gamgee: Do you have your rope?) Our Warden finally woke up and began to shine: given the bridge covered with enemies, another guy tried to jump across the strait to our island; she Immediate Reactioned him into deep water ... wearing plate armor. (I still don't know how she did it). Be sure to read the rules on drowning {smirk}. The map suggested several possible tactics and strategies; the DM tried them. This map was well-conceived and fun to play on. Besides the headlong charge over the bridge, several ways to open up flank attacks - both ways - were provided. This prevented both us and the foes from doing the turtle thing and setting up a Defender-killing grindfest.

One of the treasure bundles is very thematically appropriate. I will suggest DMs put it on some NPC's feet (not the guys in full plate, though) and show off a bit. Whoever thought to put this item in should be praised and complimented - so I will do so here. WELL DONE.

* Character Background Reasons: I have played CORE 1-13 The Fate of Camp 15. So my former employer has business contacts in Westgate. I am thinking of this as 'opening up new territory' for the company. (Maybe I can contract the Dread Pirate Roberts to escort a merchant ship to some other port?)

wbbuch

Jun 29, 2010 13:21:24

My experience with this mod from Origins:

Show

I both DM'ed and played this mod and I will say this: from speaking with different people who played the adventure at different tables it sounds like everyone was getting a very different experience. Some people ended up with three combats, some only two, and some bargined their way out of a fight and only had one combat.

I DM'ed the mod on the spur of the moment because the table I was supposed to run didn't go off, so I was literally reading it for the first time as I was taking the players through. I didn't catch until later that the players could have bargined their way out of the fight with the fey - so my players ended up forced into that combat. One thing I did tone down was that I only made the bramble hazzard attack if the players moved into them - adjacent was just too overpowering for a group made up of all level one characters (even on low...) which was the make-up of my table.

If I read the adventure correctly there should NOT have been three combats - but I could be wrong. One of my friends told me their DM had them fight the EoJ in town, the fey on the way to the pirate camp, and the EoJ again at the pirate camp. I don't believe that's the way the mod was intended.

Overall I liked the mod and really look forward to running it again for my local LFR group when I have a chance to prep the mod and run it properly. I think if done right this can be a very fun adventure.

Madfox11

Jul 01, 2010 2:41:50

Show

There should definitely be only two fights. PC choices and results of the skill challenges can influence which fights, and I can understand how a DM can use three if the PCs are extremely foolish, but even that is a bit unlikely.