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Sisterhood of the Blade (CCC-UNITE-AN-04)
Publisher: Dungeon Masters Guild
by Alexis G. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 04/22/2020 13:34:37

I got this as part of the Doctors Without Borders charity bundle. I just completed running the adventure for some totally new players - 3 people new to rpgs, and 1 new to 5th edition D&D, and 1 who had played one session of 5e with that character before. This adventure is great for new players, though with the steep learning curve of learning the game, learning online play (for me too as a DM), and learning their characters, I feel this adventure really helped. There are some very basic play concepts introduced, and enough of a narrative to not make it seem like it's just an exercise. The players all had fun, which I attribute as much to the adventure as to my DMing. It took 3 sessions of 2 hours (with lots of explaining and troubleshooting technical difficulties). I originally intended to do the 1 hour version, but a new player joined in the 2nd session and I felt it best to give people lots of time to learn.
A significant amount of time can be spent at the training centre if doing all the bonus content, which isn't a bad idea for people very new to gaming and D&D. Issues I encountered with my group include them trying to rp, but not in a way that would move the story forward (e.g. trying to gather clues but literally not asking any question that would provide an answer related to the story, and me also wanting to avoid railroading or just letting dice rolling dictate things), and interesting tactics during the final scene. My choices were made based on the people playing and may not be an issue for anyone. Highly recommended for new players as my group are looking forward to the next session.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
Sisterhood of the Blade (CCC-UNITE-AN-04)
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Creator Reply:
Thanks for taking the time to leave a detailed review and thank for buying the charity bundle. I'm very glad it helped get some new folks on-board! If your group is interested in encountering the Sisterhood again in less training-based environment, please check When Mages Fall (Tier 1) and Fiendly Competition (Tier 2).
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DDAL07-06 Fester and Burn (5e)
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast
by Alexis G. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 07/24/2018 22:11:41

I have both run and played this adventure. I played it at a convention setting, and one of the time-saving options was used. I definitely found it interesting, but I was also top of the tier and trying to level out, so it wasn't particularly a challenge. 1)The timing is good: I ran it for a VERY weak party of 3 level 5s. Normally this group takes a long time, but despite my leaving everything in, the group took about 2.5 hours of real-time despite ineffective combat. 2) the variety of combat options was good: I personally prefer flame skull & spawn, but there are lots of options written in to the adventure. Some are deadlier than others (Max HP reductions) and probably best to go over with players so they understand Death Curse implications. 3) Scaling was good: This was a challenging, fun adventure. Twice I knocked out PCs (their primary healer was sick, but they survived due to clever play).

There's a lot of opportunities for exhaustion, and hit point reduction for the challenges. There were also a lot of chances for roleplay and clever use of skills. Also actions/inactions had consequences (decision on the prisoner, games).

There was some confusion with the gold rewards - as the rewards page mentioned faction money and to see the conclusion section - the conclusion section mentioned money for saving prisoners, but the fact that this was funded by the factions and Miboro Yan was mentioned earlier. I had to get home and check if I had the most up-to-date version (I did) and whether I missed something. The party received JUST under minimum XP, which was appropriate (I bumped them the 30 or so to the minimum) for what they faced, though not the challenge they faced. One of my favourites from this season.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
DDAL07-06 Fester and Burn (5e)
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DDAL07-02 Over the Edge (5e)
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast
by Alexis G. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 06/01/2018 17:05:03

I've both played these adventures and run them. Typical of the 1 hour adventures they take far longer to run than 1 hour. Prioritize which adventure based on which factions party members belong to. Unlike with tier 1, there is no overarching plot, and the quest giver doesn't seem to get mentioned again (I have not seen the t4 adventures yet). None of the locations seem to come up in other adventures that I have seen.

1 - I ran this one but did not play it. It was one of my favourites. I would recommend using the time saving options (I did this for all of the sessions I ran, though it doesn't make sense for other enemies to explode). It was a good opportunity for gross descriptions which the players ran with. 2-This one can take time due to lots of combat. When I played it was completely derailed by a druid with a staff of the woodlands conjuring a wall of thorns. It's one of the few adventures that requires medical skill proficiency, though failure doesn't seem to have much consequence. 3- this one can take a ton of time if charm/control attempts by the NPCs are successful (which is likely with the trap). I was expecting an adventure to get into more detail about some of the questions raised at the end. I think this was a missed opportunity. Characters without ranged attacks might have a hard time, but a party with lots of immunity to charm might have too easy a time. 4-I really enjoyed this one, but again it can take a lot of time with a BBEG spellcaster using charm/control. The entry can take a long time to figure out. When I played it the DM penalized us for finding other working solutions, unlike the text directed. The squares on the floor could lead to a quick TPK through accidental friendly fire, but didn'tcome into play in my experience. 5- I did not play or run this adventure. It's notable for the hobgoblin iron shadows, which I haven't run into elsewhere.

Overall this was ok. Like someone else said, I like the idea of 1 hour adventures of a higher tier, I just wish they actually were 1 hour, and seemed to have more connection to the rest of the season.



Rating:
[3 of 5 Stars!]
DDAL07-02 Over the Edge (5e)
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DDAL07-05 Whispers in the Dark (5e)
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast
by Alexis G. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 06/01/2018 16:34:15

This has been one of my favourite modules of season 7 so far. It is not recommended as an emergency pick up and run without prep.

There are a few consistent criticisms that I read in reviews here when prepping and I agree with. 1- continuity with Wadumu in description (colour), and character (part 3) - his betrayal really doesn't make sense. 2-It is a long adventure and better suited to 4 hours.

I ran for a small party (Very Weak) and they had difficulties with the first part due to numbers. The waves of zombies really took their toll on resources, but they really seemed to enjoy it. They also wasted a lot of time trying to explore the ruins of the buildings on the outskirts. I would recommend to anyone recreating the maps to zoom in and just include the clearing as the buildings are a distraction. The clues to the door lock is on the flipside of the page describing all the defenses, so the whole section needs to be read in advance to prep it. . I printed the clues on a handout which I distributed as each riddle was read. I think was helpful for the players. It takes a little extra prep to get everything sorted (e.g. the description when doorway is opening not included in original description), but is worth it. The entry

I asked players to prepare some character background info to prepare for part 2 which freaked them out to everyone's enjoyment (good place for Xanathar's tables). If your room allows it, I'd recomend walking around the table, to make it seem like the voices are coming from all over the cavern. I think the adjustments for a very strong party would be tough, but more entertaining. The legendary actions for the BBEG were quite impressive,but the very weak adjustments were very easy (but time consuming). for a resource drained weak party to defeat. One character almost died staying behind to kill zombies in part 3.

Guild Adept adventure Hunter fits very well before or after this adventure



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
DDAL07-05 Whispers in the Dark (5e)
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DDAL07-04 A Walk in the Park (5e)
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast
by Alexis G. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 03/21/2018 17:24:42

I really liked the idea of this adventure, but not the execution. I got to run it this past weekend at a convention, where I think it's a poor choice for a module due to timing issues (though it is a short module, there are plenty of places it could go long). I had hoped to run it the week before as a test run to see where things could use tweaking, but that fell through. What I liked: the RP heavy nature of the adventure. What I didn't like, pretty much everything else. I would generally concur with what Ashley K wrote in their review:

The B opening (for non EE faction members or characters who haven't been in the previous adventure) is terrible terrible terrible. I would never run this as written. It needlessly wastes time. I don't understand why someone would need to chase the quest giver. This is one of the main areas where convention DMs could run into trouble, as players often run modules out of sequence due to scheduling. I would definitely recommend treating someone scheduled to play DDAL 7-03 as having played it. Same for characters who have interacted with Screaming Wind in DDAL 7-01. Luckily, I didn't need to worry about this. The fisherlings scene is fine, but I prefer making this a plot point rather than a more random thing and plan for interaction/combat with the thugs. This is pretty much the only way I could see coming close to the max xp, as the final combat wasn't enough. A way to introduce it even if the party foils the theft of the satchel would be to have the thugs waiting at the other side of the bridge :" Hey doesn't 'X' have your satchel?" You could also do it right after they leave the shop and saving Wadumu from them (is it a setup?) You definitely don't need two chases in an adventure. Like others, my party wanted to question the shopkeeper far beyond necessary. I haven't yet decided how to try and limit this should I run it again. My party didn't need convincing to follow Wadumu, which was interesting. I ended up having him lead them to the village and let them decide what to do. He ended up talking to the guards anyway and suggested attacking at night. He handed over the goggles to someone who couldn't see in the dark. This felt like better timing anyway. I think the key here is to allow some kind of agency, forming a plan of attack, letting the daytime trip through the village be for scouting etc. Because the village has almost no detail, you'll need to make this up. Nobody went anywhere near the grung, and the combat was over quickly (which was good, because we were just about out of time). I haven't yet had any feedback so who knows what the players thought of it.



Rating:
[2 of 5 Stars!]
DDAL07-04 A Walk in the Park (5e)
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DDAL07-03 A Day at the Races (5e)
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast
by Alexis G. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 03/02/2018 15:32:31

I enjoyed both playing and running this adventure. I would agree that this is not as simple as the races in mission 2 of DDAL 7-01, and I think future races would benefit from simpler methods to run with ways to embellish or complicate when there's time to prepare. I prepared in advance, pre-rolling d8s. While I couldn't account for when players would try to take advantage of opportunities to interfere the opposing teams, having the results (and not just successes and fails) made it easy to address. What I wish I had done, was made notes from the Tomb of Annhilation hardcover, and other adventures I own to throw in lots of description of the city.

When I ran it, I had some experienced players and new players - with the experienced players anticipating both action and intrigue where there wasn', which required more RP than my brain was ready for to get back on track. That might've been my inexperience, but I think it also has to do with the fact that this is a simple adventure. Also the only one that in my experience consistently runs significantly under alloted time.

I think it's especially well suited to new players, giving some roleplay oportunities, and 1 combat encounter that allows for a more interesting introduction than this season's intro module (I also think that DDEP 701 is a better intro than DDAL 701, except for the time constraints). That said the race mechanics are NOT typical of modules so that might require some explaining to avoid settings expectations. My very weak party didn't earn enough XP for the minimum, but easily handled the combat encounter, and I think those running for imbalanced parties (for example 2@ Lvl 1, 1@Lvl3, 1@Lvl4) might want to consider not adjusting as much as recommended. A few players were disappointed at receiving the minimum. So far, none of the tables I have played at or run have tried to go for the opposing team rewards. When I played, one of my party tried to assist the other teams getting off the podium, and the DM chose to give our team the rewards (keeping the trophy) which I think is a great result. That would've been a good comment or adjusmtent in sidebar. The item feels like it is very easily obtained (though not as easily as the one in DDAL 7-04), thoughat least it makes sense. Considering the scarcity of items available in Chult, that's not a bad thing.

I definitely felt weird roleplaying Mowbula with her thick accent, even though her speech is spelled out in a way that makes it easy to pronounce. The information she has to share but isn't spelled out in actual dialog was uncomfortable. I think there were some missed opportunities in the observation deck for those who really want to RP a rogue with light hands. Also, the instructions for gambling could be better. The amounts won were especially unclear "why would I bet if I can't earn back my money?" A simple "you earn your money back PLUS"[...whatever is on the table] would have been clearer.

One of the great things about an adventure like this, is the chance to really get descriptive or into role as a DM in a different way. I tried to get into race announcer mode (but unsuccessfully, because it's been forever since I've watched any races on TV). It's much easier to describe the scenery and action in a colorful way when you don't have to worry about whether strangers can handle description with the detail you want.

I like the fact that this is part of a trilogy, though from what I've read there is a lack of consistency.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
DDAL07-03 A Day at the Races (5e)
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DDAL07-01 A City on the Edge (5e)
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast
by Alexis G. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 11/17/2017 15:33:14

This is the first AL module I've DM'd. A general comment first: as others have said, these run far longer than the specified 1 hour. If you are mixing in hardcover information for a richer role-play experience it will take even longer. As it was, I was not successful in mixing in plot hooks for other potential adventures (Guild Adept content & Tortle package) prior to starting the actual hardcover as they served to derail the actual missions.

The hooks : these are a bit vague, but I guess serve as alternates to those in the ToA hardcover. Arrival and general info about Port Nyanzaru (PN): I found the arrival description text, and quick info about the various sections of town to be useful as I constantly referred to them as quick refreshers when asked about various sections of town.

Mission 1: I felt that the brigands were too easily bypassed, and that there were insufficient consequencse to setting off all the traps (seriously, my party found all the traps, then tripped them anyway). Mission 2: This was by far all the players' favorite. They would have participated in a number of races if possible. This was my favourite part as well. It was the quickest to run, and the players felt the significance of meeting one of the Princes. Mission 3:This mission felt disconnected with the overall narrative of the module, but provided needed exposure to what the jungle might hold. I enjoyed the Grung encounter, but it could've connected better Mission 4: The combats here were a real challenge for the players, and they seemed to really feel they earned their victory. They also really enjoyed recognizing the finger-tracing mechanisim here. This mission felt the most like an Indiana Jones adventure. I was really intrigued by the premise and felt it would have been better if it could've been more fully developed as a stand-alone module. It felt "thin," with an interesting mystery that is quickly resolved in 2 combats. Mission5: The players felt a bit rail-roaded by all this, and except for the one player who continuously sets off all the traps, this wasn't much of a challenge despite the additions for a very strong party.

I preferred the Tier 2 intro module which I played, which I just found more interesting, though I might have played for a better DM than I am. I think the best use of this is throwing an individual mission in here and there for extra money and XP rather than the entire module. I would really like to see some of the roleplay encounters like in the season 7 epic , or Too Fancy in Encounters in Port Nyanzaru added to some of these intro modules. While Mission 2 was non-standard, it was not in the same style as those (though it was everyone's favorite). I think it would be a nice change of pace from combat, and also help speed things up.

Possible hooks with Guild Adept products: These became AL legal after I had already run most of the module, so I only added one at the end. The Encounterse in Port Nyanzaru would work really well in-between these missions (or instead of, because they offer more XP in some cases). -Snuffed Out works well after the end of Mission 5. It only takes moving the location of the warehouse to the warehouse district in the harbour. It depends on how badly hurt the party is after completing the mission as there is a lot of combat. -Too Fancy fits in well after that, as they meet up with the Faction leaders to get their rewards, they can suddenly find themselves all alone leading right to this encounter. My party who participated in the season 7 epic commented on how much they enjoyed some of the more unusual encounters, so this would've worked well (we ran out of time to run it)



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
DDAL07-01 A City on the Edge (5e)
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Encounters in Port Nyanzaru
Publisher: Dungeon Masters Guild
by A customer [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 10/20/2017 14:11:43

So far I've only run one of these encounters, due to time constraints, and not owning it (not being AL-legal) when the campaign started. I definitely could have thrown in several of these very easily.

These encounters work very well in and around the DDAL7-01 missions as well. I made a slight modification of the location of the safehouse/warehouse in #5 to the warehouses in the harbour to allow for an easier hook for Snuffed out. The two flowed seamlessly, and a small party(4) of level 2s, though reduced by combat, had a reasonable challenge with the pirates.

A Little Too Fancy was cut from our session due to time, but I chose it because it seemed similar to one of the encounters in the first s7 epic that players at my table have raved about.

Spa Day is probably my least favourite, but I could see it being a lot of fun to play.

If I run other campaigns or adventures set in Port Nyanzaru, I think it is highly likely I will use many of these. Especially as a way to add XP quickly, and make Tomb of Annihilation more survivable.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
Encounters in Port Nyanzaru
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Ruins of Mezro
Publisher: Dungeon Masters Guild
by A customer [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 10/02/2017 13:55:34

My rating is temporary because I've only glanced at the file immediately after purchase. I haven't seen anything wrong with content. I'm not sure when I will get a chance to run this - though it is possible I will soon. My main issue is layout - sidebar borders frequently seem to be in the middle of the paragraph, or are covered by artwork. The text behind is selectable, however. I'm in the process of contacting the writers, but I'm not sure if this has already been addressed in v2 (my library has a v2 available, but the version I downloaded 30 minutes ago does not).



Rating:
[3 of 5 Stars!]
Ruins of Mezro
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Creator Reply:
Hi there! These layout issues are now fixed in the latest version.
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