Tag Archives: Review

INSERT COVER ART HERE! (Normally I would, but this adventure doesn’t have one. More on that later).

The Midnight Revelry by Chris Walz is a 17 page adventure for 1st – 3rd level characters. The adventure has been created with an adventure maker (Homebrewery/DMBinder type) and has the clean, standardized look provided by these. What it lacks in unique signature it makes up for in ease of use. It has a couple of inset stock colour artworks and the colour finish you get from the above, as well as two hand drawn b&w maps. It also comes with a (mostly) b&w print friendly version.

SPOILERS

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The characters run across a village that seems to be in the grips of an unnatural desire to party – so much so the place is suffering for the excess.

Following clues or advice from a few disgruntled locals they can determine that there is a local fey presence enchanting the folk from a temple in the woods.

A visit to the ‘party house’ – The House of the Winsome Rose – requires a trek through forests steeped in fey influence, and a selection of similarly styled encounters the DM may select from.

Delving further the characters cross into the Plane of Faerie and sees the characters embroiled in a mild form of fey politics and plots. It seems the “villain” is a satyr being blackmailed into acting in a greater fey’s stead, and would willingly band together with the PCs to slay his tormentor if they are willing, leading to a climactic fight against a powerful creature of cold.

END SPOILERS

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There’s a lot to like about Midnight Revelry, but there’s also some rough edges.

Let’s start with the critiques;

Chris makes an interesting (and deliberate) choice to not include a cover on the adventure PDF. It has a cover, and that cover is used on the DM’s Guild site as a placeholder and advertisement, but does not appear on the PDF. It seems like an odd choice to me, as the cover is one of the few artworks in the product, and it is quite atmospheric. To my mind if gives the product an incomplete feel.

Chris writes like a veteran DM that knows what he wants but is not quite used to writing for others. There is a kind of ‘shorthand’ at work here. Some of the hooks, leads, NPCs and encounters need fleshing out just a little. The Portal Guards encounter is a great example of the shorthand Chris uses throughout the adventure. There is a reward for going unseen, though it doesn’t list the mechanics for passing unseen (no mention of the guards Perception for example). It, like a few other encounters, rely on the DMs experience and/or interpretation to make it work. Similarly, the read aloud text provided is mostly good, but in places it is perhaps a little stilted, and absent in other places where it might be useful. At one point he offers advice on describing the Feywild without providing a description. While this is not an issue for experienced DMs, and some will genuinely appreciate the brevity, it does make it tougher for newer DMs to run this module.

Farleigh’s Well map needs a key in order to determine the location of various detailed locations (the inn, merchant house etc). If a clean player’s map was desired, a second unkeyed version could be provided. Of course you could simply place the key locations to your liking, but it seems like an unfinished detail to me.

There are lots of interesting encounters, but one encounter in particular bothers me as it removes agency pretty thoroughly. The travel portion of the adventure desires limiting resource replenishment, and does not allow Long Rests in the woods. Any attempt to do so sees the characters confronted by elves who wish to eject them from the woods. This is fine in theory, but the text indicates reluctant characters are ‘knocked unconscious’ and left in the outskirts of town. This seems unnecessarily forceful and immediate. If the elves simply harass the characters they will be unable to sleep mechanically, and it lacks the heavy handed and disempowering DM fiat suggested. It may be Chris was trying to be brief, but it seems unnecessarily overbearing.

The final boss is cool (pun intended) but has an ability that, while thematically appropriate, I really don’t think was well thought out. In addition to her own standard abilities she has a legendary action aura that can potentially kill anyone within 10 feet in 6 rounds, each round adding stacking debuffs that will make the fight almost impossible within 3-4 rounds with a melee heavy party. You win fast, or you die.

Lastly, this adventure concerning Fey doesn’t break or even elaborate on the tropes associated with such things – it is a stock tale of the capricious fey acting on their whims, which have consequences for nearby mortals in predicable ways. Most veteran players – or even new players that might have has some introduction to (Greek) mythology – will see the plot coming a mile away. However, even though I place this in the critique section, this is not necessarily a bad thing…

…because…

Despite not breaking the mold, this is one hell of an adventure, especially for newer players, or even jaded veterans. If you are going to create a fey themed adventure and want to hit the tropes, this is the way to do it. Midnight Revelry delivers with style and fun. There are some ‘combat only’ encounters, but almost all the creatures here can be treated with or challenged on a social level. Most of the combats have a plausible non-lethal conclusion if failed. The story flows well and keeps moving. There’s lots of options here to really add flavour and build atmosphere. The Fey Crossing is an inspired mechanic that plays on this adherence to the trope. Finally, and possibly most importantly, the final encounter feels EPIC. It gives low level characters a chance to feel powerful and part of something profound, and can have lasting impact on the setting of the adventure.

Regardless of a few imperfections, I highly recommend this if you want a low level fey adventure.

I rate this 3.5 stars for presentation (while clean, it is not groundbreaking from an art or visual layout perspective), and 4.5 stars for content (shaved only because of the few mechanical issues), for a final rating of 4 STARS. An upgrade of cover, art and a Fey theme to the backgrounds and layout would really propel this, but content alone suggests this is a worthwhile pick up.

You can buy this immersive module singularly here on DM’s Guild. It is a pay-what-you-want product, but as always I encourage actually paying the author. A lot of time and effort goes into crafting these.

It is also featured in this collection with a number of other fantastic authors (I also somehow made it in – don’t ask me how).

The second in a minotaur themed trilogy, Minotaur’s Betrayal leaves off where Minotaur’s Bargain ended. There is an assumption of satisfactory completion of the first part, which makes sense for a part 2. The module does offer a hook in if Part 1 was not completed, but it works better as a continuation of the story.

The PCs are offered Minotaur assistance and return to their town to face the impending orc threat.

Spoilers

Along the way they are attacked, though the Minotaur captain is the target. Reaching the town they find it under assault by an orcish band lead by a troll. The force seems a little light on for a full assault, however and once the invasion is repelled the PCs discover it was a diversion for a traitorous rebellion within the Minotaur ranks. Returning to the Minotaur camp they find the honourable leader slain and a usurper in her place. The usurper has given the orcs a powerful item (Banner of Gruumsh) for their support. The PCs must manage the volatile minotaur in order to be best placed to reclaim the tribe.

Following on from this the PCs are directed to infiltrate the fairly extensive orc stronghold and retrieve the lost banner, potentially hampered again by the social values of the minotaur. The stronghold has a number of interesting features, including amusing orc graffiti, eclectic prisoners to free, and a theoretically overwhelming contingent of Orcs if the players aren’t careful. The alternate route provided through the encampment is possibly just as dangerous.

The Chieftain’s quarters holds the stolen Banner of Gruumsh, and ostensibly the focus of PCs incursion, though there is nothing stopping them from slaying the chief and the priestesses, which would also end the threat from the orc tribe.

End Spoilers

Minotaur’s Betrayal is a very different beast from its predecessor. Players might want to wear neck braces, such is the sharpness of the turn. It might catch some players by surprise if they were expecting another deathtrap dungeon style outing, and instead find themselves in a story driven tale of plot and logic that the first instalment lacked.

Truthfully the adventure is all the better for it. As I indicated in my last review I don’t generally enjoy ‘just because’ trap dungeons, and prefer my adventures to have a plot, NPCs that have depth and motivation and logical details such as “where do they get rid of their waste?”. Not only does Minotaur’s Betrayal cover all of these, it manages to be both concise in language and thorough in minutiae, which is a difficult trick to pull off. The Orcs Stronghold – where the main action takes place – genuinely feels like a tribal home, complete with the kinds of details you’d expect.

On a technical level there are a few minor spelling errors, but nothing egregious, and one of the numerous maps didn’t scan well, but retains enough detail to play from (just probably not hand out).

On a design level I did find it odd that the orc stronghold has 2 separate waste areas that apparently aren’t connected, but again this is more a matter of preference than any real issue. Yes I’m nit picking here. There’s not a whole lot to criticise about this adventure.

The layout is easy to follow, and well defined in terms of information presentation and flow. It is easy to read and run from a DM perspective, and offers adjustment advice for more or less powerful or numerous parties.

Final Verdict

I have to say that I love this type of plot driven adventure, and Minotaur’s Betrayal is a great example of it. Along with the core crunch and action, there’s enough incidental detail to bring the locations and cultures alive without overpowering the goal of a smooth running, fast paced adventure. JVC Parry and Phil Beckwith have created an excellent and evocative module here that strikes a good balance between monster bash and roleplaying opportunities.

I rate it 5 stars for presentation and 5 starts for content, for a total of 5 stars. You can pick up a copy of this adventure here

I definitely recommend this one, and – assuming you can reconcile the differing styles – it should be played as part of the trilogy as intended.

I am really looking forward to the third part.

This adventure, from JVC Parry and Phil Beckwith (of PB publishing) is 20 pages, including a cover, 1 page contents and credits, 12 pages of adventure, 4 pages of appendices, 1 page review and 1 page advertisement. It has several colour illustrations and colour maps.

This short, low to mid level adventure casts the PCs in the role of diplomats, representing a local town in an endeavor to secure Minotaur mercenaries against an imminent Orc invasion.

SPOILERS

The adventure wastes little time on story, shanghaiing the characters straight into the action. Negotiations are short, with literally the only outcome resulting in an arena trial to either prove themselves or atone for insult.

The dungeon/arena is a series of deathtrap and skill challenges that must be overcome to progress. Completing 4 unlocks the final arena fight that is a stand up combat against the final boss – a minotaur gladiator. Success or honorable failure gains the aid of the tribe, while abject failure does not.

END SPOILERS

Minotaur’s Bargain is an unapologetic dungeon crawl with a thin veil of story. Each challenge is a HP/Resource sink designed to reduce already limited PC resources (only allowing a single item per character into the challenge). It does however offer several clever ways for pcs to scavenge resources along the way. In many ways this is a team based obstacle course. Mechanically sound, the various encounters are so varied and disparate it would still have many players questioning the logic of such a medley of otherwise unconnected challenges under any other circumstances.

The truly clever presentation of this dungeon is that it fits the stereotypical minotaur maze theme, but dials it up to 11. Realism takes a backseat to ‘cool’ and we’re asked to ignore it much as we forgive the unrealistic elements of an action movie because its an entertaining spectacle.

I am generally not a fan of “just because” or “because magic” deathtrap dungeons, but its honestly hard to dislike this adventure. It gives just enough justification to swallow it, oozes cool, adds stripdown and subtle scavenging to PCs that (by this level) have begun to rely on toys and gimmicks. There’s enough logic, risk/reward and variance in skill checks to keep everyone interested and is thankfully the right length to limit the burnout of oversized dungeons.

This is not an adventure for players or DMs that like roleplay or immersion. There is little here for high Charisma type characters. That being said, this is intended to be the first of a trilogy, so a connecting story is potentially in the works.

Similarly, some players may resent the effective railroad into the dungeon, or try to fight their way out of being pressed into it. The adventure turns on an assumption of success or acceptance of failure.

Final Rating

The adventure has an attractive layout, and makes good use of the sectioned isomwtric maps to break up the text and pad the limited (though appropriate) art. The maps are clean and can double as player handouts.

Minotaur’s bargain is a slick dungeoncrawl that makes the PCs action heroes at the expense of deep immersion. However, it doesn’t really feel like a sacrifice. Its perhaps not the type of adventure you’d want to play every session, but in isolation it is a strong, fun adventure.

I’d rate this 5 stars for presentation and 5 stars for content, for a final rating of 5 Stars.

You can get this very cool adventure here.

Deadly Dungeon Doors by Glen Cooper is 60 pages of… well… exactly what it advertises.

It has a colour cover with a very enticing illustration, a content/credit page, a foreword, and then 54 pages of content, 2 advertisements and a revisions summary. The content is in 2 column format, essentially B&W (there are intermittent ‘splashes’ of colour added in tables), some basic unique B&W artworks, with a nice clean layout. It lacks bookmarks, and for a 60 page electronic book that’s a big comfort omission, requiring the reader to manually navigate the material.

Chapter 1 deals with slight rules variations, and the ‘how to use’ the contents. To be honest while it’s a simplified mechanic I’m not sure it was a needed departure from the 5e core rules. Especially if you are ‘dropping the doors in’ as it advises you, you might very well have differing mechanics in your adventure, which could cause some confusion. If you were prepared to adopt the mechanic wholesale for all objects it might work. For me, I could take it or leave it.

Chapter 2 is a series of roll up tables to creature a truly random, unique door or set of doors. Aspects from size, materials, lock type, traps, level of concealment, quirks and more.

Chapter 3 is a series of tables with pre-generated doors assigned to appropriate various locations. The tables are set up as random rolls, but you could just as easily pick and choose as you like. These are a quick and easy selection tool. It’s a good inclusion.

Appendix A is a fun little flowchart to help you keep track of your creation process, as there are lots of variables.

Appendix B & C are Door Record Sheets to allow you to save and immortalise your creation. You get one larger spacious record sheet I assume for the doors you are really proud of – complete with a diagram box if you are artistically inclined – and a second page that has 2 summary record sections. It’s a neat inclusion that shows a real attention to detail.

Appendix D is a glossary that redirects back to sections of the book and the official rules where they apply. It’s a pretty slick summation, and I can see it being very helpful while using this supplement. The one thing that puzzles me is that it’s not in alphabetical order. If you want to use it you need to scan the table for what you want, then follow further direction in the entry. It’s not as user-friendly as an alphabetical listing would be.

Appendix E contains 13 unique – even by the standards of this supplement – and flavourful doors that range from clever, to deadly, to downright fiendish. Each comes with its own B&W artwork and these are a genuine joy to behold. Some are not suited to a more story driven campaign, but would be right at home in any dungeon or more light-hearted affair. Honestly, this section alone would make this a worthwhile purchase.

Appendix F is a 1 page example of a door created using the material in the book

Appendix G  is a nice little “Rogues Helper” checklist. It presents like fluff but actually reads like crunch, offering genuine game mechanics advice on dealing with doors and traps.

And finally Appendix H is a series of monsters that pretend to be, hide within or are integral to certain doors.

Advertising – While I have no issue with in supplement advertising one of the central pages of the book is a full-page advertisement. Ugh. Ugly and unnecessary. It reminded me of the magazine style advertising of the 80’s and 90’s. In a magazine of unconnected content I could overlook it as part of the transition from one article to the next. In a cohesive book on a single subject it was jarring and really ruined the sense of flow and immersion. It could have been discreetly placed at the back of the book. There is a second advertisement late in the book, but it’s more subtle and collects artwork like a handout, so it’s not so jarring.

Final Rating

There are only a few spelling issues, and none that really jump out. I saw no mechanical mistakes, and offers a range of difficulties meaning it is usable at all levels. It’s a clean book without being pretty, and the art is detailed enough to meet the needs of a rule book. I think some detailed colour art might have propelled it from being a great book to a truly outstanding book, but it’s a minor issue. The lack of bookmarks makes navigation cumbersome, which is also minor, but annoying.

All in all this is an excellent sourcebook and every DM can find something here. As a toolkit it is comprehensive and the plug and play doors are just masterful.

I’d rate it 5 stars for content and 4 stars for presentation, for an overall rating of 4.5 stars

You can get this fantastic book of doors here on DM’s Guild