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Dungeon Crawl Classics #28: Into the Wilds $10.99
Average Rating:4.4 / 5
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Dungeon Crawl Classics #28: Into the Wilds
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Dungeon Crawl Classics #28: Into the Wilds
Publisher: Goodman Games
by Megan R. [Featured Reviewer]
Date Added: 09/12/2018 13:35:48

Suitable for a campaign starter, this adventure takes a party of very low level adventurers (1st-3rd level) to a frontier keep that's troubled by a curse and assorted marauding beasties. There's plenty to find in (and around) the keep, which is surrounded by an area called the Wilds. Shall we say that it lives up to its name.

Several hooks are provided to get them there in the first place, and it's suggested that you make use of whatever backstories the characters have. There's also a selection of rumours - each charater should have heard a couple of them before the adventure begins. There's a background story - some of which might come out during play - and notes about what the party needs to find and what they should do with them. The local lordling will be pleased to get them back... but of course, other folk also have their eyes on the prize!

We also find out a fair bit about the area of Wildsgate and the people living there, a vibrant community in which any action will have consequences. It's somewhere a bunch of aspiring adventurers might want to stay a while as they begin their careers, and there are some outline notes that give ideas for integrating your adventures into the locality.

The adventure begins with the party on the road towards the keep... and an introductory combat to remind them that civilisation is far behind. There's plenty more travel in the Wilds before they reach the keep too, and plenty to do and see on the way. The really neat thing is that every encounter happens for a reason, even though they are universally violent and hostile.

Eventually they reach the keep, which is well-guarded. The first task is to get in! Within its confines there is plenty going on. It's quite a hub of adventurer activity, and there are lots of folks to interact with. However the lure of adventure will hopefully lead the party forth again, to the caverns beneath a feature called the Goblin Spires, where there are some well-organised goblins to be cleared out... and of course there is much more besides, beneath and beyond. Eventually the quest reaches its end in ancient dwarven tombs, needless to say, well-protected against tomb raiders. Those defences don't care how legitimate the party's business might be, ether!

There's one last obstacle in their way when the party returns triumphant with their spoils - and the range of options presented for handling this last encounter are impressive. This will determine whether the party can stay safely in the area or will be run out of town (if lucky) so they'd better be careful what they do! The text ends with ideas for further adventures...

Well-resourced with maps, descriptions and everything you might need to make the Wilds and the settlement of Wildkeep come alive, this makes an excellent start for a wilderness-based campaign.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Dungeon Crawl Classics #28: Into the Wilds
Publisher: Goodman Games
by Calvin B. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 11/05/2015 13:11:23

I bought this upon the suggestion that I read more adventures(Specifically those written by Harley Stroh) in order to be a better DM. I DMed as a kid in high school and got back into the hobby after a good 25-30 year lapse. It reads very will and I could see it being easily modified to the 5e ruleset.
What impressed me is that the authors have set it up to give the DM insight into what is up next- no you couldn't download it and begin to play it with out reading it through at least once- I honestly don't believe that you can do that with any module that you pre buy and are trying to honestly run the module as the author intends. The descriptions give instances and the encounter reactions and why this reaction- this level of detail isn't something I remember from older modules but is common in the modern ones published by WotC(my only experience). The motives for the NPC's are very well outlined and reasons are also given. The very cool thing is that the text also gives possible interaction that NPC may have with players. This is a very worthwhile purchase!



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
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Dungeon Crawl Classics #28: Into the Wilds
Publisher: Goodman Games
by Joel H. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 06/07/2007 00:00:00

This module was a baptism-by-fire for me - my first attempt at playing DM, and my first Dungeon Crawl Classic! My players (all 6 of them) rated this adventure pretty highly. It was fun to watch as they tried to figure out which "starting rumors" were actually true and there were a couple of nice plot twists toward the end that caught them off guard. Overall, the maps were very clear and easy to draw, and the module provides you with ample strategies and motivations for the bad guys. If I had to nitpick, I'd complain about some typos in the monster stats (such as the Vampire with a Constitution score and a Drow NPC blessed with Elfen stats), but I was fairly satisfied with the module as a whole. Not bad for a first try!

<br><br><b>LIKED</b>:

  1. Nice, easy-to-draw maps.
  2. Great player handouts!
  3. Each PC starts out with a couple of "starting rumors" which can easily be turned into plot hooks.
  4. A fairly rich and detailed background story for the small town of Wildsgate.
  5. NPC stats for every shop owner, bartender, and warehouse guard (even the pickpockets have stats!)
  6. Well-written descriptions of characters and environs.
  7. Plenty of opportunities for low-level characters to die horribly.
  8. A couple of nice plot twists to keep the players on their toes.
  9. Perilous heights of the Goblin Spires and surrounding forests gave a nice "outdoors" flavor to a traditionally dungeon-bound genre.
  10. Players walked away thinking I was a good DM.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: Pet Peeves:
  11. No scale on Wildsgate town map (1 square = 10 ft - So why not write it on the map?)
  12. There are a "handful" of huts atop the precarious Goblin Platforms - so why not indicate where to put them on the map?
  13. Some minor typos in monster stats (some creatures wearing medium armor still listed as having 30 ft. movement, etc. - major typos on vampire and drow stats).
  14. After the PCs take a lift deep underground, they are supposed to encounter wandering patrols after a certain time period, but the module leaves said patrols stranded at the top of the lift with no means to bring it back up.
  15. The only confusing part of the map for me was where precisely to place the flagstones in the Hall of Declaration (Area 2-10). I ended up placing them along the entire length of the hall at 10 ft. intervals. <br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Very Good<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Very Satisfied<br><BR>[THIS REVIEW WAS EDITED]<BR>


Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
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