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Retribution Collector's Edition
Publisher: Raging Swan Press
by Paul Q. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 08/19/2015 16:36:31

Summary: This is a great and detailed adventure! Even the slightest details are included and the thoroughness makes this a guaranteed fun, challenging, and interesting adventure for your players. It is well worth the price delivering an unique plot and pace.

Opening thoughts: I have been a longtime fan of Raging Swan’s work as a GM. They publish a number of helpful resources that have shaped and spurred my creativity as I work up my campaign, encounters, etc. With that said, I should also acknowledge that I have never used one of their modules preferring to create my own scenarios. I am an experienced GM of over 30 years and generally prefer to do things myself.

Full disclosure: Because I am a fan of their resources, I am a Patron for them on Patreon.com. Also, I did receive a free PDF version of Retribution: Collector’s Edition to provide my review of the material. I will try to be as unbiased as I can in my review, but it is fair to you to let you know that up front.

Review: If you are a fan of the Old School Gaming mindset being commingled with the advanced and stable mechanics of the Pathfinder ruleset, you will be very pleased with Retribution. Raging Swan is really dialed into the balance of the Three Pillars of Adventure: Combat, Social Interaction, and Exploration. To avoid spoilers I am going to focus on what I think makes this a superior product without going into specifics about the adventure.

One of the things that stands out is the deliberate structure that shapes the module. You get 61 pages of direct content relevant to the adventure and a few additional pages on how to read a stat block, table of contents, etc. It is very clear and readable and appropriately titled and sectioned. That may not sound too exciting, but it really helps you follow things as you read it. There is both an Adventure Background and Adventure Synopsis and both go a long way toward getting you excited to read more. There are notes on how to leverage this module in your campaign, including some alternatives to help make it fit and the good news is you could drop Retribution into any fantasy campaign.

You get a starting location for your PCs which, while maybe not Village of Hommlet detailed, gives you plenty to run NPC interactions and where PCs can stock up. The detail seems appropriate as the PCs should leave the village in Act 1. Almost immediately into the adventure we get an encounter that is connected to the main plot without being initially obvious, so your players will be engaged from the very start. The author helpfully includes (with every encounter) how to scale the encounter to make things appropriately challenging. Encounters have interesting and detailed treasures to claim, clear stat blocks, and even Designer’s Notes to help the GM understand any nuances specific to the encounter. An immediate sense of urgency is created with the weather becoming a major player throughout the adventure.

Once the PCs make the Priory (the main site of the adventure) some excellent NPC interaction and fact-finding begins. Everything is clearly detailed including a helpful Timeline of Events and even possible explanations from the villain in the story should the PCs inadvertently catch him in the act too early. I was truly impressed by that, never having seen it before in other modules. The NPCs are very detailed, including some of their personality traits and secret motivations, making the middle section a very fun and interesting part to play while not swinging swords. When the main plot kicks into action, though, the sense of urgency returns and there are plenty of opportunities to swing swords.

Another positive surprise included by the designer is a Troubleshooting section in the final act of the adventure offering options to the TPK if things go a little sideways. The events that lead to the action, the change in setting, and the encounters themselves all appeal to the thinking players as well as the dice-rollers. This is a very well-rounded adventure that I can see appealing to all sorts of players.

Final Thoughts: This is a great module and worth picking up. What I think I liked most about it was how well it overcomes not being “your module.” It’s sometimes a challenge to understand what the designer was thinking and to remember all the relevant parts and I think the structure of the adventure really helps with that. I’m actually beginning a new campaign and made the decision to drop what I was planning to use Retribution. I will definitely be buying more of Raging Swan’s modules. I hope this (lengthy, my apologies for those inclined to TL:DR) review was helpful and you have as much fun with Retribution as I will.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Retribution Collector's Edition
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