As an encounter location to drop into my campaign, this document leaves some to be desired. The map is a bit confusing (mainly lacks the correct icons to match the room description) and I don't really like the set up suggested. The only way I could use it as written is as the trick/trap room of a deranged wizard with a very strange sense of humor. (Come to think of it, it might work for a one-off where the players won't take it too seriously...)

As a source of ideas for cursed/interesting/humorous/unusual items, however, I found several good seeds in here. I will definitely use some of them, though not all at one time - my players would likely lynch me if I did that. :)

Not all the ideas are especially good or original, but there's enough gems in here to make it worth the purchase.<br><br><b>LIKED</b>: Several of the treasures - I especially liked the feather fall necklace.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: The encounter room layout and set up.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Acceptable<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Satisfied<br>

As with the False Treasure Room, I found this encounter location too contrived to just drop into a campaign as is. It's basically a room with lots of pools that do strange things.

That said, the pools create an interesting puzzle for the party and, with a different set up, I think my players will enjoy it. The room is not especially lethal, and some of the pools contain useful treasure, if the party is intelligent enough to figure them out. Some of the pools show considerable originality, which I value in these types of pdf's.

Rather than use this room as a prison the party has to escape from (as suggested in the document), I'll probably use it as a test to pass through to an area they need to reach.

<br><br><b>LIKED</b>: Originality of some of the pools. Puzzle nature of the room.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: Author's suggested setup too contrived.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Acceptable<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Satisfied<br>

As with the other Buck-a-Batch files I've purchased, the quality of ideas runs the gamut from boring to original and interesting.

Cons:

1. Lousy game mechanics. Too often there are no DC's given for an item's ability. Most items do not specify the type of action (standard, free) needed to activate them. Caster levels don't match between the item description and the caster level listed in the item creation specs.
2. The pricing seems pretty out-of-whack, with several items actually cheaper than less powerful items in the DMG.
3. 50 items? Only if you count all the repetitive items listed. For instance, Brittle Gems are basically one-use items similar to potions/scrolls. The author lists 12, the only difference among them being what spell is embedded in the item.

Pros:

1. Ideas. The author seems to be very weak on mechanics, but is strong on flavor. There are some very good items in here. Several just cry out to be used by a thieves' guild or wizard guarding his lair.
2. Value. At a dollar, I just can't knock this product too much. If I can work just a half-dozen of the better items into my campaign, I'll have gotten more than my money's worth.<br><br><b>LIKED</b>: Some of the ideas are original and have good flavor.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: Redundant items. Weak game mechanics.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Acceptable<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Satisfied<br>

As with the other Buck-a-Batch files I've purchased, the quality of ideas runs the gamut from boring to original and interesting.

Cons:

1. Lousy game mechanics. Too often there are no DC's given for an item's ability. Most items do not specify the type of action (standard, free) needed to activate them. Also, the pricing seems pretty out-of-whack, with several items actually cheaper than less powerful items in the DMG.
2. 50 items? There's some repetition among the items, though much less than in some of the other pdf's by this company. For instance, instead of listing five individual Belts of Resistance (one for each element), just list one and specify that it functions against only one element.

Pros:

1. Ideas. The author seems to be very weak on mechanics, but is strong on flavor. There are some good items in here. I especially liked the Boots of Light Step.
2. Value. At a dollar, I just can't knock this product too much. If I can work just a half-dozen of the better items into my campaign, I'll have gotten more than my money's worth. <br><br><b>LIKED</b>: Some of the items are original and useful.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: Weak game mechanics.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Acceptable<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Satisfied<br>

As with the other Buck-a-Batch files I've purchased, the quality of ideas runs the gamut from boring to original and interesting.

Cons:

1. Lousy game mechanics. Too often there are no DC's given for an item's ability. Most items do not specify the type of action (standard, free) needed to activate them. The pricing seems pretty out-of-whack, with several items actually cheaper than less powerful items in the DMG.
2. 50 items? Only if you count all the repetitive items listed. For instance, there are 24 Bane Rings listed, one for each of 24 different races/creature types.

Pros:

1. Ideas. The author seems to be very weak on mechanics, but is strong on flavor. There are some very good items in here. I especially like the Babble Ring and plan to use a modified version of the Demon Ring.
2. Value. At a dollar, I just can't knock this product too much. If I can work just a half-dozen of the better items into my campaign, I'll have gotten more than my money's worth. <br><br><b>LIKED</b>: Some of the items are original and useful for spicing up a campaign.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: Half the items are really just one item, with multiple listings (Bane Ring). Weak game mechanics.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Acceptable<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Satisfied<br>

As with the other Buck-a-Batch files I've purchased, the quality of ideas runs the gamut from boring to original and interesting.

Cons:

1. Lousy game mechanics. Too often there are no DC's given for an item's ability. Most items do not specify the type of action (standard, free) needed to activate them. The pricing seems pretty out-of-whack, with several items actually cheaper than less powerful items in the DMG.
2. 50 items? Only if you count all the repetitive items listed. For example, there are 10 Dragonscale Shields listed, one for each of 10 different dragons.

Pros:

1. Ideas. The author seems to be very weak on mechanics, but is strong on flavor. There are some very good items in here. The Dire Armor will work well with a totem-worshipping barbarian tribe. The various shields can be used (with some tweaking of game mechanics) to give my players some neat, but not overpowering, items.
2. Value. At a dollar, I just can't knock this product too much. If I can work just a half-dozen of the better items into my campaign, I'll have gotten more than my money's worth. <br><br><b>LIKED</b>: Some of the items are original and useful.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: Weak game mechanics. Redundant at times.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Acceptable<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Satisfied<br>

As with the other Buck-a-Batch files I've purchased, the quality of ideas runs the gamut from boring to original and interesting.

Cons:

1. Lousy game mechanics. Too often there are no DC's given for an item's ability. Most items do not specify the type of action (standard, free) needed to activate them. The pricing seems pretty out-of-whack, with several items actually cheaper than less powerful items in the DMG. Some items are just plain overpowered (a dagger that negates armor bonuses, a staff that gives the wielder the equivalent of Spell Focus on all spells).
2. 50 items? Only if you count all the repetitive items listed. For example, there are 10 different Dragon Scale Arrows, one for each of 10 different dragon types.

Pros:

1. Ideas. The author seems to be very weak on mechanics, but is strong on flavor. There are some very good items in here. I love the Zombie Blade and the various Nets will find use in my campaign.
2. Value. At a dollar, I just can't knock this product too much. If I can work just a half-dozen of the better items into my campaign, I'll have gotten more than my money's worth. <br><br><b>LIKED</b>: Some original and useful items.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: Weak game mechanics. Redundant.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Acceptable<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Satisfied<br>

My greatest weakness as a GM is creating interesting and realistic npc's, so I was looking forward to using this product to serve as the basis for a mountain village in my next campaign. Unfortunately, very little in this pdf goes beyond the bland. The npc's are too often stereotypical - the happy couple with kids who own their own business, the misunderstood half-orc with a noble heart, the fun-loving halfling, the dour dwarf.

One thing the village needs is more connection between the individual npc's. In a village of only 483 sourls, interaction among the npc's should be constant - yet very little is documented in the pdf.

There are a some explicit plot hooks, but none have much detail. One missed opportunity: the author could have fleshed out the priests who live in town because they were driven out of a nearby abbey. Religious figures usually have considerable political influence - why aren't they agitating for the town guard to retake their abbey? If the town can't do it, are members of the order trying to get outside help? If so, how does that affect the balance of power within the town and area? Of course, since virtually nothing is said about the village's government, all of this will have to created from scratch by the buyer.

Though the introduction states that "life is Spartan and hard on the locals", rarely does a shopkeeper have less than a couple thousand gold pieces in portable wealth (money and gems), not counting other possessions and the value of their businesses. One mercenary (a 3rd level fighter) has almost 1,500 gp in wealth, plus equipment. One shopkeeper "who had hit upon hard times" has almost 300 gp in wealth. I would think all this wealth would make this village a prime target for raiders - there are probably 25,000+ gp in coins and gems alone in this small community.

The maps are functional, but uninspired. Then again, how exciting can you really make an inn or stables? The separate files for printing out full-size maps will be a help to those who use e-tiles.

Overall, my impression is that this product not a great value. There are a few things I'll scavenge from it for my new campaign, but I'll have to find another source of npc's and plot hooks to properly stock the town. My greatest impression is that this is something the author wrote, but never used in a campaign - there's no "life" in this village.<br><br><b>LIKED</b>: Overall map of town. A few npc's.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: Blank. Uninspired and cliched npc's. Lacks detail.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Disappointing<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Disappointed<br>

My greatest weakness as a GM is creating interesting and realistic npc's, so I was looking forward to using this product to serve as the basis for a small town in my next campaign. Unfortunately, very little in this pdf goes beyond the bland. The npc's are too often stereotypical - the happy couple with kids who own their own business, the misunderstood half-orc who's really not so bad but hates bigots, the kindly priest, the fun-loving halfling.

One thing I did like was the occasional connection between npc's. For instance, the general store is owned by a wealthy local, but run by a shopkeeper hired for the job. I would have liked a lot more of this, however, as there are only 800 people in this village.

Unlike The Village of Mapleton, in this product the author provides some useful detail on the local government. Once again, however, I was left wanting more - how do the individual members of the council work together, what factions exist, what conflicts?

The maps are functional, but uninspired. Then again, how exciting can you really make an inn or stables? The separate files for printing out full-size maps will be a help to those who use e-tiles.

Overall, my impression is that, while better than its companion product The Village of Mapleton, this product not a great value. There are a few things I'll scavenge from it for my new campaign, but I'll have to find another source of npc's and plot hooks to properly stock the town. My greatest impression is that this is exactly the kind of town one finds in a typical computer RPG - a place to buy stuff and pick up the occasional plot hook from the GM. Mostly static and lifeless.<br><br><b>LIKED</b>: A few npc's. A couple plot hooks.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: Bland and uninspired. <br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Disappointing<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Disappointed<br>

This is a fairly pedestrian adventure with little to recommend it.

The opponents are bugbears (37 normal, 1 ftr2, 1 ftr4, 1 clr4, 1 half-fiend ftr6/sor3). There are no other encounters to break the monotony. These bugbears are chaotic evil raiders with the discipline of Roman legionnaries - how else can we explain the fact that 21 bugbears are on guard duty at all times! The author makes the common mistake of making the opponents too efficient.

The only characters described are the four classed bugbears. Very little information is given on any of them. The ftr4 was deposed as leader by the half-fiend, who may (or may not?) be related to the female cleric. The ftr4 wants to retake control of the band, which begs the question as to why he hasn't been killed already. Overall, the interactions between the npc's are too vague and too cliched for my taste.

One nitpick - the bugbears are using the tower as a base for raiding caravans. Why in the world are they storing the heavy crates and casks they steal on the 6TH LEVEL of the tower??? Do they like hauling this stuff up several flights of stairs? The captives should be on the upper level (near the npc's who like to torture them) and the dungeon should be the storeroom. Just another detail that detracts from the verisimilitude of the module.

The maps are functional, but this module desparately needs an outside view of the tower (more than is shown on the cover page) and a description of the terrain around it. These things could make a big difference in play with smart adventurers, but are left up to the buyer to flesh out. The extra file with an e-tiles version of the maps will be useful to groups that use those.

Overall, I can't recommend this module. There's nothing at all original in it. The npc's are standard fare. The maps are nothing special and better can be found in other products. <br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: Bland. Boring. Lacks verisimilitude.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Poor<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Disappointed<br>