I've only had a chance to read this module in hopes that I could run in at a future AL event I run at my LGS. I have not had a chance to run it yet, but I do feel compelled to commment on what I have observed in just reading "Back to the Burning".

This is a great, rich, story; an obvious committed effort to create a fully immersive continuation of the DDEX 2- series adventures. It is plain to see that Jeremey Arnold did his research to make sure this adventure's insertion into the stories timeline is smooth. He gives DMs alot to work with.

It is an awful lot to read. It is clear to me that Jeremey is a proven writer and wants to leave no element of his characters or this adventure to question. Because of that, I felt that I had to get through alot of descriptive to get to the main points of the adventure. The box text adds more to the immersion and unfortunately more to the reading. But, I want to beleive that the author already considers this in the estimated durations of each part of the adventure.

I observed what most others have pointed out. You'll definitely need to let players know about the limitations of the dream sequence. Some may see their agency taken from them. This adventure will take some trimming to make it work as a stand alone adventure. I intend to present the ending like a cliffhanger ... while meeting the spirit of what Jeremey has presented.

It will be interesting to present this module under D&D AL Season 8 Banner, but because of the effort Jeremey Arnold has put into this product, it is one I am willing (and wanting) to try. I may update this feedback later, but wanted to get these thoughts down while they are fresh in my mind. Thanks to all involved in bringing this author's work to life!

This adventure packet is an exceptional product! Despite the heavy Season 2 history and earlier module (BMG Elmwood) lore packed in here, I was able to run this module with extreme success when put on the spot and given only 10-20 minutes to read the adventure for the first time. The plot facilitates teaching players the necessary lore in a fun, innovative, and roleplay-heavy manner, but the fights are also thrifty and fun. What worked for me best was the spreading out of NPCs -- despite there being a good number of characters for the GM to portray, they're spread out in such a way that you never have to depict them all at once. This lets each character really shine and fulfil their purpose to the story!

Recommended only if you're going to go all the way through the trilogy, but highly recommending all of it!

Great adventure. This was a refreshing change from the the current season 8 adventures we are running. It actually tells a story that is well thought out and fully developed. This is something that is important to me because I really don't have time to fill in the gaps like I do in the current season mods. That being said the mod is heavily dependent on the events in season 2. The description plainly states this. Almost all of my players are new players without any experience beyond Waterdeep. It only took a few minutes at the begining to get them up to speed. Without giving away too much, there is an encounter in which the party is supposed to just survive for 5 rounds. My party of 7 had an APL of 6 which made them average. After one round they were headed for TPKville so I made the encounter end there. This may have been due to the inexperience of my group. They may have lasted a round or two more, but I was short on time and story wise the encounter achieved its objective. I also appreciate the fact that the mod is well edited. This is something I shouldn't feel the need to praise, but too many mods are filled with errors. There are two missing stat blocks, master thief and shambing mound. I am looking forward to running the next adventure in the series.

This is one of my favorite Tier 2 adventure trilogies. The storytelling mechanic is great (no spoilers), and acts as a great intro. The only downfall I have with this series is that you really need to play them all. They're not as strong as stand-alone modules. That said, I don't consider that a short-coming, as this is an incredible trilogy.