I just ran this as part of a Curse of Strahd campaign for a group of 6 level 5 characters. The theme of this adventure fits perfectly into the world that has been built for the players. The blood magic and bloodhulks make perfect sense in a world ruled by a vampire. A vital component of one-shot adventures as plug-ins for a larger campaign is the power for the DM to alter aspects of the adventure to fit their narrative. The open-ended aspect of this adventure made that very easy and I was able to use most of the adventure 'as written' and make it part of the ongoing campaign.
The adventure is well formatted, and the artwork is evocative. I highly recommend it for any group looking for a dark/horror themed adventure.
I do have some feedback for updates or future products with the same theme:
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The text needs some editorial work for grammar
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The art is great, but there is one piece missing, the Crimson Order Symbol as a standalone piece. I would have loved to be able to show my players the symbol.
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Consider placing the tagged map on a page by itself so it can be kept separately from the adventure book. The separate files are
appreciated, but then it can be done in one print.
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Place simplified stat blocks on the same page as each encounter. It saves having to flick back and forth to look up creatures. This is especially useful when the creatures are homebrew.
- The piercing and slashing vulnerability of creatures, while thematic, makes them too easy to be defeated and reduces the threat. (I ignored this after the first encounter, and it made the creatures feel more like the stated CR level).
Overall, great work and I look forward to seeing the next instalment.
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