An extremely inventive and well-thought-out adventure; it looks like a definite challenge to even a high-level party. I haven't run it yet, but if my plsyers still want gloomy stuff after Curse of Strahd is finished, I finally know what my follow-up adventure will be!

The things I love: 1) It is clear that Clegg was inspired in the adventure format here; I'm seeing lots of rhyming beats (not just references) with CoS. The way the areas of Forlorn are listed and described, the way the factions interplay with their deep-seated conflicts, the—for lack of a better phrase—weird s&&t. If you loved Curse of Strahd or even just appreciated the design of that adventure, you owe it to yourself to check out Standing Forlorn.

2) The art! Whoa, this is a pretty module. Very professional, very colorful and eye-catching (for what is ostensibly a dreary land); almost everything I care to describe to my players is rendered. Basically the same amount of art as a WOTC product of the same length, possibly more.

3) It's f&&&ing funny. The tower of Ciethlenn is worth the price of admission.

4) A great variety of wild monster ideas and brutal gameplay mechanics to cut your Lv 10+ PCs down to size.

The thing that I wish could have been better—that others mentioned, as well—is the maps, or lack of them. Lots of alphanumeric-coded areas in the module don't have a corresponding map (or at least it isn't clear where on the tactical maps these areas are or how they're connected). I wouln't categorize this as a cardinal sin of design, however; Clegg might have felt the effort and page space was better utilized elsewhere, and who am I to judge. Even a newbie DM should be able to make their own maps from this rich material. I originally intended to steal the maps for my own homebrew game, so I was a little disappointed, but the rest of the adventure easily won me over; i have no regrets snagging it.

One last thing: This adventured convinced me that druids are f&&&ing metal.

Disclaimer: When I saw that Standing Forlon had released on the DM guild the seed of evil temptation was immediatly planted in my heart. I knew I just had to read it now. So I spoke with my fiance and we offered up our first born child as collateral and took a free community copy on loan with the full intention of paying when the next paycheck rolls around. This promise is two fold. One: This module is worth every single penny of the asking price. Two: I want Oliver Clegg to have mercy on my decendants.

Review: Standing Forlorn is a masterful reimaging of the Forlorn Ravenloft setting. Filled with dark myth, legend, and folklore, fans of the Witcher and similar fantasy elements will absolutely love Clegg's vision of this timelost land. This is not a completely faithful reconstruction of the orginal setting, but any changes are in my opinions, absolute improvements. The rework of the Darklord of Forlorn (And making it into a very mysterious and interesting threat that will defy player expectations, and give a twist for any original Forlorn players) while keeping lots of lore, and adding tons of new content, shows the dedication put into making this module thematic and iconic in its own right. There are plenty of references to Curse of Strahd, easter eggs to find, and actual lore backstories of several entities referenced in the 5e CoS storylline. While they were only set pieces in CoS, Clegg has woven them into the Forlorn story with intriguing new storylets. This makes this a Tier 4 adventure that can be played as a sequel to CoS very easily. It can also pay off to anyone, even if the players don't know a thing about CoS or Ravenloft lore, as the whimsically dark and unique NPCs of this module can be brought to life with little effort. Rules recommendations for powerful new Ghost monsters and an appedix on the use of punishing but rewarding time travel can be used in any game, and serves to allow for a good creative challenge for Tier 4 characters of higher level. I believe that this is high level content done right, and just like with Clegg's City of Eyes, he shows an inherient understanding as a Dungeon Master, and game designer, on the need to keep high level player characters actively engadged in both RP and difficulty standpoints. This module has plenty of room for all classes to shine, but any nature themed character will find this setting to be giant RP playground, as well as a nightmare world filled with all the terrible, yet wonderfully adapted, things that populate it. Villains and combats will be memorable! A solid 5/5 for me, Standing Forlorn will most certainly be used as a capstone adventure in one of campaigns in the near future, and elements of its additional mechanics will be used to supplement other Ravenloft content that I run. But hey, that's just my two Elysian Silvers.

In the older versions of Ravenloft, Forlorn was a domain with some cool elements and some things that were just kind of a mess. Standing Forlorn gives the domain a jolt of dark power, bring an epic level campaign to life (or unlife) that stands on its own or gives characters who survived Curse of Strahd a second chapter. Subtle dread, brutal horror, and weird humor are all features of this book.

Among the things you'll find in Forlorn: dark treants, nods to Pratchett and musical theatre, terrifying ghosts, undead serpents, time alteration, and a darklord that is more than your players will ever expect. I can't endorse this enough. You want this book.