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Tldr: It's a great adventure! Don't worry that it's puzzle based, you'll love it anyhow.
I've always enjoyed puzzles, but have found puzzle based adventures to be lacking. This one does not. I've recently both played and DMed it, and both times have been smooth sailing with two engaged parties. I was a little concerned since a couple of the players were combat focused, but I needed not have worried, there was plenty for everyone to dvelve into and enjoy.
While the introduction in the dungeon can feel a little intimidating, once you get started, more and more pieces will be solved as you move though. The way through is far from linear, at the same time, it was easy to DM. It had clear references and the details were highlighted and clear. Everything in there is placed for a reason, though the players might not discover everything. Even so, the replayability as a player is quite low. As a DM, though, I can run this multiple times, and something different will happen.
There are some clues on how to run this:
- Be clear. Be very clear on the objective and the important details. Make sure the players register those, and don't be afraid to repeat them if needed.
- Don't say too much. Once the players have heard the details, they need time to think and discuss amongst themselves. Many are used to turning to the DM for confirmation, but here, the DM should say nothing until the party makes an action to attempt to trigger an effect.
- Remind the players that it's all right to not solve everything at first glance. It's all right to return to a room later.
All in all a well built, well thought out adventure. Best of all are the wonderful reactions by the party, as they make a realization and goes "Aaaaah!"
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I was very lucky to be asked to consult on this, and it was a joy. It's an intricate adventure, with so much to offer. I love the abstract ideas it supports, and the geometry that infuences it all. It's well developed and supports all pillars of play in a natural manner. Well, as natural as abract can make it. More than anything, it offers something different, but on the same line as The Coldlight Star. Very unique adventure which I highly recommend.
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This module fits me very well with it's light tone (though heartbreaking at times), and puzzles I actually managed to solve (or at least we managed to as a group).
Reading through it, it seems easy to prepare, and fun to run as well. I can't wait to see how my players will solve it, once I have a chance to do so.
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I was lucky enough to get the chance to playtest this, and I had a great time!
As always, you know that you get a great adventure when it's written by Adrian. It's whimsical and always has plenty of favor. You get the chance to dive into all pillars of play in a natural way. And more than anything, to play Street Goat-ball. I'm very much looking forward to running this for my local group.
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I bought this module because of the theme and the details, and I was not disappointed! It’s packed with real-life information on whales and whaling. The module is also whimsy and have some random interactions which are fun to explore.
With a five-player party, we spend exactly two hours. At the same time, they avoided one of the combats. The combats played longer than written, so we had to catch up by cutting the exploration and roleplay, which didn’t give the NPCs the role they deserved.
The harvesting felt a little repetitive, with little real interaction on the story. The DC to detect the thin ice changes through the adventure, which made me uncertain of when it came into play. I’m leaving the adventure a four-star rating because while we had fun, in the end, it felt a little flat, whereas players often expect a rise in excitement towards the end. Brenda was simply so annoying they considered just throwing her back in without interacting anymore, I wish she had a firmer connection to the story and that the players had an incentive to return her.
Next time I’m running this, I will present the threat of the animals from the beginning, and maybe add a hook to search for Brenda (maybe only she knows the password to the safe).
I love the setting of the adventure, the deadliness of the combats (which forces the players to make smart choices), the illustrations, the environmental effects, and more than anything, the science, which in my opinion makes the adventure unique.
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I picked up this module because I loved the front page and name. Zem looks like great fun, and I enjoy his pickyness and the whimsyness. I also like mini-games. The idea of two different paths somewhat increases playability. The adventure hooks "I got your back" and "Infamous for a reason" are very interesting.
There are some inconsistencies in the module, which will demand some extra prep for the DM.
I usually enjoy short modules, though this one is missing information in vital spots. For example, Zem's task could have been written out more clearly, as it's packed into more general information, yet nothing to help the characters know where to start. There's also very little to be gained from part 2 when it comes to information, apart from a general direction.
The only thing that seems to connect this adventure to Icewind Dale are the names of the town and the taverns and one cavern of ice (which have no real effect). The adventure feels rather tropical due to the flavor of the healing potion. The characters aren't actually at the mentioned inns and taverns, just nearby. A DM without a map of the town will be unable to know which hole is which location, as they are referred to differently.
The NPCs apart from Zem are very hard to grasp how to make. Who's the birthday person? It would be good with more information about them, since they are vital in part 4.
The timing is very strange. It says that it's a 2-hour module, yet the times for the parts are up to 30 min, 120 min, 60 min and 30 min, which would make a 4-hour adventure. Even cut to the minimum recommendation it's 3 hours.
As I almost exclusively AL-modules I can't find the information where I believe it should be, since it is moved around in the module. Other places, information is straight out missing, like that the fluff on the magic items is not in the handout. I would recommend looking at the CCC-guidelines for layout and on how to phrase checks and saving throws correctly, to keep in tune with the standard formats.
All in all, this looks like an adventure with a good premise, but it seems half-finished and could use a good editor. A DM can have fun with this, just make sure to do enough preparation and fill in the blanks.
I might update this review after I run it and add which choices I made as a DM to give others some ideas.
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It's a sweet adventure that's easy to run and explore all aspects of the game. It needs just a little preparation and still gives massive enjoyment to the players and DM alike.
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I find this module interesting, though quite challenging to run. It does not fit new DMs, however, experienced DMs and players have the freedom to have plenty of fun with it. It offers some new ways to be creative and different options, which raises the replayability, but also the difficulty for the DM.
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Very enjoyable story, but so confusing to figure out as a DM. Luckily the players didn't notice, but I had to make some adjustments along the way to make it playable.
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I have run this module twice now, and really appreciate the focus on roleplay. The players did as well. It's a good continue from DDAL09-01 and sticks with the theme.
I would recomend to run the entire module, including both bonus objectives, otherwise you will not play all pillars and will miss out on the best parts of the story.
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This module works well as an introduction for new players with a good portion of social encounters, as well as a couple of combats. I used it when introducing students to D&D, where both players and DMs were new.
There is some information which is left out, though, which I wish was included, such as more about Dara.
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