This was a fun game to run, and my players accomplished all the tasks, including the bonus objectives, Just under three hours. The players were impressed witht he amuluet at the end, and I got the impression they thought it was a good unlock.
The NPCs were fun to run as they contrast the party. All of them just want to live their lives doing what they are doing, and the party storms in to shake things up. My favorite was the mindflayer, as he just wants to live a peacefull life (while getting rid of bad people in skullport). When my party saw him, he was kind and non-combative, just wanted to know if they needed help. I think having a mindflayer (with all the reputation they have) act in this way, shocked my party. Not all creatures in D&D are good, but not every one seeks combat.
I was impressed because every single encounter in this module can be delt with, without any combat. If you have a party of diplomats they will enjoy charming the information out of the NPC. If your party loves to fight, insult, and brutily succeed, then there is always a chance they will be entering into combat when they meet NPC as well as random encounters with the flamingskulls.
The encounters are decent, and can be scaled up for tougher parties. If you can, find out what the party will consit of, as futer planning will alow you to be prepared to describe the amount of enemies in the room.
The only issue I had running this game was the NPC's actions. Their ideals, bonds, ect were all on one page instead of the scenes where you meet them. If you have a few hours to prepare, you can make a note of how they will interact, but I feel like that information should have been where you meet the characters. That way if you forget something you can quickly look down at the page.
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