Dungeon Adventure: Heathen

Rechan · Jun 13, 2008

Just puttin' this out there:

http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/dufe/20080613a

Boarstorm · Jun 13, 2008

I really don't like that they went back to the delve-type format.

MadMaxim · Jun 14, 2008

If you can get the tone right, I think it looks awesome. It has to be creepy in the temple.

IanB · Jun 14, 2008

I love the delve format personally, it is basically how I set up my own encounters too.

hectorse · Jun 14, 2008

I love the delve format

NiTessine · Jun 14, 2008

The delve format wastes space and breaks up the natural flow of the module, which leads to unnecessary page-flipping.

Of course, since this particular railroad is unplayable as written (

A major part seems to hinge on the assumption that one of the four dopplegangers gets away, and then later that the PCs voluntarily flee from the cultists. Honestly, now...

), it's not such a great flaw, but I'd prefer it if they switched to something more readable.

The landscape layout really annoys me, too.

Treebore · Jun 14, 2008

Pretty good adventure with a good hook for good heroes. Nice job.

Mustrum_Ridcully · Jun 14, 2008

NiTessine said:
The delve format wastes space and breaks up the natural flow of the module, which leads to unnecessary page-flipping.

I found the KotS method quite good. It put the encounter description a two-page thread (complete with stat-blocks, tacitcs and similar stuff), but (unlike this module), it kept in the flow of the adventure. I very much prefer the KotS approach. I don't like reading up on some story, see a reference to an encounter and then get back to the story. I want to know what happens in the encounter and how it will work into the flow of the story.

The "wasting" space stuff is good, though. Try to ensure that all relevant information is on one double page, even if this means that the previous and next page have some white space.

That's what generally love so far on the 4E Core books - the layout is really so much more helpful. Especially since I still remember how we basicall had our first 3.0 Total Party Kill - the DM send us against a single Giant, and he Greater Cleaved us in one and a half round - all thanks to the fact that the DM slipped into the wrong row, thanks to the page-spanning stat-block of the 3.0 DMG.

Klaus · Jun 14, 2008

Mustrum_Ridcully said:
I found the KotS method quite good. It put the encounter description a two-page thread (complete with stat-blocks, tacitcs and similar stuff), but (unlike this module), it kept in the flow of the adventure. I very much prefer the KotS approach. I don't like reading up on some story, see a reference to an encounter and then get back to the story. I want to know what happens in the encounter and how it will work into the flow of the story.

The "wasting" space stuff is good, though. Try to ensure that all relevant information is on one double page, even if this means that the previous and next page have some white space.

That's what generally love so far on the 4E Core books - the layout is really so much more helpful. Especially since I still remember how we basicall had our first 3.0 Total Party Kill - the DM send us against a single Giant, and he Greater Cleaved us in one and a half round - all thanks to the fact that the DM slipped into the wrong row, thanks to the page-spanning stat-block of the 3.0 DMG.

And while the stat blocks are nice, the big boxes lead to a "Tetrisastion" of the layout, with the non-boxed text and images getting crammed wherever they fit.

Not to mention the poorly-laid out pages, like the Angels section in the MM. Unnecessary white space, cropped illustrations for no reason...

And then there's the organization of information, or lack thereof...