calkiddewey
First Post
Sit back and hear a tale of a fateful trip. The PCs are dispatched to the Isle of the Sea Drake to investigate the sudden and mysterious loss of a number of merchant vessels along an important shipping lane. Once they arrive to scout the islands, the tiny ship bearing them there is tossed, and despite the courage of its fearless crew, their ship, the Dart, is lost… their ship, the Dart is lost.
As the party explores the Isle of the Sea Drake, it is faced with several challenges including some really tough combat encounters, a number of traps and hazards, and several skill challenges as it navigates the unfamiliar terrain. Along their journey, PCs will confront rival factions of natives as well, giving them ample opportunities to benefit from careful diplomatic efforts. Despite this being a Dungeon Crawl Classic, Goodman Games provides (as usual) a good balance of various trials and tests to thoroughly challenge and engage all types of players and characters.
Author Adrian Pommier offers up within the work a number of nice tools and some serious crunch for both DMs’ and players’ use and enjoyment. A few major NPCs are well-developed and have the potential for on-going play, two new monsters and a number of opponents, traps, and diseases are stated-out in the appendices and throughout the book, elaborate handouts are provided to help immerse players in the experience, and perhaps most impressive is a double-sided, full-color map of the adventure’s environs. One side of the map is keyed for the DM’s reference while the other is incomplete, allowing players to fill in details as their characters explore. The map is of great quality and well-produced.
The adventure is laid out well, and the plots, subplots, and other developments are interesting and engaging. As such, a DM picking this up will have to do a thorough read-through before running it. This may or may not be what you’re looking for in a work labeled a “dungeon crawl.” Background and flavor text to encounter areas is set up such that it cannot be read as you go. You’ll have to be familiar with an encounter before running it because often references are made to developments that may not yet have occurred, and there are simply so many factions and personalities that the DM will have to understand them all well to effectively portray them in game.
Strengths of the Product:
There is a ton of stuff for characters to experience and explore throughout this adventure. While very little of it actually takes place in a traditional dungeon setting (which might be what you’re looking for in a “dungeon crawl”), there are several different, interesting terrains and environs offered as well as some just-plain-cool uses of otherwise simple monsters, traps, or NPCs. In particular, this reviewer loved the “Tidal Bridge” encounter. I won’t spoil it, but look for the clever use of monsters as hazards in this scene. It has the potential to really freak your players out, and if a character does go down in this encounter, it will be a memorable death!
Goodman Games is great at offering up new stuff for DMs to use. And in this case, it’s not just the game material that stands out, but the physical materials provided in the work that add to the experience. You’ll really enjoy making use of the maps and handouts at the gaming table!
The use of side-quests and NPC interactions throughout the adventure provide good opportunities for players to break out of what seems to be 4e D&D’s combat-heavy mold. Some gamers will certainly appreciate that. However, as a “Dungeon Crawl Classic,” there’s lots of hack-and-slash to be done. The balance of various types of encounters offered and the need for a variety of skills will keep play interesting.
Weaknesses of the Product:
There are few editing issues, and only one stands out. One encounter area’s map coordinates are incorrectly noted in the text, but because the map is clearly keyed, there is little chance for serious confusion. As such, many readers will be likely to not find this to be a serious weakness.
There does seem to be potential built in to the exploration part of the adventure for it to drag on or for players to become frustrated if they haven’t yet met the right NPCs. Though when characters might become lost there is an encounter that provides them with a possible bailout, there are still clearly some encounters they must have before they can move forward in the story. DMs might have to do some steering for the party to keep things moving in a neat and tidy fashion.
For a self-identified “dungeon crawl,” there is a fair amount DM prep time and effort to be made, and actually very little in the way of traditional dungeoneering. The adventure doesn’t quite seem to fit the claim purported in its introduction that it is a “good, solid dungeon crawl” where “NPCs are there to be killed.” If you’re looking for a dungeon that you can quickly hook your players into and that you can run by simply reading the text as you go with little familiarity, it’s not the product for you. However, it’s a darn good adventure, and you may just end up not minding that at all.
Final Recommendation:
Good stuff, fun, imaginative, and a solidly-produced product. You’ll dig it if your DM does a bit of homework ahead of time and if you like some really challenging combat mixed in with just enough role-playing, skill challenges, and creative hazards and traps to keep everyone in the party on their toes and having to use a decent variety of their skills.
So join your DM here each week, my friends. You’re sure to get a smile when your PCs become stranded castaways here on the Sea Drake’s Isle!
As the party explores the Isle of the Sea Drake, it is faced with several challenges including some really tough combat encounters, a number of traps and hazards, and several skill challenges as it navigates the unfamiliar terrain. Along their journey, PCs will confront rival factions of natives as well, giving them ample opportunities to benefit from careful diplomatic efforts. Despite this being a Dungeon Crawl Classic, Goodman Games provides (as usual) a good balance of various trials and tests to thoroughly challenge and engage all types of players and characters.
Author Adrian Pommier offers up within the work a number of nice tools and some serious crunch for both DMs’ and players’ use and enjoyment. A few major NPCs are well-developed and have the potential for on-going play, two new monsters and a number of opponents, traps, and diseases are stated-out in the appendices and throughout the book, elaborate handouts are provided to help immerse players in the experience, and perhaps most impressive is a double-sided, full-color map of the adventure’s environs. One side of the map is keyed for the DM’s reference while the other is incomplete, allowing players to fill in details as their characters explore. The map is of great quality and well-produced.
The adventure is laid out well, and the plots, subplots, and other developments are interesting and engaging. As such, a DM picking this up will have to do a thorough read-through before running it. This may or may not be what you’re looking for in a work labeled a “dungeon crawl.” Background and flavor text to encounter areas is set up such that it cannot be read as you go. You’ll have to be familiar with an encounter before running it because often references are made to developments that may not yet have occurred, and there are simply so many factions and personalities that the DM will have to understand them all well to effectively portray them in game.
Strengths of the Product:
There is a ton of stuff for characters to experience and explore throughout this adventure. While very little of it actually takes place in a traditional dungeon setting (which might be what you’re looking for in a “dungeon crawl”), there are several different, interesting terrains and environs offered as well as some just-plain-cool uses of otherwise simple monsters, traps, or NPCs. In particular, this reviewer loved the “Tidal Bridge” encounter. I won’t spoil it, but look for the clever use of monsters as hazards in this scene. It has the potential to really freak your players out, and if a character does go down in this encounter, it will be a memorable death!
Goodman Games is great at offering up new stuff for DMs to use. And in this case, it’s not just the game material that stands out, but the physical materials provided in the work that add to the experience. You’ll really enjoy making use of the maps and handouts at the gaming table!
The use of side-quests and NPC interactions throughout the adventure provide good opportunities for players to break out of what seems to be 4e D&D’s combat-heavy mold. Some gamers will certainly appreciate that. However, as a “Dungeon Crawl Classic,” there’s lots of hack-and-slash to be done. The balance of various types of encounters offered and the need for a variety of skills will keep play interesting.
Weaknesses of the Product:
There are few editing issues, and only one stands out. One encounter area’s map coordinates are incorrectly noted in the text, but because the map is clearly keyed, there is little chance for serious confusion. As such, many readers will be likely to not find this to be a serious weakness.
There does seem to be potential built in to the exploration part of the adventure for it to drag on or for players to become frustrated if they haven’t yet met the right NPCs. Though when characters might become lost there is an encounter that provides them with a possible bailout, there are still clearly some encounters they must have before they can move forward in the story. DMs might have to do some steering for the party to keep things moving in a neat and tidy fashion.
For a self-identified “dungeon crawl,” there is a fair amount DM prep time and effort to be made, and actually very little in the way of traditional dungeoneering. The adventure doesn’t quite seem to fit the claim purported in its introduction that it is a “good, solid dungeon crawl” where “NPCs are there to be killed.” If you’re looking for a dungeon that you can quickly hook your players into and that you can run by simply reading the text as you go with little familiarity, it’s not the product for you. However, it’s a darn good adventure, and you may just end up not minding that at all.
Final Recommendation:
Good stuff, fun, imaginative, and a solidly-produced product. You’ll dig it if your DM does a bit of homework ahead of time and if you like some really challenging combat mixed in with just enough role-playing, skill challenges, and creative hazards and traps to keep everyone in the party on their toes and having to use a decent variety of their skills.
So join your DM here each week, my friends. You’re sure to get a smile when your PCs become stranded castaways here on the Sea Drake’s Isle!
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