Simon Collins
Explorer
Beware! This review contains major spoilers.
A Race For Retribution Part 3 is comprised of two downloadable .pdf files - an adventure for 3rd-level characters (5.64 MB), and Tile Sheets for the adventure map (406 KB). The files cost $5 to download from www.bardsproductions.com
Presentation: A Race For Retribution Part 3 comprises two Adobe Acrobat files, the 43-page adventure and 2 pages of tile sheets (fragmented adventure maps which can be printed out and stuck to cardboard for semi-permanent dungeon floor tiles). The first page of the adventure offers a piece of appalling black and white artwork - I can't draw to save my life, but I think I might be able to do better. The second page is credits and contents. The final two pages are open game info. There are four pages of computer-generated angular maps (the two colour maps of Ryn's Path and the Ambush are repeated in black and white for cheap printing) which in the file are rather pixel-ly (they may look better printed out, but my printers broken at the moment). The text density is good, but as with Part 1 and 2 there is loads of white space and a top and bottom margin on most pages. The three pieces of internal black and white artwork are quite good pencil sketches - despite being NPC portraits, they would have graced the first page better than the piece that was used. My personal opinion is that if you haven't got artwork of quality for your front page, don't put it in at all, as some companies have done.
The Adventure: The Adventure Background is provided in a piece of flavour text, reported by Aislyn, the wife of the founder of the settlement the PCs can use as a base, Laenderburg. She tells the same story as the adventure background in Part 1 and 2 (see reviews) but from her own perspective - the piece serves to introduce Aislyn who becomes an important NPC in the following scenario. There follows an adventure summary for the remaining two parts of the adventure and a section of advice on running the adventure - how to space the series out (it is not designed to run continuously), how to use the innovative linked rumour tables (which provide time-dependent rumours for future parts of the adventure), and how to balance the challenges provided in the adventure. It also deals with running the adventure standalone and has a section on scaling the adventure for PCs of different levels. Three adventure hooks follow (though the text advises the DM to use the rumours tables to link into the adventure in previous parts of the adventure if possible). A DM Notes section repeats advice on the moral ambiguity of the adventure from Part 1. The adventure itself is an event-based one. The party accompany Aislyn on a mission to alert the mayor of the nearby town of Stahl to the gathering of orcish forces to the west, led by Degarn. The adventure is split into sections, one for each day, beginning from the day the PCs are asked to take on the mission. Each day section describes possible events that may occur during that day, and gives a brief overview of what each of the main NPCs are doing during that day. Once they arrive at Stahl, the PCs discover there is a spy working for the orcs based in Stahl and the PCs must try and whittle down the possible suspects so plans can be made to deal with the gathering orcs in secret (its actually the innkeeper of the inn the PCs are staying in, Djamal. The spy attempts to poison the PCs and one PC may be kidnapped and interrogated. The PCs then learn of the assassination of Aislyn's husband, Laender, from a traitorous elf (Ryn) working for both Laender and the orcs, who has journeyed to Stahl to inform Aislyn, and to assassinate the bumbling spy who failed to kill the PCs with poison. The PCs make their way back towards Laenderburg, in order to allow Aislyn to take on the mantle of leadership. They are ambushed. If they manage to return to Laendersburg, they can investigate the murder (the assassin is actually Ryn). The traitorous elf returns to Laendersburg and informs the PCs of a fire that killed Djamal and destroyed his inn (in fact set deliberately by Ryn). In the climax, the PCs must protect Aislyn and themselves from being assassinated by Ryn at the behest of Degarn. After a section detailing how to conclude the adventure, there are sections on the Spy Investigation detailing which NPCs know what information (and giving advice for magical divination in the PCs pursuit of the truth). The next section gives advice for dealing with the murder investigation, including sections on How It Happened, Who Knows What, Autopsy (speak with dead and Heal skill), Examination of the House, and Magical Divination. There is then a section on Wandering Monsters and Town Encounters, and finally the linked Rumour Tables and a Player Handout.
The Good: Not only does the module benefit from the attention to detail and value-added extras that the first two installments had, but this time there is actually an engaging adventure with plot twists, and plenty of roleplaying opportunities mixed with a balanced dose of combat and an event-based timeline that forms the basis of an entertaining experience.
The Bad: Really, the only truly bad thing about this adventure is the artwork on the front page, which is truly awful. It would have been nice to have explored the possibility of the PCs turning against the racist Laender a bit more - perhaps an opportunity to talk to Degarn thus exploring the well-detailed motivations of the 'bad guys', since this is an issue raised at the beginning of the adventure and not made the most of - the adventure railroads the PCs at times to fight against the 'bad guys' but it doesn't have to be run this way, and the useful advice in other areas could have been applied to this aspect.
Conclusion: Far and away the best of the three parts so far of A Race For Retribution, with a plotline and depth of NPC character that matches the quality in the logistical presentation in the rest of the adventures. In some way, despite Bards Productions reasons for separating the four parts, I might have appreciated the previous adventures more if I had seen them as a precursor to this section. If you skip past the first page and concentrate on the rest of the module, this is a worthwhile purchase, though it works best as a follow-up to Parts 1 and 2.
A Race For Retribution Part 3 is comprised of two downloadable .pdf files - an adventure for 3rd-level characters (5.64 MB), and Tile Sheets for the adventure map (406 KB). The files cost $5 to download from www.bardsproductions.com
Presentation: A Race For Retribution Part 3 comprises two Adobe Acrobat files, the 43-page adventure and 2 pages of tile sheets (fragmented adventure maps which can be printed out and stuck to cardboard for semi-permanent dungeon floor tiles). The first page of the adventure offers a piece of appalling black and white artwork - I can't draw to save my life, but I think I might be able to do better. The second page is credits and contents. The final two pages are open game info. There are four pages of computer-generated angular maps (the two colour maps of Ryn's Path and the Ambush are repeated in black and white for cheap printing) which in the file are rather pixel-ly (they may look better printed out, but my printers broken at the moment). The text density is good, but as with Part 1 and 2 there is loads of white space and a top and bottom margin on most pages. The three pieces of internal black and white artwork are quite good pencil sketches - despite being NPC portraits, they would have graced the first page better than the piece that was used. My personal opinion is that if you haven't got artwork of quality for your front page, don't put it in at all, as some companies have done.
The Adventure: The Adventure Background is provided in a piece of flavour text, reported by Aislyn, the wife of the founder of the settlement the PCs can use as a base, Laenderburg. She tells the same story as the adventure background in Part 1 and 2 (see reviews) but from her own perspective - the piece serves to introduce Aislyn who becomes an important NPC in the following scenario. There follows an adventure summary for the remaining two parts of the adventure and a section of advice on running the adventure - how to space the series out (it is not designed to run continuously), how to use the innovative linked rumour tables (which provide time-dependent rumours for future parts of the adventure), and how to balance the challenges provided in the adventure. It also deals with running the adventure standalone and has a section on scaling the adventure for PCs of different levels. Three adventure hooks follow (though the text advises the DM to use the rumours tables to link into the adventure in previous parts of the adventure if possible). A DM Notes section repeats advice on the moral ambiguity of the adventure from Part 1. The adventure itself is an event-based one. The party accompany Aislyn on a mission to alert the mayor of the nearby town of Stahl to the gathering of orcish forces to the west, led by Degarn. The adventure is split into sections, one for each day, beginning from the day the PCs are asked to take on the mission. Each day section describes possible events that may occur during that day, and gives a brief overview of what each of the main NPCs are doing during that day. Once they arrive at Stahl, the PCs discover there is a spy working for the orcs based in Stahl and the PCs must try and whittle down the possible suspects so plans can be made to deal with the gathering orcs in secret (its actually the innkeeper of the inn the PCs are staying in, Djamal. The spy attempts to poison the PCs and one PC may be kidnapped and interrogated. The PCs then learn of the assassination of Aislyn's husband, Laender, from a traitorous elf (Ryn) working for both Laender and the orcs, who has journeyed to Stahl to inform Aislyn, and to assassinate the bumbling spy who failed to kill the PCs with poison. The PCs make their way back towards Laenderburg, in order to allow Aislyn to take on the mantle of leadership. They are ambushed. If they manage to return to Laendersburg, they can investigate the murder (the assassin is actually Ryn). The traitorous elf returns to Laendersburg and informs the PCs of a fire that killed Djamal and destroyed his inn (in fact set deliberately by Ryn). In the climax, the PCs must protect Aislyn and themselves from being assassinated by Ryn at the behest of Degarn. After a section detailing how to conclude the adventure, there are sections on the Spy Investigation detailing which NPCs know what information (and giving advice for magical divination in the PCs pursuit of the truth). The next section gives advice for dealing with the murder investigation, including sections on How It Happened, Who Knows What, Autopsy (speak with dead and Heal skill), Examination of the House, and Magical Divination. There is then a section on Wandering Monsters and Town Encounters, and finally the linked Rumour Tables and a Player Handout.
The Good: Not only does the module benefit from the attention to detail and value-added extras that the first two installments had, but this time there is actually an engaging adventure with plot twists, and plenty of roleplaying opportunities mixed with a balanced dose of combat and an event-based timeline that forms the basis of an entertaining experience.
The Bad: Really, the only truly bad thing about this adventure is the artwork on the front page, which is truly awful. It would have been nice to have explored the possibility of the PCs turning against the racist Laender a bit more - perhaps an opportunity to talk to Degarn thus exploring the well-detailed motivations of the 'bad guys', since this is an issue raised at the beginning of the adventure and not made the most of - the adventure railroads the PCs at times to fight against the 'bad guys' but it doesn't have to be run this way, and the useful advice in other areas could have been applied to this aspect.
Conclusion: Far and away the best of the three parts so far of A Race For Retribution, with a plotline and depth of NPC character that matches the quality in the logistical presentation in the rest of the adventures. In some way, despite Bards Productions reasons for separating the four parts, I might have appreciated the previous adventures more if I had seen them as a precursor to this section. If you skip past the first page and concentrate on the rest of the module, this is a worthwhile purchase, though it works best as a follow-up to Parts 1 and 2.
