Stormrazor2000
Explorer
3 out of 5 rating for Hoard of the Dragon Queen
I've been running this module for encounters at my FLGS and have had some very fun sessions. Primarily by doing some significant modification of it to make it memorable and challenging. In the hands of a less experienced DM who might run the adventure exactly as written, it would be an average adventure at best. As others have noted, this adventure as written is really more of railroady framework, which to a point I can forgive because it is clearly designed with Adventure League play in mind. What is less forgivable is how lifeless it can be and how little it helps novice DMs in running it. It relies far too heavily on the DM to recognize the really rough spots and to smooth them out or make them come alive. With that said there are some very cool ideas in the adventure, and with the right DM and players it can be a lot of fun. Novice DMs should avoid this one and run the module in the starter set.
I've been running this module for encounters at my FLGS and have had some very fun sessions. Primarily by doing some significant modification of it to make it memorable and challenging. In the hands of a less experienced DM who might run the adventure exactly as written, it would be an average adventure at best. As others have noted, this adventure as written is really more of railroady framework, which to a point I can forgive because it is clearly designed with Adventure League play in mind. What is less forgivable is how lifeless it can be and how little it helps novice DMs in running it. It relies far too heavily on the DM to recognize the really rough spots and to smooth them out or make them come alive. With that said there are some very cool ideas in the adventure, and with the right DM and players it can be a lot of fun. Novice DMs should avoid this one and run the module in the starter set.