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Interludes: Sands of Pain
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<blockquote data-quote="Simon Collins" data-source="post: 2009838" data-attributes="member: 9860"><p>Beware! This review contains spoilers.</p><p>This is not a playtest review.</p><p></p><p>Interludes: Sands Of Pain is the second adventure in the Interludes series from Thunderhead Games. This arabian style adventure is suitable for PCs of 4th level, with advice for amending it to suit other levels.</p><p></p><p>Sands Of Pain is a 64-page mono softover adventure costing $12.99. Margins are average, font size seems slightly smaller than normal (seeming a little cramped at times, especially in the stat boxes) and there are several areas of white space. Internal art is poor to average, though the front cover depicting adventurers travelling by camel through dunes is better than the internal art. Writing style and editing are average.</p><p></p><p>The adventure background involves an eco-terrorist organisation. One of their agents in Bluffside falls in love with an aristocratic bard. Her superior in the organisation, and also her uncle, sends an enforcer to rectify the situation by eliminating the bardic lover and bringing the misbehaving agent back to her home city of Hotempa in the desert. The PCs witness the attack on the bard and should help the bard retrieve his 'kidnapped' lover from the desert city. The trail finally leads to a showdown with the eco-terrorists and their enemies, the Dragori, in the desert.</p><p></p><p>The adventure uses the same innovative scaling system used in the first adventure, with advice for amending certain scenes to suit parties containing PCs of greater/lesser numbers, higher/lower levels, more roleplaying, or more characters of a certain class such as arcane spelcasters, rogues, fighters, clerics, or characters using psionics. This would have been more useful if the concept had been applied throughout the adventure (though the adventure would have been much longer). As it is, only some scenes receive advice on amendment, and only one or two factors are applied to these scenes. For example, an encounter with a basilisk receives advice on amending to suit parties of higher level or greater numbers. The next scene receives advice on skill use, roleplaying, and amendment to suit parties of lesser level or smaller number.</p><p></p><p>There are random encounter tables for those who like them, player handouts, and a section at the back containing full stats and a short commentary on all the NPCs. A quick check of one of the NPC's stats revealed several mistakes within the stat block - my guess is that this aspect is repeated elsewhere and stats will need to be reviewed before use. </p><p></p><p>Another appendix contains several new desert monsters, new magic items, some desert-style weapons and equipment, and the eco-terrorist Callana Prestige Class - this powerful PrC gains a spellcasting level every other level, the ability to rebuke or command elemental creatures, a ranger-like enemy type, poison use, the ability to polymorph into a dire animal, the ability to mislead alignment divinations, and the ability to give poisonous touch attacks; it also has a Fighter's BAB and requirements allow entry from 4th level.</p><p></p><p>A further appendix contains a short guide to the city of Hotempa, with descriptions of establishments, availability and price of services and goods, and short stats of proprietors. Some of the locations also have adventure hooks.</p><p></p><p>Conclusion:</p><p>The adventure has a strong Egyptian feel to it, there are good use of rumours, adventure hooks, and random encounter tables. NPCs have sufficient information for role-playing purposes and the plotline should keep the players on their toes. However, there are rules mistakes in the product and the background to the adventure seemed a bit trite to me. The use of the innovative scaling system was not used to its full potential and I have to question its effectiveness when used piecemeal with a limited number of scenes. </p><p></p><p>There is a good mix of skill use, combat, and roleplaying available, but the adventure will require some amendment to run outside of a Bluffside setting.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Simon Collins, post: 2009838, member: 9860"] Beware! This review contains spoilers. This is not a playtest review. Interludes: Sands Of Pain is the second adventure in the Interludes series from Thunderhead Games. This arabian style adventure is suitable for PCs of 4th level, with advice for amending it to suit other levels. Sands Of Pain is a 64-page mono softover adventure costing $12.99. Margins are average, font size seems slightly smaller than normal (seeming a little cramped at times, especially in the stat boxes) and there are several areas of white space. Internal art is poor to average, though the front cover depicting adventurers travelling by camel through dunes is better than the internal art. Writing style and editing are average. The adventure background involves an eco-terrorist organisation. One of their agents in Bluffside falls in love with an aristocratic bard. Her superior in the organisation, and also her uncle, sends an enforcer to rectify the situation by eliminating the bardic lover and bringing the misbehaving agent back to her home city of Hotempa in the desert. The PCs witness the attack on the bard and should help the bard retrieve his 'kidnapped' lover from the desert city. The trail finally leads to a showdown with the eco-terrorists and their enemies, the Dragori, in the desert. The adventure uses the same innovative scaling system used in the first adventure, with advice for amending certain scenes to suit parties containing PCs of greater/lesser numbers, higher/lower levels, more roleplaying, or more characters of a certain class such as arcane spelcasters, rogues, fighters, clerics, or characters using psionics. This would have been more useful if the concept had been applied throughout the adventure (though the adventure would have been much longer). As it is, only some scenes receive advice on amendment, and only one or two factors are applied to these scenes. For example, an encounter with a basilisk receives advice on amending to suit parties of higher level or greater numbers. The next scene receives advice on skill use, roleplaying, and amendment to suit parties of lesser level or smaller number. There are random encounter tables for those who like them, player handouts, and a section at the back containing full stats and a short commentary on all the NPCs. A quick check of one of the NPC's stats revealed several mistakes within the stat block - my guess is that this aspect is repeated elsewhere and stats will need to be reviewed before use. Another appendix contains several new desert monsters, new magic items, some desert-style weapons and equipment, and the eco-terrorist Callana Prestige Class - this powerful PrC gains a spellcasting level every other level, the ability to rebuke or command elemental creatures, a ranger-like enemy type, poison use, the ability to polymorph into a dire animal, the ability to mislead alignment divinations, and the ability to give poisonous touch attacks; it also has a Fighter's BAB and requirements allow entry from 4th level. A further appendix contains a short guide to the city of Hotempa, with descriptions of establishments, availability and price of services and goods, and short stats of proprietors. Some of the locations also have adventure hooks. Conclusion: The adventure has a strong Egyptian feel to it, there are good use of rumours, adventure hooks, and random encounter tables. NPCs have sufficient information for role-playing purposes and the plotline should keep the players on their toes. However, there are rules mistakes in the product and the background to the adventure seemed a bit trite to me. The use of the innovative scaling system was not used to its full potential and I have to question its effectiveness when used piecemeal with a limited number of scenes. There is a good mix of skill use, combat, and roleplaying available, but the adventure will require some amendment to run outside of a Bluffside setting. [/QUOTE]
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