Menu
News
All News
Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
Pathfinder
Starfinder
Warhammer
2d20 System
Year Zero Engine
Industry News
Reviews
Dragon Reflections
Columns
Weekly Digests
Weekly News Digest
Freebies, Sales & Bundles
RPG Print News
RPG Crowdfunding News
Game Content
ENterplanetary DimENsions
Mythological Figures
Opinion
Worlds of Design
Peregrine's Next
RPG Evolution
Other Columns
From the Freelancing Frontline
Monster ENcyclopedia
WotC/TSR Alumni Look Back
4 Hours w/RSD (Ryan Dancey)
The Road to 3E (Jonathan Tweet)
Greenwood's Realms (Ed Greenwood)
Drawmij's TSR (Jim Ward)
Community
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Resources
Wiki
Pages
Latest activity
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Downloads
Latest reviews
Search resources
EN Publishing
Store
EN5ider
Adventures in ZEITGEIST
Awfully Cheerful Engine
What's OLD is NEW
Judge Dredd & The Worlds Of 2000AD
War of the Burning Sky
Level Up: Advanced 5E
Events & Releases
Upcoming Events
Private Events
Featured Events
Socials!
Twitch
YouTube
Facebook (EN Publishing)
Facebook (EN World)
Twitter
Instagram
TikTok
Podcast
Features
Top 5 RPGs Compiled Charts 2004-Present
Adventure Game Industry Market Research Summary (RPGs) V1.0
Ryan Dancey: Acquiring TSR
Q&A With Gary Gygax
D&D Rules FAQs
TSR, WotC, & Paizo: A Comparative History
D&D Pronunciation Guide
Million Dollar TTRPG Kickstarters
Tabletop RPG Podcast Hall of Fame
Eric Noah's Unofficial D&D 3rd Edition News
D&D in the Mainstream
D&D & RPG History
About Morrus
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*Dungeons & Dragons
Journeys Through the Radiant Citadel Review Round-Up: What The Critics Said
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="brimmels" data-source="post: 8810740" data-attributes="member: 6919689"><p><strong>Journeys Through the Radiant Citadel</strong> was the first truly new – as in not derived from another IP like <strong>Magic the Gathering</strong> or <strong>Critical Role</strong> or a revival – setting D&D has had in awhile. Its blend of solarpunk optimism and altruism combined with inspiration from real cultures created something fresh and different from previous 5E adventures, and <a href="https://www.enworld.org/threads/an-in-depth-review-of-journeys-through-the-radiant-citadel.690189/" target="_blank"><strong>in my review</strong></a> I talked about why this was the D&D adventure/setting book I had been wanting for a long time. But did the critics think it was delightful, dreary, or something in between? Let's take a look.</p><p style="text-align: center">[ATTACH=full]264902[/ATTACH]</p><h3>The Good: "Ambitious"</h3><p><a href="https://www.belloflostsouls.net/2022/07/dd-journeys-through-the-radiant-citadel-first-impressions.html" target="_blank"><strong>Bell of Lost Souls</strong></a> called <strong>JTtRC</strong> “ambitious” – and jokes about how it has more grandmothers than any other D&D book. BoLS really appreciated how <strong>JTtRC</strong> encourages exploration through both its vibrant settings detailed in each gazetteer and how the adventures for each location are handled. BoLS also praised the citadel itself, and how it's designed to be flexible enough to be added to any campaign and provide a new home-base for players, as well as to treat it as a way-station to any other location. What made <strong>JTtRC</strong> “sing” in BoLS's estimation is that each scenario truly is a D&D adventure perfectly blended with new settings inspired from real-world lore and cultures. It's easy to do that badly, but the <strong>JTtRC</strong> designers put in the hard work to do it well. BoLS also added, “This isn’t WotC’s diversity book. It’s an adventure book with many diverse settings.”</p><p></p><p><a href="https://www.polygon.com/23269854/dnd-journeys-through-the-radiant-citadel-review" target="_blank"><strong>Polygon</strong></a> was similarly effusive in its praise of <strong>JTtRC,</strong> giving it the “Polygon Recommends” badge. Even though <strong>JTtRC</strong> is fantasy, Polygon favorably compared it to <strong>Star Trek</strong>, saying that the “setting is simply dripping with a Gene Roddenberry-inspired feel” and it's an apt comparison. Like <strong>Trek</strong>, players will have the opportunity to explore strange new worlds, and the book's base setting is utopian in nature. The fact that the problems can be solved through diplomacy instead of just combat furthered its comparison to <strong>Star Trek</strong>. Polygon also agreed with BoLS in praising how <strong>JTtRC</strong> combines the adventure tropes we're used to in D&D with inspiration from real-world cultures, plots filled with action, and well-rounded NPCs. Polygon praised <strong>JTtRC</strong> for its DM aids and advice. The scale of the adventures was singled out as being challenging for high-level characters without wiping out starting characters, and encouraging other play styles and clever solutions. Polygon summed up its review of <strong>JTtRC</strong> by saying it demonstrated “explosive creativity that can come by bringing new voices to the game.” Like me, Polygon hopes WotC will continue to embrace fresh perspectives.</p><p></p><p><a href="https://techraptor.net/tabletop/reviews/journeys-through-radiant-citadel-review" target="_blank"><strong>TechRaptor</strong></a> compares <strong>JTtRC</strong> to <a href="https://www.enworld.org/threads/exploring-candlekeep-mysteries-an-in-depth-review.678803/" target="_blank"><strong>Candlekeep Mysteries</strong></a>, considering it an antidote for D&D players who don't have time for long campaigns. While TechRaptor doesn't directly reference <strong>Star Trek</strong> it does say that <strong>JTtRC</strong> is “the ideal representation of a melting pot of cultures” as well as “peak magical fiction.” As other reviewers said, TechRaptor liked that <strong>JTtRC</strong> provided adventure variety, building in investigation, not just combat. In fact, it labeled the low level adventure “Salted Legacy” as possibly the perfect introductory D&D adventure thanks to its blend of role-playing and stat checks to demonstrate what a game can be like without rising a total party kill. It also praised “Between Tangled Roots” for balancing combat and role-playing to heighten tension. TechRaptor called <strong>JTtRC</strong> both “an absolute delight to read” and “some of the best adventures I've read for D&D” because of how it elevates short form adventure. TechRaptor had no complaints and ample praise for <strong>JTtRC</strong>.</p><p></p><p style="text-align: center">[ATTACH=full]264906[/ATTACH]</p><h3>The Balanced: "Vibrant"</h3><p><a href="https://www.wargamer.com/dnd/journeys-through-the-radiant-citadel-review" target="_blank"><strong>Wargamer</strong></a> called <strong>JTtRC</strong> “vibrant,” “dazzling,” and as having “thoughtful adventures that balance fun and depth.” Part of the reason why Wargamer was so happy with <strong>JTtRC</strong> was because it managed the difficult task of creating a book that made everyone feel welcome, not just in terms of its diverse settings but also by making the game very approachable for new and veteran players with characters of any level. Wargamer had previously given <strong>Candlekeep Mysteries</strong> a positive review, and felt that <strong>JTtRC</strong> took the <strong>CM</strong> framework and expanded it. Wargamer did have some quibbles, none of which were major. Having the option of a unifying plot or a plot set in the citadel to tie everything together would have been a nice touch. If run as a campaign, instead of an anthology, some story elements in the middle adventures are similar, but Wargamer points out that's not a problem if <strong>JTtRC</strong> is run as standalone adventures. Like Polygon and BoLS, Wargamer loved how it celebrated the cultures of the writers. It also added that the future of D&D is bright if this is what we can expect from WotC.</p><p></p><p style="text-align: center">[ATTACH=full]264904[/ATTACH]</p><h3>The Quite Not as Good: Too Short</h3><p><a href="https://www.strangeassembly.com/2022/review-journeys-through-the-radiant-citadel" target="_blank"><strong>Strange Assembly</strong></a> liked <strong>JTtRC</strong> but not as effusively as the prior three outlets. SA liked that the type of the adventures in <strong>JTtRC</strong> are more conducive than dungeon crawls in allowing characters to get a sense of a country and meet its people. It also singled out the art as inspiring, especially the sky bridge in “Between the Tangled Roots.” Length was SA's biggest complaint, noting that <strong>JTtRC</strong> is shorter than both <a href="https://www.enworld.org/threads/ghosts-of-saltmarsh-first-impressions.666326/" target="_blank"><strong>Ghosts of Saltmarsh</strong></a> and <strong>Tales of the Yawning Portal </strong>at 13 adventures, and the space allotted for each adventure has even less room once you deduct the the gazetteer. Still, SA is hesitant to call this a complaint since <strong>JTtRC</strong> promises 13 short adventures and delivers. SA just wanted ones that weren't quite that short. And instead of loving the setup for the titular citadel as a sort of fantasy analogy of <strong>Star Trek</strong>, SA was less intrigued by utopian home-base. In fact, SA was downright skeptical that its government could function. Still, SA appreciated a lot about <strong>JTtRC</strong> and wanting more isn't a bad thing.</p><p></p><p style="text-align: center">[ATTACH=full]264905[/ATTACH]</p><h3>Overall</h3><p>If you're looking for something different for your D&D group, the consensus is that <strong>Journeys Through the Radiant Citadel</strong> is a good choice due to the combination of fresh adventures with a variety of play styles. Its flexibility by design makes it easy to add to an existing campaign, run as individual adventures, or to turn it into one, larger campaign. That's a useful combination for almost any DM.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="brimmels, post: 8810740, member: 6919689"] [B]Journeys Through the Radiant Citadel[/B] was the first truly new – as in not derived from another IP like [B]Magic the Gathering[/B] or [B]Critical Role[/B] or a revival – setting D&D has had in awhile. Its blend of solarpunk optimism and altruism combined with inspiration from real cultures created something fresh and different from previous 5E adventures, and [URL='https://www.enworld.org/threads/an-in-depth-review-of-journeys-through-the-radiant-citadel.690189/'][B]in my review[/B][/URL] I talked about why this was the D&D adventure/setting book I had been wanting for a long time. But did the critics think it was delightful, dreary, or something in between? Let's take a look. [CENTER][ATTACH type="full" alt="JTtRC_Alt Cover_Front Official.jpg"]264902[/ATTACH][/CENTER] [HEADING=2]The Good: "Ambitious"[/HEADING] [URL='https://www.belloflostsouls.net/2022/07/dd-journeys-through-the-radiant-citadel-first-impressions.html'][B]Bell of Lost Souls[/B][/URL] called [B]JTtRC[/B] “ambitious” – and jokes about how it has more grandmothers than any other D&D book. BoLS really appreciated how [B]JTtRC[/B] encourages exploration through both its vibrant settings detailed in each gazetteer and how the adventures for each location are handled. BoLS also praised the citadel itself, and how it's designed to be flexible enough to be added to any campaign and provide a new home-base for players, as well as to treat it as a way-station to any other location. What made [B]JTtRC[/B] “sing” in BoLS's estimation is that each scenario truly is a D&D adventure perfectly blended with new settings inspired from real-world lore and cultures. It's easy to do that badly, but the [B]JTtRC[/B] designers put in the hard work to do it well. BoLS also added, “This isn’t WotC’s diversity book. It’s an adventure book with many diverse settings.” [URL='https://www.polygon.com/23269854/dnd-journeys-through-the-radiant-citadel-review'][B]Polygon[/B][/URL] was similarly effusive in its praise of [B]JTtRC,[/B] giving it the “Polygon Recommends” badge. Even though [B]JTtRC[/B] is fantasy, Polygon favorably compared it to [B]Star Trek[/B], saying that the “setting is simply dripping with a Gene Roddenberry-inspired feel” and it's an apt comparison. Like [B]Trek[/B], players will have the opportunity to explore strange new worlds, and the book's base setting is utopian in nature. The fact that the problems can be solved through diplomacy instead of just combat furthered its comparison to [B]Star Trek[/B]. Polygon also agreed with BoLS in praising how [B]JTtRC[/B] combines the adventure tropes we're used to in D&D with inspiration from real-world cultures, plots filled with action, and well-rounded NPCs. Polygon praised [B]JTtRC[/B] for its DM aids and advice. The scale of the adventures was singled out as being challenging for high-level characters without wiping out starting characters, and encouraging other play styles and clever solutions. Polygon summed up its review of [B]JTtRC[/B] by saying it demonstrated “explosive creativity that can come by bringing new voices to the game.” Like me, Polygon hopes WotC will continue to embrace fresh perspectives. [URL='https://techraptor.net/tabletop/reviews/journeys-through-radiant-citadel-review'][B]TechRaptor[/B][/URL] compares [B]JTtRC[/B] to [URL='https://www.enworld.org/threads/exploring-candlekeep-mysteries-an-in-depth-review.678803/'][B]Candlekeep Mysteries[/B][/URL], considering it an antidote for D&D players who don't have time for long campaigns. While TechRaptor doesn't directly reference [B]Star Trek[/B] it does say that [B]JTtRC[/B] is “the ideal representation of a melting pot of cultures” as well as “peak magical fiction.” As other reviewers said, TechRaptor liked that [B]JTtRC[/B] provided adventure variety, building in investigation, not just combat. In fact, it labeled the low level adventure “Salted Legacy” as possibly the perfect introductory D&D adventure thanks to its blend of role-playing and stat checks to demonstrate what a game can be like without rising a total party kill. It also praised “Between Tangled Roots” for balancing combat and role-playing to heighten tension. TechRaptor called [B]JTtRC[/B] both “an absolute delight to read” and “some of the best adventures I've read for D&D” because of how it elevates short form adventure. TechRaptor had no complaints and ample praise for [B]JTtRC[/B]. [CENTER][ATTACH type="full" alt="Mists of Manivarsha-Riverine by Claudio Pozas.jpg"]264906[/ATTACH][/CENTER] [HEADING=2]The Balanced: "Vibrant"[/HEADING] [URL='https://www.wargamer.com/dnd/journeys-through-the-radiant-citadel-review'][B]Wargamer[/B][/URL] called [B]JTtRC[/B] “vibrant,” “dazzling,” and as having “thoughtful adventures that balance fun and depth.” Part of the reason why Wargamer was so happy with [B]JTtRC[/B] was because it managed the difficult task of creating a book that made everyone feel welcome, not just in terms of its diverse settings but also by making the game very approachable for new and veteran players with characters of any level. Wargamer had previously given [B]Candlekeep Mysteries[/B] a positive review, and felt that [B]JTtRC[/B] took the [B]CM[/B] framework and expanded it. Wargamer did have some quibbles, none of which were major. Having the option of a unifying plot or a plot set in the citadel to tie everything together would have been a nice touch. If run as a campaign, instead of an anthology, some story elements in the middle adventures are similar, but Wargamer points out that's not a problem if [B]JTtRC[/B] is run as standalone adventures. Like Polygon and BoLS, Wargamer loved how it celebrated the cultures of the writers. It also added that the future of D&D is bright if this is what we can expect from WotC. [CENTER][ATTACH type="full" alt="Salted Legacy.png"]264904[/ATTACH][/CENTER] [HEADING=2]The Quite Not as Good: Too Short[/HEADING] [URL='https://www.strangeassembly.com/2022/review-journeys-through-the-radiant-citadel'][B]Strange Assembly[/B][/URL] liked [B]JTtRC[/B] but not as effusively as the prior three outlets. SA liked that the type of the adventures in [B]JTtRC[/B] are more conducive than dungeon crawls in allowing characters to get a sense of a country and meet its people. It also singled out the art as inspiring, especially the sky bridge in “Between the Tangled Roots.” Length was SA's biggest complaint, noting that [B]JTtRC[/B] is shorter than both [URL='https://www.enworld.org/threads/ghosts-of-saltmarsh-first-impressions.666326/'][B]Ghosts of Saltmarsh[/B][/URL] and [B]Tales of the Yawning Portal [/B]at 13 adventures, and the space allotted for each adventure has even less room once you deduct the the gazetteer. Still, SA is hesitant to call this a complaint since [B]JTtRC[/B] promises 13 short adventures and delivers. SA just wanted ones that weren't quite that short. And instead of loving the setup for the titular citadel as a sort of fantasy analogy of [B]Star Trek[/B], SA was less intrigued by utopian home-base. In fact, SA was downright skeptical that its government could function. Still, SA appreciated a lot about [B]JTtRC[/B] and wanting more isn't a bad thing. [CENTER][ATTACH type="full" alt="Karem and Vi Aroon the Spicy Brothers-Salted Legacy.jpg"]264905[/ATTACH][/CENTER] [HEADING=2]Overall[/HEADING] If you're looking for something different for your D&D group, the consensus is that [B]Journeys Through the Radiant Citadel[/B] is a good choice due to the combination of fresh adventures with a variety of play styles. Its flexibility by design makes it easy to add to an existing campaign, run as individual adventures, or to turn it into one, larger campaign. That's a useful combination for almost any DM. [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*Dungeons & Dragons
Journeys Through the Radiant Citadel Review Round-Up: What The Critics Said
Top