D&D 5E Lost Mine of Phandelver - Non-spoiler Thoughts?

[Olaf the Stout]

Like many others here, I bought the 5E Starter Set. However, so did another guy in my group that is currently DMing. Given that we are yet to decide which one of us will run the Lost Mine of Phandelver, I have not looked at it at all. If I play in it, I'd rather not spoil it for myself.

However, for those of you that have read or run the adventure, what are your thoughts on it?

Please keep any posts spoiler-free. I understand this may limit what you are able to comment on.

 

[MerricB]

Enjoying it so far. There's a good amount of role-playing in it. The early battles can be really tough, though.

It's got a good structure, which should allow the players to feel in charge of their destiny. Well, mostly.

Cheers!

 

[stevelabny]

To sum up my thoughts in the spoiler thread without spoilers.

I like the non-linearity of the entire adventure. Every location has multiple ways around and you can pretty much do them in any order too. (with the usual problems from jumping too far ahead)

There's a few potential TPKs based on player actions, which is good. But one that some of us feel the adventure funnels you towards with in-game and metagame pushes that will feel dirty. With a first time DM this could turn into a meat grinder adventure.

As presented, the townsfolk are extremely bland, and the encounters where they choose to detail diplomacy options - and the encounters they don't - seem bizarre.

Its just about all combat. Which is horribly disappointing.

As an adventure, it has some things to like and some things to not like and homebrew fixes for. As the foundation of a new edition? Its horrible because it makes the game feel like all combat and the presentation of side quests as NPCs standing around with question marks above their head gives all the wrong feel.

 

[delericho]

As an adventure, it has some things to like and some things to not like and homebrew fixes for. As the foundation of a new edition? Its horrible because it makes the game feel like all combat and the presentation of side quests as NPCs standing around with question marks above their head gives all the wrong feel.

I'm not sure that's entirely fair though. Bear in mind that this isn't really an adventure intended for us, it's an adventure intended for new DMs - it's intended to get someone new to the game up and DMing as quickly as possible.

In that regard, it's actually a good thing that the adventure is mostly combat-based, because that's the systematic and mechanical part of learning the game - the bit that the Starter Set can teach in a controlled manner, and the bit that a new DM can practice, and practice extensively, in order to become a better DM.

And if, on top of the combats, the adventure also provides guides for roleplaying, even if these are rather minimal, then that's a fantastic thing - not only does it teach the systematic elements, but it also makes clear that there is something more out there. That's actually better than the adventure in the classic BD&D "Red Box" did!

Basically, I don't think this adventure is "the foundation of a new edition". It's a teaching aide for new DMs. For "the foundation of a new edition", the adventure you want is "Tyranny of Dragons".

(Oh, as for my own opinion of Phandelver, I don't have one, other than not liking the name. I've been reading the "Firefly" and "Doctor Who" RPGs, so haven't had chance to get to 5e yet. Give me a week. )

 

[1of3]

You can negotiate with several of the bad guys. For those faceless mooks that will likely fight you, there are usually ideas, what makes them flee.

There are several FR clues. You can meet Zhentarim, Harpers, Wizards of Thay, Cult of the Dragon and become a member of some them.

 

[77IM]

Compared to most D&D adventures, I was very pleased with the all the options for making the game about more than just combat. It seems like many of the encounters have specific instructions about negotiating with, charming, or interrogating the NPCs. There are plenty of places where the module suggests ways the PCs might circumvent encounters or whole sections o the adventure. Most of the monsters won't even fight to the death! Overall I found it to be a far cry from the typical "here is a series of linked combat encounters" crap that has been passing for adventure design lately.

 

[Nebulous]

When I put myself into the mindset of a 12-14 year old who has never played an RPG before, i think it is a pretty awesome adventure. And, i would probably then mug an old lady to buy the advanced hardbacks coming up

 

[GX.Sigma]

It is very similar to Scourge of the Sword Coast, so if you've read that one, you pretty much know what you're getting. It's basically an example of a typical D&D campaign. You start off as caravan guards (I imagine that "you met in a tavern" is implied), you have a town where you pick up rumors, a monster-filled wilderness all around it, and a bunch of dungeons to go into and fight bad guys. There is a "story" running through it, but it's free enough that it doesn't feel too railroady.