Ruins of the Dragon Lord - Review?

[Man-thing]

Does the Dungeon itself have any logic to it or is it just a collection on monsters waiting in rooms to be killed?

I don't have our playtest copy it when to Patrick. The dungeon does have logic to it and levels are grouped into adventures with a unifying theme. If you only read the dungeon book, it looks like its a bunch of monsters waiting to be killed, but one of the other supplements provides the linkage that connects it all together and provides it with relevance.

Using all three books it does create a nice complete package.

 

[megamania]

I have been reading anything on Dragon cultures I can find including dungeons for a trip onto the Dragon Island in Eberron. What can I learn / use from this adventure? Anything beyond what I can borrow / modify from Council of Wyrms?

 

[Crothian]

Ya, there is some neat things to be used here. I don't know Council of Wyrms so can't comment on that.

 

[Bagpuss]

Seems to have missed the point of a boxed set for me.

To me a boxed set is so you can include the sort of stuff you can get in a normal booklet adventure easily. Poster maps, mini scale floor plans, cool looking full colour player handouts and the like. The fact the maps are for DM only thanks to secret doors and the like, and there isn't much else in the box is a disappointment to me.

 

[TimSmith]

Can't speak specifically about Dragon Lord, but I do have another recent Mongoose product-Drow War 1. If this is typical of Mongoose then I may be able to help.

Its a great story and I am happy with it, but if its production values and nice extras with the product you are looking for, they don't do as good a job as, say, Shackled City from Paizo. The latter has good stuff even though its a single hardback, although to get the handouts you would obviously have to cut the appendix of the book. The maps are separated into a nice booklet etc. Drow War, by comparison, has the maps on pages in the main body of the book, no handouts and feels more "bitty" in its presentation. So, not as polished as it could be.

 

[JoeGKushner]

Drow Wars is also a b&w product whose production values don't touch Shackled City, and it's supplements (book II and III), also seem a little late.

 

[tassander]

At the same time, Drow War is vastly superior as an adventure to Shackled City, which is little more than a number of dungeons connected by some sparse story-elements.

Or, to put it another way: your point being?

 

[JoeGKushner]

At the same time, Drow War is vastly superior as an adventure to Shackled City, which is little more than a number of dungeons connected by some sparse story-elements.

Or, to put it another way: your point being?

Uh... my point, as I thought I stated clearly, was that the production values were much higher on the Shackled City than the drow war and that the supplements to the drow war, for those who like to have everything at once, were late.

Could I be more clear? :\

 

[catsclaw227]

I just received this and haven't gone through it yet, but I look forward to using it in parts for a campaign to start in 2006 sometime.

I am running Drow War now with great success, and though the production values are NOT as nice as Shackled City, and the maps really suck, the adventure itself -- the campaign feel, the pacing, the NPCs, the varied options -- is quite wonderful. Hell, I made my own maps when I needed to.

We've been running it for about 3 months and are about 60% through Drow War I, so the delays in books II and III are fine by me.

Back to the original question....

I'll add more when I get a chance to pour through it these next couple of days.

 

[MongooseMatt]

Guys, there is room in the market for more than one big camapign

As for the second and third Drow War books, they'll be out and about in just a few weeks. . .