D&D 4E Which of the Wizards 4e H-E adventure have you played or run?
- Thread starter MerricB
- Start date
I ran Keep on the Shadowfell to learn 4E. Pyramid of Shadows I found became a real drag and I started cutting combat encounters from it consistently. Especially the ones that had hugely underlevelled minions for some strange reason.
E2 was okay, but the final fight is either hilariously easy to awfully impossible (depending on how unlucky your PCs get).
E2 was okay, but the final fight is either hilariously easy to awfully impossible (depending on how unlucky your PCs get).
the Jester
Legend
H1 & H2.
I'm planning on running P1 and P2 (mixed with some Dead Gods-inspired stuff) for my group once they are at that level, though. (Different group than did H1 & H2.)
I'm planning on running P1 and P2 (mixed with some Dead Gods-inspired stuff) for my group once they are at that level, though. (Different group than did H1 & H2.)
So far, I rate the first six adventures as follows:
H1: Keep on the Shadowfell - a very good adventure. The initial stages of the adventure work really well, and you can become very attached to the townsfolk as you travel to and from the adventure areas. There's not enough development in the final section of the dungeon, though, and the final villain hasn't been foreshadowed enough. 7 out of 10.
H2: Thunderspire Labyrinth - a good adventure, but potentially more challenging to run than H1. The home base can be really well developed and utilized by DMs and is excellent. Less fun are the duergar, and the links between the sections of adventure, while they work, don't really build up into a great final showdown. 6.5 out of 10.
H3: Pyramid of Shadows - great backstory, but the entire adventure just doesn't work. It doesn't help that there isn't anyone you can trust in the entire adventure. There appears to be the potential for roleplaying, but it actually doesn't work very well. A disappointing end to the Heroic Tier. 4.5 out of 10.
P1: King of the Trollhaunt Warrens - a strong story, which is somewhat sabotaged by the characters coming out of H3 and not having strong ties to the region they're meant to save. The warrens are nicely presented, and the final act in the Feywild works very well. 7.5 out of 10.
P2: Demon Queen's Enclave - a strong story, and it gets better with a host of factions you can actually interact with meaningfully (which is not the case in H3). It's a pity that the final encounters are somewhat linear: it would have been nice for more outer-planar exploration. 9 out of 10.
P3: Assault on Nightwyrm Fortress - a great premise, but lacks good characters to interact with and puzzles to solve... and places to explore. It's an occasion where the "only important locations" fails: the walls need more detail! Some nice encounters, but not enough to redeem a disappointing end to the Paragon Tier. 5.5 out of 10.
Cheers!
H1: Keep on the Shadowfell - a very good adventure. The initial stages of the adventure work really well, and you can become very attached to the townsfolk as you travel to and from the adventure areas. There's not enough development in the final section of the dungeon, though, and the final villain hasn't been foreshadowed enough. 7 out of 10.
H2: Thunderspire Labyrinth - a good adventure, but potentially more challenging to run than H1. The home base can be really well developed and utilized by DMs and is excellent. Less fun are the duergar, and the links between the sections of adventure, while they work, don't really build up into a great final showdown. 6.5 out of 10.
H3: Pyramid of Shadows - great backstory, but the entire adventure just doesn't work. It doesn't help that there isn't anyone you can trust in the entire adventure. There appears to be the potential for roleplaying, but it actually doesn't work very well. A disappointing end to the Heroic Tier. 4.5 out of 10.
P1: King of the Trollhaunt Warrens - a strong story, which is somewhat sabotaged by the characters coming out of H3 and not having strong ties to the region they're meant to save. The warrens are nicely presented, and the final act in the Feywild works very well. 7.5 out of 10.
P2: Demon Queen's Enclave - a strong story, and it gets better with a host of factions you can actually interact with meaningfully (which is not the case in H3). It's a pity that the final encounters are somewhat linear: it would have been nice for more outer-planar exploration. 9 out of 10.
P3: Assault on Nightwyrm Fortress - a great premise, but lacks good characters to interact with and puzzles to solve... and places to explore. It's an occasion where the "only important locations" fails: the walls need more detail! Some nice encounters, but not enough to redeem a disappointing end to the Paragon Tier. 5.5 out of 10.
Cheers!
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Dice4Hire
First Post
Dice4Hire
First Post
I played in all the ones up to E2, but the slog got to my group in a bad way, and DS was coming out, so we ditched it. Decent storyline, and a great intro to the cosmology and history of the world, but fight after fight after fight.
And this is me, an 80% roll-player, saying this. Too many evenings were spent just doing 2 or 3 fights. I do think a new 4E DM should read the fluff in these modules though as it will give them a good idea of how some of the various powers interact in the cosmology.
And this is me, an 80% roll-player, saying this. Too many evenings were spent just doing 2 or 3 fights. I do think a new 4E DM should read the fluff in these modules though as it will give them a good idea of how some of the various powers interact in the cosmology.
Obryn
Hero
Yeah, I think that WotC misstepped with these adventures. (And apparently continues to do so, given the reviews I've read of the new Dark Sun one.)
If you have more than 2-3 fights between plot developments, you're probably doing it wrong. 4e combat is fun, but these adventures do nothing to counteract the perception that it's nothing but a big combat engine. Less fights, more interaction, more intrigue, more exploration, and heck - more good skill challenges.
-O
If you have more than 2-3 fights between plot developments, you're probably doing it wrong. 4e combat is fun, but these adventures do nothing to counteract the perception that it's nothing but a big combat engine. Less fights, more interaction, more intrigue, more exploration, and heck - more good skill challenges.
-O
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