D&D 5E The Larger Failure of "Tyranny of Dragons"

[Retreater]

By now the Tyranny of Dragons plotline/campaign is largely considered a poor adventure for 5e (if not the worst official campaign). Perhaps it was the rocky start of Horde of the Dragon Queen, the railroad plot, the imbalanced encounters (take your pick), but it is almost universally maligned.
This was the first hardcover adventure, and it shows. Thankfully, the Starter Set's "Lost Mines of Phandelver" carried the weight of introducing many players to 5e for several years, and it's fondly remembered.
But what did Tyranny of Dragons cost D&D players this edition? As an adventure campaign, it can be tossed aside in favor of one that has been better received ("Curse of Strahd," for example seems to have taken the place as "THE D&D experience" - at least in my local meta). However, it has cost players the official "traditional" published D&D campaign. The goblins and kobolds, the dragons in the name of the game. The traditional high fantasy.
Instead of a "Red Hand of Doom", 5e has "Tyranny of Dragons." And it seems that Wizards wants to release only one campaign per theme (Demons, Devils, Giants, Elementals, Lich, Vampire, etc.) And our only big dragon adventure is a trainwreck that no one will play.
What do you think?

 

[Parmandur]

And our only big dragon adventure is a trainwreck that no one will play.

That's not true: it's not perfect, but it is quite playable and still selling well.

 

[Retreater]

That's not true: it's not perfect, but it is quite playable and still selling well.

It regularly comes up as the worst adventure for 5e, so this isn't just my opinion. If you were able to enjoy it, more power to ya.
I can say that Horde of the Dragon Queen (which I did run) is the weakest adventure I've run since I started the hobby in 1989.

 

[Parmandur]

It regularly comes up as the worst adventure for 5e, so this isn't just my opinion. If you were able to enjoy it, more power to ya.
I can say that Horde of the Dragon Queen (which I did run) is the weakest adventure I've run since I started the hobby in 1989.

Dungeon of the Mad Mage has the worst reviews on Amazon. Even it has pretty good reviews, though. The point is, it is not something that people "refuse to play," also demonstrated by the perennial popularity of threads about ways to approach running the book.

 

[Hussar]

I really doubt they'd do a re-release on a module no one is playing.

 

[pukunui]

Firstly, it's Hoard of the Dragon Queen. Hoard = a big pile of treasure. Horde = a big pile of monsters.

Secondly, if you think Hoard is railroady, then you haven't tried Dragon Heist yet. Hoard is linear, yes, but it is nowhere near as bad as Dragon Heist. The latter forces the players to chase after a macguffin that they're not supposed to be able to get early, and, if they somehow do manage to get it early, the macguffin itself forces them to get rid of it and forget they ever had it until the appointed time. That is railroading of the worst kind.

Hoard also has a fairly consistent feel and tone, whereas Dragon Heist is all over the place. Hoard is about tracking cultists who are gathering treasure in an effort to summon the god of evil dragons! Dragon Heist can't make up its mind whether it wants to be a sandbox or a railroad, a police procedural or a tavern simulator, an action movie or a comedy. It's an absolute hot mess.

I've run the full Tyranny of Dragons campaign once, and I would happily do so again. I was unable to finish Dragon Heist and will now only use it for spare parts (and the otherwise excellent gazetteer of Waterdeep).

That is only some of what I think.

 

[plisnithus8]

I thoroghly enjoyed playing and DMing Heist, gave up on Hoard half way through. Mad Mage has been great as level-specific dungeons plugins.

 

[Zardnaar]

I've failed on HotDQ 3 times of which one was a tpk.

 

[Umbran]

It regularly comes up as the worst adventure for 5e, so this isn't just my opinion.

Yes, but to be clear - the thing gets 4.5 stars on Amazon.

Do not take the vocal opinion of detractors in discussion forums to be reflective of the general opinion of the work.

 

[Zardnaar]

Yes, but to be clear - the thing gets 4.5 stars on Amazon.

Do not take the vocal opinion of detractors in discussion forums to be reflective of the general opinion of the work.

A lot if casuals won't know any better or have anything to compare it with.

They might give it high marks for pretty art. It sold well likely due to being first dragons.