D&D 5E Phandelver starting to show up in the wild. NewbieDM looks to be the first!

[bedir than]

You jest, but its something that I see frequently in 5e. After a few levels, you have a dragonman shapeshifting into a huge bear launching laser moonbeam from its mouth! And that's only one character! There's not much in the MM that can out-weird a bunch of D&D characters.

There's nothing mundane about a bear with laser moonbeam eyes.

I'm talking about a world such as a Radiant Citadel that ends like Phandelver.

 

[Tales and Chronicles]

There's nothing mundane about a bear with laser moonbeam eyes.

I'm talking about a world such as a Radiant Citadel that ends like Phandelver.

Like an accelerated Middle-Earth where magic is fading? Seems cool.

Given, that would be hard with D&D character generally gaining more and more fantastical powers as the story progress.

 

[pukunui]

Like an accelerated Middle-Earth where magic is fading? Seems cool.

Given, that would be hard with D&D character generally gaining more and more fantastical powers as the story progress.

Maybe the PCs start at 20th level and then lose levels rather than gain them, so they end up being 1st level characters at the end of the campaign after they've sucked out all the magic and superheroism from themselves as well as the world around them. Could be a "this is how Dark Sun was created" type campaign.

 

[Retros_x]

And yet it is the most highly raved about product in 5e’s entire run. Loved, seemingly, by almost all who run it.

Your fantastical is potentially my outrageous.

So you are of the opinion that Mines of Phandelver has an exciting hook and Phandalin is an exciting town? Because that what we were discussing and not how beloved the adventure was. I also liked to run it btw. I like the structure of the adventure, I like the dungeons and battles. I just find the setting too bland for an introduction into the genre of fantasy. The backdrop is not fitting and I can really don't understand how people seem to disagree, it really doesn't get into my head.

"Your fantastical is potentially my outrageous". I am sorry, if you find fantastic elements in a fantasy game outrageous, why are you playing dungeons and dragons? I am not talking about a city floating upside down over a volcano with a population of wherewolf pixie hybrids. Just give me one or two special little things in the town that makes the town special. Not even a low level hedge mage lives here. Every random generator produces more interesting cities than Phandalin. In theory Phandalin even has the potential! The new frontier town is built on the ruins of the hundreds of years old town that was much bigger but destroyed by orcs according to the description in the adventure. But we can see nothing of that except some cobblestones on the map. Let the players explore some ruins, find out lore about the old Phandalin, meet ghosts of the ones massacred by the orcs. Also from a narrative perspective Phandalin is so empty. The factions are represented in the town but nothing happens of it, except maybe a bit with Thalia, but you need to really push it by yourself as a DM.

Dragons of Stormwreck Isle is much more interesting as a starting adventure for these reasons IMO.

 

[Parmandur]

I just find the setting too bland for an introduction into the genre of fantasy. The backdrop is not fitting and I can really don't understand how people seem to disagree, it really doesn't get into my head.

The point isn't to be an introduction to the genre of fantasy (most 12 year olds will already have that), but to use already familiar tropes to serve as an introduction to the procedures of a TTRPG. Being Basic is the point.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

If suddenly we're going to experience way-out Far Realms stuff, then making the town mundane in contrast (and to provide a respite from all the weirdness) might not be a bad thing.

That's the approach horror movies typically take, after all.

 

[TheSword]

So you are of the opinion that Mines of Phandelver has an exciting hook and Phandalin is an exciting town? Because that what we were discussing and not how beloved the adventure was. I also liked to run it btw. I like the structure of the adventure, I like the dungeons and battles. I just find the setting too bland for an introduction into the genre of fantasy. The backdrop is not fitting and I can really don't understand how people seem to disagree, it really doesn't get into my head.

"Your fantastical is potentially my outrageous". I am sorry, if you find fantastic elements in a fantasy game outrageous, why are you playing dungeons and dragons? I am not talking about a city floating upside down over a volcano with a population of wherewolf pixie hybrids. Just give me one or two special little things in the town that makes the town special. Not even a low level hedge mage lives here. Every random generator produces more interesting cities than Phandalin. In theory Phandalin even has the potential! The new frontier town is built on the ruins of the hundreds of years old town that was much bigger but destroyed by orcs according to the description in the adventure. But we can see nothing of that except some cobblestones on the map. Let the players explore some ruins, find out lore about the old Phandalin, meet ghosts of the ones massacred by the orcs. Also from a narrative perspective Phandalin is so empty. The factions are represented in the town but nothing happens of it, except maybe a bit with Thalia, but you need to really push it by yourself as a DM.

Dragons of Stormwreck Isle is much more interesting as a starting adventure for these reasons IMO.

As has been said. It was a starter set. The aim of which was to get people adventuring and to keep things simple. Hence the focus being on the locations not who sells you weapons.

Fantastical elements can largely be a matter of taste and while some people might like bugbear scholars, magic trees and animated armour bouncers. Saying a starter set isn’t fantastical enough is like criticising it for not having enough use for high level play!

As an aside, Volo’s Guide to the North contains a boatload of such things if you want to add them in.

Let’s see how the book turns out. I for one can’t wait to be a player in this for a change.

 

[Reynard]

. Saying a starter set isn’t fantastical enough is like criticising it for not having enough use for high level play!.

That doesn't track for me. It's not like the starter areas in WoW or even BG3 are mundane. Why should D&D start off in a Bavarian village? The PCs are likely a motley band of magical weirdos. What's the benefit of them having to find the magic in the world?

 

[Scribe]

That doesn't track for me. It's not like the starter areas in WoW or even BG3 are mundane. Why should D&D start off in a Bavarian village? The PCs are likely a motley band of magical weirdos. What's the benefit of them having to find the magic in the world?

To be fair, BG3 has completely changed how I view 'baseline' D&D.

 

[TheSword]

That doesn't track for me. It's not like the starter areas in WoW or even BG3 are mundane. Why should D&D start off in a Bavarian village? The PCs are likely a motley band of magical weirdos. What's the benefit of them having to find the magic in the world?

Sure, most D&D published campaigns start in pretty weird circumstances. This is one of the few that doesn’t. So why can’t people enjoy something less far-out?

Ice-locked town, village under dragon attack, dinosaur town, city in refugee crisis, gang war, magical carnival.

Is there not a space for ye-olde forgotten realms town?