D&D 5E Justin Alexander's review of Shattered Obelisk is pretty scathing

[DEFCON 1]

No one should take Justin's take as complete accuracy due to his own particular preferences and picadillos, while at the same time no one should dismiss his take either. By the same token, no one should take any other writer's or critic's feelings at face value neither, because all of them have preferences and picadillos that the product may or may not align to your own. If reading critique is something that is important to (general) you... it's always good to read several different critics in order to get a more accurate or well-rounded picture.

Me personally... I don't really care about Justin's actual critique of certain products, but I do really like his work at revamping them. Because that just becomes "extra" stuff for the product that I can then choose to incorporate into the adventure should I run it-- just like all the extra stuff that gets written for them on DMs Guild, or here on EN World in all the "Enhancing X" threads. That's the great thing about RPG adventure critique... when they don't like something and tell us why (and what would have worked better)... we actually can USE those changes ourselves should we want to.

 

[delericho]

You’ve answered your own point. Hydras take chunks out of themselves in extremis. A magical creature being hungry and needing food to survive are not the same thing.

Yes. I said exactly that.

When you raised the question of whether hydras actually need to eat, I was interested enough to go look it up in the MM, and having done so, I figured it might be helpful to add what I found in the thread. I wasn't making any wider point beyond that. Given the reaction, next time I'll think more carefully.

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

I’d sum the approach up as “It’s the ecology, stupid.” If it matters most of all to him then fine. I just don’t think it’s the top three issue of adventure design he thinks it is.

Next up- Justin Alexander reviews White Plume Mountain.

WHAT IS THIS???!!?!?? F------.

 

[Sparky McDibben]

I haven't read Shattered Obelisk so cannot comment on it's quality, but I find it very disturbing just how many people are willing to let Justin Alexander do their thinking for them.

I certainly disagree with him on one point - the original Lost Mines was not good. Whilst it is reasonably well presented, it was dull, generic and uninspired.

That's not the point of a review. I'm not accepting Alexander's always right; I'm using his commentary to help allocate scarce resources. Of course his review is subjective. That fact is baked in, and I don't think a reviewer should have to tell people that their review is just one comment (I find it wearing when Mr. Shea at Sly Flourish does). But a review is a useful signal to the market - will you get your value for money, or should you get something else you like more?

 

[Divine2021]

Wait, does he really go by The Alexandrian?

 

[EzekielRaiden]

Wait, does he really go by The Alexandrian?

That is the name of the site; I've no idea if he goes by that name personally. People will fluidly refer to "The Alexandrian" and "[Justin] Alexander" because one is the work and the other is the worker. Like how one may fluidly move between referring to "Tolkien" and referring to "The Lord of the Rings" if it's clear that that is the work you're quoting from.

 

[QuentinGeorge]

Well, if merely “putting adventure ideas out there” is their goal (and I agree with you that it isn’t), then WotC is choosing a very inefficient format to do so. They could put a lot more adventure ideas in a much smaller, less expensive product.

They could invite us to a zoom session and just start tossing ideas at us as well. Would be cheaper for everyone.

 

[Alzrius]

I'm less concerned with the hydra having a sustainable living space than I am with the obelisks apparently turning out to be little more than a mcguffin.

WotC hyped this adventure as being the culmination of clues that had been subtly embedded in previous adventures for years, building up to some sort of huge payoff that we'd never even realized was coming. But apparently it was all smoke and mirrors, with the obelisk appearances in other adventures having no real presence or notability in this one, and even this adventure's own obelisks having little practical impact on how things play out.

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

I'm less concerned with the hydra having a sustainable living space than I am with the obelisks apparently turning out to be little more than a mcguffin.

For shame, EN World Kitten!

I will have you know that I, as an ethical murderhobo, only kill Free Range Hydras.

 

[QuentinGeorge]

I'm less concerned with the hydra having a sustainable living space than I am with the obelisks apparently turning out to be little more than a mcguffin.

WotC hyped this adventure as being the culmination of clues that had been subtly embedded in previous adventures for years, building up to some sort of huge payoff that we'd never even realized was coming. But apparently it was all smoke and mirrors, with the obelisk appearances in other adventures having no real presence or notability in this one, and even this adventure's own obelisks having little practical impact on how things play out.

These are the same people who forgot to put an actual heist in "Dragon Heist" and promised us kewl war machine fights in Avernus and instead gave us a dull fetch quest.