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<blockquote data-quote="Retreater" data-source="post: 8106668" data-attributes="member: 42040">Running the same AP, I can say that there is very little time crunch in the first two books anyway. After rescuing the goblins, there is absolutely zero impetus to spending hours (days?) between combats during their exploration of the citadel. Not so much as a hint that there is a threat to the town, or an evil ritual that is going to occur, or a villain who might escape.&nbsp;&nbsp; In the second adventure, there is similarly no real time pressure. The villain's plans are only ever revealed to the GM as a text wall background that has no bearing on the adventure - even if it plays out. And as we've discussed earlier in this thread, having the bad guys respond intelligently or with the slightest regard for self preservation breaks the encounter math. Where it hasn't worked for us is that the agency the players have can't impact the adventure as written. I guess they could fall back to a place of safety and craft a bunch of explosives or enchant some magic items, but by that point they have already died in the first couple rounds of the failed combat. Plus there are no random encounters to threaten them when they trudge through the wilderness or camp overnight. There's no patrols or warbands. There's no described force that could attack the party as they are holed up in their village. Given the narrative of the second adventure, it's not even plausible. There's nothing in the adventure to suggest anything more than a series of linked combat encounters.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Retreater, post: 8106668, member: 42040"] Running the same AP, I can say that there is very little time crunch in the first two books anyway. After rescuing the goblins, there is absolutely zero impetus to spending hours (days?) between combats during their exploration of the citadel. Not so much as a hint that there is a threat to the town, or an evil ritual that is going to occur, or a villain who might escape. In the second adventure, there is similarly no real time pressure. The villain's plans are only ever revealed to the GM as a text wall background that has no bearing on the adventure - even if it plays out. And as we've discussed earlier in this thread, having the bad guys respond intelligently or with the slightest regard for self preservation breaks the encounter math. Where it hasn't worked for us is that the agency the players have can't impact the adventure as written. I guess they could fall back to a place of safety and craft a bunch of explosives or enchant some magic items, but by that point they have already died in the first couple rounds of the failed combat. Plus there are no random encounters to threaten them when they trudge through the wilderness or camp overnight. There's no patrols or warbands. There's no described force that could attack the party as they are holed up in their village. Given the narrative of the second adventure, it's not even plausible. There's nothing in the adventure to suggest anything more than a series of linked combat encounters. [/QUOTE]

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