City of the Spider Queen vs. Banewarrens
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Dragongirl
First Post
I liked the old 1E version, but that doesn't help. Odd that no one has done a review of it yet.
Psion
Adventurer
I would lean strongly towards Banewarrens unless you have some reason to do otherwise. I picked up CotSQ only because my current campaign is already in a situation very similar to that in CotSQ, and I hoped to plunder significant parts of the adventure. Some of the stat blocks, creatures, and characters look useful, but I feel like I paid a lot for what I got. CotSQ did not strike me as especially creative; it just seems like a long dungeon romp though the underdark with lots of fighting.
The banewarrens, on the other hand, has a variety of characters with unique motivations, a variety of locations and situations, twists and turns, overall a more creative adventure AFAIAC.
The banewarrens, on the other hand, has a variety of characters with unique motivations, a variety of locations and situations, twists and turns, overall a more creative adventure AFAIAC.
Swack-Iron
First Post
Re
City of the Spider Queen seems like a pretty awsome, epic adventure. I don't know much about the Banewarren's, so I can't speak on it.
I just know if you are looking for a seriously epic module with alot of meat, then CotSQ is a good module. It is filled with intrigue and great adventure. It should give you months of entertaining adventure.
Not to mention, how often do you get the chance to go through a truly epic Underdark adventure?
City of the Spider Queen seems like a pretty awsome, epic adventure. I don't know much about the Banewarren's, so I can't speak on it.
I just know if you are looking for a seriously epic module with alot of meat, then CotSQ is a good module. It is filled with intrigue and great adventure. It should give you months of entertaining adventure.
Not to mention, how often do you get the chance to go through a truly epic Underdark adventure?
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I'm running Banewarrens now, and hope to move onto TCOTSQ as soon as that is finished, since Banwarrens is for 6-10th and TCOTHSQ is for 10+.
So far the Banewarrens has been really cool - loads of intrigue - it even convinced my group of rollplayers to roleplay a bit, and rather than just a static dungeon crawl, the creature within it actually move about!
So far the Banewarrens has been really cool - loads of intrigue - it even convinced my group of rollplayers to roleplay a bit, and rather than just a static dungeon crawl, the creature within it actually move about!
Read both
Having read (but not DMed) both, I can make some comparisons.
I preferred Banewarrens because of its greater use of actual role playing (some complicated factional conflict that will not be obvious to the players) and a sense of novelty. While it is essentially a dungeon crawl, there are urban elements as well. To take full advantage of the novel spirit and tone of the Banewarrens, you will want the Books of Eldritch Might (they are not essential but they help).
CotSQ was interesting (I liked some of the novel monsters, templates, etc.) but it was still a relatively standard plot. Players investigate problem. Players find problem is much bigger than expected. Players travel a long way to extermine real threat. The real boon of CotSQ is the 3-4 really interesting ideas included. I see it more as something I would pillage for encounters and ideas than something I would run.
Of course, I think Banewarrens is also less expensive.
I actually like both. At the heart of the matter, Banewarrents kept me reading (due to the novelty and diversity discussed above) where I started skimming CotSQ towards the middle.
Having read (but not DMed) both, I can make some comparisons.
I preferred Banewarrens because of its greater use of actual role playing (some complicated factional conflict that will not be obvious to the players) and a sense of novelty. While it is essentially a dungeon crawl, there are urban elements as well. To take full advantage of the novel spirit and tone of the Banewarrens, you will want the Books of Eldritch Might (they are not essential but they help).
CotSQ was interesting (I liked some of the novel monsters, templates, etc.) but it was still a relatively standard plot. Players investigate problem. Players find problem is much bigger than expected. Players travel a long way to extermine real threat. The real boon of CotSQ is the 3-4 really interesting ideas included. I see it more as something I would pillage for encounters and ideas than something I would run.
Of course, I think Banewarrens is also less expensive.
I actually like both. At the heart of the matter, Banewarrents kept me reading (due to the novelty and diversity discussed above) where I started skimming CotSQ towards the middle.
