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ShortQuests -- individual adventure modules! An all-new collection of digest-sized D&D adventures designed to plug in to your game.

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Message: <blockquote data-quote="JeffB" data-source="post: 2008463" data-attributes="member: 518">As has been stated, CoF is the first module from Necromancer Games whose tag line is "Third Edition Rules. First Edition Feel". Upon finding out about them a year or more ago, I immediately felt drawn to this company. I started playing D&D before the first MM was complete, and quit 5 years before 2E was published. Now after so many years, (And so many dissapointing 2E products I had purchased since I started playing again in 1998) here was a company that I thought would be able to capture the "glory days" Have they suceeded? I'll try not to use much in the way of spoilers and instead concentrate on the "themes" of the adventure/company.Crucible is a 48 page adventure detailing a small town and it's problems. A religous artifact is stolen from a Temple and the PC's find themselves the main investigators. Fairly basic and some would say cliche stuff.Reading through CoF for the first time I did get a sense of nostalgia..however I'm not so sure it was 1st edition feel, but perhaps just "old school". It has an inkling of the classics of my day (GDQ, A1-4, C1-2,S  & Tseries etc.) , as well as a healthy dose of Basic/Expert D&D. The adventure is written to put the PC"s as the main focus(as should be, but often is not in many settings/adventures) and still having enough encounters ,NPC's and ideas to make the Players realize that though their characters may be the stars for the moment, there is a much larger world out there. That may sound strange to some, but  I feel it's a common element of the old school D&D style. Who cannot remember feeling like they were the movers and shakers of the world as they tackled the Caverns of Quasqueton, The Caves of Chaos, The Ruins of the Moathouse, or the Palace of the Silver Princess? This is a quality lacking in most published D&D adventures of recent years. PC's seem very "small", and inconsequential. While that may be the case in a certain milleau, they should not be made to FEEL that way, as some campaigns and adventures do. Crucible suceeds in utilizing this extremely important element in "old school" D&D.Technically, how does it stand up? It's quite well written I feel, w/ few problems if any in editing and layout. The maps are a bit amatuerish, but at the same time I like the hand-drawn maps..it adds some character to the product. The book has a few "extra" encounter areas, kind of like the Mad Hermits lair and lizard men mounds in B2...very cool, and another "old school" touch. I should  point out that this adventure is quite DEADLY. Yet again another trait of "old school". In the 15 years or so that I was out of RPG's there seem to have been some mentality arise that making characters is bad and/or too tough. I've seen so many game-books, adventures, and gaming columns telling DM's to make an adventure challenging, but not too deadly...give the PC"s a break, etc. All I can say is BULLS#$T. Some of the best D&D memories I have are some of the spectacular and gruesome ways that my characters or friends characters bought the farm. We would laugh, and roll up another one, and get back to playing when the DM was able to introduce the new character. I can understand that you don't want to make a totally killer dungeon, and that rolling up a PC takes longer than it used too, but Players seemt to have forgotten how to simply "run away". This "metagame" thinking that there ABSOLUTELY HAS to be a some way to conquer this beast/trap/problem  is something that CoF will put a stop too. My players lost 2 characters in the wilderness around Fairhill..needless to say they learned quick. As a defenite plus, I should also note that owners of Necromancer games products receive a password for the Necro website to download "web enhancements". For Crucible, this includes DM & Player maps, as well as a lengthy supplement on the area surrounding Fairhill. For your money, you are geting quite a bit of gaming material w/ Necromancer products, as there is months of adventuring material available w/ the enhancement.My only real grip with CoF (and Necromancer Games products in general) is in the "read to player's text". Sometimes the player's text will describe emotions and actions that the PC's feel and/or do. This is the kind of thing that I feel  Players should account for on thier own through roleplaying. Thankfully they are easy to work around, and their are not many to have to do so with.So how does CoF stand as an introductory module for 3E? That deserves two answers. For someone who has been a player or DM of D&D in the past, It serves as an excellent campaign kicker. For a novice DM and/or players, Crucible will be too much to handle. CoF will likely be a love it or hate it module for most folks. For some it will be a breath of long-needed fresh air, for others it will not have enough logic or consistency and will seem rough and archaic.I am in the camp of the former group.</blockquote>

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