D&D Encounters: Storm over Neverwinter - Yuck!

[MerricB]

There's only a couple of sessions left in the current D&D Encounters season, and I can't wait to see the back of it. Where the previous season - Against the Cult of Chaos - was one of my favourite RPG experiences, Storm over Neverwinter is absolutely dreadful.

The mere concept of D&D Encounters has structural problems, but, as the series has gone on, it has added more non-combat material to flesh out the session. This has basically disappeared with this season. Each session has basically been "You have a combat", without the role-playing or investigation that was so evident before. Every so often, there's a nod towards some investigation, but the paucity of the material has not given me anything to work with.

There's a major revelation of the villain at the end of the 5th session which left the players wondering who the hell he was - there certainly wasn't enough building up of him beforehand as a memorable NPC. The 5th session also had the possibility (by the map) of the group entering the keep, bypassing the monsters and ending the session within about 10 minutes. ARGH!

Is anyone else playing/running this season? How are you finding it?

Cheers!

 

[Scrivener of Doom]

My guess is that it was written at the same time as the other Neverwinter Encounters season. And, while I'm normally a fan of Erik Scott da Bie's work, this isn't one of his best by a long shot.

 

[darjr]

I think comparing it to the last Encounters season is kind of unfair. The last season was really fantastic. I started running encounters for Next because of it. The current one I'm not fond of. I'll finish it and see what's next.

I must echo some of your criticisms. I've had to really add lib role playing encounters and let the players wander a bit in some. Otherwise I think we'd already be done. The combats in Next are really that much quicker. Last week we ran two sessions and had a lot of RP and we were done before the other table.

 

[Vael]

I'm sorry I missed last season, given the reviews I've heard.

Yes, this season is ... underwhelming. While going back to Neverwinter wasn't a horrible idea, and allowing characters of a higher level was also a good notion ... the story and encounters haven't done much for me.

 

[MerricB]

I think comparing it to the last Encounters season is kind of unfair. The last season was really fantastic. I started running encounters for Next because of it. The current one I'm not fond of. I'll finish it and see what's next.

Unfortunately, it's also worse than a lot of other Encounter seasons as well - made worse by being just after the Really Good One!

 

[MerricB]

I'm sorry I missed last season, given the reviews I've heard.

Yes, this season is ... underwhelming. While going back to Neverwinter wasn't a horrible idea, and allowing characters of a higher level was also a good notion ... the story and encounters haven't done much for me.

The previous Neverwinter one - although not flawless - was pretty good, especially as all the characters began with hooks related to their themes which were then followed up (somewhat) in the adventure. It introduced the main NPCs well, and made them count. This one... not so much!

 

[Rydac]

Merric, I too agree with all your criticisms. I've DM'd every season of encounters and this is my least favorite. Along with your point about the villain in session 5 falling flat; I was disappointed that we had a bar fight in sessions 1 and 3....wow skipped that idea for a whole week.

 

[MerricB]

Well, we've finished Storm over Neverwinter. And the last session was insane - whoever did the D&D Next conversion didn't look that carefully at the capabilities of the monsters vs the players. As my group lost initiative (badly), they were attacked by three save for half-damage area effects that hit the entire group - for 25, 20 and 20 damage (or thereabouts). Which could repeat a couple of times. The 4th level pregens have between 25 and 50 hp each; you don't gain that many more hp per level. You do the maths.

I toned things down, and the monsters ended up being very glass cannon, but if this is what is in store for us in D&D Next when it's properly released, I may have to go elsewhere.

(The monsters were nowhere near as insane in 4E, btw).

Cheers!

 

[jodyjohnson]

The last fight was messed up. The first the party only 3/5 died (not down - dead). With the 2 dwarves surviving.

The second play through was a TPK.