Dungeon 185 - Bark at the Moon: Dungeons biggest adventure

[Jools]

Your post could have, but does not.

I've not read it yet. Suggesting people get back on topic was my best possible contribution.

Thank you to the people that have, I'm enjoying your opinions.

 

[Dire Bare]

In my opinion pretty maps are awesome- but in no way necessary to play the adventure.

That's how I look at it. I appreciate and love good maps like I enjoy good artwork, and I do think that well-drawn maps are superior to Dungeon Tile maps. But I don't think that the lack of drawn maps is really much of an issue, and if the use of Dungeon Tiles means more $$ for artwork . . . then that decision makes me happy.

Plus, if I ever run the adventure, the Dungeon Tile maps will actually make it easier for me. Which, really, should be the whole point, assisting the DM run the adventure as smoothly and with as little prep work as possible.

 

[Jack99]

Well said! I would have given XP, but I can't... could someone please cover for me?

done

 

[Zaukrie]

I'll say this, as much as artwork of NPCs is great, we have THOUSANDS of pieces of NPC art in the books we own, the dungeons we own, that dragons we own.....(and yes, I understand it is possible that there are new DMs and players out there that can use this art).

Plus, what is distinctive about the NPC art at all?

Finally, you really need a map of the whole area.

 

[Nahat Anoj]

Lycanthropes are affected by the moon due to a feud between Sehanine and Melora.

Where did this information appear? I'd be interested in reading about it, but I obviously missed it.

 

[Primal]

done

Thanks, Jack!

 

[Primal]

I'd like to see new maps for special encounter areas that need them, for unique locations, but for a clearing in a forest or such, why not use the tiles? Unless I have a means to easily represent it on the game table, the encounter map is only for me as the DM and doesn't help the players enjoy the game.

Absolutely; although my players have started to comment that "Hey, this forest clearing looks oddly familiar... ". I own two sets of 'Sinister Woods', and I'm going to get at least one box of the upcoming wilderness set to get more variance (and those boxes *are* handy; you can fit at least two sets of tiles into the box).

I also get your point about aesthetically beatuful but complex maps; it's frustrating if the DM spends half an hour rummaging through his tiles to create the encounter area. I've thought about buying one of those dry erase grid board maps (or whatever they are called), and draw the encounter areas on it.

 

[Klaus]

Where did this information appear? I'd be interested in reading about it, but I obviously missed it.

There is little to read. Check out the entries for Lycanthropes in MM1 and MM2.

 

[Kelvor Ravenstar]

Just another point to add to the discussion: The first part of the adventure has less "new maps" than you think!
The map with two cabins/farmhouses is actually a portion of the double sided poster map from The Slaying Stone adventure.

Having said that, I prefer the use of the dungeon tiles for maps in Dungeon Magazine. Since I'm not getting the beautiful poster maps like I did with the HPE series of adventures, I prefer something that I can easily replicate at the table. And while its not a problem for me to replicate these maps since I have one set of each of the tiles, I appreciate that all the adventures that Dungeon have put out recently, when they use tiles, only use tiles from the essentials Master Sets. It makes it a lot easier when I'm packing for my game to only have to pick up one box without having to worry about sorting the precise tiles I need out.

 

[the Jester]

But I don't think that the lack of drawn maps is really much of an issue, and if the use of Dungeon Tiles means more $$ for artwork . . . then that decision makes me happy.

Except it appears that "more $$ for artwork" means "not much artwork at all". Somewhere upthread I list what the first half of the adventure's art pieces are, and there aren't more, better or extra pieces there as far as I can tell- it is yet another example of DDI content being lost with no improvement elsewhere where it is claimed.