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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Alphastream" data-source="post: 6385188" data-attributes="member: 11365">Opinions differ very widely, but most of the feedback I've heard online and on stores has Beyond the Crystal Cave as one of the more confusing ones for DMs and probably lost the most players over the course of the season. I personally liked the season and really appreciate what the author was going for. Like you, I enjoyed the way it tried to help players impact the story. But, it was probably one of the least popular seasons.And that's the thing. Take nearly any organized play adventure and you will hear completely opposite experiences. One player will say season X was the hardest ever, another will say it was the easiest. One player will say the season was story rich, another will call it a railroad. We can hopefully agree that Encounters has tried various approaches to writing the adventures and varied the experience significantly over time (compare the open play of Baldur's Gate to the linear story of the very first Undermountain season). If across all those changes nothing makes you happy, then I would recommend one of the following:1. Take a different approach to the adventuresAdventures are tools. The end goal is to please the store, the players, and the DM. How you get to that goal is up to the table. The DM plays the largest role in this, interpreting the adventure and modifying it to create the right experience. For example, during a fairly linear and dry part of an adventure I added a door that could only be opened once the players, in character, did a bit of creative thinking or storytelling. It worked really well for the group. In another season I added an overlay of elemental religion to the dungeon, creating a richer theme and adding some puzzle elements so the players could enjoy the session more. The adventure was still there. I just made minor adjustments here and there to attain the type of play the players and I would enjoy. 2. Run a different type of D&DYou might try Expeditions adventures, run the Starter Set or Hoard of the Dragon Queen as a home campaign you alter to your tastes, or create your own home campaign. The point of organized play is to bring players together and create a community. This includes players deciding to be part of the community but play their own D&D campaigns. 3. Run something other type of organized play (perhaps both)While I personally am a huge fan of D&D organized play, I like mixing that experience in with other organized play programs and other RPGs. Honestly, it helps me really appreciate what D&D and D&D Organized Play offer. Playing other RPGs and other programs gives me perspective and also keeps me fresh and enjoying D&D. Too much of one thing can wear us out, even if that thing is excellent. You may also benefit from some other approach, because everyone is different. Where you find Heroes of the Dragon Queen to be really bad, nearly every review has been really positive - and not just the reviews by people with complimentary copies, but also the reviews by everyday gamers who purchased the adventure and are running it. How a DM approaches things really matters. I've played tons of amazingly fun adventures where, at the end, the DM admitted that they weren't the biggest fan of the adventure, but they gave it their all. On the flip-side, I've played games where the DM began with, "sorry, but this is a lousy adventure," and proceeded to provide us with a very lackluster experience... while at a nearby table another group had a great time with the same adventure.My general advice to someone not enjoying an adventure is the following:Look over there at that table having an awesome time playing the same adventure you are criticizing. What are they doing differently?</blockquote>

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