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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Jacob Lewis" data-source="post: 8519303" data-attributes="member: 6667921">Part I: The (Original) Adventure SynopsisReavers of Harkenwold (RoH)<a href="https://postimg.cc/c6YGZ5B5" target="_blank"><img src="https://i.postimg.cc/c6YGZ5B5/e4-DMK64.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" /></a>It doesn't matter which edition you choose. If you break down an adventure into its most basic and fundamental components, you'll likely end up with a series of encounters and some maps. These are the only pieces you actually need to run a D&D game, and sometimes, even the maps are optional. Everything else surrounding the encounters—the story, the setting, the wandering monster tables, etc.—can be substituted or ignored. Your adventure might not be anything more than a repetitive series of pointless violence and looting, but its still playable for a game. I'm not passing judgment if that is your preferred style of play. There's definitely some merit to it. But if that happens to be your speed, you'll probably be fine skipping this section altogether.Reavers of Harkenwold has a very simple plot driving an even simpler story: the Iron Circle has taken over the region and the heroes must kick them out. There isn't a whole lot of build up or background included in the write up. The bad guys are already in place, causing trouble and challenging anybody to do something about it. We don't know what they intend to do next, or if they even planned that far ahead. The heroes are essentially answering the call to action, and the module expects they will succeed before anything else takes place.This is neither a complaint nor a critique of the adventure. As written, it really doesn't need any more than this to work. It is a footnote in the annals of your character's heroic saga. But since I'm revising this to be a major campaign arc, it should become a more significant part of the heroes' story. Thus, it would benefit from adding more depth that the players can actually perceive. First, let's see what the adventure has to offer.Book 1 gives a synopsis of how the adventure is expected to unfold on page 3. You can read the details for yourself if you have a copy, but here is a brief summary:<ol> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">The adventurers encounter a band of Iron Circle marauders threatening a farmhouse. After her rescue, the widow directs the heroes to the nearby village of Albridge.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">The heroes meet the leaders of the resistance who enlist their help. Players can choose to clean out the a tribe of bullywugs in Toadwallow Caverns, or deal with isolated Iron Circle detachments. The heroes will most likely do both.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">The heroes are asked to contact the Woodsinger elves to gain their assistance. Of course, the elves have problems of their own and ask the characters to help them before they can help the rest of Harkenwold. The adventurers must defeat the evil lurking in the catacombs of Dal Nystiere.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">As soon as they complete their last mission, the adventurers learn that the Iron Circle is marching to destroy the resistance in Albridge. The heroes help defend against the attack.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">And finally, the heroes infiltrate the Iron Keep to drive out the remaining forces and free the Baron. Harkenwold is saved!</li> </ol>The next two pages breaks it down further into five distinct chapters with their corresponding encounters:Part 1: The Iron Circle<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Chapter I: Road to Adventure (encounters E1-E3)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Chapter II: Opening Salvos (encounters T1-T3, E4)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Chapter III: Gathering Allies (encounters D1-D4)</li> </ul>Part 2: The Die Is Cast<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Chapter IV: Battle of Albridge (encounters B1-B4)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Chapter V: Iron Keep (encounters K1-K7, E5)</li> </ul>Now, I know what you're thinking because I thought about it, too. Five chapters for five levels? This adventure is practically writing itself! Yeah, not so fast. Take a closer look and you'll see that all chapters are not created equal.The first one barely qualifies as a real chapter. It is literally the first encounter that kicks off the adventure and get players moving in the right direction. Then there's two more isolated encounters that don't really fit anywhere else. The players can decide if they want to deal with those other encounters in chapter one, or move on to the bullywug lair in chapter two. Regardless of which path they choose, the players will still be able to complete both options if they want. To me, it makes more sense to condense them all into the first chapter where everything begins.The rest of the adventure has three different locations with three different scenarios. The first deals with the Woodsinger elves and a delve into the ancient catacombs. Even with the larger map, I don't know if it would be enough to fill up an entire chapter by itself. The other two comprise the  second book, signaling an end game of sorts. The players face off against the Iron Circle in a series of climatic confrontations, which makes a fitting final chapter. That still leaves at least two full chapters to flesh out with no more material to use from the original adventure.So here's the thing. I previously estimated that I would need an average of eleven encounters per level. That doesn't necessarily apply to the narrative structure of chapters. A chapter should frame a distinct part of the story being told, which isn't beholden to levels or other game mechanics. In other words, I don't want an allotment of eleven encounters for bullywugs, eleven more for the catacombs, etc. If I did that, it would mean players would spend an entire level dealing with one thing, and only five specific things for the entire adventure. If not careful, that could come across as boring and tedious to play. Nobody I know would enjoy that for long.Even though I'm not cutting any parts out of the original adventure, there's still going to be a lot of spaces to fill. As I mentioned before, encounters are easy to build. The tricky part is going to be adding more story, and more maps. But I already know where to start looking.</blockquote>

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