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Message: <blockquote data-quote="TheSword" data-source="post: 9352605" data-attributes="member: 6879661">So the WotC’s first high level campaign book comes out at the same time as I’m just finishing the Age of Worms 1-20 campaign that Paizo published for D&D 3e in the pages of Dungeon Magazine.I’ve been lucky to have a really good online group of four players who have the balance between roleplay and combat efficiency. They get into character, they explore, they have a little knowledge about the settings but haven’t played stuff before. It’s a great combination.The campaign was an absolute blast from levels 1-12 some of the best gaming I’ve experienced. It’s a great, original and fascinating adventure path. Unfortunately it breaks down with the 7th installment for level 13-15 PCs, which essentially involves a set of combats followed by visions. There are options for roleplay solutions but those solutions require setting evil creatures free so aren’t really an option. So the entire adventure turns into a combat fest.That was followed up with a playful chapter involving a feast and some RP challenges which was a lot of fun, surrounded by a load of filler combats which weren’t so fun. The following chapter involved five combat challenges that led to a vision. By this point at 17th level these combat are taking so long to resolve that in a 2 to 2 1/2 hour session a single combat is taking up half to two thirds of it even on VTT. Where we would normally get through 2-3 in the same time at early levels. That’s a problem - particularly for a group likes a mix.Second issue is that challenge becomes extremely difficult because the difference between TPK and barely denting the PCs fees very close. A CR 17 creature is definitely not a challenge for a party of four level 17 PCs unless it is tailored to their destruction. So I’m running CR 20+ creatures against them.Third issue as we enter Tier 4 and everything gets more fantastical there is a lot more jumping about. Knowledge of the area, politics, special circumstances etc becomes reduced therefore there is less opportunity to find satisfying RP solutions. Also the presence of existential evil alongside this is more likely to lead to combat solutions.All in all it’s a quandary and it it meant I decided to skip 10th and 11th chapters and head straight to the finale which we are all meeting up to run in person in two weeks time. Don’t get me wrong, it’s been a blast, but one which has definitely run its course. My main aim now is to finish it as well as I can. Remove about 3/4 of the combat encounters and end with a satisfying conclusion to the saga.Anyone else found these problems in any D&D adjacent system? Or their own games. Any solutions or experiences of your own, you want to share? I’m really interested as a player to see how Vecna works with me as a player. I hope they can avoid some of these pitfalls. Please don’t add Vecna spoilers for specific details though.</blockquote>

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