D&D 5E Struggling to find info on WotC adventures

[Morrus]

I'm trying to add theme-based keywords to my D&D Next adventure database. Thing is, unlike the Pathfinder adventures, I can't seem to find info on what the adventures are actually about. Dungeon crawl? Political? Aquatic? Looking at the promo text for Scourge of the Sword Coast, for example -

"Ghosts of Dragonspear Castle chronicled the efforts of the Red Wizards to unlock the power of elemental nodes located in an abandoned temple dedicated to the Princes of Elemental Evil. A gate to the Nine Hells lay open for some time, spewing devils and smoke. The heroes who closed the gate could not know it then, but amid the chaos of battle, another threat emerged. "Dreams of the Red Wizards: Scourge of the Sword Coast" (2014), by Tito Leati, Matt Sernett, and Chris Sims, is the adventure for Season 17 of D&D Encounters. It was released in February 2014 as a PDF-only book on DnDClassics.com"

There's nothing there. A recap of of a previous adventure and, apparently "another threat emerged" - that's it. Three words. It's an adventure in which a threat emerges.

I think this is why I've been so out-of-touch with WotC adventures in the last few years. Because no actual information about them is communicated to me. Lots of info about Encounters season scheduling (which I don't really know what is, but that's another story), but no actual information on what an adventure is about or whether I'd like it.

I found a PDF they put out for it for store owners. It says "Scourge of the Sword Coast season brings players to your store to experience the intrigue, thrills, and excitement of this action packed adventure". So, OK, other than being intriguing, thrilling, and exciting, what's it about? I'm then told the players will "They’ll defeat enemies, solve puzzles, and perform heroic deeds". So it's an RPG adventure; I know that! But no info on what it's about.

Pathfinder adventures tell you it's a dungeon crawl, or an investigative urban adventure, or an aquatic exploration adventure, or whatever. I know if I need a mid-level winter-themed sandbox adventure it'll tell me on the back cover.

So I'm in this weird position where I'm trying to create a useful database of DDN adventures, looking up each product on WotC's website and other places, but I'm failing to discern the themes and details I want to put into the search process. I guess I could order them all and read 'em, but that seems a very expensive and work intensive way of doing what should be a fairly quick process. I did try reading some online blogs about 'em, but that's hard going and very anecdoty.

So I'm sure this info is out there. The product descriptions don't provide it, but I'm sure it can be found. If Google fails, would folks be willing to quickly sumamrize the following adventures in a couple of short sentences? I want to extract from that theme, terrains, keywords - words folks might search for to locate a suitable adventure. Things like:

Political, Winter, Demons, Planar, Contest, Dungeon, Sandbox, Horror, Aquatic, Mystery, Dragon, etc.

So the adventures are:

Against the Cult of Chaos
Search for the Diamond Staff
Storm Over Neverwinter
Murder in Baldur's Gate (please tell me this is a murder mystery!)
Legacy of the Crystal Shard (winter themed, I heard it was a bit sandboxy?)
Scourge of the Sword Coast
Dead in Thay
The Battle of Emridy Meadows (DUNGEON magazine)
The Tomb of Horrors (DUNGEON magazine - this one I can figure out on my own!)
Vault of the Dracolich (I'm gussing a dungeon crawl)

As an aside - am I just being an utter idiot and completely missing the obvious? Is this information incredibly clear, and I'm just not understanding it? Or I'm colossally dumb. Which is also very likely.

Hopefully I can then provide this info for people looking to buy adventures from WotC but are having similar issues to me. Everyone gains!

 

[Thaumaturge]

Murder in Baldur's Gate: Political, Mystery, Investigation, Urban, Sundering, Sandbox, Gods
Legacy of the Crystal Shard: Winter, Sandbox, Sundering, Wilderness, Undead, Lycanthrops, Gods

I've only run/read those two. Hopefully that will at least get you started.

Thaumaturge.

 

[Agamon]

I haven't played any of it, so I can't help, but the reason for the vague blurbs is probably the same reason I don't tell my players the name or what happens in a published adventure if I choose to run one. Explaining what it's about can be a bit anti-climactic.

But it is a bit of a catch-22, because as a DM, how do you know if it's an adventure you want to run if the blurb is so non-specific.

I wonder if PFS adventures are billed the same way? If you're going to an event that features "XYZ" adventure, it makes sense not to talk too much about it in the blurb as opposed to what you can detail about a random published adventure.

 

[jamesmanhattan]

What would be really cool is if the database could contain two different descriptions.
One that was spoiler-free and one that had all the details for the DMs.

For example:
Spoiler Free
This adventure is a sandbox adventure set in the land of Icewind Dale. Plots involving many of the Ten-towns, and enemies thought long dead, sweep up the adventurers. While they can't deal with all the plots, they can take care of ones that interest them. It involves a good deal of role-playing, as well as plenty of combat and exploration, urban, wilderness, and dungeon.


With spoilers:
A newly crowned ice witch, servant of the snow god Auril, has plans on bringing winter to all the Ten-Towns of Icewind Dale. She controls creatures of winter. At the same time the remains of the Crystal Shard Crenshinibon, a 2,000 calorie evil treat, and its servant, begin to have a strong malevolent influence in the area. During all this, a conniving wizard from Luskan is working his evil schemes in the background in an attempt to siphon the natural wealth of the land for his own greedy schemes.

 

[MerricB]

Murder in Baldur's Gate (please tell me this is a murder mystery!)

Strangely enough, it isn't. It's actually a political intrigue adventure - and one I really enjoyed, but was quite different to standard D&D adventures so a lot of people didn't like it so much.

My original review of it is here.

I've actually run almost all of the adventures you list... but your NEXT adventure site doesn't like the Legacy skin at all!

Against the Cult of Chaos
A mash-up of Keep on the Borderlands, The Village of Hommlet and Against the Cult of the Reptile God.

Features town-based adventuring, intrigue, cultists, and some dungeon-crawling.

Search for the Diamond Staff
Follows on from Vault of the Dracolich. The Diamond Staff - an elven artefact - is stolen in a raid by the Zhentarim, and the group need to get it back.

A lot of overland travel, with some town adventures. Ends with dungeon-crawling. Set in the Dalelands of the Forgotten Realms.

Storm Over Neverwinter
Madness and murders overcome Neverwinter as a massive storm hits the city. The heroes eventually end up at an asylum hunting down the perpetrators.

Entirely city-based, with exploration of one of the structures. Cultists and Mad Wizards feature. Set in Neverwinter in the Forgotten Realms. The Neverwinter Campaign Setting adds a lot more to the adventure.

Murder in Baldur's Gate
Following the assassination of the Duke of Baldur's Gate, three factions strive to control the city. The players have the choice of which faction to aid, and may switch sides during the adventure. However, with all three factions influenced by an evil god, there may be no right choices. Moderate level of sandbox.

Entirely city-based, with sewer exploration dungeon segments and a lot of missions. Very role-playing heavy, and requires a lot of the DM. Great when it works. Set in Baldur's Gate in the Forgotten Realms.

Legacy of the Crystal Shard
The power of Auril lies heavily on the Ten Towns: Barbarian attacks, ice monsters, and the Arcane Brotherhood all disrupting life. There are three evil factions, all whose plans progress as the heroes try to stop them - and it's unlikely the group can stop all three. Moderate level of sandbox. The adventure has a number of adventure sites to explore, wilderness encounters, and an over-arching plot (or three plots!)

Town-based adventure, wilderness adventure, and dungeon-crawling. Set in the Ten Towns region of the Forgotten Realms, and follows up on some ideas from the Crystal Shard.

Scourge of the Sword Coast
Refugees from humanoid raids are beginning to reach Daggerford, and an ex-Purple Knight of Cormyr calls out for adventurers to aid him, but he may already be betrayed by cultists in the town! There are six main adventure sites, but the group may approach them in different orders. A moderate level of sandboxness. Good NPCs and excellent locations.

Town-based, wildeness and dungeon-crawling. Set in and around Daggerford in the Forgotten Realms. Sequel (of sorts) to Ghosts of Dragonspear Castle.

Dead in Thay
Don't know much about this yet. It's the sequel to Scourge of the Sword Coast, apparently for levels 5-8 (but we'll see). Involves a big dungeon which several groups can adventure in at the same time (see Vault of the Dracolich). Set in the Forgotten Realms.

The Battle of Emridy Meadows (DUNGEON magazine)
A key event in Greyhawk's history, this is the battle of the Forces of Good against the Horde of Elemental Evil. The heroes take on three key missions in the preparations for the battle, before the battle itself overwhelms everyone. The missions range from the simple (kill some gnolls) to more complex (infiltrate Nulb and recover a stolen book).

Town-based, wilderness and dungeon-crawling, with evil cultists and a big battle (the players play smaller missions during the battle).

The Tomb of Horrors (DUNGEON magazine - this one I can figure out on my own!)
There's a tomb. It's got horrors in it. You won't survive!

Vault of the Dracolich (I'm gussing a dungeon crawl
Several groups of adventurers work together to steal the Diamond Staff from a Dracolich. This is a big dungeon crawl with a lot of varied encounters, but the exciting bit is that you can run it with 24 players and 5 DMs - four adventuring groups each with a DM, and a co-ordinating DM as well. We ran it that way during the Game Day and it was one of the best D&D experiences of my life. The groups can join up, pass messages, trade party members, before all coming together for the end fight with the Dracolich.

 

[MerricB]

Here's the full list of "official" D&D Next adventures/conversions I know about with notes on their contents. I'll be keeping the corresponding entry on my blog updated.

The Caves of Chaos (playtest packet, October 2012)
A revised version of the dungeons in Keep on the Borderlands. The Caves of Chaos are filled with several different humanoid groups (kobolds, orcs, goblins and worse) and the adventurers have to kill them all.

An adventure for levels 1-3. Features a lot of dungeons.

Isle of Dread (playtest packet, October 2012)
A revised version of the original D&D Expert adventure. The party find a treasure map to a tropical island, where many prehistoric monsters live, as well as strange creatures from the dawn of time and much treasure. Call of Cthulhu meets The Lost World.

An adventure for levels 3-7. Features a lot of wilderness adventuring and some dungeons.

Reclaiming Blingdenstone (playtest packet, October 2012)
The gnomes of Blingdenstone want their city back! The heroes attempt to get it back for them by completing six short adventures, each playable in 1-2 hours.

No suggested levels given, but presumably levels 1-3. Features role-playing and dungeon-crawling.

Mines of Madness (playtest packet, April 2013)
A completely unfair funhouse dungeon, where the players attempt to find the Forever Stone. Written for players at PAX East 2013.

An adventure for four level 3 adventurers. Features dungeon-crawling and all that entails (traps, puzzles, combat and very little role-playing).

The Mud Sorcerer’s Tomb (playtest packet, April 2013)
A revised version of the adventure from Dungeon #37. A deadly dungeon crawl in a dungeon inspired by Tomb of Horrors.

An adventure for four level 14 adventurers. Features dungeon-crawling, in the same way as Mines of Madness.

Dungeons of Dread (playtest packet, April 2013)
Conversion notes for the AD&D adventures Tomb of Horrors, White Plume Mountain, Expedition to the Barrier Peaks and Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth, recently reprinted in a hardcover collation.

Tomb of Horrors sees the group delving into the Tomb of the lich, Acererak, and has little combat but a lot of very deadly traps and tricks. An adventure for levels 10-14.

White Plume Mountain is the archetypal funhouse dungeon. The group have to recover three stolen magical weapons from a dungeon with traps, tricks, combat and a little roleplaying. An adventure for levels 5-10.

Expedition to the Barrier Peaks sees the adventurers exploring a crashed spaceship with robots and many alien monsters. (D&D meets Metamorphosis Alpha). An adventure for levels 8-12.

The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth delves into a dungeon that was once the lair of the witch, Iggwilv. Contains many monsters that were brand new at the time and several traps and tricks. An adventure for levels 6-10.

The conversion notes gives only the monster statistics; other details must be converted by the DM. Suggested levels may be inaccurate.

Against the Slave Lords (playtest packet, June 2013)
Conversion notes for the AD&D adventures Slave Pits of the Undercity, Secrets of the Slavers Stockade, Assault on the Aerie of the Slave Lords and In the Dungeons of the Slave Lords recently reprinted in a hardcover collation.

The group are hired to find the leaders of the slavers plaguing the lands and kill them. The adventures were original tournament dungeon crawls, and feature some unusual creatures. The final adventure sees the group captured and without equipment trying to escape from some caverns whilst a volcano explodes around them. A lot of dungeon-crawling and some role-playing. The main adventures are for levels 4-7.

The compilation also includes the new adventure Danger at Darkshelf Quarry for levels 1-3 by Skip Williams, a prequel to the Slave Lords adventures. More dungeon-crawling and some role-playing.

Tomb of Horrors (DUNGEON magazine #213)
There's a tomb. It's got horrors in it. You won't survive! This is a conversion of the classic adventure by Gary Gygax. Unlike the conversion document for Dungeons of Dread, this is the full adventure and completely converted to the version of D&D Next that was current at the time.

An adventure for levels 10-14. Features dungeon-crawling with only a few combats and a lot of deadly traps and tricks.

The Battle of Emridy Meadows (DUNGEON magazine #221)
A key event in Greyhawk's history, this is the battle of the Forces of Good against the Horde of Elemental Evil. The heroes take on three key missions in the preparations for the battle, before the battle itself overwhelms everyone. The missions range from the simple (kill some gnolls) to more complex (infiltrate Nulb and recover a stolen book).

An adventure for levels 5-7. Town-based, wilderness and dungeon-crawling, with evil cultists and a big battle (the players play smaller missions during the battle).

Against the Cult of Chaos (D&D Encounters season 12; 4E with playtest conversion notes)
A mash-up of Keep on the Borderlands, The Village of Hommlet and Against the Cult of the Reptile God. The adventures arrive in Hommel Lane to find the town in the grip of a dark cult. The heroes need to rescue allies from the cultists and find three items that will allow them to stop an ancient ritual.

An adventure for levels 1-3. Features town-based adventuring, intrigue, cultists, and some dungeon-crawling.

Storm Over Neverwinter (D&D Encounters season 13; 4E with playtest conversion notes)
Madness and murders overcome Neverwinter as a massive storm hits the city. Magic runs wild, causing odd effects. The heroes eventually end up at an asylum hunting down the perpetrators.

Entirely city-based, with exploration of one of the structures. Cultists and Mad Wizards feature. Set in Neverwinter in the Forgotten Realms. The Neverwinter Campaign Setting adds a lot more to the adventure.

An adventure for levels 4-6.

Vault of the Dracolich (Game Day event; 4E with playtest conversion notes)
Several groups of adventurers work together to steal the Diamond Staff from a Dracolich. This is a big dungeon crawl with a lot of varied encounters, but the exciting bit is that you can run it with 24 players and 5 DMs - four adventuring groups each with a DM, and a co-ordinating DM as well. We ran it that way during the Game Day and it was one of the best D&D experiences of my life. The groups can join up, pass messages, trade party members, before all coming together for the end fight with the Dracolich.

An adventure for level 4 characters. Set in the Forgotten Realms.

Search for the Diamond Staff (D&D Encounters season 14; 4E with playtest conversion notes)
Follows on from Vault of the Dracolich. The Diamond Staff - an elven artefact - is stolen in a raid by the Zhentarim, and the group need to get it back. Several factions are attempting to gain the Staff, and the group will be opposed by each of them, but the plans of their opponents don’t always go as they want them to; there’s a moderate amount of double-crossing going on here.

A lot of overland travel, with some town adventures. Ends with dungeon-crawling.

An adventure for levels 4-6. Set in the Forgotten Realms.

Murder in Baldur's Gate (D&D Encounters season 15, available in print; D&D Next, 4E and 3.5E stats online)
After the assassination of the Duke of Baldur's Gate, three factions strive to control the city. The players have the choice of which faction to aid, and may switch sides during the adventure. However, with all three factions influenced by an evil god, there may be no right choices. Moderate level of sandbox.

Entirely city-based, with sewer exploration dungeon segments and a lot of missions. Very role-playing heavy, and requires a lot of the DM. Great when it works. Set in Baldur's Gate in the Forgotten Realms.
An adventure for levels 1-3. Set in the Forgotten Realms.

Legacy of the Crystal Shard (D&D Encounters season 16, available in print; D&D Next, 4E and 3.5E stats online)
The power of Auril lies heavily on the Ten Towns: Barbarian attacks, ice monsters, and the Arcane Brotherhood all disrupting life. There are three evil factions, all whose plans progress as the heroes try to stop them - and it's unlikely the group can stop all three. Moderate level of sandbox. The adventure has a number of adventure sites to explore, wilderness encounters, and an over-arching plot (or three plots!)

Town-based adventure, wilderness adventure, and dungeon-crawling. Set in the Ten Towns region of the Forgotten Realms, and follows up on some ideas from the Crystal Shard.

An adventure for levels 1-3. Set in the Forgotten Realms.

Ghosts of Dragonspear Castle (GenCon 2013 adventure; available on dndclassics.com)
Four related adventures, with the Red Wizards of Thay causing trouble for Daggerford. The group must aid Sir Isteval in stopping the Red Wizards from opening a portal.

A wide variety of adventures, although mostly dungeon-based. Prequel to the Dreams of the Red Wizards duology.

An adventure for levels 1-10. Set in the Forgotten Realms.

Scourge of the Sword Coast (D&D Encounters season 17, available on dndclassics.com)
Refugees from humanoid raids are beginning to reach Daggerford, and an ex-Purple Knight of Cormyr calls out for adventurers to aid him, but he may already be betrayed by cultists in the town! There are six main adventure sites, but the group may approach them in any order. A moderate level of sandboxness. Good NPCs and excellent locations. Town-based, wilderness and dungeon-crawling.

First part of the Dreams of the Red Wizards duology. An adventure for levels 2-4. Set in the Forgotten Realms.

Dead in Thay (D&D Encounters season 18, available on dndclassics.com)
The adventures must destroy the portal known as the Bloodgate. They’ll have to make their way through a big dungeon to get there – possibly with the aid of other adventuring groups at the same time. (See Vault of the Dracolich).

Final part of the Dreams of the Red Wizards duology. Possibly an adventure for levels 5-7. Set in the Forgotten Realms.

 

[GX.Sigma]

Strangely enough, it isn't. It's actually a political intrigue adventure

That's what annoyed the two groups I tried to run it for. It starts off with the beloved duke being murdered by a mysterious assassin... and apparently no one in the city cares about figuring out who killed him and why. Both groups of players ignored the power struggle that the adventure is supposed to be about (they wondered aloud why they should care about these people, and I could not think of an answer), tried in vain to solve the murder, got bored real fast, and left town.