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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Celebrim" data-source="post: 662897" data-attributes="member: 4937">I haven't played it, but I would say that the party in question is toast.The module is a real mixed bag for me.  Structure wise, alot of it plays out as Castle Ravenloft without the cool atmosphere.  You have the same 'aware' BBEG, protected by a series of traps and puzzles, and a labyrinthian vertical dungeon filled with assorted horrors.  So structure wise, it is hardly original.From a story perspective, the plot is non-existant and their aren't that many RP oppurtunities involved.  Most of the challenges are dungeoneering, combat oriented, with a heavy emphasis it seemed to me on being well min/maxed in terms of character construction.  Problem solving wise, the problems aren't particularly imaginitive or intriguing.  Some of them seemed to be borrowed almost directly from problems presented in RttToH, though slightly toned down from that.  There is one hazard I immediately decided to steal, but for the most part nothing in the module would go into a dungeon of mine.Alot of the combat involves repeated encounters with the same small selection of dangerous thugs.  Most of this looks like it would get repetitive to me, though thier is some attempt to vary the tactics of the monsters.The biggest problem for me is the map.  With the exception of the final encounter, none of the map really makes a fitting setting for the horror that is supposed to be going on within.  Old hands who remember the Ravenloft map, or the Tower of the High Clerist, or even the Tomb of Horrors map will understand what I mean when I say that the map is a really unprofessional and uninspired effort.Where the module really shines to me is in the creative Leutinants of Evil that actively hunt down the party as the game progresses.  They are exceptionally interesting and challenging foes, though they all really suffer from the lack of an interesting setting to engage them in.The most frequently cited problem is the high number of save or die effects that cannot be avoided.  Alot of people make the same complaint about ToH, and I don't have that complaint about ToH, so without playing HoNFS I can't really judge.  I will say that there doesn't seem to be built in avoidance mechanisms for some of the traps, and worse yet, no designed means of avoiding certain monsters with save or die attacks (I'm thinking of one in particular).  There doesn't seem to be alot of 'if you figure out the trick' the encounter becomes easy.  Mostly it appears to be a grueling series of dice fests where luck is going to play a big factor.</blockquote>

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