5 out of 5 rating for The Emerald Spire Superdungeon
This is a dungeon. A big one, but parcelled into small levels, and with an "elevator" that lets the players get back to base almost at will. Each level is written by a different author, making them diverse, but there has been editorial control keeping them on some kind of theme. The book is very light-hearted. There is no angsty drama or misery in this, just a fun and good romph trough a big amusement park. I love it! This is way outside what I normally play. I generally loathe dungeons, with their emphasis on resource management and claustrophobic feel. None of that here. Also missing is the tedium of fighting room by room towards a distant goal, or any kind of "fun later" - the fun in this dungeon is right here, right now. Another thing I like about this game is the reward structure. A very big chunk of the rewards are given for exploring the dungeon itself. Treasure is actually a secondary concern. And that means there are few mandatory magic items, and the PCs instead get money to spend as they like. Very player empowering. The bad? Well, some parts of it are a bit hard to understand as a GM, and some parts really don't make much sense. It is not a campaign as I generally play them, with an environment for the characters to grow attached to. There is a story, but it is rather weak, and very few opponents are proactive as written. It is a dungeon, and one of separate, pretty isolated parts. If you enter it knowing this, you will hardly be disappointed.