Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="The Dungeon Master" data-source="post: 2010028" data-attributes="member: 10254">About a month ago we temporarily ended our high level campaign, postponing our 'ultimate battle' until November of this year. The epic level characters were taking some time to put things in perspective, have a little down time. During this down time, I decided to start a new low-level campaign in different area of my homebrew world. The group all designed 1st level characters and detailed backgrounds. We were essentially ready for action and the new campaign was on track. Normally I don't use published modules but for only bits and pieces to pick apart. This time I was determined to run a published module but which one and where to start. I looked over my d20 library but kept coming back to the first published module I had purchased, The Sunless Citadel. Artwork Review:I really like the cover art on module; perhaps it was the scene of the party engaged in melee combat with the Twig Blights that drew me back to this in the first place. As for the artwork and layout in the module itself, I'd say it was good but not the best I've seen. The maps were very well done except for the gridlines. Apparently WotC was trying to make it look as though the map had been drawn into the module. I think this is a nice touch but for the DM but make it a little less cluttered next time. I also would have liked a separate map instead of including it in the cover of the module. Perhaps I'm old school but I miss the days where a module had maps you could clip to the inside of the DM screen. For the duration of this module I made a copy of the map and clipped it into the fold of my DM screen, and I'd recommend you do the same. Adventure Review:This module is for a group of 1st level characters and an introduction to Dungeons & Dragons. I agree, I think the module provides the players with a very basic plot line to follow, which is easy for new players to adapt to, opportunity to role-play and interact in the village, and then tackle the job and hand. The plot line is pretty basic but solid. I'd recommend that any future DM's out there make sure that one of the party members has access to an ample supply of healing potions, good berries, or a cleric. When I ran the module there were many occasions where the group nearly lost a party member due to the encounters and unfortunate trap mishaps. Our group had a druid but no cleric. Now although she had access to healing spells, she was unfortunately the first one to suffer a near death experience. During the early part of the adventure, while the players were in the dungeon, they chose to leave, going back to Oakhurst then returning the next day after resting and getting healed by the town cleric. This also gave them a chance to re-supply themselves for the duration of the adventure. I really feel that most of the rooms in the Citadel were far to generic. For instance a room number and description might be used for multiple rooms. The same basic description of stained floors, cracked stones, and a foul odor. I took it upon myself to dress these rooms up a little more. Not really adding anymore to the room but changing the look so it didn't seem so generic. I think WotC could have done more to make this not so common, but hey, what’s a DM for anyway? I liked having the opportunity to dress some of the rooms the way I saw them. Something of note when it comes to the encounters, mix it up more! When you pre-read the adventure you can pretty much count on a steady run of encounters throughout the module. Something that I took into consideration was the original party that delved into the Citadel and what kind of mess they might have caused. Also you need to take into consideration the goblin and kobold battles that are always brewing. There were many times I decided to break the monotony by having the PC's witness a skirmish or witness a kobold being bounded on by a goblin. If run correctly the battles with Durnn and his hobgoblins will hurt the PC's quite a bit. A recommendation of a defensive retreat might be a good idea for groups that are hell bent on resolving combat at whatever the outcome. Also the encounter with Belik the outcast could prove deadly if Belik is given the chance to move, heal, and then  enter combat again.  It’s pretty easy for players to advance in level with this module. The group I ran for advanced to the high end of level three by the adventures end. Our group explored almost 70% of the dungeon and all said and done they also kept the scales of Calcryx the White Dragon. All in all they came out pretty standard for 3rd level character wealth but pretty banged up from the combat and lack of sleep as well. Overall Review:-The layout of the module is nicely done. -The rough maps in the cover are a nice touch but a DM needs a more detailed map.-The generic rooms are too generic; I recommend the DM add in his own dressings.-Take into consideration the previous groups encounters and the battles between the goblins and kobolds. Give the module some flavor!-Make sure the players think before they act, not thinking will find them dead.-The module took our group 5 sessions to complete. -Plan for the party to reach the high end of 3rd level or 4th by the end of the module. -I recommend a cleric or healer of some type, also a magic user would have been helpful. I rate this module a 4 on a scale of 1-5. It was allot of fun to run, although the DM has to do some work on it to make it feel not so generic. Its a good value for the money and the players had quite a bit of fun playing through it, even being veteran hardcore 3E players, as an introductory module it was a challenge. I recommend this adventure for any player, new or experienced!</blockquote>

Verification