I've been running H1 with two separate groups for the last couple of months. One group is still on the first level because they detoured off into the natural caverns section, while the other found the stairs to level two pretty quick- they're now just outside area 18, the one before the Kalarel encounter.
In both cases, I set H1 in the Forgotten Realms (NE Cormyr) and stirred in some of the supplemental encounters, including the tavern brawl, the cult of Shar underneath Bairwin's shop, etc. The Shadow of Kalarel batch of extras were pretty blah, although I did use the kobold one as a substitute for one of the original kobold encounters.
I also threw in the Eberron bit about Delphina being a doppleganger and added an original piece where Irontooth's body, brought back by the party to prove the destruction of the kobold lair, disappears and ends up reanimated as an undead creature (shades of Paizo's Kobold King modules, basically).
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The interesting thing about both situations is that each group apparently took Valthrun's story about Shadraxil quite seriously- to the point where once both groups located safe spots to rest (such as the hidden zombie room on the first level, etc., or the cleared hobgoblin section of level two), they basically refused to go back to Winterhaven. That's one thing I didn't expect beforehand, but it makes sense when you look at it- the module just sort of assumes the party goes back to heal when it really doesn't put anything in Winterhaven that's really necessary to come back for.
This, of course, means that I'm in the spot of springing the big Winterhaven undead invasion on them (they already found the plans in the hobgob area) after they have conceivably already beaten Kalarel and closed the portal. Fine with me- maybe it'll take them by surprise- but it's not how it was intended.
I've enjoyed running H1- I do think that it's a good introduction to 4E and helps newly converted players figure out what they like. I have noticed that the encounter design is set up in almost all cases so that PCs are really only in danger if they go charging headlong into an area- heck, my one group defeated the gelatinous cube on level two without so much as a scratch just by being cautious and tossing a sunrod in the cube's direction, then backing away down the corridor while sniping and using the warlock's dire radiance power (deals damage when the target moves closer to the caster). My players have managed to greatly reduce their risk just by moving carefully and using doorways as bottlenecks (the ghoul warren was a romp, for example.) The one group's cleared all the outdoor/preliminary encounters as well as a dozen of the dungeon encounter areas completely with maybe three extended rests.
I'm not really complaining as much as I'm just pointing out that players who are good tacticians aren't going to find H1 all that troublesome. I do find myself missing the edgier Paizo plots, for sure, and am quite sad that Paizo cast its lot as it did because I don't have the time to convert Pathfinder stuff to 4E.
After H1, I plan on running Escape from Sembia as a prequel/flashback to set up the ongoing villains (Netheril) and then some of the RPGA Living Forgotten Realms or Dungeon Magazine modules as I see fit. I don't know if we'll end up using H2 or H3- probably at least some of the former. Kinda depends on whether or not the group gets tired of combat-heavy dungeon crawls and goes for some more of the RP/skill challenge stuff that's more common in the RPGA modules.
In both cases, I set H1 in the Forgotten Realms (NE Cormyr) and stirred in some of the supplemental encounters, including the tavern brawl, the cult of Shar underneath Bairwin's shop, etc. The Shadow of Kalarel batch of extras were pretty blah, although I did use the kobold one as a substitute for one of the original kobold encounters.
I also threw in the Eberron bit about Delphina being a doppleganger and added an original piece where Irontooth's body, brought back by the party to prove the destruction of the kobold lair, disappears and ends up reanimated as an undead creature (shades of Paizo's Kobold King modules, basically).
---
The interesting thing about both situations is that each group apparently took Valthrun's story about Shadraxil quite seriously- to the point where once both groups located safe spots to rest (such as the hidden zombie room on the first level, etc., or the cleared hobgoblin section of level two), they basically refused to go back to Winterhaven. That's one thing I didn't expect beforehand, but it makes sense when you look at it- the module just sort of assumes the party goes back to heal when it really doesn't put anything in Winterhaven that's really necessary to come back for.
This, of course, means that I'm in the spot of springing the big Winterhaven undead invasion on them (they already found the plans in the hobgob area) after they have conceivably already beaten Kalarel and closed the portal. Fine with me- maybe it'll take them by surprise- but it's not how it was intended.
I've enjoyed running H1- I do think that it's a good introduction to 4E and helps newly converted players figure out what they like. I have noticed that the encounter design is set up in almost all cases so that PCs are really only in danger if they go charging headlong into an area- heck, my one group defeated the gelatinous cube on level two without so much as a scratch just by being cautious and tossing a sunrod in the cube's direction, then backing away down the corridor while sniping and using the warlock's dire radiance power (deals damage when the target moves closer to the caster). My players have managed to greatly reduce their risk just by moving carefully and using doorways as bottlenecks (the ghoul warren was a romp, for example.) The one group's cleared all the outdoor/preliminary encounters as well as a dozen of the dungeon encounter areas completely with maybe three extended rests.
I'm not really complaining as much as I'm just pointing out that players who are good tacticians aren't going to find H1 all that troublesome. I do find myself missing the edgier Paizo plots, for sure, and am quite sad that Paizo cast its lot as it did because I don't have the time to convert Pathfinder stuff to 4E.
After H1, I plan on running Escape from Sembia as a prequel/flashback to set up the ongoing villains (Netheril) and then some of the RPGA Living Forgotten Realms or Dungeon Magazine modules as I see fit. I don't know if we'll end up using H2 or H3- probably at least some of the former. Kinda depends on whether or not the group gets tired of combat-heavy dungeon crawls and goes for some more of the RP/skill challenge stuff that's more common in the RPGA modules.
