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Message: <blockquote data-quote="ExploderWizard" data-source="post: 5984714" data-attributes="member: 66434">Lets examine the bad a little more closely: B1- As to the maze-like deadends with no (seeming) purpose, take a look at the list of monsters used to stock the module. There are 56 numbered areas on the map and only 25 monster encounters. Furthermore, the DM is instructed to use only 16-20 of those presented for the entire module. This means that roughly 66% of all keyed areas will not have a  set monster encounter.  This gives the PCs a bit of exploration space and those maze-like dead ends can be areas where the PCs can hole up and catch a bit of rest, or places to lure monsters into to kill them. Clever players can probably find other purposes for empty areas too.  The plot is the meat and potatoes of D&D!  There is a dangerous underground complex said to hold great wealth. It awaits adventurers brave enough to explore it. Considering the bulk of XP is gained from aquiring treasure, the "plot" is fairly rich.  B2- Learning caution early on is beneficial. As adventurers become more powerful and are able to handle greater threats, caution can sometimes be forgotten. If the players never learn the need for careful, clever play then the lesson won't be learned in the first place. 1st level is the best time to learn these lessons. Better to lose a newly rolled 1st level character than a 3rd or higher level one because you never learned not to bite off more than you can chew.  A fair assessment. <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" />  Lets not forget the super-duper railroad that starts this eh.<img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f609.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=";)" title="Wink    ;)"  data-smilie="2"data-shortname=";)" />     From personal experience, the bad is not universally true. I have survived play in the tomb ( can't say the same for the whole party but it is a contact sport), and had genuine fun as a player.  Some personal favorites: L2- The Assassins Knot I really enjoyed this adventure. There were events taking place, a timeline that kept the pressure on the PCs to solve the mystery, interesting NPCs to interact with and cool places to explore- all without being linear or feeling like a railroad.  I1- Dwellers of the Forbidden City Great sandbox module. There are multiple plot hooks leading to the ruined city, multiple factions and power players to interact, ally with, and use for your own advancement. It has a really good S&S vibe. Yuan-Ti and Aboleth are new and alien creatures. I have run it for different players in both 1E and 3E and it rocked every time.</blockquote>

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