This weekend is the Launch Event for Legacy of the Crystal Shard, the latest season of D&D Encounters, and also the latest adventure release from Wizards of the Coast. As with Murder in Baldur's Gate, this is an adventure for 1st-3rd level characters that supports three editions: 3.5E, 4E and Next. The adventure proper has no stats in it, instead they're given in downloadable files on Wizards' site – you download the file matching the edition you wish to use. I haven't seen the adventure yet, but it should be in store on Tuesday, the day before the season starts.
I don't actually have a physical copy of the Launch Weekend kit, but the good people at Wizards of the Coast upon hearing that it hadn't arrived in time, contacted me and sent me an electronic copy. Unfortunately, it does mean I likely won't have a copy of the map for the session, which is a great pity: it looks great from the previews I've seen. (A town gate and a few houses and the road outside, all covered with snow). If you get to the Launch Weekend, it's likely you'll have it available.
The Launch Event covers the players arriving in Icewind Dale, setting of more than one of R.A. Salvatore's popular books. He's one of the three writers of this adventure, along with James Wyatt and Jeffrey Ludwig. Development and Editing was covered by Greg Bilsland.
The adventurers arrive with a caravan; the default is that they're caravan guards, although it's unlikely to break anything if they've got other reasons for travelling to the dale (other reasons are apparently given in the full adventure). Once they get there, they find the township in trouble and, of course, combat will erupt. Much like the Launch Event for Murder in Baldur's Gate, this adventure handles it with linked encounters, one blending into another to create a greater narrative and more excitement. It's a great technique, and it should be fun to play and run.
It isn't all combat; there are several opportunities for role-playing and one really good moment where the players will be faced with a difficult choice (I love seeing the players having to make real choices: each has good points and bad points, which allows role-playing to occur within the group). And, of course, it ends with the group being given options for how they proceed into the rest of the adventure. Much like Murder in Baldur's Gate, you can work for several different people as the adventure progresses, allowing player choice to play a significant role in how the adventure progresses.
The adventure isn't as "big", event-wise, as the start of the last. This is a precursor; enough to alert players to the fact that "something is wrong" without overshadowing what comes later. There's a fair bit of evocative detail, and each of the main NPCs gets about half-a-page of background information; a great resource for bringing them to life.
The combat in the adventure looks quite challenging, especially the first encounter. (I wonder if it will kill anyone on the 3.5E tables? It looks tough enough). My guess is that the adventure will take about 2 hours to play, dependent on edition.
So, does the adventure look good? It does. Will it play well? Not long until I find out!