The Surrounded is a one-shot adventure designed to be played with pre-generated characters that should take place over a four-hour session. Set in the Forgotten Realms, it sends a group of four 10th through 12th level heroes on a quest to recover a gold dragon egg from the red dragon that has captured it.
It is a relatively short adventure with only a few encounters. For the most part, it is nicely done but not exceptional. The interest comes from the different motivations of the characters. How will they interact to resolve the situation when their goals differ?
As you might expect, this is a poor adventure to run if you dislike intra-party conflict! However, as a one-shot and a change of pace, you may find it intriguing.
I liked the artwork and maps; it is an attractive product.
There is one major failing with it, however. It lacks proper pre-generated character sheets! For such an adventure, I want to see two-sided character sheets (with the secret motivations on one side) which detail all abilities the characters have. Having them would increase its usefulness significantly. Without those sheets, the DM needs to do a bit too much preparation for my liking.
The adventure provides some flavourful encounters on the lead-up to the dragon’s lair, which makes it seem like a regular adventure. I am intrigued to see the players’ reactions when they realise they have different ideas about their mission!
I appreciate seeing this sort of adventure; one that does something unusual while still paying attention to the lore of the setting. The Surrounded is not for everyone but could provide a nice change of pace.