Review of U3: The Final Enemy

I reviewed 1983’s The Final Enemy immediately after reviewing 1982’s Pharaoh. The 1983 product looks like a much earlier product than the 1982 one. I rather suspect it’s because it was: there are 1981 dates on some of the illustrations. The Final Enemy is the third part of the series that began with The Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh and continued through Danger at Dunwater. Although Saltmarsh is highly regarded, it’s never … Continue reading Review of U3: The Final Enemy

Review of I3: Pharaoh

The early days of adventures at TSR had provided us with a lot of converted tournament adventures; indeed, most of the classics from this era (Giants, Drow and Slavelords) are of this type. By 1982, we were getting adventures specifically written for the purpose of being run at home rather than at conventions. Tracy Hickman and his wife, Laura, had self-published two D&D adventures in … Continue reading Review of I3: Pharaoh

Thoughts on paying for D&D Encounters

I've been running D&D Encounters since it started in early 2010. Not continuously; I missed most of seasons 4 and 5, but we've just finished running season 13 so I've run 11 of the 13 seasons. So, I'm somewhat experienced with the format. In my opinion, D&D Encounters doesn't substitute for a normal campaign. I particularly feel that Encounters has worked well due to 4E's … Continue reading Thoughts on paying for D&D Encounters

Vault of the Dracolich – Game Day report – Incredibly awesome!

This is a fuller recount of the events of the recent Game Day than I've given before. Beware spoilers! June 15th. D&D Game Day. Vault of the Dracolich. Leading up to the event, I really didn't know that much about it. I'd read that it was something like a Lair Assault, but I really hadn't done that much research on it. It was late on … Continue reading Vault of the Dracolich – Game Day report – Incredibly awesome!

Storm over Neverwinter – Horribly Awful

Well, we've finished Storm over Neverwinter, and I've never been so glad to see the end of an adventure. I just hope that the Game Day adventure is better, because Storm over Neverwinter was FUCKING AWFUL! The last session we ran, as we've run the rest of the series, using D&D Next. This session was probably a lot better in 4E, but whoever was doing the … Continue reading Storm over Neverwinter – Horribly Awful

D&D Encounters – Not liking Storm over Neverwinter

The last season of D&D Encounters – Against the Cult of Chaos – was fantastic. It was an adventure that pulled material from three other adventures and weaved it into a really coherent whole. What made it really great was how it allowed the players and the DM to create their own adventure – the town was well-detailed, and the PCs could investigate the segments … Continue reading D&D Encounters – Not liking Storm over Neverwinter

Into the Unknown: The Dungeon Survival Handbook – D&D 4E Supplement Review

After reviewing Paizo's "Dungeoneer's Handbook", it only seems fair to review Wizards' offering on the same topic, "Into the Unknown: The Dungeon Survival Handbook". This is a 160-page hardcover book costing $29.95. It is presented like most of Wizards' 4E products in a clear and readable format with a fair bit of art. The book is designed for both players and Dungeon Masters. Although it … Continue reading Into the Unknown: The Dungeon Survival Handbook – D&D 4E Supplement Review

Review of U2: Danger at Dunwater

U2: Danger at Dunwater is an ambitious adventure. The sequel to The Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh, the players investigate the threat of the lizardmen revealed in the first module. It’s likely the characters invade their lair and slaying many of the lizardfolk, until they realise that their foes aren’t actually a threat after all! They were actually buying arms to help protect against a sahuagin … Continue reading Review of U2: Danger at Dunwater

Review of S4: The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth

The final module in the “Special” series, S4: The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth, was based on a tournament adventure run at the 1976 Wintercon V tournament. Gary Gygax significantly revised the module before its publication, as the “new” monsters in 1976 had been adopted into the canon of AD&D; and thus new monsters were required to maintain the freshness of the adventure. He also added … Continue reading Review of S4: The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth