tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4607464045429311026.post7016129188963024098..comments2024-03-26T00:09:13.941-07:00Comments on Dungeon of Signs: Lost Mines of Phandelver - ReviewUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger67125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4607464045429311026.post-6996921594752734742017-12-16T12:50:33.003-08:002017-12-16T12:50:33.003-08:00Lost Mines is terribly boring and cliche. I couldn...Lost Mines is terribly boring and cliche. I couldn't finish reading it. Death House seems to have much more promise.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4607464045429311026.post-58019247734518272022017-11-23T08:18:53.823-08:002017-11-23T08:18:53.823-08:00Interesting viewpoint, and I absolutely agree ther...Interesting viewpoint, and I absolutely agree there's much worse from WotC (Hoard of the Dragon Queen) and obviously from others. It's shockingly hard to write a good adventure - and strangely shockingly easy to make one up to GM - but putting it into written form is tricky.<br /><br />I've not heard of Dark Eye - but you are write that our gaming histories must differ considerably - I broken my teeth on B2 from Moldvay's box set as a kid and then stopped for 30 years and picked up again running Anomalous Subsurface Environment. I've never not played location based games.<br /><br />THe polemic against LMoP is a polemic, it's angry because I think LMoP does a disservice to gamers coming to sandbox/location based games from a scene based mindset by being both muddled, and being boring and cliched.<br /><br />I don't want to mystify GMing either - it's not really hard, and I don't think the jump from planning/managing scene to designing/adjudicating locations is that big.<br /><br />Thanks for the interest - hope you'll check out some of the other stuff on this blog - it's got plenty of my own content if you're looking to critique things.Gus Lhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14872819206286105195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4607464045429311026.post-7480580465914813992017-11-22T11:45:01.560-08:002017-11-22T11:45:01.560-08:00Thank you for further explaining your point of vie...Thank you for further explaining your point of view!<br /><br />I’m under the impression that our different perceptions of the module have a lot to do with the kind of roleplaying games we grew up with. My first roleplaying game was the German version of The Dark Eye, which was first published in 1984. I got into it in when the 3rd edition came out in the early nineties. Till this day, the published adventures for The Dark Eye tend to be light on combat and heavy on scene-based roleplaying which was often achieved through heavy railroading. Many of these adventure modules are more like an interactive book than like a sandbox. Unsurprisingly, solo adventures have also always been an important part of The Dark Eye experience. The game world Aventuria has also been even more worked out than even the Forgotten Realms. You can buy up-to-date books with hundreds of pages on each region of the continent, region-specific equipment supplements, in-character books of faith for devotees of each of the twelve major deities, and so on.<br /><br />I don’t want to argue for or against this style of play, even though I drift towards a more open gaming experience, which is why I have preferred D&D over The Dark Eye for many years (even though The Dark Eye is usually pretty good at what it does). My point is: From the perspective of somebody who has grown up with a much more restrictive gaming system and philosophy, Lost Mine of Phandelver seems to be rather light on both scene-based roleplaying and railroading. It’s still full of clichés and the villain is oddly colorless, so it’s not perfect by any means. But I have seen much worse from WotC and 3rd party publishers alike. It’s easy to run and fun to play from my experience. I find it useful for starting a campaign with the notion that there is a kind of normal world out there – a notion tha I can later tear apart when the PCs delve into the underdark or end up on a less hospitable plane. :-)<br />Tomnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4607464045429311026.post-34630730428945412712017-11-17T07:34:08.190-08:002017-11-17T07:34:08.190-08:005 -6) Railroading is a complex issue- it's alm...<br />5 -6) Railroading is a complex issue- it's almost necessary for some systems where mechanical complexity overwhelms the GM's ability to improvise and the locus of play is shifted from exploration to tactical combat or the players' ability to adjust the narrative within the confines of genre convention. 5E though is an exploration game, and really running a sandbox isn't hard - it's how everyone did it in the 70's through mid 1980's when the scene based stuff started appearing to faithfully follow the plot of the Dragonlance novels. I'm of the opinion that railroads are always bad GMing in an exploration game, bad because player agency is what tabletop games offer that computer RPGs can't yet. This is also why I hate the forced choices that constitute LMoP's videogamey aspects - tabletop games allow for a vast amount of roleplay and moral quandaries in a way that CRPGs can't, even as they just don't live up to CRPGs in the graphics and sound department. Play to the genre's strengths.<br /><br />7) Yes the Spide rcan be easily swapped. I'm of the opinion that one doesn't need backstories to create characters or enemies. With a real sandbox and location based adventures the enemies will fall into place as the players confront factions and the character's stories will be written through play. That's another issue though.<br /><br />Glad you like the blog, thanks for reading. Gus Lhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14872819206286105195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4607464045429311026.post-38205509646519824882017-11-17T07:33:55.847-08:002017-11-17T07:33:55.847-08:00Tom,
Thanks for the long thoughtful response - wh...Tom,<br /><br />Thanks for the long thoughtful response - while we obviously disagree about the utility and value of Lost Mines, let me see if I can explain my position in response to some of your points. The review is somewhat of a polemic, but there is a method to my madness (I think).<br /><br />1) LMoP needs to be better precisely because LMoP is introductory. Falling back on cliche and using bad design techniques (railroading, lack of non-combat options, lack of moral quandaries)manage not only to make LMoP simplistic (which may or may not be good) but tell new GMs to be simplistic and use bad narrative techniques. Worse the advice in LMoP sometimes claims that it's doing things the right way while on the next page its forcing player morality and decisions right and left.<br /><br />2) You may not enjoy the Hillman trope, I use it here as an example because in my own games I almost always use humans whenever there are humanoids. It's a stylistic choice, but what important to me in that example is that the foes are a faction with relations to other factions. One could use humanoids if inclined, but make them interesting and make them worth talking to - with goals and desires so the players can do more then fight if they want. Sandboxes work best when they leave options for players open, and human antagonists almost always suggest - especially to new players that the option for talk exists.<br /><br />3)Forgotten Realms is bad - I really don't have more to say about it, it's bad and predictable so while players may have seen it before there's no life in the setting or anything to create the wonder and excitement that I think tabletop games do best. I understand it's WoTC's flagship, and that yes approach-ability is a selling point, but it's still Greenwood's flabby writing and plundered mish-mash of idea with fixed Manichean morality and every niche filled with more lowest common denominator high fantasy muck so that it's hard to be creative with it. One of the things that makes old D&D editions delightful is that the rules and modules often actively encourage GMs to create - 5e's DMG suggests this as well, but it's adventure products are so staid and lifeless as to suggest otherwise.<br /><br />4) I agree. Settings shouldn't be introduced via a mountain of text and infodump. That's not necessary though - what do new players really need to know about a setting? Very little - they don't need to know I've replaced elves with half devil aristocrats until they meet one. They don't need to know that there are 10 kings and queens of the sentient undead called the Ash Plague until they stumble across that info. All they need to know is that they have been fished from the sea by men and frogmen and are now aboard a giant metal ship where they will be expected to earn their keep by plundering ancient places for valuables. Everything else is learned in play: the gods, the factions, who they can trust, the playable races, the playable classes even. This creates mystery and a sense of wonder rather then the feeling of being inside a flash game using all the high fantasy tropes. That's my take at least - there's a few posts on here about setting design if you're interested in hearing more.<br /><br />cont.<br /> Gus Lhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14872819206286105195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4607464045429311026.post-44662559292102764462017-11-17T05:09:16.283-08:002017-11-17T05:09:16.283-08:00I just found your review and really enjoyed readin...I just found your review and really enjoyed reading it, even though I don't agree with many of your points. Here are some of my thoughts on the topic:<br /><br />1.) LMoP is an introductory adventure primarily aimed at novice DMs and new groups. Many of the design decisions that you criticize seem to be intended simplifications. Yes, there are a lot of clichés and overused tropes, but that's what I would expect from my first few sessions of D&D if I was a new player. Back when I played my first tabletop roleplaying game when was 13 years old, I was busy enough figuring out how to play this game.<br /><br />2.) Which brings me to the second point: As a player, I hate it when a DM tries to pull off "the barbarians/bandits/hillmen/etc. turn out to have a valid cause"-type-of moral dilemma. I consider this one of the most overused tropes in low fantasy settings (another overused trope is "it's easier to find an arrangement with the evil guys in control then confront them", which you also suggest). Plus, the Forgotten Realms are clearly not a low fantasy setting. Another problem is that moral disagreements can create major conflicts within the party of player characters, which a novice DM probably doesn't want to have to deal with.<br /><br />3.) Speaking of the Forgotten Realms, many new players already have been exposed to the setting through video games, board games or novels. The prospect of exploring this setting relatively freely can be a major selling point. Since the setting is relatively well-known and full of clichés, it tends not to distract from the actual adventure, which I appreciate.<br /><br />4.) This is not so much a new player thing, but I have grown an aversion to homebrew worlds and fringe campaign settings over the years. I want to play a game and have fun, not absorb a hundred pages of game world peculiarities and learn dozens of new names for races, regions and deities. The worst part of it is that these often resemble what can be found in the Forgotten Realms, except that in THIS game world, the elves are necromancers or whatever. I remember how in 3rd edition D&D they tried to make Greyhawk the default setting for D&D. I can't recall anyone from my gaming groups back then who wanted to play in that setting.<br /><br />5.) Back to LMoP. Yes, the adventure relies on some railroading despite having sandboxy elements. And that's great, because a novice DM would likely be overwhelmed by a full-blown sandbox. The railroading is hidden cleverly for the most part and some of the things you criticize in your review actually work in favor of the railroad-sandbox-hybrid-thing. BECAUSE there are no strong ties between the major NPCs and the player characters and BECAUSE time is not that much of the essence, the PCs can wander around the area relatively freely and may still be herded back to the major storyline. As somebody else already has pointed out, each of the pre-generated characters has built-in objectives that might well become the main objectives of the party for a while.<br /><br />6.) You criticize that LMoP uses video gamey elements. While I'm also not overly fond of this, I'd like to point out that many of today's new D&D players happen to come from video games and are used to quest givers standing around and monsters waiting to be slain. So I don't think they mind this much and it may even make them feel more comfortable playing this "new game" with its many new possibilities.<br /><br />7.) Lastly, I have to agree that a lone drow wizard as the BBEG feels forced. The one good thing I see in this regard is that he is so forgettable that he can easily be interchanged with a villain of the DM's own making or an old adversary from one of the player character's backstories.<br /><br />Anyway, your opinions on the module have been a great read and I really appreciate that you took the time to write these down. I bookmarked your blog and will read more articles from you. It's great to get a different perspective on roleplaying matters!Tomnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4607464045429311026.post-10888975340332159962017-09-27T16:58:30.590-07:002017-09-27T16:58:30.590-07:00Glad you liked the review - I think there's so...Glad you liked the review - I think there's something deeply flawed in Phandelver partially because it's trying so hard to be a 'starter adventure', a 'sandbox', and maintain a heroic high fantasy tone. Unfortunately somewhere in development starter adventure came to mean that it had to use the most cliched elements of fantasy, sandbox came to mean it should emulate an 'open world' videogame and heroic fantasy came to mean restricting player choice to avoid moral confusion.<br /><br />I suspect that the elements you mention about incongruities and plot holes are the result of the adventure emulating video game plotting, where no matter what the hero always arrives in the nick of time, even if you spent the last 30 hours farming herb drops or something. <br /><br />I find Tomb of Anhillation refreshingly better the Lost Mine, so maybe WotC is learning that adventures can be more open again and one can trust the GM and players to find a story if the author just leaves enough evocative elements balanced precariously.Gus Lhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14872819206286105195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4607464045429311026.post-68647962899401639322017-09-27T12:28:01.494-07:002017-09-27T12:28:01.494-07:00I'm definitely late to the game in reading thi...I'm definitely late to the game in reading this, but I have only started playing and running 5e this year. I was interested during the playtesting, but had no group and was burned out from my last group experience, which ended badly. At any rate, you are one of a very few people willing to critique this starter adventure to such a detailed extent. Most of what I've found online is just "oh it's great". Whereas I, myself, found myself scratching my head on an all-too-frequent basis as I read it. And I continue to find "wtf" elements even months later. Why did Glasstaff leave the Lord's Alliance? Why did he feel a need to "disappear"? Why did the Redbrands form? Why are they taking over the town? Where the hell is the ticking timer, if rescuing Gundren is so important? Why not just steal his map and kill him? Why does Black Spider need the map if he's already in the cave when you get there? These questions and so many more. I have never really liked Forgotten Realms either, though I'm not as vitriolic about it as you seem to be. I just wanted to reskin this material to fit into my homebrew setting, and a still-vague overarching campaign story I'm developing. But the more I started fiddling with it, the more frustrating it became. Having read many of Justin Alexander's articles on adventure design and running the game (The Alexandrian is a treasure trove), I have begun to think that if I want to use this I may have to completely redesign the stupid thing. Which seems like a lot of work, as you stated yourself. But on the other hand, I've already come up with many of my own answers to that long list of questions, and the answers I created are actually interesting to me. So I'll probably go ahead with my reskin. Thanks again, though, for being one of a few voices in the wilderness with regard to how sloppy and disappointing this is.CoolMamahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12780135333868373752noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4607464045429311026.post-52693521094898992552017-07-05T17:07:46.919-07:002017-07-05T17:07:46.919-07:00I'd just like to say your worlds are far more ...I'd just like to say your worlds are far more believable and intriguing, although extremely bizarre, than most hollyweirdized fantasy.<br /><br />p.s. wizards sleep late. don't wake them up before ten bells. [-4 reaction on your 6 or something]Every Comment A Poemhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11202877276719861304noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4607464045429311026.post-4167475026727738732017-06-13T08:38:29.319-07:002017-06-13T08:38:29.319-07:00Thanks for the advice. I definitely am going to fo...Thanks for the advice. I definitely am going to focus on building a rich, detailed world without cliches.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4607464045429311026.post-37880134354230055292017-06-13T07:52:01.352-07:002017-06-13T07:52:01.352-07:00Who am I to suggest how you run your games? I thi...Who am I to suggest how you run your games? I think the approach of building more factions into an adventure, and making those factions morally muddy is good.<br /><br />I'm not sure about moving the dragon into the cave, if I remember the undead and searching bugbears provide combat (though the thing did seem rather combat focused). For me one of the main issues with Phandelver is tone and style. Especially for new players, I think evocative detail, wonder and a sense of possibility are what make table top different and fun. Phandelver stiffles a lot of tgis with cliched enemies and crpg style quest givers rather then factions. If one can stripe away the cliches and open up the players options that's pretty good.<br />Gus Lhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14872819206286105195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4607464045429311026.post-84195894107222612042017-06-12T09:30:36.712-07:002017-06-12T09:30:36.712-07:00I really appreciated your suggestions. I have play...I really appreciated your suggestions. I have played a good mount of 5e, but I'm new to being a DM and therefore, decided to give this module a try as it seemed popular. When I read this post I got a few ideas that I wanted to run by you if you have the time.<br /><br />I was thinking of having the Dragon's lair be Wave Echo Cave, and include a gemstone in the cave be imbued with part of the Dragon's power (Which can be used against him if the PCs choose to fight in the end). The Dragon just wishes to control the wealth of the mine and to grow more powerful. The Black Spider (who I changed to a human from ThuderTree)tricked the dragon, I haven't come up with exactly how yet, and as revenge the dragon destroyed the town and the Black spider's family. The black spider requested aid from Phandalin but the town refused. Therefore, the balck spider wishes to destroy the dragon and to get revenge on the people in the Phandalin who refused to help. The Redbrands, as you suggested, started out as a noble venture to bring order to the town, but over time they realized this might be impossible and instead tried to hold the town together trough force. Silldar comes to town to try and establish order like the Redbrands did as he believes it is possible, and the merchants who need order to protect and expand their business wish to help him. This leaves four factions for the PCs to join, the Dragon and its followers who represent chaos and absolute power, the Redbrands, who represent a sort of frontier justice, Sildar and the merchants who represent order,and the black spider who wishes for revenge and tries to control the town from the shadows, using the doppelgangers. If the players don't wish to choose they can simply work with Gundren to try and gain the mines wealth and leave the town to sort itself out. To support this I'm planning to flesh out some of the side areas to tie them to a faction, and to flesh out the characters to make them more memorable and more than just good or bad. I also want to make a climactic fight with the dragon at the end, but I want to include a way for the PCs to skip it and leave the dragon, and the forest spirits it has corrupted to to rampage if they please. <br /><br />I think this could help bring about a more sandbox campaign, where the players can really chose how they want to interact with the town, who they want to help, and eventually why they should go to wave echo cave in the finale. If you have any suggestions or comments on my ideas I would greatly appreciate your input. Thanks. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4607464045429311026.post-23950979996512423212017-05-10T05:48:48.259-07:002017-05-10T05:48:48.259-07:00Even the Nentir Vale setting from 4E was improveme...Even the Nentir Vale setting from 4E was improvement on the Forgotten Realms. It had a small scale, lots of strange locations, and a tone of beleaguered peril.<br /><br />Out of the Abyss sounds like it might have some decent content. The problem I've seen raised about it (and all of the 5E's campaigns in a book), is their terrible organization, with important information buried in walls of text. This is another area where 5E products compare unfavourably with 4E. <br /><br />I don't think WotC forgot how to lay out books, or lacks the budget for effective technical writing. The culprit is probably the dirty little secret of the hobby: half of these books are never used at the table, and serve as reading material for people who aren't gaming. Organization, clarity, and usability at the table doesn't matter to people who peruse these books at the kitchen table and them stick them back on the shelf along with 40 other unused books.Robhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16117036368705483835noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4607464045429311026.post-88649121798775318372017-05-09T18:16:44.845-07:002017-05-09T18:16:44.845-07:00Well I don't like Phandelver - but I think the...Well I don't like Phandelver - but I think the new Ravenloft is pretty ok, and Out of the Abyss has its weaknesses, but it's a far better adventure. What's noteworthy is that both of these break free of Forgotten Realms to a degree. Both Barovia and the Underdark are mostly free of the Greenwood curse of boring.<br /><br />I wish they had gone with a different game world: Darksun, Planescape, maybe Eberron? Actually a grittier version of Dragonlance would have been nice and retained the high fantasy feel.Gus Lhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14872819206286105195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4607464045429311026.post-82075466532834246942017-05-09T12:05:42.894-07:002017-05-09T12:05:42.894-07:00I've enjoyed running and playing 5E - system-w...I've enjoyed running and playing 5E - system-wise, it's my favourite edition of D&D. However, starting with Phandelver, WotC has hitched it to the most anondyne, bland, vanilla-fantasy setting and tone possible. They have published nothing for 5E besides the core rules that I find worth using. Strange to say, but WotC published much more imaginative content in the 4E era. Thunderspire Labyrinth, Vor Rukoth, the Madness at Gardmore Abbey - WotC has proven they can still write evocative, original adventures. But the die was cast when they announced the Forgotten Realms would be the official setting for 5E. <br /><br />I agree with pretty much everything in your review, from the awful milqtoast town full of awful milqtoast NPCs to the uninspired dungeons that could have been churned out by a random dungeon generator, to the NPC and place names that make me want to stab my eyes out with a pencil. <br /><br />The acclaim that Phandelver has received is just the latest blow to my already bruised confidence in the judgement of today's reviewers. I shudder to think of what adventures would be on the bad side of the ledger for Phandelver to rate so highly in their eyes.<br /><br />I'm not sure I even blame the authors of the adventure, who have published some imaginative adventures in the past. It seems 5E under WotC is under a mandate to peddle only the most generic and tepidly accessible setting content. I have no idea why they think that's all the tabletop fantasy wants or can handle. I just finished watching Mad Max Fury Road, and it positively crackles with Cool Shit. It also made a killing at the box office. So don't tell me weird, vibrant, dangerous fantasy has no appeal in today's market. Robhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16117036368705483835noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4607464045429311026.post-5353665595474663802017-04-27T09:21:23.263-07:002017-04-27T09:21:23.263-07:00Frank, I don't know you but if you actually wa...Frank, I don't know you but if you actually want to talk about why you think LMoP I'm happy to do so. If you just came here to launch a string of childish insults ('retarded' - really in this day and age?) then I don't think I can help you. Gus Lhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14872819206286105195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4607464045429311026.post-10677564584782956412017-04-26T23:19:44.683-07:002017-04-26T23:19:44.683-07:00Yeah, Gus, I gotta say, this article has been the ...Yeah, Gus, I gotta say, this article has been the most condescendingly pretentious and pompous thing I've read in a while (including your attempt at the hipster-esque double space after most of your sentences). You seem to be upset that beginner D&D players aren't as "pro" as you are. Well, get over yourself, man; the point of this adventure was to be introductory. <br /><br />For the record, I absolutely hate your idea about turning the goblins into some boring ass human bandits... I also think it's stupid that you'd want to take the Drow status away from the main villain in favor of making him some generic "unscrupulous explorer". Also, your re-naming of dwarves is borderline retarded. You seem to hate "vanilla fantasy" (laughable from a guy named Gus...) but the ideas you have to replace it are horrendously boring and bad.<br /><br />Also also, you've made quite a few typos, grammatical and syntax errors; you're not as good as you think you are.Frank Joneshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02107796413807588190noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4607464045429311026.post-51561302655357841432017-03-03T01:01:42.091-08:002017-03-03T01:01:42.091-08:00Reading this review has been more entertaining and...Reading this review has been more entertaining and insightful than reading the actual module - another in a line of missed opportunities to write a decent intro D&D adventure. Aggressively bland, that's also correct - for all their structural problems and lack of "beyond the dungeon" content, The Sunken Citadel and The Forge of Fury had more sense of wonder and imagination to them.<br /><br />All this is a puzzle, because one would think it isn't exactly rocket science to write a beginning adventure, even if we stick to generic Stupid Name fantasy. It would be so easy to stay with the same general structure and ideas and deliver something that packs a punch and makes a lasting impression. And yet it doesn't happen.<br /><br />Thanks for the thorough review!Melanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07165894144553629675noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4607464045429311026.post-68152492444576278992017-01-10T18:36:30.837-08:002017-01-10T18:36:30.837-08:00High quality back and forth between the anonymous ...High quality back and forth between the anonymous Kobey and blogger gus. This is the kind of thing I feel new dungeon masters such as myself need to read. <br /><br />Kobey almost brought tears to my eyes with his talk of the young players, gus's insistence on intimate detail is inspiring. <br /><br />Please keep this kind of thing up, I think I finally found something to balance my reading of the angry gm. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4607464045429311026.post-83658013012206780822017-01-09T02:41:20.752-08:002017-01-09T02:41:20.752-08:00Thank you for a good laugh! This was the most hila...Thank you for a good laugh! This was the most hilarious thing I've read all month!Curratumhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01096713860194686438noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4607464045429311026.post-82951345265108123822016-12-27T18:58:17.532-08:002016-12-27T18:58:17.532-08:00I haven't run Phandelver - but I don't thi...I haven't run Phandelver - but I don't think that it's problems are simply that it's designed for new players, or youthful players. It provides terrible GM advice: No monster descriptions, almost no encouragement of non-combat solutions, poor treasure descriptions, NPCs without personality, etc. As I said above there's some good advice handed out in the advice sections that the adventure itself promptly ignores, huddling and slinking back to scene based railroading and rules mastery based combat tests despite its own advice to would be GMs.Gus Lhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14872819206286105195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4607464045429311026.post-23281253040763731712016-12-26T13:00:10.062-08:002016-12-26T13:00:10.062-08:00A good read, thanks. I enjoyed your suggestions on...A good read, thanks. I enjoyed your suggestions on how to improve it.<br /><br />May I ask, did you actually play through it as DM? I found it most fun. Also, this is supposed to be the starter pack; so of course it feels simple, basic, and a hand-holding fest - are those things you considered? I really thought this was a great starter for new players. It wasn't supposed to be a deep module for experienced players. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04559276146498229859noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4607464045429311026.post-35652397083429661022016-11-30T17:36:10.600-08:002016-11-30T17:36:10.600-08:00I like Goblins. I employ them. Some are leveling u...I like Goblins. I employ them. Some are leveling up nicely. My next character is going to be a Goblin who will lead his fellow Gobs against stinkin' Dwarves and their caravans. We will scalp them too. We will make those NPC wannabe player characters pay for their stupidity too. They invade our lands and break treaties. They talk with forked dicks. They are cursed.Structural Analysishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14045328803469885970noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4607464045429311026.post-88787768181043531512016-11-24T11:54:13.952-08:002016-11-24T11:54:13.952-08:00lol...Total Party Kills for people enjoying D&...lol...Total Party Kills for people enjoying D&D for the first time are a bit of a buzz kill. And it's more a reality at lvl-1 when a hand full of goblins surprise you to boot. Which is where the new overnight healing and max hp starting characters come from...and I will forever carry a couple flasks of oil cause of the wandering trolls from yesteryear.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4607464045429311026.post-7660926174539093492016-11-24T11:41:56.261-08:002016-11-24T11:41:56.261-08:00I like the inclusion of the Dragon, but then I am ...I like the inclusion of the Dragon, but then I am fond of the OD&D encounter tables that throw trolls at 1st level players on a bad roll. I also approve of the world killing PCs when they act foolish. <br /><br />I think the Dragon in Phandelver would make a good faction - far better then the random drow with doppelgangers (that doesn't even make sense). <br /><br />I'm not sure if I said it above, but if I ran LMOP today I'd make the goblins grubby forest spirit/imp things - maybe redcaps made of gnarled wood and blood drenched leaf caps - though not really evil/bad. In the same way the Redbrands would be bandits/wildmen stumbling accidentally towards into the edges of respectability (who else is protecting Phandelen from goblins?).<br /><br />Black Spider could be a corrupt adventurer (a human one?) who has seized control of the goblins by promising to help them against the dragon. <br /><br />The dragon would be a thing in the deep forest, corrupting it, a young wyrm that looks like a jagged rope of leaf mould, speckled with fungus orange splashes. Something poisonous and creeping, rotting and twisting trees - corrupting forest creatures and spawning off small (dog - pony sized wyrms). The players could go after it, but they'd know that the thing was a horror and I'd give it stats that could gobble them if they were dumb (better to side with the goblins, and launch a coordinated attack to drive it and its spawn off).<br /><br />This is what I mean by faction design - and a nice three faction conflict (town-goblins-dragon) with some subfaction allies/enemies (necromancer-orcs-banshee-black spider) creates a situation balanced at the edge of chaos - perfect GM training for running factions and thus sandbox play. Gus Lhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14872819206286105195noreply@blogger.com