The Lost Mines of Phandelver. This is the first published D&D adventure I have ever read, and I must say that I am impressed. The story comes in four segments offering different styles of play.
As this is written for starting characters, the first one is almost like a tutorial, with a few goblin enemies and a small lair with only a couple simple traps. Yet it showcases the many features of the game: travel, exploration, the value of terrain, the influence of one area's actions upon the next, and social interaction. The second segment features an urban environment and encounters, where players can interact with NPCs, collect information, and make stuff happen. The third segment is basically an open sandbox where players can explore the region, follow-up on quests, and push forwards the story-line in many different ways.
Indeed, for a published adventure, and one that is written to happen in a certain order, there are a lot of freedom and possibilities. There are many sideboxes advising the DM on what to do if X happens or if the players do Y . Some events, even major ones like the Red Ruffian hideout, don't need to occur at all. The story can continue. Even the adventure's plot hook need not happen; a different hook can be used.
It is a modular adventure. One can take pieces out and put different pieces in, if the DM is inclined to do so. For instance, I can see an adventure entirely based in Phandelver itself in a sort of gang-war style control of the town, no Wave Echo Cave needed. One could go the other way and decide that Wave Echo Cave is a more known commodity and the party has to defend it from others like the green dragon while Phandelver itself is less important.
All the necessary rules and creature statistics are included in the book (front for the former and back for the latter). The maps of the region and the locations look great, and I'm sure would be very useful in smoothly running the campaign and encounters. The adventure's big-bad gets his own artwork.
Trickster Eric Novels gives "The Lost Mines of Phandelver" an A+.
Click here for my next book review (a request): Crown of Blood, book 3 of the Bloody Crown Trilogy
Click here for my previous book review (a request): Nici's Christmas (Troubadors short story)
Brian Wilkerson is a independent novelist, freelance book reviewer, and writing advice blogger. He studied at the University of Minnesota and came away with bachelor degrees in English Literature and History (Classical Mediterranean Period concentration).His fantasy series, Journey to Chaos, is currently available on Amazon as an ebook or paperback.
As this is written for starting characters, the first one is almost like a tutorial, with a few goblin enemies and a small lair with only a couple simple traps. Yet it showcases the many features of the game: travel, exploration, the value of terrain, the influence of one area's actions upon the next, and social interaction. The second segment features an urban environment and encounters, where players can interact with NPCs, collect information, and make stuff happen. The third segment is basically an open sandbox where players can explore the region, follow-up on quests, and push forwards the story-line in many different ways.
Indeed, for a published adventure, and one that is written to happen in a certain order, there are a lot of freedom and possibilities. There are many sideboxes advising the DM on what to do if X happens or if the players do Y . Some events, even major ones like the Red Ruffian hideout, don't need to occur at all. The story can continue. Even the adventure's plot hook need not happen; a different hook can be used.
It is a modular adventure. One can take pieces out and put different pieces in, if the DM is inclined to do so. For instance, I can see an adventure entirely based in Phandelver itself in a sort of gang-war style control of the town, no Wave Echo Cave needed. One could go the other way and decide that Wave Echo Cave is a more known commodity and the party has to defend it from others like the green dragon while Phandelver itself is less important.
All the necessary rules and creature statistics are included in the book (front for the former and back for the latter). The maps of the region and the locations look great, and I'm sure would be very useful in smoothly running the campaign and encounters. The adventure's big-bad gets his own artwork.
Trickster Eric Novels gives "The Lost Mines of Phandelver" an A+.
Click here for my next book review (a request): Crown of Blood, book 3 of the Bloody Crown Trilogy
Click here for my previous book review (a request): Nici's Christmas (Troubadors short story)
Brian Wilkerson is a independent novelist, freelance book reviewer, and writing advice blogger. He studied at the University of Minnesota and came away with bachelor degrees in English Literature and History (Classical Mediterranean Period concentration).His fantasy series, Journey to Chaos, is currently available on Amazon as an ebook or paperback.
