5E Character Create Playlist
  1. #1

    Review (kind of) - Rise of the Drow (5e)

    Disclaimer - I bought Rise of the Drow to be used as an underdark campaign, for another use in mind the milage can differ significantly.

    Summary: 6,5/10

    Pros:
    + Can be used as a campaign, toolbox for you own campaign or as source of inspiration and add-on content for an existing campaign
    + Overall it has lots of content
    + FGU implementation is great, including great maps using LoS tools nicely
    + Nice meta-content for running the campaign, for example about setting the right mood for a scene

    Cons:
    - The quality of the campaign is ok at best and bad at worst
    - A lot of the content is left at the level of an idea, instead of refining and deepening it into a "turnkey" solution
    - The story and plot of the campaign is something a good GM could come up in 10 minutes
    - A lot of the cool content is also easily very problematic to run in practice; there are many ways to 'break' it and the book doesn't offer many solutions for these moments

    More detailed but random thoughts:

    Design is very structural, meaning it's like step 1, step 2, step 3. This makes is probably quite easy to run by less experienced GMs but can also feel a bit mechanic (rail roady). On the other hand, the book is designed with an idea of combining three elements together: prepared story events, optional scripted events and random encounters.

    There is a lot of content to support running the campaign. For example: sections with summarized information about different topics, meta guidance on what the theme / atmosphere should be like and how to support it, and campaign / chapter synopsises. Unfortunately, these are not always in the most logical locations. The background information of a bad guys plans can be in the end of that section, or somewhere in the middle. The location is a good place to have it too, because it is often a special moment in the campaign where it all comes into play, but it would be more logical to use a consistent structure and start with the background information and then have links to that later in the campaign in appropriate places.

    The campaign starts with a kind of intro, which to my understanding did no exist originally but was added later, and it feels less refined and more generic. Once the main part of the campaign is reached, the materials become more comprehensive. For example, the intro mainly assumes that the PCs win all battles and succeed in all encounters. What should happen if they don't, isn't usually explored. Later content often has some guidance about this and also what the "enemies" will do, if they survive.

    The campaign often assumes that the PCs would automatically want to do next, what is prepared for them. Especially in the intro, this is problematic, as it doesn't always make much sense. So the GM definitely should create stronger hooks for the PCs to follow the yellow brick road than what is given in the materials.

    "Encounters" are designed with the idea that (random) combat is a key part of DnD. With this I mean, that almost all the semi-scripted content, which isn't directly linked to the story, is combat. There is very little any roleplay, exploration, getting the feel of the land, etc. kind of encounters. I personally don't like this approach, but know that it is also quite easy to adjust the campaign. A lot of the content is designed to be fully optional, and some partially optional. Many of the encounters also do add a layer to the overall story or the world building, so they are not just about combat. But in the end, GMs who like more of the other kind of encounters, need to create some content themselves.

    The maps are simple (in full colour) but very practical, and in general I like them. Also the use of the LoS tools seems very professional. Not only the basic tools (such as walls and doors) have been used but also the more complex tools (such as terrain and windows).

    FG implementation is mainly good. There are a lot of links to relevant materials, the maps have GM and player versions, using the player version as a preview image, the NPCs are done using the right parcelling, etc. But not everything is perfect. Not all parcelling or correct, creating manual labour for the GM.

  2. #2
    Thank you for the review @Maetco ! I love feedback/constructive criticism, we can use it to improve each and every adventure we produce.

    The following portal could be of help to those who seek additional roleplaying encounters within the Underworld of Aventyr!
    Underworld Encounters for Rise of the Drow


    If you find any errors/bugs within Rise of the Drow: Collector's Edition for Fantasy Grounds, please submit them to [email protected] so that Rob2e may resolve them. Updates are patched every Tuesday.

    Thank you!

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