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DDAL05-02 The Black Road (5e) $2.99
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast
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by Lorinda H. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 07/15/2017 17:55:46

Overall I liked this adventure, but there were some flaws in the plot that I found troublesome.

Pros: -Good mix of role play, exploration, and combat challenges; the "non combat" encounters help keep the focus on the goal, not the combats, and thought has been given to those parties who seek non combat resolutions when possible. -several places where player choices affect the plot beyond the immediate encounter, and a nice flowchart to see how the various paths the authors envision the players taking; more options than I seen in any other AL module, although my experience is limited. -In the "skill challenge" encounter, the authors brainstormed a wide range of possible responses to the presented threat, which I appreciated. (But....see below) -I appreciated the inclusion of an "optional" encounter, flagged to skip if time was short. (Im my case it was because we had a late start and a hard stop time.) -Hooks for every faction and the factionless.

Cons: -Major narrative problem: PCs are invited to meet their contact/quest giver at an oasis several days journey from Parnast into the desert of Anauroch desert. The adventure begins on their arrival at the oasis. They are to guard a caravan on its way to Parnast, and encounter obstacles along the way. Some of those obstacles have been in place for several weeks. If the PCs previously participated in the Broken Hoard (the intro mini-adventures,) they are already in the Parnast region, and would have to take the black Road to the oasis, and would have encountered the obstacles on their way in -Related narrative problem: Whever the PCs are coming from, they need to spend severald days in the desert between accepting the hook and the beginning of the adventure. At the oasis, they are encouraged to buy desert clothing and equipment, and there are consequences later in the adventure if they don't. But...they didn't need them to get travel to the desert to get to the Oasis?? -"Skill challenge" encounter offers lots of different skill checks and possible solutions, but the DC for all of them is listed several paragraphs above the list. In play, I thought the DCs were missing altogether. -At one of the branch points, one option is to go around the obstacle. But the described geography doesn't seem to allow for this, and there's no info/directions about how they can find their way, given that they will have to leave the Black Road. -there are some issues with items changing over the course of the adventure: a messenger bag listed in a treasure section becomes a wooden box in the Developments paragraph that follows; the gatehouse described in the text is apparently the Guard tower on the map--but according to the text there are no "guards" on the tower.
-a magic item is on a creature that is removed from encounters from weaker parties; no word on whether or not to make it available to a weak party (or if to move it to another foes)

My solutions/adaptations: -I edited the "factionless" hook from SEER, and added one time use magic use rings that would transport the PCs to the oasis directly. I bit OP for this tier, but the easiest way I could find to deal with the narrative problems. (And my players are very narrative oriented) -Someone else here suggested naming the drivers. I did so, and while we were too rushed by a late start to spend much RP time with them, I found it useful to do so.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
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DDAL05-02 The Black Road (5e)
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