g026r wrote:FormCritic: Out of curiosity, have you taken a look at any of Atlas's Penumbra line of
d20 stuff? Some of them looked interesting, and I'm curious as to what people thought before I grab a few.
Overall, I like the Penumbra line, but it can be a bit uneven in quality. I can be a tough critic of certain factors in a publication. My particular pet peeves are bad bad artwork (as opposed to good bad artwork) and useless or non-existent maps.
For instance,
The Ebon Mirror is based on a clever idea (visit an alternative world where humans and elves are the baddies and orcs and goblin types are the civilized goodguys) that really isn't that clever. I was hoping for a smash-up on the Plane of Shadows or something cool like that.
Beyond the Veil is a classic adventure into a slain dragon's lair that is hampered by bad artwork.
Sacred Ground is a book full of inventive holy sites. It is hampered by computer-generated maps. This trend ruined many many 3rd Edition publications. Maps made on one of the popular map-maker programs may seem like a good idea. In practice, these programs make rather uninspiring maps that just do not measure up artistically. Add to that the problem of a
color map printed in the interior of a trade paperback in
black and white with the result being useless mush.
God! Why even bother!
Three Days to Kill is hampered by the bad maps (including an off-the-rack computer town map) but it isn't a bad module. The module itself is an excellent first adventure for a new campaign of well-mixed character classes. Pretty much, you kill things...like the title says and like any good adventuring group ought to do a lot. There are also a couple of good situations like a local festival and plots surrounding it.
In the Belly of the Beast, by Mike Mearls, is of higher quality. It places heavy demands on the
DM to balance and run a number of NPC's. It is heavier on role-playing than combat. The art and maps are of slightly higher quality. It's a good adventure for a party with a bard, but there is some combat for the rest of us.
Thieves in the Forest is a playable adventure by John Nephew, a D&D writing veteran. This module was published in 2000 and way too much space is taken up with technical details like explaining which boxes of text are open content ("As we go to press with this adventure the
D20 System Trademark License is still a draft") or how to use the text boxes. There is a two-sided color battle map stapled into the center of the module. One great detail is that the monster stats are set aside in a very clear format that eases the
DM's workload. Even better...there's a wide selection of interesting stuff to kill.
By November of 2002, when Atlas published
Splintered Peace, they were much more accomplished at production values, but somewhat hazy on the definition of "adventure."
Splintered Peace is a thin hardback that wins kudos from me by using the end papers to print two clear, hand-drawn maps of the city where the adventure takes place. The city of Marchion is rife with racial tensions...between elves, dwarves and humans in the same town rather than between evil and good races.
The result is more than a bit cloying. For instance, chew on this quote from
Splintered Peace: "This campaign is about racism and the difficulties inherent in trying to oppose such beliefs." And how about: "It is not possible to rebuild trust by killing people, not even the people responsible for the hatred." Great.
Now even game designers feel the need to preach to us.
I started out liking the quality poduction values of this module. I got angry as I read...at a game geek who presumes to help me to see the light of tolerance and PC hippy politics. (see rant below)
Splintered Peace does not provide the area maps required for a town adventure. It provides lots of adventure hooks but no adventure. Unlike the Dungeon Crawl Classics you are actually
not supposed to kill the intricate NPC's provided. This module is a waste of time and I doubt even one gaming group ran more than two tedious game sessions in Marchion.
(Just as a clue to game designers: Dungeons and Dragons is about the failure to communicate. It is about situations that require alternative negotiations with swords. It is about evil badguys with treasure who have it coming, baby! They deserve to die just for being so perverse as to hide underground all the time! Moral questions have always been a part of D&D, but not not not moralistic lessons. Elves, dwarves, goblins and orcs are not intended as allegories of human races. The moral implications of a
fireball spell ought to be obvious. Apparently, some people just don't get it.
Contemplate this upon the Tree of Woe!
)
Unhallowed Halls, by Christina Stiles, is about a wizard university professor and his plot to create yet another classic army of darkness through alchemy. Shazam! Let's go! The module's sales had to have been hampered by an almost unbelievably bad cover...a rummy-nosed comedy mage in a magic circle on a grey, wooden door. It is an inexplicably bad intro to a solid adventure with interesting things to kill and a villain who absolutely has...it...coming. Unfortunately, there had to have been a lot copies of this publication left on store shelves due to its bad cover art. The insides are crunchy even though the outside is a bit soft.
Maiden Voyage, by Chad Brouilard, was printed in August 2001. It is a nautical adventure aboard a doomed ship. The characters are on board the
Albers, which is headed toward a confrontation wth the cursed vessel,
Sea Maiden. Intended for 1st to 3rd level characters, this shipboard adventure places the characters in an interesting situation with elements of real horror. It would be an excellent start to a campaign that leads somewhere like Freeport, Modron or Tarantia. I like
Maiden Voyage just about as much as I hate
Splintered Peace, which means I like it a lot. I haven't checked its collectible status but I think this module is worth owning even if it stays cheap. Get it.
That's what I have on hand from Atlas and their Penumbra line....except for
Nyambe, which deserves its own write-up. I can't comment on the other modules in the series as I have not gotten my hands on them. I have noticed that Atlas publications tend to go for somewhat higher than my casual collecting habits will usually reach.
Atlas was one
D20 publisher that was willing to take risks, and you have to give them kudos for that even if sometimes you hate the results.
Maiden Voyage was my introduction to Atlas, so I have a high opinion of their company that maybe would have been lacking had I met
Splintered Peace in a dark alley.