dekonstruktion was one of the most fun sessions ive ever played. i also love that it's against the clock - the level of the players is less important than them figuring it out in time ! i ran this forr level 20 characters and set the timer on my phone for two hours and they finished it with mere seconds left. it was beautiful.
An excellent review - really handy. I've been DMing 2 concurrent campaigns but I've been recently diagnosed with a rare dementia which means assimilating text is a really uphill battle. I've been using DMs Guild guides which are great notes to have at hand, especially for complex rooms/situations. Really appreciate your synopsise and reviews of each adventure, and I'm looking forward to dropping these in to my campaigns. Thanks
I would love to see these maps updated. *fingers crossed for DMs guild converted maps*. It's the only thing stopping me from adding this to my high priority buy list. Ty for your reviews and time between Roll20 and RUclips.
I'm 95% sure there are map packs already out there by now, on DMs Guild and probably for free on subreddits, that have color maps of each of these adventures.
Spent the last couple of hours looking through videos on these style of 'drag and drop' wotc adventure books to figure out what the adventures are about. You're the first one to not only say which are good, which are bad, but also give a solid overview of each adventure and what makes them good/bad. Any chance you have a video like this for tales of the yawning portal and I'm missing it?
I don't have one for Yawning Portal, one of the few 5e books I haven't covered. But I do have ranking videos for Radiant Citadel and Keys from the Golden Vault.
Very interesting to see these ratings and compare and contrast them with my own. Obviously, a lot of this is subjective, especially where there are several similar adventures but a few we like more than the others. In my personal ratings, I prioritized mystery, intrigue/roleplaying and the book (or Candlekeep) being important, while generally giving fewer points to the "assassination contract" adventures ("you open a book, it tells you to go kill someone, and you do"), because that's what I thought a Candlekeep adventure should be. I also didn't particularly judge based on maps because I normally remake maps anyways when I run things. I ended up with the following ratings on a scale of Great/Good/Okay/Subpar/Awful: GREAT: Mazfroth's, Shemshine, Dekonstruktion, Canopic Being, Scrivener's Tale, Alkazaar's Appendix GOOD: Joy of Extradimensional Spaces, Deep and Creeping Darkness, Price of Beauty, Book of Inner Alchemy OKAY: Book of Cylinders, Yellowcrest Manor, Zephyrean Tome, Wisteria Vale, Xanthoria SUBPAR: Book of the Raven, Lore of Lurue AWFUL: None, though I felt Book of the Raven came close. As you can see, we generally agreed on a number of the adventures. A few I would like to comment on: MAZFROTH'S MIGHTY DIGRESSIONS: Obviously our biggest disagreement. I liked that it was primarily roleplaying, with an actual mystery whose answer was unexpected but logical. (I would definitely try to guide players into thinking at the start that the books are targeting Candlekeep, so only later they realize that it was collateral damage.) BOOK OF THE RAVEN: The wereravens being good guys trying to scare off the PCs was cool, but I otherwise deeply disliked this one. The contents of the actual book are irrelevant, 90% of the treasure map is irrelevant, and the reason for the map being in the book makes no sense. The PCs have no motivation to do any of this other than a vague promise of treasure, and then they just kind of bumble around. In my view, the scenario desperately needs a stronger hook so the players know what they are supposed to be doing. SARAH OF YELLOWCREST MANOR: We seem similarly disappointed by this one, but for different reasons. You said you thought it was going to be a haunted house, while I thought that it would be a murder mystery where the ghost has told us who killed her, but not why or how he had a perfect alibi. The challenge would then be to figure it out and find a way to prove it so you can take him down without the cops coming after you. As a result, the players would really get to know the villain before they stabbed him. THE CURIOUS TALE OF WISTERIA VALE: I too liked how the demiplane worked, the beholder that doesn't know what's going on and the very D&D situation of having to talk a man into letting you stab him. I think my main disappointment was that I thought the events of the play written in the book would actually be important - like they were endlessly repeating and the PCs needed to learn the story so they could either play along or exploit it to achieve their goals. I might be letting those expectations get in the way too much, though. THE PRICE OF BEAUTY: Maybe I've just run into less hag adventures than you. I liked the basic "investigate this sketchy place nonviolently" scenario - it should be obvious very quickly that shady things are happening and the elves/hags are responsible, but figuring out what it is, where it is and who else is in on it through roleplaying and bluffing struck me as a nice change of pace (before the PCs inevitably stab the owners and burn the place down, of course). THE CANOPIC BEING: I think what catapulted this one over the rest of the assassination contract adventures for me was the villain herself, and the idea of an antagonist so skilled at divination that she can predict almost everything and knows the PCs inside and out. That was the only villain concept that made me go "I really want to run a villain like that!" (Especially since I decided that, if I ran these all as one campaign, she has left The Scrivener's Tale in her treasure pile knowing that the PCs will pick it up. A villain continuing to screw the party over even after their death.)
The author who wrote Book of Cylinders (who asked to have his name removed from the product, and thus I will not name him to honor his wishes) has stated that his work was substantially edited away from its original form without notifying him and that he finds what was actually published disappointing. He has said more on the subject, it's out there if you want to look. I wonder how much of the problems like this in some of the adventures are due to editorial meddling, though. My players actually quite liked Mazfroth's Mighty Digressions, though possibly more because of my adaptations. I made the wererat the murderer of Nidalia, and a member of a cult that worships a lich (the big bad of my campaign). I had a big confrontation between him and his thugs and the players. I made the Amberdunes completely unwilling to give up the books _unless_ the PCs swore to help them raise the money to resurrect their leader (which they were perfectly willing to do), which I was able to use as a hook to get them to go on the next adventure (in search of treasure, to pay the debt they now owed the Amberdunes). I feel there's a lot of simple things that can be done like this to make the scenarios in the adventures most people rate low feel like more's at stake- I just wish it was in the original text to begin with.
I remember reading about that, that's a big bummer. On one hand that's kind of the price you pay working for a big publisher and their whims, but the lack of communication really sucks. Sounds like you made some smart, effective improvements to Mazfroth's, nice!
I feel like some of the adventures have some really cool ideas, but they didn't quite get them right (the maps especially are pretty bad imo). I'm probably gonna pass on this book, especially since I think it's not possible to buy the adventures separately in Roll20.
Just did the book of Raven and honestly I didn’t like it at all. Yes we had the choice to go into the shadowfell but our characters had no reason to go. We got to the house expecting treasure but there’s very little there. We did find a cool statue and some paintings but that’s it. The wereravens themselves were not that interesting.
Off the top of my head, Dark and Creeping Place, Shemshimes bedtime Rhyme, Canopic Being, and Xanthoria are pretty darn dark. With just a few easy modifications (like murdering NPCs) Sheshime is literally a horror movie.
@@RogueWatson Thanks man. Hey, it is probably just me but much of what they are producing lately is more whimsical and amusing than it is gritty and dramatic.
I can see that. I don't have the experience of older editions, but 5e seems to firmly fit in the PG-13/LotR/MCU range of tone. Though I would still argue that CKM offers a decent balance. Hell I forgot to mention Sarah of Yellowcrest Manner, which involves a murdered family and a cult that rips people's brains out to make grells. :D
@@RogueWatson I think in part because they are handicapped by an impossibly high standard not to offend anyone in a crowd that is looking to be offended. The net effect of the woke movement has been to dumb down the the game. You made the "lazy world building" argument that I have heard elsewhere in my post. The idea that we can maintain these ideals through more creativity and the allowing for some color (read non puritanical) in the games is somehow just a lack of creativity doesn't hold from my view. Creativity seems to be going down. Safe is the order of business.
@@RogueWatson Rogue, I hope I am not coming off as combative to you. I welcome the discussion and appreciate your channel. Putting that out there because tone is so easily lost in text.
@@RogueWatson the reviews are great but I think some tips on how to take the Disney out and add a little grit would be a welcome addition. Especially anything politically motivated wether it’s good or bad (not interested in being preached at by corporations looking for virtue points). My game features raging orcs and the handy able healed by abundant magic and a surprising lack of same sex couples because everyone at my table is tolerant and doesn’t need the preach by the new morality order. Also gypsies are stereotypical gypsies because no one is offended and if you want to play an Asian character you are free to do so.
William, if you're looking for a darker/grittier tone that's one thing (see John's comments above for how to have a civil discussion about that), but everything else you said is hot garbage. C'mon man. You're really offended by same sex couples existing in a story? And if you want to use basic stereotypes in your games that's your call, but at best it's just lazy worldbuilding. Hell even the Warcraft series developed nuanced orcs with a rich culture.
@@RogueWatson No actually not offended by same sex couples. I am a live and let live type. What gets me more is the intentional morality preach in modern media including our game space. I don't need WOTC trying to train, or teach or preach or virtue signal. I do not see them as a moral authority. I think the advent of what works in a given game should be left up to the table. In some games having it makes total sense because it is representative in other games its not needed as its unrelated. I also see this as having gone too far. When Matt Mercer gets lambasted for playing an Asian is our game really living up to the inclusivity standard? And how racist do you have to be to see racism in orcs.... ? Is making dungeons handicap accessible really about being inclusive to the handicap or is it about virtue signaling? I would rather invite somebody in a wheel chair to my game to open the game as opposed to "look at me I'm so inclusive". This is a hard conversation to have in text space because its easy to jump to stereotypical conclusions. I am a fan of getting our game back to some gritty texture and leaving the politics out of it. If your not I get it but I can tell you a lot of people are hungry for moderators that can find a better balance and push back against some of the nonsense.
I hear you, and I get that there's a fine line between inclusion and virtue signaling, but at the same time you can't cry about "wokeness" or "virtue signaling" every time you see diversity, or inclusive representation. You say you're not offended but it sure as hell sounds like it! What you refer to as politics are literally just people trying to exist in the same space, and enjoy seeing characters like them represented. I honestly fail to see how that negatively impacts your game. At the same time, I agree that some folks do get offended too easily about every little thing, and that can drown out the more serious issues. Yes the concept of a sentient, barbaric race is rooted in racial superiority. That doesn't mean you can't use monstrous orcs in your game, or even that you're a bad person for doing so. Problematic faves are a thing, lol. I would still argue that it's just not that interesting compared to something like what Warcraft 3 did. It sounds more like you're conflating inclusivity with a lighter, PG-13 tone, and that is an interesting point to make. It's definitely possible to create mature, dark stories while not relying on tired or offensive stereotypes, but it seems like WotC wants to lean more toward a PG-13/MCU/LotR tone. I don't know if that's always been the case as I'm only really familiar with Fifth Edition.
![Finesse2Tymes & Og Boo Dirty - Real Recognize Real [Official Music Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/3xb4bl5PWF8/mqdefault.jpg)
dekonstruktion was one of the most fun sessions ive ever played. i also love that it's against the clock - the level of the players is less important than them figuring it out in time ! i ran this forr level 20 characters and set the timer on my phone for two hours and they finished it with mere seconds left. it was beautiful.
Wow, an actual timer - I'd be so stressed out!
An excellent review - really handy. I've been DMing 2 concurrent campaigns but I've been recently diagnosed with a rare dementia which means assimilating text is a really uphill battle. I've been using DMs Guild guides which are great notes to have at hand, especially for complex rooms/situations. Really appreciate your synopsise and reviews of each adventure, and I'm looking forward to dropping these in to my campaigns. Thanks
Thank you, Geraint, glad I could help!
I would love to see these maps updated. *fingers crossed for DMs guild converted maps*.
It's the only thing stopping me from adding this to my high priority buy list. Ty for your reviews and time between Roll20 and RUclips.
I'm 95% sure there are map packs already out there by now, on DMs Guild and probably for free on subreddits, that have color maps of each of these adventures.
Spent the last couple of hours looking through videos on these style of 'drag and drop' wotc adventure books to figure out what the adventures are about. You're the first one to not only say which are good, which are bad, but also give a solid overview of each adventure and what makes them good/bad. Any chance you have a video like this for tales of the yawning portal and I'm missing it?
I don't have one for Yawning Portal, one of the few 5e books I haven't covered. But I do have ranking videos for Radiant Citadel and Keys from the Golden Vault.
Very interesting to see these ratings and compare and contrast them with my own. Obviously, a lot of this is subjective, especially where there are several similar adventures but a few we like more than the others. In my personal ratings, I prioritized mystery, intrigue/roleplaying and the book (or Candlekeep) being important, while generally giving fewer points to the "assassination contract" adventures ("you open a book, it tells you to go kill someone, and you do"), because that's what I thought a Candlekeep adventure should be. I also didn't particularly judge based on maps because I normally remake maps anyways when I run things. I ended up with the following ratings on a scale of Great/Good/Okay/Subpar/Awful:
GREAT: Mazfroth's, Shemshine, Dekonstruktion, Canopic Being, Scrivener's Tale, Alkazaar's Appendix
GOOD: Joy of Extradimensional Spaces, Deep and Creeping Darkness, Price of Beauty, Book of Inner Alchemy
OKAY: Book of Cylinders, Yellowcrest Manor, Zephyrean Tome, Wisteria Vale, Xanthoria
SUBPAR: Book of the Raven, Lore of Lurue
AWFUL: None, though I felt Book of the Raven came close.
As you can see, we generally agreed on a number of the adventures. A few I would like to comment on:
MAZFROTH'S MIGHTY DIGRESSIONS: Obviously our biggest disagreement. I liked that it was primarily roleplaying, with an actual mystery whose answer was unexpected but logical. (I would definitely try to guide players into thinking at the start that the books are targeting Candlekeep, so only later they realize that it was collateral damage.)
BOOK OF THE RAVEN: The wereravens being good guys trying to scare off the PCs was cool, but I otherwise deeply disliked this one. The contents of the actual book are irrelevant, 90% of the treasure map is irrelevant, and the reason for the map being in the book makes no sense. The PCs have no motivation to do any of this other than a vague promise of treasure, and then they just kind of bumble around. In my view, the scenario desperately needs a stronger hook so the players know what they are supposed to be doing.
SARAH OF YELLOWCREST MANOR: We seem similarly disappointed by this one, but for different reasons. You said you thought it was going to be a haunted house, while I thought that it would be a murder mystery where the ghost has told us who killed her, but not why or how he had a perfect alibi. The challenge would then be to figure it out and find a way to prove it so you can take him down without the cops coming after you. As a result, the players would really get to know the villain before they stabbed him.
THE CURIOUS TALE OF WISTERIA VALE: I too liked how the demiplane worked, the beholder that doesn't know what's going on and the very D&D situation of having to talk a man into letting you stab him. I think my main disappointment was that I thought the events of the play written in the book would actually be important - like they were endlessly repeating and the PCs needed to learn the story so they could either play along or exploit it to achieve their goals. I might be letting those expectations get in the way too much, though.
THE PRICE OF BEAUTY: Maybe I've just run into less hag adventures than you. I liked the basic "investigate this sketchy place nonviolently" scenario - it should be obvious very quickly that shady things are happening and the elves/hags are responsible, but figuring out what it is, where it is and who else is in on it through roleplaying and bluffing struck me as a nice change of pace (before the PCs inevitably stab the owners and burn the place down, of course).
THE CANOPIC BEING: I think what catapulted this one over the rest of the assassination contract adventures for me was the villain herself, and the idea of an antagonist so skilled at divination that she can predict almost everything and knows the PCs inside and out. That was the only villain concept that made me go "I really want to run a villain like that!" (Especially since I decided that, if I ran these all as one campaign, she has left The Scrivener's Tale in her treasure pile knowing that the PCs will pick it up. A villain continuing to screw the party over even after their death.)
Thank you for the detailed comment, Michael, you bring up some great points on many of these adventures!
my list is pretty close to yours! this is an awesome product for sure!
The author who wrote Book of Cylinders (who asked to have his name removed from the product, and thus I will not name him to honor his wishes) has stated that his work was substantially edited away from its original form without notifying him and that he finds what was actually published disappointing.
He has said more on the subject, it's out there if you want to look. I wonder how much of the problems like this in some of the adventures are due to editorial meddling, though.
My players actually quite liked Mazfroth's Mighty Digressions, though possibly more because of my adaptations. I made the wererat the murderer of Nidalia, and a member of a cult that worships a lich (the big bad of my campaign). I had a big confrontation between him and his thugs and the players. I made the Amberdunes completely unwilling to give up the books _unless_ the PCs swore to help them raise the money to resurrect their leader (which they were perfectly willing to do), which I was able to use as a hook to get them to go on the next adventure (in search of treasure, to pay the debt they now owed the Amberdunes).
I feel there's a lot of simple things that can be done like this to make the scenarios in the adventures most people rate low feel like more's at stake- I just wish it was in the original text to begin with.
I remember reading about that, that's a big bummer. On one hand that's kind of the price you pay working for a big publisher and their whims, but the lack of communication really sucks.
Sounds like you made some smart, effective improvements to Mazfroth's, nice!
I feel bad for the baby (neighbor's baby, I presume) that's been wailing for the last 20 minutes or so of the review. :(
Nope that's ours, lol. Was hoping it wouldn't pick up! Decided daddy's videos were more exciting than a nap.
I feel like some of the adventures have some really cool ideas, but they didn't quite get them right (the maps especially are pretty bad imo).
I'm probably gonna pass on this book, especially since I think it's not possible to buy the adventures separately in Roll20.
You touched on my 2 primary complaints: can’t buy modules separately, and the maps are crap.
Just did the book of Raven and honestly I didn’t like it at all. Yes we had the choice to go into the shadowfell but our characters had no reason to go. We got to the house expecting treasure but there’s very little there. We did find a cool statue and some paintings but that’s it. The wereravens themselves were not that interesting.
Yeah felt pretty disappointing from what I remember. Also think this was the one designed by Chris Perkins?
Thanks man!
There's an (unappealing to me) novelty aspect about these. That's fine but would really appreciate some darker, more dramatic material.
Off the top of my head, Dark and Creeping Place, Shemshimes bedtime Rhyme, Canopic Being, and Xanthoria are pretty darn dark. With just a few easy modifications (like murdering NPCs) Sheshime is literally a horror movie.
@@RogueWatson Thanks man. Hey, it is probably just me but much of what they are producing lately is more whimsical and amusing than it is gritty and dramatic.
I can see that. I don't have the experience of older editions, but 5e seems to firmly fit in the PG-13/LotR/MCU range of tone. Though I would still argue that CKM offers a decent balance. Hell I forgot to mention Sarah of Yellowcrest Manner, which involves a murdered family and a cult that rips people's brains out to make grells. :D
@@RogueWatson I think in part because they are handicapped by an impossibly high standard not to offend anyone in a crowd that is looking to be offended. The net effect of the woke movement has been to dumb down the the game. You made the "lazy world building" argument that I have heard elsewhere in my post. The idea that we can maintain these ideals through more creativity and the allowing for some color (read non puritanical) in the games is somehow just a lack of creativity doesn't hold from my view. Creativity seems to be going down. Safe is the order of business.
@@RogueWatson Rogue, I hope I am not coming off as combative to you. I welcome the discussion and appreciate your channel. Putting that out there because tone is so easily lost in text.
How about a video on how to unwind all the woke nonsense and up the grim dark. Something that might appeal to players who still have their balls
lol what
@@RogueWatson the reviews are great but I think some tips on how to take the Disney out and add a little grit would be a welcome addition. Especially anything politically motivated wether it’s good or bad (not interested in being preached at by corporations looking for virtue points). My game features raging orcs and the handy able healed by abundant magic and a surprising lack of same sex couples because everyone at my table is tolerant and doesn’t need the preach by the new morality order. Also gypsies are stereotypical gypsies because no one is offended and if you want to play an Asian character you are free to do so.
William, if you're looking for a darker/grittier tone that's one thing (see John's comments above for how to have a civil discussion about that), but everything else you said is hot garbage. C'mon man. You're really offended by same sex couples existing in a story?
And if you want to use basic stereotypes in your games that's your call, but at best it's just lazy worldbuilding. Hell even the Warcraft series developed nuanced orcs with a rich culture.
@@RogueWatson No actually not offended by same sex couples. I am a live and let live type. What gets me more is the intentional morality preach in modern media including our game space. I don't need WOTC trying to train, or teach or preach or virtue signal. I do not see them as a moral authority. I think the advent of what works in a given game should be left up to the table. In some games having it makes total sense because it is representative in other games its not needed as its unrelated. I also see this as having gone too far. When Matt Mercer gets lambasted for playing an Asian is our game really living up to the inclusivity standard? And how racist do you have to be to see racism in orcs.... ? Is making dungeons handicap accessible really about being inclusive to the handicap or is it about virtue signaling? I would rather invite somebody in a wheel chair to my game to open the game as opposed to "look at me I'm so inclusive". This is a hard conversation to have in text space because its easy to jump to stereotypical conclusions. I am a fan of getting our game back to some gritty texture and leaving the politics out of it. If your not I get it but I can tell you a lot of people are hungry for moderators that can find a better balance and push back against some of the nonsense.
I hear you, and I get that there's a fine line between inclusion and virtue signaling, but at the same time you can't cry about "wokeness" or "virtue signaling" every time you see diversity, or inclusive representation. You say you're not offended but it sure as hell sounds like it! What you refer to as politics are literally just people trying to exist in the same space, and enjoy seeing characters like them represented. I honestly fail to see how that negatively impacts your game.
At the same time, I agree that some folks do get offended too easily about every little thing, and that can drown out the more serious issues. Yes the concept of a sentient, barbaric race is rooted in racial superiority. That doesn't mean you can't use monstrous orcs in your game, or even that you're a bad person for doing so. Problematic faves are a thing, lol. I would still argue that it's just not that interesting compared to something like what Warcraft 3 did.
It sounds more like you're conflating inclusivity with a lighter, PG-13 tone, and that is an interesting point to make. It's definitely possible to create mature, dark stories while not relying on tired or offensive stereotypes, but it seems like WotC wants to lean more toward a PG-13/MCU/LotR tone. I don't know if that's always been the case as I'm only really familiar with Fifth Edition.