What I do not want to do is run through a dungeon crawl whose only intent is to run through the dungeon crawl. I mean what's the point of that?! The only success is success. There is no story in this except to kill the end boss guy. Personally I don't like this type of adventure and I certainly don't like what it is teaching our new players. They will begin to think D&D is about nothing but dungeon crawls and dungeon challenges. They will NEVER learn about stories and plots and adventures with lofty goals. Because of this one adventure, D&D is forever destroyed for me.
Now I am not one to buy into hyperbole and spread viscious words around all based on a couple of sections of advertisement blurbs, so I went out and actually got it and read it. That way you can trust my analysis as it is something I have actually seen. And let me tell you, it is out-of-control! They were not kidding. If you don't bring in your top notch character all decked out with the best selection of gear and spells, you won't last more than a few seconds. It seems like you'll need all the latest supplements in order to survive this fiasco. Yet another method by which TSR is trying to drag more money out of us!
Even worse, I hear this is only the first a series, the "S" series of adventure modules. S2 is purported to be named White Plume Mountain to be followed by S3: Expedition to the Barrier Peaks. From this we can easily see where D&D is heading and it is heading off somewhere I do not like! D&D is dead to me and I recommend everyone else on the planet get off that train wreck with me!
14 comments:
Hilarious!
Fyi, it may just be reading your blog on my iPhone, but the comments feed text in the left column mixes with the blogpost text in the center, making it rather difficult to read.
Thank you for posting this. I'm guessing a bunch of people might still miss the point, but I really enjoyed it.
And taking the tongue-in-cheek nature seriously for a moment, my response is, "Well, you don't have to play that particular adventure if it's not the style you enjoy." This would apply to any similar situation where, let's say, a publisher were coming out with a way of playing a game that didn't appeal to you personally. Just don't play that particular thing, and the world will keep on spinning.
Great article. People who think 4e is all about combat should take a look at certain supplements such as: Hammerfast, Vor Rukoth, Gloomwrought, and even Monster Vault 2. All of these products are chocked full of role-playing goodness. All you need are the right players and the right DM.
Well played sir, well played.
Droll, how very droll.
Well done, and well said! :)
I'm not a big fan of the lair assault program or the fortune cards, but you make an excellent (and hilarious) point - it's not the death of the game or the final word on what the current edition is about.
First time I saw this post, I stopped reading after the first paragraph.
Little did I know...
Fantastic.
I think people just want to complain to complain.
Hooray for a funny post about this ;) you deserve an internet high-five and a cookie :D
Interesting.
Now go read ToH again, because you completely missed the mark.
@Paladin You may be right that I need to reread it, but the intent of the module was to challenge the capabilities of Gary Gygax's most experienced players, those players who had min-maxed their 1E characters with optimal spells, gear and magic items (scrolls and potions for every occasion), not to mention advanced tactics for dealing with monsters, traps and tricks. (A simple Google search will turn up this information as to the intent of the design behind ToH.)
My post was meant to draw a comparison between the original ToH and the current Lair Assault from WotC. I believe there is a legitimate comparison. I also believe that if the internet had been as prevalent back then as now we would have seen a blog post similar to this one, only whereas mine is tongue-in-cheek humor (with a good mix of sarcasm), someone would have posted a serious version.
If I have time, I will post a blog entry on my blog that addresses the matters you raise.
I just thought it was odd (all the back slapping and high-fives) considering that few (none>) of your readers seem to have read or played this module.
Having said all that, I quite enjoy your blog, and am not trying to be a killjoy.
:D
I think the five fives and such were more about my repudiation on the attacks on the Lair Assault program in a joking manner, and not against ToH.
ToH is considered by many to be one of the best and most fun adventures ever written, including me.
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