Good Example

This past Saturday was Free RPG Day. If you didn't get the chance to hit up a game store you missed out on some cool freebies.

Free RPG Day is a great idea and pretty well executed on the distribution side of things, but I find that the stores I frequent don't really do any promotion or hold any events to make it more of an EVENT. So, while ultimately, I appreciate a few free games and previews, I'm not sure how successful the program is.

This year there was a bunch of nice-looking giveaways of which I grabbed only one; Khyber's Harvest for D&D 4th Edition. If you read my last post you know that I've had some issues with my D&D game and with 4th Edition in general. And I have to tell you, this adventure is a perfect example of how adventures should be written. It includes some background and world-setting information that's both interesting and important . . . and then the adventure goes on to actually use that information! The encounters are inventive (and include some interesting bits that I haven't seen elsewhere as well as a very cool use of the trap mechanics) and the overall adventure is mercifully short. Maybe not short enough to run in a single evening, but short enough that players will remember what they hell they're doing there. The adventure also introduces some new monsters, or at least monsters that are new to 4th Edition. Players familiar with Eberron will recognize them right off.

If you were lucky enough to pick up this adventure, I think you'll enjoy it. I already want to use it in my game -- or at least use the monsters and the trap. (Specifically the Living Darkness and the Baleful Eye.)

This is exactly what I want to see in a published adventure. String a bunch of these together and make an Adventure Path from them and I'll be a lot happier with my 4th Edition experiences.