The Wormwood Mutiny is the ideal starter adventure for the GMs who wish they could write all their own material but the realities of a career and family prevent it. I like to take material that is presented and "make it my own", adjusting the material with my own flair that will appeal to my players. Translation: I love my adventures to be "sandbox". The Wormwood Mutiny does this is spades, providing an outstanding outline to follow and the "guts" of a vile pirate ship to mold into my own. Thank you! Everything that happens in-between being press-ganged, capturing a merchant ship, and having a successful mutiny should be uniquely different for each GM's play of the adventure and that's the way it should be. There are enough railroad tracks to follow if the GM needs it too (like the grindylow lair, a bit forced, but the GM/players need to get familiar with underwater situation sooner than later).
I am not a big "pirate" fan, but as I began to read the .pdf I couldn't stop, making this the first AP issue I read "cover-to-cover" before I had the real cover in my hands. Kudos gentlemen! My players are stoked as well and I could have two tables of this going before I know it.
Heironeous, Modrons, long-lived charcaters...all of this was well done making #354 one of the best "reads" of a Dragon magazine I've had in awhile. I especially liked the modron-related material and the reference to the Tertiary modron in the Dungeon adventure "Diplomacy".
I picked this product up as I had a game upcoming that involved friends that are spread all over the West Coast. We're all in the same area a couple times a year and they wanted to start a "quarterly" game. Something episodic fits the bill with the ability to run stuff online inbetween sessions. The Shattered Gates of Slaughtergarde was perfect for this. Three dungeon explorations are the "episodes" of the adventure with lots of goodies (background material for players AND DMs) to keep the game going online with IC chatting, etc. The adventure uses the new encounter format which takes some getting used to...but it does reintroduce me to obscure situational rules and keeps me from bogging the game down with looking the rules up on the PH or DMG. Good stuff. Non-world specific so it allowed me to dig out my old 2E setting (Difonix) and try to think 3E with it.
When the plastic minis first came out a few years ago, I wasn't really sold on them. The paint jobs were poor and the mini's produced were average in scope (pose, type, flair). This opinion has shifted fully in favour of them now. The paint jobs are great and the miniatures are interesting (and durable!). The Gargantuan Black Dragon is no exception. Fine painting, outstanding pose, intimidating presence. Ilthane has a figure now for my Age of Worms game! From a Miniatures perspective, I doubt there's much point in playing it though.
First d20 roll out of the "box"...20! I've had a lot of compliments with this dice set as the colour schemes are very complimentary and the numerals are easily witnessed by the DM from across the table. Chessex makes up over half of my die collection for a reason.
The Scarlet Brotherhood has been an enigma to fans of the Greyhawk setting for years until Sean Reynold's work. The material focuses on the sociology of the Shari and how their world view came to be. This is a perfect example of a Lawful Evil society; they're goals are "right" in their mind and they don't see themselves as truly "evil". The rest of the Flanaess will beg to differ.
Hepmonaland has been touched upon by some old modules and Dungeon adventures and gets excellent treatment here. The portions about the Amedio Jungle will be useful for Spire of Long Shadows and even The Shackled City.
