D&D 5E The Larger Failure of "Tyranny of Dragons"

[darjr]

Id make the Kobolds into servants of said dragon attacking.

They literally were working for the same bad guys..........

And the kobolds are about to rip children to shreds.......

But yea there isn’t “any” reason for the players to fight them. None. Zero. Just kobolds doing what they do. No worries.

not like there is a whole appendix giving reasons why characters might be tied to greenest. But I wasn’t going to use that. I mean when I told my players there was a town under attack by a blue dragon in the distance they literally said “somebody needs to save those people!” And I said “doesn’t look like any heroes around here, guess they’re gonna die” then the dwarf said “well, it is a good day to die, let’s go save em”

 

[Zardnaar]

Ah yes, patronizing those who are not as "hardcore" players as you are.

What utter rubbish. A truly pathetic way of making a point.

This is the equivalent of people on my gaming message-boards deriding the "filthy" casuals.

You have to also remember Amazon reviews are also those who bought the book so people would be inclined to rate it positively.

It's not just ENworld that dumps on it it's all the D&D forums and YouTube.

I would compare it to B2. The adventures not that good but it tops lists of classic adventures because so many people played it and for a lot of people it's their first adventure.

 

[Zardnaar]

They literally were working for the same bad guys..........

And the kobolds are about to rip children to shreds.......

But yea there isn’t “any” reason for the players to fight them. None. Zero. Just kobolds doing what they do. No worries.

not like there is a whole appendix giving reasons why characters might be tied to greenest. But I wasn’t going to use that. I mean when I told my players there was a town under attack by a blue dragon in the distance they literally said “somebody needs to save those people!” And I said “doesn’t look like any heroes around here, guess they’re gonna die” then the dwarf said “well, it is a good day to die, let’s go save em”

There's heroic and suicide. PCs don't know the dragon is more of a backdrop.

I sort of had to point out if they don't intervene no campaign players went in and got a tpk.

So yeah bad taste. They didn't want to do it went in anyway and died. Fun.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

There's heroic and suicide. PCs don't know the dragon is more of a backdrop.

That's not quite true. I know my players and my players know me.

They know I run an action movie type game, and they know I am more likely to let them die if they do something cowardly than if they do something stupidly heroic.

 

[Vael]

I get the idea, start the campaign with a bang, and given the adventure path is supposed to be centered on dragons, have an early dragon encounter. But damn if that whole execution fails. A better path might be to not allow the party to interact with the dragon, and have them already in town. Run the dragon like in Game of Thrones, make it an environmental effect that is just destroying the buildings and people around the party. Make it more about avoiding the Dragon's attacks and fending off the raiders, and just have the Dragon leave once it feels it's task is done.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

But damn if that whole execution fails.

Then change it. I have never seen an adventure so perfect that it can't be vastly improved by adapting it to suit the players - especially when it comes to plot hooks.

 

[Parmandur]

That's not quite true. I know my players and my players know me.

They know I run an action movie type game, and they know I am more likely to let them die if they do something cowardly than if they do something stupidly heroic.

Yeah, and whether now or in 2014, new players are going to be coming in with a video game influenced perspective: they are playing the game to run towards the danger, not away.

 

[Parmandur]

I get the idea, start the campaign with a bang, and given the adventure path is supposed to be centered on dragons, have an early dragon encounter. But damn if that whole execution fails. A better path might be to not allow the party to interact with the dragon, and have them already in town. Run the dragon like in Game of Thrones, make it an environmental effect that is just destroying the buildings and people around the party. Make it more about avoiding the Dragon's attacks and fending off the raiders, and just have the Dragon leave once it feels it's task is done.

One option is, start with Phandelver and splice the campaign in after the caravan section. Insto presto, great intro followed by great follow up.

 

[Zardnaar]

That's not quite true. I know my players and my players know me.

They know I run an action movie type game, and they know I am more likely to let them die if they do something cowardly than if they do something stupidly heroic.

And if you're running in a gamestore with new players?

 

[Vael]

Then change it. I have never seen an adventure so perfect that it can't be vastly improved by adapting it to suit the players - especially when it comes to plot hooks.

Did you not read the rest of my post positing another way to start the adventure? Seriously, why attack when I'm literally providing the answer? WTF?