Adventures in Faerun offers a brand new template for D&D marketing campaign setting books – quick, impactful adventures that may be plugged into nearly any journey, deep dives right into a handful of locales, and loads of room for additional exploration in marketing campaign books or future content material. This guide is far larger and deeper than previous marketing campaign setting books – it is most likely the “largest” marketing campaign setting guide since Van Richten’s Information to Ravenloft and is a lot better organized. When coupled with Heroes of Faerun, Adventures in Faerun marks a whole turnaround for the marketing campaign setting product launched by Wizards of the Coast, though I am most fascinated about whether or not the Forgotten Realms books succeed due to the general depth of the setting or if it is on account of a concerted effort to supply extra for his or her readers.
Mini-Adventures in Overdrive
The primary chapter of Adventures in Faerun is a group of mini-adventures written within the type of pattern adventures discovered within the Dungeon Grasp’s Information. Every journey comprises a hook, a collection of small encounters, and a conclusion, in addition to (in lots of circumstances) a map. For probably the most half, these maps aren’t populated with descriptions and even secondary objects of curiosity similar to hidden treasure. All of that’s as much as the DM to fill out both on their very own beforehand or on the fly.
It looks as if D&D is sticking with these stripped down and easy adventures, and actually that is most likely a superb factor. Whereas lots of the adventures in Adventures in Faerun fall into some type of particular Forgotten Realms theme, both based mostly on the area it takes place in or on account of some tie to a god, faction, or excessive magic related to the Realms, these adventures will be inserted into any marketing campaign fairly simply. I might simply flip any of those mini-adventures into one thing that would fill a session of play, with solely the scantest little bit of modification wanted to suit the journey into some higher storyline.
Truthfully, these adventures are a few of the extra helpful instruments to be introduced to DMs shortly. A few of the adventures really feel a bit formulaic, however I do really feel that collections of adventures coupled with different content material (such because the gazetteers we see later within the guide) are infinitely helpful as they lower down on prep-time significantly.
A Totally different Strategy To Gazetteers
The majority of Adventures in Faerun is devoted to 5 deep dives into numerous areas of the Forgotten Realms. Every area is supposed to signify a special type of playstyle inside D&D – the Dalelands represents exploration of tranquil areas full of misplaced ruins and secrets and techniques whereas Icewind Dale represents survival horror. Whereas every of those chapters has a number of gazetteers digging into websites of pursuits and key NPCs, the contrasting marketing campaign kinds that happen in these areas are additionally delved into through a DM-facing part giving steerage however not guides on the best way to incorporate the chilly isolation of winter into an Icewind Dale marketing campaign or the best way to take care of the competing intrigues of genies.
Whereas comparatively temporary, I feel this steerage builds off what we noticed with Van Richten’s Information to Ravenloft, during which numerous Domains represented completely different sorts of horror, however in a approach that is much less divisive to purists. As an alternative of molding a world to suit a selected type of story, the guide as a substitute exhibits the best way to match a type of story into a selected area. This does not imply which you can’t construct a horror marketing campaign within the Moonshae Isles or an intrigue marketing campaign in Icewind Dale, nevertheless it offers some extra useful examples as to how the various world of the Forgotten Realms can be utilized to a DM’s benefit.
I additionally preferred that every part offers a normal define on the best way to tempo a number of sorts of campaigns inside every part. This offers DMs extra of a hook on the best way to craft a marketing campaign than what we noticed within the Spelljammer or Planescape boxed units, however nonetheless offers a normal stage of freedom to construct the marketing campaign the way in which they’d like. When coupled with the quick adventures we discover on this guide, I’m wondering if this would be the new approach ahead for marketing campaign steerage from Wizards. Provided that the full-length campaigns of latest years have fallen flat, it is perhaps simpler to stay with broad brushes and particular person mini-adventures that may be plugged in at a DM’s leisure.
A Step Up For Marketing campaign Setting Books
Wizards of the Coast has struggled with marketing campaign setting books over the previous few years. The Spelljammer boxed set was actually missing and the Planescape guide felt prefer it barely scratched the floor of what made that setting really feel so distinctive. The Dragonlance marketing campaign setting materials was broadly panned by followers of that setting as nicely (though which will have been mired by the rocky relationship between Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman and Wizards at the moment as nicely). Wizards hasn’t put out a very good marketing campaign setting guide since Van Richten’s Information to Ravenloft, and even that guide was controversial on account of how a lot it modified numerous Domains of Dread.
In distinction with more moderen setting books, that is really a return to type. Though not exhaustive by any means, Adventures in Faerun (and its sister guide Heroes of Faerun) appears like a unbelievable showcase of the Forgotten Realms. Whereas we have seen a few of these areas earlier than in Fifth Version books, offering a devoted house for this sort of content material makes it really feel vital fairly than simply filler for a marketing campaign.
Whereas my D&D campaigns at all times happen in bespoke settings, I’ve at all times turned to marketing campaign setting books for inspiration on what I am operating subsequent. There are a number of kernels and plot hooks which have gotten the gears turning on future campaigns on this guide. Plus, the mini-adventures are helpful instruments for any DM to have of their again pocket as nicely. Whereas one might argue in regards to the general worth level of those two books, that is a few of the greatest marketing campaign setting materials we have gotten from Wizards of the Coast in fairly a while.
