This seems to be becoming a recurring theme with two recent D&D Adventures, Goblin Patrol and The Tenebrous Stone.
Firstly, the map is "large", measuring 150ft x 175ft in size.. But it's literally mostly empty. There are a ton of elevation changes, random bridges... and two encounters, both at ground level, with the first nearly impossible to get 'above' and the second offering no opportunity to intentionally do so (you might accidentally do it by wandering). That's a huge amoung of dead space for no good reason other than "The map looks big." You could have made this two rooms with multiple passageways that lead from one to the other and it'd have the same effect.
Secondly, (and this map is far less varied so it's not as pronounced as Goblin Patrol) but you haven't keyed the map. You've "described" how the players will approach, as if every group just wanders up without any caution, and you've said things like "from the high ground" without actually pointing out which high ground from a selection of eight possible places.
Is it too much to ask to put a 1, 2, 3, 4 etc and refer to those locations?
Abomination Vaults, created by your direct competitor sold on this site, has exactly the right way of building maps for digital use. A scrolling thumnail map, numbers on every room that correspond to the different sections, and even in some places details of the corridors.
This is at best a single "scenario" in two parts and it in no way helps new Dungeon Masters to understand how to build their own scenarios or adventures, how to make worthwhile maps for their play, or how to read properly made ones.
If this is the quality of "adventures" that WoTC intends to produce in the future, we'd be better off paying for the One Shot Wonders packs (also sold on this site) than any official adventures. At least it's billed as a one page adventure where you build out the details yourself.
This adventure wasn't designed by D&D Beyond, so this wouldn't be the place for feedback on it. This is D&D Beyond Feedback after all, not "D&D Feedback"
This seems to be becoming a recurring theme with two recent D&D Adventures, Goblin Patrol and The Tenebrous Stone.
Firstly, the map is "large", measuring 150ft x 175ft in size.. But it's literally mostly empty. There are a ton of elevation changes, random bridges... and two encounters, both at ground level, with the first nearly impossible to get 'above' and the second offering no opportunity to intentionally do so (you might accidentally do it by wandering). That's a huge amoung of dead space for no good reason other than "The map looks big." You could have made this two rooms with multiple passageways that lead from one to the other and it'd have the same effect.
Secondly, (and this map is far less varied so it's not as pronounced as Goblin Patrol) but you haven't keyed the map. You've "described" how the players will approach, as if every group just wanders up without any caution, and you've said things like "from the high ground" without actually pointing out which high ground from a selection of eight possible places.
Is it too much to ask to put a 1, 2, 3, 4 etc and refer to those locations?
Abomination Vaults, created by your direct competitor sold on this site, has exactly the right way of building maps for digital use. A scrolling thumnail map, numbers on every room that correspond to the different sections, and even in some places details of the corridors.
This is at best a single "scenario" in two parts and it in no way helps new Dungeon Masters to understand how to build their own scenarios or adventures, how to make worthwhile maps for their play, or how to read properly made ones.
If this is the quality of "adventures" that WoTC intends to produce in the future, we'd be better off paying for the One Shot Wonders packs (also sold on this site) than any official adventures. At least it's billed as a one page adventure where you build out the details yourself.
Looking back, Hold Back the Dead suffers from 'scenario vison' too. Scions of Elemental Evil was probably the last free "real adventure".
This adventure wasn't designed by D&D Beyond, so this wouldn't be the place for feedback on it. This is D&D Beyond Feedback after all, not "D&D Feedback"
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