I'm about to be running Hoard Of The Dragon Queen for the first time, any tips before I begin just in case there are areas of the module that could be improved upon?
Sean McGovern's guides to modules i have always found to be an amazing starting place to pull apart and help run modules to their best. I used a ton of his work on the Tomb of Annihilation campaign I ran and cannot recommend his work enough.
Edit: Oh wait. Not _run under_ 5 hours, but you start in 5 hours! :D
I suggest If you really want to run it to the end, short and sweet, start in Waterdeep with chapter 5 at lvl 4-5. (Although it's too late for that.) Whatever you do, either consider skipping chapter 4, condense the 60 days of travel into a single session, or write more interesting, meaningful encounters (Run Encounter of the weeks backwards between Baldur's Gate and Waterdeep. The current series will probably finish on the 17th of September with the new adventure. https://www.dndbeyond.com/tag/encounter-of-the-week). If your players like being railroaded, you can run as-is, but if they prefer open world, try easing on the time pressure and throw in plot hooks for side quests and character specific quests.
Whatever you do, either consider skipping chapter 4, condense the 60 days of travel into a single session, or write more interesting, meaningful encounters (Run Encounter of the weeks backwards between Baldur's Gate and Waterdeep.
Yeah, look closely at that caravan chapter and figure out how many sessions you want that to last. Big time.
Also look REALLY closely at the last chapter (the one about SkyReach). As is, it's kind of a death trap. Again, decide what your priorities are there, and eliminate or truncate stuff as needed.
Hey All,
I'm about to be running Hoard Of The Dragon Queen for the first time, any tips before I begin just in case there are areas of the module that could be improved upon?
Any and all help is appreciated :)
Sean McGovern's guides to modules i have always found to be an amazing starting place to pull apart and help run modules to their best.
I used a ton of his work on the Tomb of Annihilation campaign I ran and cannot recommend his work enough.
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You can check Sean's guide online on his blog as well: http://thecampaign20xx.blogspot.com/2014/10/tyranny-of-dragons-guide-to-hoard-of.html
Edit: Oh wait. Not _run under_ 5 hours, but you start in 5 hours! :D
I suggest If you really want to run it to the end, short and sweet, start in Waterdeep with chapter 5 at lvl 4-5. (Although it's too late for that.) Whatever you do, either consider skipping chapter 4, condense the 60 days of travel into a single session, or write more interesting, meaningful encounters (Run Encounter of the weeks backwards between Baldur's Gate and Waterdeep. The current series will probably finish on the 17th of September with the new adventure. https://www.dndbeyond.com/tag/encounter-of-the-week). If your players like being railroaded, you can run as-is, but if they prefer open world, try easing on the time pressure and throw in plot hooks for side quests and character specific quests.
Yeah, look closely at that caravan chapter and figure out how many sessions you want that to last. Big time.
Also look REALLY closely at the last chapter (the one about SkyReach). As is, it's kind of a death trap. Again, decide what your priorities are there, and eliminate or truncate stuff as needed.