Dragons of Autumn [Paperback]

I've been wanting these adventures adapted to 3.5 for a long time and they are finally here. The adaptors of this series of adventures have done a fine job of updating (and improving) a classic. Gone are the confusing maps. Welcome to a balanced party (no more 3rd level Raistlin, 7th level fighters.) The adventure also helps those who want to create their own characters (which I've found most players do).
One does need to own, in addition to the D&D core rulebooks, the Dragonlance Campaign Setting and the War of the Lance accessory, and it wouldn't hurt to be familiar with the original trilogy of novels either. In other words, this is probably only for fans willing to make the investment.

I agree with everything the other reviewer (CW) has to say about this collection - I would even go so far as to argue that for a Dungeon Master reading the work of fiction these modules are based on, Dragons of Autumn Twilight (by Weis and Hickman) is mandatory. For those who haven't read it, go out and buy it right now - it's a classic of the sword and sorcery genre and spawned a huge number of Dragonlance fans after its publication. On the other hand if you're one of those rare few who DON'T enjoy the Weis and Hickman book it's best to find that out first before buying this or the other d20 Dragonlance products - if you don't like the Weis and Hickman novel there's a very good chance you won't like the d20 Dragonlance products either.

The Dragonlance Campaign Setting and Dragonlance War of the Lance books are also mandatory to get full enjoyment out of this collection of modules - the other d20 Dragonlance books are a lot of fun but not quite so much of a requirement. However the two aforementioned titles are more than worth the monetary investment and does a wonderful job of bringing the Dragonlance rules to life in today's d20 setting. The writers of the Dragons of Autumn Twilight module collection assume that the player characters will be after the same goals the fictional characters from Dragons of Autumn Twilight (Weis and Hickman novel) pursued - defeating the dragonarmies that seek to enslave all of Krynn - so Dungeon masters should ensure that player characters generated for this setting are either of Good alignment (as in the "We're going to save the world because it's the right thing to do" sort of inclination) or have some other strong motivation for doing battle with the foes featured in this collection of modules. A lot of players and DM's have fun generating different characters other than the heroes of the Weis and Hickman novel and running through the Dragonlance setting with them - basically a "what if the Dragonlance wars were fought by different people" sort of alternate world scenario.

At Amazon's price it works out to roughly five dollars a module (this is a collection of the first four Dragonlance modules published way back decades ago but updated to the d20 version 3.0/3.5 rules) if you choose the free shipping and handling option which is definitely a fair price.

The only real complaint I have with this collection of modules is the way experience is handled - basically the characters automatically go up a level whenever they accomplish the major goal/conclusion set out in each of the four modules. I would have preferred to see a specific amount of experience points mentioned for each particular non-combat task the characters successfully complete, the sum of which (along with the normal xp award for monsters defeated along the way) equaling the amount needed to advance a level. Dungeon masters using the xp and challenge rating rules mentioned in the Dungeonmaster's Guide (version 3.0/3.5) can probably do an ad-hoc job of generating xp amounts themselves but it's that much additional work for the DM. It's been my experience that players are used to getting an xp award at the end of each gaming session, and as D&D veterans will attest it will certainly take more than one four to five hour gaming session to complete a module. Still I would say this collection is more than worth the price and an excellent investment as long as the potential buyer takes the aforementioned points into consideration.

ok.. i have read the books at least 4 times each. i've fantasized about setting my poor players into the dragonlance campaign setting (who has run a campaign and not thought about doing that?). it would have been a huge, painstaking ordeal to set every monster up.. to follow every plot and thoughtline in the books... but this guide and its companions (dragons of winter and dragons of spring) save SO much time and effort. they give the DM everything he/she will ever need to run the books as an actual game. It is a bit odd, in that players are not given experience for fighting (something almost every player i have been with will wonder about), but XP is supposed to be given out for overcoming challenges and getting to certain points in the story. while different, i definitely like that change. there are timelines to follow, although they aren't extremely stringent or life-threatening. mostly, if you keep moving, the party will be fine. stay in one place too long, and the dragonarmies will catch up to you. freedom of what to do is slightly limited, because of what the story IS, and how well people know the original material. This series actually adds parts that were cut from the original books and makes them into huge, important quests.

Overall, i'd definitely suggest all three of these books for a group that enjoys the original books. it'll definitely be a change from simple hack'n'slash for a few weeks.

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 3 reviews  4.3 out of 5 stars