Steve Jackson Games Forums - View Single Post - GURPS Dungeon Fantasy Adventure 1: Mirror of the Fire Demon

Athanbeli · 01-14-2012, 04:01 PM

So, at last we got the first (of so many more to come) DF adventure. I’ve just read it cover to cover and I’m liking this product, overall. Several good hints are present, and as a game-aid it seems quite useful (henchthings, scaling guidelines, sample wilderness events/encounters etc).
Of course, being an adventure, its real worth should be tested in actual play!
I’m noting those few things not entirely to my liking.

Scarcity of colour and character: just because every single GM is going to adapt the adventure to his own campaign should not excuse that. I’m also fond of the almost traditional boxed text to be read to the players (when dramatic, while not too long) which is not present in MotFD. Another example: the Flame Servant Demon - supposedly one of the more interesting new creatures – does not deserve a mere word of description! Even skeletons get a slightly kinder treatment!

Art: an issue related to the one above. A couple of good illustrations are there, but in the whole, art is almost completely unrelated to the content. No Mirror, no Fire, no Demon are depicted…weird! Moreover, the only hint to the desert is a guy in loose robes and a flat turban. Also, being nostalgic of drawn maps, I’m not fond of digital ones, expecially when they represent very simple locales such as the ones in the adventure. Sure, this is more a matter of personal taste.

Format: I truly appreciate the boldening of relevant skills, in the spirit of hallowed DF:2! Yet, the presence of monsters in a given area should be immediately evident. Instead, here you often have to read the whole paragraph. No boss monster or other tricky supernatural confrontation, which is an unusual choice (apart from the extruding skeletons, which made me chuckle...). Quantity over quality. Moreover, the chapter describing the npcs is way too long and overdetailed (reminds me of the boring parts of Abydos), while not isolating the most relevant stats (primary combat skills, damage, DR), just like they used to do in pre-DF eras.

Typo: the Stone Golem appears on DF2, page 26, not Adventurers.

01-14-2012, 04:01 PM	#27
Athanbeli Join Date: May 2007 Location: Verona, Italy	Re: GURPS Dungeon Fantasy Adventure 1: Mirror of the Fire Demon So, at last we got the first (of so many more to come) DF adventure. I’ve just read it cover to cover and I’m liking this product, overall. Several good hints are present, and as a game-aid it seems quite useful (henchthings, scaling guidelines, sample wilderness events/encounters etc). Of course, being an adventure, its real worth should be tested in actual play! I’m noting those few things not entirely to my liking. Scarcity of colour and character: just because every single GM is going to adapt the adventure to his own campaign should not excuse that. I’m also fond of the almost traditional boxed text to be read to the players (when dramatic, while not too long) which is not present in MotFD. Another example: the Flame Servant Demon - supposedly one of the more interesting new creatures – does not deserve a mere word of description! Even skeletons get a slightly kinder treatment! Art: an issue related to the one above. A couple of good illustrations are there, but in the whole, art is almost completely unrelated to the content. No Mirror, no Fire, no Demon are depicted…weird! Moreover, the only hint to the desert is a guy in loose robes and a flat turban. Also, being nostalgic of drawn maps, I’m not fond of digital ones, expecially when they represent very simple locales such as the ones in the adventure. Sure, this is more a matter of personal taste. Format: I truly appreciate the boldening of relevant skills, in the spirit of hallowed DF:2! Yet, the presence of monsters in a given area should be immediately evident. Instead, here you often have to read the whole paragraph. No boss monster or other tricky supernatural confrontation, which is an unusual choice (apart from the extruding skeletons, which made me chuckle...). Quantity over quality. Moreover, the chapter describing the npcs is way too long and overdetailed (reminds me of the boring parts of Abydos), while not isolating the most relevant stats (primary combat skills, damage, DR), just like they used to do in pre-DF eras. Typo: the Stone Golem appears on DF2, page 26, not Adventurers. __________________ My Vanity Vent...