HS1: The Slaying Stone

The Slaying Stones Thoughts:

My players are just about to finish the module as I wrote this.

I found the module too open-ended. Often the players were left wondering what to do and the game slowed down considerably. I would have like to have more dungeon like buildings for the character's to explore. My players were new and did not understand skill challenges. 

I thought the stealth challenge could have been more straight forward. The players were puzzled how to go about the stealth challenge, enter an encounter, then still not set off the alarm.

I played this module twice, and in my previous group the party chose to attack the dragon to get the Slaying Stone, there was no option for a violent encounter with the dragon, and once players get to the dragon, the module doesn't suggest any sample text to set up the dragon.

The module could of included sample text to start off the conversations with NPCS. Characters needed more development, more sample conversation text.

I'm pleased the encounters used only the dungeon tiles and the two battle-maps included.

The two battlemaps only last for 4 encounters, unlike the Reavers of Harkenwold which reuses different sections of the same battlemap.

My most favorable memories of this module, were when the players argued over who got what treasure. The players decided to not trust the wererat, and not trust the Kiris Alkirk and Treona in the tower. I ended up introducing Dreus, by giving the players a sending stone but the players, but the players quickly covered it up before I could introduce Dreus as an angry sorceress, upset that she did not get the slaying stone.

All in all, its very open module, but it also feels like some standard things were left out. Because the module is very open, the ending can be very unpredictable.

I'm looking forward to playing the Reavers of Harkenwold, I plan to make Dreus a Sorceress of the Iron Circle.