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 HotDQ vs. Lost Mines of Phandelver

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T O P I C    R E V I E W
farinal Posted - 23 May 2016 : 18:53:07
I have recently bought the core 3 books of the 5E and I want to give a shot to the adventures too. How would you compare the adventure of the Starter Set to the Hoard of the Dragon Queen? In terms of quality and story? Also how does the follow up Rise of Tiamat do in these terms?

How railroad or sandbox they are? I think the Hoard is more like a strict encounters adventure but does the Lost Mines have a mini sandbox campaign vibe?

I have read more negative comments on the Hoard and more positive on the Lost Mines so I want to be sure which one is better to get. Thanks.
10   L A T E S T    R E P L I E S    (Newest First)
Dewaint Posted - 25 May 2016 : 09:18:05
BTW, I Have to second Joran.

IMO Princes of the Apocalypse greatly fits as next surface oriented adventure after LMoP.
Some plots from LMoP (e.g. Wyvern Tor, Old Owl Well) brings you traveling the Triboar Trail, where some rumors or entrypoints to PotA
can be easily introduced.
KanzenAU Posted - 25 May 2016 : 08:11:12
I personally loved Hoard and Rise, but they required A LOT of DM work to fully flesh them out and make them feel organic. Lost Mine is a great adventure, loved it a lot, as it's especially good at introducing new players to D&D. It's a pretty generic setting, but that's not always a bad thing. Minimal DM work required. I'm running my second group through it now, but I will never take the effort to run another group through Hoard/Rise - loved them, but a lot of time and effort required to oil the joints.
Diffan Posted - 25 May 2016 : 05:34:42
There's also a mini-adventure for the Curse of Strahd campaign that takes characters from 1st to 3rd level. It was releas on WotC site. That one looks like fun too.
Brimstone Posted - 24 May 2016 : 22:28:10
quote:
Originally posted by farinal

quote:
Originally posted by Brimstone

I take it that Lost Mines is in the starter set?



Yeah


Thanks!
Wooly Rupert Posted - 24 May 2016 : 21:41:00
It's the only reason I got the Starter Set... Though I was pleasantly surprised to find that the included dice were identical to a set I used for several years. I was expecting boring, generic polyhedrals, not ones I liked enough that I'd previously bought them for myself.
farinal Posted - 24 May 2016 : 20:52:47
quote:
Originally posted by Brimstone

I take it that Lost Mines is in the starter set?



Yeah
Brimstone Posted - 24 May 2016 : 17:18:57
I take it that Lost Mines is in the starter set?
Dewaint Posted - 24 May 2016 : 14:04:21
I would say both provides great fun, depending on the Player/DM:

LMoP looks to me more designed for newbie players and DM as sandbox full of potential for further adventure developments, exploration of the 5e rules, and regional Area alike. You can start playing and having fun without much preparation beforehand.
IMO a fantastic starting point to develop your (new/first)Forgotten Realms campaign. A lot of adventure hooks you can delve in.

HotDQ and the RoT needs probably a more DM leading approach to daisy chained events. Long travel sections, much to develop for DM from sketchy NPC descriptions, more intrigues, mysteries, and political fraction interactions.
IMO for more experienced and devoted players and DM alike. Already familiar with the Forgotten Realms setting, and players with own driving opinions, goals in the Realms.

hope it helps
Diffan Posted - 23 May 2016 : 19:35:29
My group played through Lost Minds of Phandelver and all died, lol. They were, however, using playtest material at the time so maybe some of that was more based on mechanics than what they have access to now.

After we got some 5e books, my buddy started us on HotDQ and so far, it's been fun. I mean you start off attempting to save a town currently being attacked by a Dragon and it's forces. That part felt very free-form, sot of pick where to go and who to help first. As for the overall campaign, I'm not sure as I was a player and not the DM. I think if you're looking for a long-haul campaign then HotDQ might be better but if you want a classic dungeon-delve to grab loot OR to put into the middle of your campaign, Lost Mines is better.
Joran Nobleheart Posted - 23 May 2016 : 19:09:11
I would go with The Lost Mines of Phandelver. It's better written, and you don't feel as though your character is being railroaded down a particular path with no real decisions. My players loved the Starter Set, but really disliked Hoard of the Dragon Queen. I even spoke with Wolfgang Baur at GenCon last year about Hoard and Rise. I understood that the former was designed and written while 5E was being revised and designed, which can cause some confusion at points in the adventure. I let him know that I'm hoping to see another adventure with his company for 5E now that the rules were solid.

Lost Mines of Phandelver just feels more open and natural, where HotDQ and the RoT feel forced (at least to me). You should also check out Princes of the Apocalypse and Out of the Abyss. Both are superior to HotDQ and RoT in my book. Curse of Strahd is another one that is phenomenal and filled with adventure and potential. My players are enjoying that one currently.

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