The Inside Scoop on Gaming

Disclaimer I: I have seen in reviews that the content had "spoiler" ascribed to it. I feel that if you are reading a review, you invite that upon yourself. If you don't want "spoilers," why would you read a review of a product you do not own? I will not use the phrase of "Contains Spoilers" in my reviews, if you want a non-biased review that doesn't reveal content-look elsewhere.

Disclaimer II: The majority of this review is opinion; your actual enjoyment of this product should vary accordingly.

Disclaimer III: The illustrations appearing in this review are not from this product.

"... The parchment reads: 'I'm surprised you'd show up around here again, Madarius. If you keep flaunting your face around town, it's only a matter of time before Krell or Cassatta decides to smash it in. Gods, I'd have half a mind to do that myself if we didn't make such a good team. I'm willing to forgive your last double cross if you see fit to meet me in the alley behind the Blue Ox just before sundown today.' ... It looks like adventure has found you, rather than waiting for you to come to it... " (from back cover)

WARNING SHOT:

I think it was a Carnation commercial, "You're gonna love it in an Instant…" that started this whole thing. Or it must have been a late night grocery run when the designers at Fantasy Flight Games hit the instant breakfast drink section; "I've got an idea for a series of books. Like little packets of powder just adding water, we'll just add adventurers…" Or maybe it was a reaction to the AEG Adventure Keep "booster" series. An eight-page adventure folded sideways (for 16 pages, for those who are counting) makes for a standout presentation, but does it leave a chalky taste in the game master's adventure?

As powdered beverages go, 'Daggers at Midnight' contrives itself as a city adventure. Generically structured to be a launching point of a massive adventure with no conclusion. Well, what should I expect from 16 half-pages? In a series entitled "Instant Adventure," I expect an adventure—meaning, a beginning, middle and an end; pretty simple criteria for any length of adventure. It's easier to write that then the adventure I'm sure.

BEGINNING

'Daggers at Midnight' begins like any other adventure, an NPC walks up and hands the players an adventure lead. Though this time, it's a case of mistaken identity. One of the players' party looks like a thief (Madarius) that robbed the main villain of this sortie.

So, after getting hit with this NPCs message, the party can investigate, flee or wait to get attacked. Being the adventurers that they are, they most likely investigate and going to the location mentioned on the parchment handed to them by the NPC.

MIDDLE

After investigating, or waiting for sundown, the party ends up near an ambush with two of three parties gunning for them. This is an okay "I-bash, you-bash, or let's parley" situation that links in the last third of the parties gunning for the PC "Madarius." It's an okay set-up and simple resolution, but for a short adventure, there's a lot of potential in these brief encounters.

END

Okay. "Madarius" and company are pointed to the main villain who has plans for the shipping lanes of this port city.

Once at this villain's shop, we decide a course of action. If the PC "Madarius" enters this shop, all hell breaks loose in a weird, watery battle-royal. If not, PCs spend time gaining information and may return to break the shop apart.

My only problem is the length of the adventure. Its too topical, and not a lot of substance. Referees may infer a lot of information, but to really have a solid adventure, it requires more meat.

PERSONALITY

Overall, 'Daggers at Midnight' is fair and I like the feel of the adventure. The artwork makes me think of Ninjak and other spy-styled comic books. The adventure starts out as a solid point to depart on a much larger series of adventures, but it suffers from development. It's short, and probably designed to be just a hook with some line, not much more. It speaks of more to come, but I hope it's not another 16 half pages.

Daggers at Midnight
Daggers at Midnight Capsule Review by Alex deMorris on 21/01/02 Style: 4 (Classy and well done) Substance: 3 (Average) Being a short adventure, doesn't mean lacking the fundamentals of plot, development and presentation. A solid, intriguing plot, that fails in development. Product: Daggers at Midnight Author: Mike Mearls Category: RPG Company/Publisher: Fantasy Flight Games Line: Legends & Lairs Cost: $3.95 Page count: 16 half-pages Year published: 2001 ISBN: 1-58994-069-5 SKU: DD22 Comp copy?: yes Capsule Review by Alex deMorris on 21/01/02 Genre tags: Fantasy Espionage Conspiracy Generic	Disclaimer I: I have seen in reviews that the content had "spoiler" ascribed to it. I feel that if you are reading a review, you invite that upon yourself. If you don't want "spoilers," why would you read a review of a product you do not own? I will not use the phrase of "Contains Spoilers" in my reviews, if you want a non-biased review that doesn't reveal content-look elsewhere. Disclaimer II: The majority of this review is opinion; your actual enjoyment of this product should vary accordingly. Disclaimer III: The illustrations appearing in this review are not from this product. "... The parchment reads: 'I'm surprised you'd show up around here again, Madarius. If you keep flaunting your face around town, it's only a matter of time before Krell or Cassatta decides to smash it in. Gods, I'd have half a mind to do that myself if we didn't make such a good team. I'm willing to forgive your last double cross if you see fit to meet me in the alley behind the Blue Ox just before sundown today.' ... It looks like adventure has found you, rather than waiting for you to come to it... " (from back cover) WARNING SHOT: I think it was a Carnation commercial, "You're gonna love it in an Instant…" that started this whole thing. Or it must have been a late night grocery run when the designers at Fantasy Flight Games hit the instant breakfast drink section; "I've got an idea for a series of books. Like little packets of powder just adding water, we'll just add adventurers…" Or maybe it was a reaction to the AEG Adventure Keep "booster" series. An eight-page adventure folded sideways (for 16 pages, for those who are counting) makes for a standout presentation, but does it leave a chalky taste in the game master's adventure? As powdered beverages go, 'Daggers at Midnight' contrives itself as a city adventure. Generically structured to be a launching point of a massive adventure with no conclusion. Well, what should I expect from 16 half-pages? In a series entitled "Instant Adventure," I expect an adventure—meaning, a beginning, middle and an end; pretty simple criteria for any length of adventure. It's easier to write that then the adventure I'm sure. BEGINNING 'Daggers at Midnight' begins like any other adventure, an NPC walks up and hands the players an adventure lead. Though this time, it's a case of mistaken identity. One of the players' party looks like a thief (Madarius) that robbed the main villain of this sortie. So, after getting hit with this NPCs message, the party can investigate, flee or wait to get attacked. Being the adventurers that they are, they most likely investigate and going to the location mentioned on the parchment handed to them by the NPC. MIDDLE After investigating, or waiting for sundown, the party ends up near an ambush with two of three parties gunning for them. This is an okay "I-bash, you-bash, or let's parley" situation that links in the last third of the parties gunning for the PC "Madarius." It's an okay set-up and simple resolution, but for a short adventure, there's a lot of potential in these brief encounters. END Okay. "Madarius" and company are pointed to the main villain who has plans for the shipping lanes of this port city. Once at this villain's shop, we decide a course of action. If the PC "Madarius" enters this shop, all hell breaks loose in a weird, watery battle-royal. If not, PCs spend time gaining information and may return to break the shop apart. My only problem is the length of the adventure. Its too topical, and not a lot of substance. Referees may infer a lot of information, but to really have a solid adventure, it requires more meat. PERSONALITY Overall, 'Daggers at Midnight' is fair and I like the feel of the adventure. The artwork makes me think of Ninjak and other spy-styled comic books. The adventure starts out as a solid point to depart on a much larger series of adventures, but it suffers from development. It's short, and probably designed to be just a hook with some line, not much more. It speaks of more to come, but I hope it's not another 16 half pages.