Note: This review was originally written in 1993. It is being republished "as is."
Presented as the first in a "four season saga" representing Spring, A Midsummer Night's Dream is a 98-page Ars Magica adventure depicting the struggles of a newly-founded Magi's covenant. Like other White Wolf products, A Midsummer Night's Dream focuses on story continuity while striving to allow for the players' plot twists.
A Midsummer Night's Dream fails on that count and on several others, but it's not for lack of trying. There are a few redeeming qualities in this tale of survival amid harsh reality that make it interesting, but overall the adventure felt scripted, with an overbearing emphasis on dry diplomacy without the release of straight action.
The action centers on an impending crusade that, at first, seems remote, but quickly spreads to the more isolated areas of Mythic Europe to the same area the characters have established their new covenant. The supplement is divided into an introduction and five chapters, each a new development in the campaign.
The introduction sets down the background and setting of the campaign and recommends the adventures not be run simultaneously, but instead as a kind of overarching common plotline between other shorter, less significant adventures. A section on theme informs the referee that the scenario is meant to teach characters that the "virtues of freedom must be earned" and that they must fight to keep their freedoms from being curtailed. It felt heavy-handed, however, as if it were placed so far to the center of the stage that it overrode the fun of the storyline.
The first chapter has the characters attending a tribunal to discuss - among other matters - the impending crusade. It's the most heavy section of roleplaying in the whole adventure, and player reaction will depend on referee staging and skill.
Chapter Two contains some of the more interesting NPCs. Captain Hagen, an ambitious yet insecure young soldier and his manipulative mother, Alicia, have been transferred by the church to a minor, less threatening post. Unfortunately for the characters, Hagen is determined to play his own misguided role in the crusade.
A thread from the first chapter becomes important in chapter three when a member of the tribunal becomes involved with a village and its pagan ties to faeries. Captain Hagen discovers the "infidels" and -- barring any pesky character interference - creates a disaster. In retribution, the faeries release an ancient curse.
I was struck at this point by how little say the PCs had in the outcome of events. It's ironic that this supplement is named after a Shakespeare play, because as I read through the adventure, I felt as if I were watching a stage production not as a cooperative adventure, but as a non-participant. The events read almost as if the PCs aren't present.
In chapter four the PCs are forced to deal with the curse and take direct action against Hagen. But by then it's too late. The final chapter comes after such a morass of thwarted efforts that the players might not be in a mood to finish. A great deal seems to lie in saying the right thing to the right person, and I have this sneaking suspicion players will end up frustrated as they watch other people (primarily, the referee) do all the interesting stuff.
To be fair, there are a number of opportunities for subplots, where players can follow up on leads or go their own way, but these are left for the referee to develop. There are also points where players can break free of the "most attractive" plotline, but they are discouraged with heavy negative die roll modifiers.
In short, this is scenario I wouldn't mind skipping. Some of the personalities are well drawn up, and there are some interesting psychological things going on between the major NPCs. If you enjoy character interaction and are patient, you may find some fun moments in this scenario, provided you have a hardworking, inspired and imaginative referee. However, if you rebel against heavy-handed plotting and diplomacy without compensating action, you may very well find yourself disliking this scenario.
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