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Summary
drive books are a giving part of the someone ofDungeons & Dragons5e , providinga structured way for parties to adventure through its exciting illusion humankind . The serious campaigns deliver enceinte fights , memorable stories , and interesting dungeons and environments to explore.5e adventure can vary in quality , however , and the weaker offering can be a struggle to turn into something fun at the game tabular array .
Not every 5e adventure that ’s been published is a properDungeons & Dragonscampaign , and shorter modules ca n’t really be compared with the full - distance tomes . Some anthology of smaller adventures also do n’t extend enough connective tissue paper to necessarily qualify as campaigns , although a few do link thing in a cohesive enough path .
Dungeons & Dragons is n’t the only right TTRPG on the marketplace , and some fantastic alternatives scratch interchangeable itch while tot their own appeal .
18Tyranny Of Dragons Was A Rough Start
Published In 2023
Tyranny of Dragonscombines the first two full - length adventures for 5e , Hoard of the Dragon QueenandThe Rise of Tiamat . It ’s arguably good than the sum of its parts , and it ’s for sure potential to have a good time playing it . The problem is just how harsh those office are , and even some fixes do n’t turnTyranny of Dragonsinto a particularly great adventure .
Tyranny of Dragonswas written before therules forDnD5ewere finalized , and it ’s informal and fundamentally uncompleted in a way that very much betrays that . The early cloth inHoard of the Dragon Queenis arguably the worst wrongdoer , but evenThe Rise of Tiamatstruggles significantly with result like face-off balance . company that dearest flying dragon might still want to seem into this one , but the DM should be aware that runningTyranny of Dragonsexactly as write does n’t tend to go well .
17Princes Of The Apocalypse Is Structurally Weak
Published In 2015
Princes of the Apocalypseis in better shape thanTyranny of Draco , but it ’s another former campaign Word of God that resign before 5e had quite observe its footing . Although this one take a potentially interesting sandpile - oriented coming to a story involving dangerous elementary cults , a weak carrying out of the concept comes back to sting it .
The first few campaign books for 5e were all outsource to various third party companies , withCurse of Strahdbeing the first the right way in - house release .
MakingPrinces of the Apocalypsework well generally requires a DM to put their own employment into stringing dungeons togetherin a meaningful path . A surplus of bland coming upon and a deficiency of social organisation labor the political party to take on affair in the right order can easy become substantial problems , so it ’s not a campaign for any beginner DM to tackle .
16Waterdeep: Dungeon Of The Mad Mage Is One-Note
Published In 2018
Unlike some of the weakestDnD5e campaign book , Waterdeep : Dungeon of the Mad Magehas reasonable potential to be a favorite for the veracious party . It ’s essentially just one liberal mega - dungeon , and anyone who thinks a sprawling , complex crawl sound perfect might bang it .
As a follow - up to the roleplay - orientedWaterdeep : Dragon Heist , however , Dungeon of the Mad Mageis unlikely to land for those who loved its predecessor . It ’s also not a perfect execution of the mega - dungeon conception , withsome inconsistency in the timbre of the crawl and a few blueprint choices that make it difficultfor a DM to actually handle wreak seamlessly .
15Baldur’s Gate: Descent Into Avernus Is Disjointed
Published In 2019
TheBaldur ’s Gatevideo gamesare all excellent experience , but it ’s toilsome to give the same praise to the tie-up - inDnDcampaign bookBaldur ’s Gate : Descent into Avernus . The whole Baldur ’s Gateconcept feel disjoin , with the city ’s appearance coming across as an almost tack - on source section that does n’t connect well to the infernal escapade that come later .
Even in Avernus , a draw of the depicted object feel disconnected and unmotivated , and the whole matter is filled out by too many fetch quest . These can be too linear , while the overall structure is open of leaving players confused . The conception is cool , but make it fun can take some work .
These tip can make certain adventurers are efficaciously prepared for the dangers within Dungeons and Dragon ’s late released " Descent into Avernus . "
14Phandelver And Below: The Shattered Obelisk Is Messy
Lost Mine of Phandelverwas one early standout forDnD5e , a short adventure package into a Starter Set that did agreat job introducing playersto the pith constituent of theDnDexperience . It did n’t reinvent the bicycle , but in getting the fundamentals right , it ’s doubtless made plenty of convert . Phandelver and Below : The tattered ObeliskrevisitedLost Mine of Phandelverto expatiate it into a full - length safari , a project completed to at long last miscellaneous results .
LikeDescent into Avernus , this is another disjointed campaign , with a rocky passage fromThe Lost Mine ’s textile toThe Shattered Obelisk . It still offers some good skeletal textile to build a great drive out of , but without doing any of that workplace , the complete adventure wo n’t be amply realized .
D&D ’s fresh leger , Phandelver & Below : The Shattered Obelisk includes 35 harebrained colossus with a cosmic horror motif , let in these stone .
Custom Image by Katarina Cimbaljevic.
13Out Of The Abyss Can Be Tough To Run
As the last of the early outsourcedDnD5e effort , Out of the Abyssprovides the most uniquely compelling experience of the bunch . Set in the Underdark , the campaign dives into a full-bodied , unearthly , and potentially terrorize corner of the Forgotten Realms . increase difficulty and a survival of the fittest - oriented experiencemake it a good choice for a company that want an extra dose of intensity .
Tuning a campaign in that direction can be difficult , however , andOut of the Abyssstruggles to do so consistently . A difficulty curve that ’s all over the place can require some DM adjustment , as prosperous stretches and TPKs that feel random are both frustrating . In this case , there are enough strong points that putting in the work can be worth it .
12Storm King’s Thunder Has Sandbox Potential
Published In 2016
The large problem withStorm King ’s Thunderis that it can be an absolute mess . discrepant pacing , plot of ground holes , and some narrative elements that never quite connect all add up to limit the default experience of play the adventure . A lot of what ’s in it is good , however , andpatching it up in the right ways can makeStorm King ’s Thundera blast to toy .
It ’s finally a good skeleton in the cupboard for a great adventure , and it can be one of the more novice - friendly choice when handled correctly .
A political party interested in somewhat freeform geographic expedition of a cool setting ( the jumbo - heavy Savage Frontier ) could particularly enjoyStorm King ’s Thunder , provide the DM is good at filling in the opening . It ’s ultimately a good frame for a gravid adventure , and it can beone of the more beginner - favorable option when cover right .
11Dragonlance: Shadow Of The Dragon Queen Is Solid
Published In 2022
Dragonlance : Shadow of the Dragon Queenhas a tough bequest to live up to as 5e ’s defining venture into the fourth dimension - honored Dragonlance setting , and it can shinny to bear all of that weighting on its shoulders . In that paying attention , the results can be miscellaneous , with both hatful of beautiful details and some decision that will in all likelihood rag long - time fans .
Taken in its own right wing , Shadow of the Dragon Queenis a solid adventure , and it ’s generally easier to run than the weakerDnD5e campaigns . A strong story in a war - buck humans makes a generally railroad - y approach tardily enough to stomach , and some tough fighting encounters can be fun for a party that loves the kick of the fight .
The latest Dungeons & Dragons offering , Dragonlance : Shadow of the Dragon Queen , is unlike in a few ways from previous Forgotten Realms movement .
10Quests From The Infinite Staircase Has Great Adventures
Published In 2024
pursuit from the Infinite Staircaseisn’t the first 5e book to revisit classicDnDmodules , and some might indicate thatTales from the Yawning Portalis still the good anthology in 5e . The newer book does provide more thorough guidance on stringing them into a campaign , however , qualify it as a campaign ledger in a way thatTales from the Yawning Portaljust does n’t quite manage .
The adventures here are classic for a reason , and the sci - fiExpedition from the Barrier Peaksis a memorable grand stopping point . There ’s also a good bit ofvariety in the adventures , with some division provide more to classical dungeon crawl and others offering great roleplay opportunities . structure it as a campaign will still feel disjoin equate to a traditional crusade book , but it could be a great clock time for a company that does n’t mind that .
dungeon & Dragons ' late book , quest From The Infinite Staircase , is an anthology of six update classic adventures from D&D story .
9Critical Role: Call Of The Netherdeep Is Good For Fans
Critical Rolehas been a Brobdingnagian part of bringing people intoDnD5e ’s fold , so a cause book in Matthew Mercer ’s Exandria setting pass water a lot of sense . Call of the Netherdeepdoesn’t permit down Critical Role ’s strong trade name mental image , work some interesting ideas like a party of rivals to the table . If the party stays on track , it also forge directly out of the box in a way that a heap of 5e effort do n’t , although straying from the core route could press more employment on the DM .
Like Critical Role , lore and descriptive setting are a big part ofCall of the Netherdeep , which will invoke more to some players than others . There are still some structural yield that keep it from being among the good 5e modules , but it ’s a good choice for fans of the show .
