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| Quirin Adventure #5: The Secrets of Maevis |
$5.49 $4.49 |
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Publisher: GMC
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Quirin Adventure #5: The Secrets of Maevis is a d20 Fantasy adventure from GMC, and is the sequel to Quirin Adventure #2: First Challenge. The zipped file is just over nine megabytes in size, and contains two PDFs. One is the main file, which is forty-five pages long, and the other is a printer-friendly version thereof. Both are fully bookmarked and have a hyperlinked table of contents.
This adventure is one with plenty of art. The covers are both full color, as are the maps that are presented. Most of the interior pictures are in black and white, and there are black and white reproductions of the maps as well. The printer-friendly version removes the covers, as well as all of the artwork and maps, reducing the page count by ten.
Taking place in the town of Clearwood, from First Challenge, The Secrets of Maevis has the PCs undermining a cult of an evil deity. Long ago, a holy warrior named Maevis lost his faith in his god when his wife was slain, and turned to an evil faith called the Moonwalkers. However, during an attack on the cult headquarters of his new religion, he was weakened and turned to stone. Now the Moonwalkers have finally located Maevis again, and are planning on undoing his petrifaction so as to let this unholy warrior rejoin their ranks, unless the PCs can stop them.
The adventure is one that takes place over the course of several days, with key events happening at certain times. The setup makes it quite possible that the PCs can arrive too early or too late for an event, which does make it seem like they're characters in a living world. However, it also makes it far more likely that they encounter Maevis after he's been brought back, and instead have to defeat him then and there, which is no easy task for 2nd-level characters. After the adventure, there are a few appendices presenting a new item, a few new magic items, and stat blocks for every monster and NPC in the adventure.
While the premise and execution for The Secrets of Maevis are both well done, the layout is rather poor, and that drastically affects how easy it is for a GM to read, comprehend, and run this adventure. Everything from the adventure background to the encounters are written in a style that is, quite frankly, overwhelming. Characters and events are mentioned one after another with little introduction, going on for paragraph after paragraph, to the point where it seems very hard to follow. Most GMs will probably want to separately take notes off to the side regarding who is who and what happens when so as to puzzle out what's going on. With so many things happening, it all just becomes very hard to follow.
Ultimately, The Secrets of Maevis is a good idea that is largely undone by the style of writing. The unrelenting writing feels almost like an assault, and comes across as intimidating. A GM with plenty of time and patience will be able to break it down into manageable chunks, however, and once that's done, this becomes a very plot-focused and intriguing adventure. The Secrets of Maevis demands a very high level of commitment from a Game Master who wants to run it, but it offers a grand adventure for those willing to do so.
LIKED: The focus of the adventure is intense, and offers a very tight adventure that is rich in depth. Also, an included web enhancement provides information on Clearwood from Quirin Adventure #2: First Challenge for those who don't own that product, as well as a discount to buy it.
DISLIKED: The writing style of this product is overwhelming, to the point of making it somewhat hard to read. GMs will have to wad through the thick blocks of text and note who's who and what's happening before they can get the firm grasp they'll need to run this adventure.
QUALITY: Acceptable
VALUE: Satisfied
Rating:  [3 of 5 Stars!] |
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