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Love to hear feedback! Module: Cartographer Temple

1516395040

Edited 1516400584
Jeromy S.
Marketplace Creator
Hey, all! My first module has gone up and has seen some sales. I would love to hear feedback from anyone who's run it so I know if there's anything that needs improving in future releases. Feedback on the market page would also be appreciated. Is there anything there that would particularly inspire you to buy/pass on this module? Rumors tell of an ancient race with the miraculous ability to make extremely detailed maps of areas of the world they never laid eyes on. For years scholars have searched for information that would lead them to the cartographers device, rumored to be the source of this ability. Merchants with dreams of discovering distant lands and making their fortunes have funded explorations and research. Now someone has put out a call for adventurers to delve into an ancient temple buried under the earth near the sea. This module is listed as an adventure 2-5 sessions. I listed it as such because it took my players 2 sessions with the Pre-adventure plot hook and such, but I think it could be run as a one shot if the DM trims a bit here and there and the players are on task. You can find it here, if you haven't picked it up and it sounds interesting ---&gt; <a href="https://marketplace.roll20.net/browse/module/69/th" rel="nofollow">https://marketplace.roll20.net/browse/module/69/th</a>...
1516423548

Edited 1516424866
Gold
Forum Champion
Hi Jeromy! I was hoping you would start a thread where I can start giving feedback. I like the module product a lot. It is not bad, and has some cool unique features (especially the illustrated handouts). Something I like is this adventure can be incorporated into an ongoing campaign relatively easily, a marketable feature. I'll be able to review it more thoroughly after one of my gaming groups actually plays through, when it fits into an ongoing game. For now this is based on impressions, scrolling through the contents. The first main room trap is grand, particularly the water-overlay combined with the perspective-illustration Handout graphic of the room. That is well-done using Roll20 transparency (where the water rises around the room but not fully engulfing the dais), and using GM Layer (where the water graphic is, at-first, with the GM moving the water to Token Layer when the trap is filling up). I really like that, very reminiscent of classic AD&D module trap rooms. The later puzzle with the runes font also seems good with the Handouts revealing letters in stages like Wheel Of Fortune; but I will be eager to see how players actually approach the Trap(s) and Puzzle(s) and whether they need a lot of hints from the GM or can figure it out on their own in-game. I'll let you know. I suspect both the trap and puzzle could be difficult for some players, but can be outsmarted by clever ones who ask enough questions and look around carefully. Not pinning failure on new or old players; sometimes it's the new players with fresh eyes and ideas who can solve puzzles faster than jaded experienced players. The overall series of illustrated Handouts, are a leading feature of this module, and if anything I wish there were more & look forward to your next module containing more of this style where you have a mapped-out room and a corresponding Image Handout that gives additional clues. There are actually 9 Image Handouts in this, but several of them are for one Puzzle, so I'm mainly complimenting the "Entry Room" image handout; and the Statue and the Cartographers device drawings. The colorized-sketch-illustration art style appearance is fine, on Handouts like Statue and on the 3 maps, it's authentic and appears hand-drawn. I think that is equally old-school (with the underlying maps and slightly unfinished drawing style), and also artistic with the color washes, and also a good use of the VTT. The 3 colorized drawn maps are actually not unlike the official D&D 5e map art style, it's compatible in tone, where the maps look like pencil-ink drawing with watercolor wash rather than a realistic texturized computer-generated map style. The 5 custom monster tokens are adequate. From this art style I prefer the maps and illustrations, over the monsters' appearance. The effect is a bit more flat on the monster drawings, but they get the job done and it is important to have them included. No problem with the Plot Hooks, room descriptions, GM notes, trap notes. Everything under Journals tab came up clean, easy to read, appears easy for a GM to understand and follow and modify; not convoluted, not super-long fluff-piece ancient history reading. Quick text skim, a little bit of GM thinking about my own specific group and how to customize it, and then you're ready to roll. Not a ton of pre-reading or prep for the GM. You get enough to go-on. I like the room numbers transparently on the GM layer. That is becoming more-and-more of a standard in Roll20 or VTT module maps. Things I didn't like as much, felt there was room for improvement, meant as constructive comments or suggestions: 1. Are you able to put a Game Image for the Game Details page? I ended up downloading "The Cartographers Temple"&nbsp; logo that you have in your post, above, and had to place that myself on the Game Details. Would be cool if that came filled-in when you install module. 2. An opening Page inside the game -- could be called a Landing Page or a Start Page -- would also be nice. Right now it opens directly into "Entry Room". It would be nice to have a blank page, or a title page, or a grassy field, or a plain stone room, or a tavern, or a staircase. Someplace to assemble the Player-Character Tokens before starting the actual adventure 1st map. 3. Jukebox is empty, would be nice to have a few pre-selected soundtracks or sound effects from the various Jukebox audio sources. Maybe at least 1 per "Page", possibly with some of them configured under Page Settings to "Play On Load". Since it's a feature of Roll20 it's cool to take advantage of that and be able to advertise the module as Jukebox-enabled. 4. A few pre-generated Characters with Tokens already set up, would be a nice bonus too. I applaud that the module is designed to be dropped into an ongoing campaign, but, there might be cases where buyers would benefit from having example Characters ready-to-go. Since we have Dynamic Light in the module, any pre-gen sample character tokens should be made configured for dynamic lighting, so that the GM has lighting-ready tokens when testing the rooms, and to save time and model the appropriate configuration. 5.&nbsp;Overall having just 3 Pages seems a little thin, but adding just a Start Page could help, and it is understandable for keeping the adventure not-overly-long. Hope those points are helpful, and maybe to ask if #1 is something that can be retroactively added, while the later 4 points are suggestions for your next module. I look forward to running this one. That "Entry Room" especially could be a classic that Players talk about for years, especially if they actually solve it. That room feels inspired by Gary Gygax AD&D Tomb Of Horrors.
Wow. That’s great feedback and good advice for the rest of us who are considering entering the market place with modules of our own. I’ll be buying this module - if only to see the Entry Room.
1516439159
Jeromy S.
Marketplace Creator
Wow! Thank you Gold!&nbsp; Excellent feedback. I have another module in the Q, and I'll definitely try to incorporate as much of that as possible before it's approved and uploaded. I may have to ask about incorporating those things into the Cartographers Temple. I haven't seen an option for that, but I may just be missing it. If so, I will do that as well. I'm really glad that first room is appreciated. :-) I had a lot of fun working on it, and I know my players enjoyed figuring it out. My players rocked the second trap too, figuring almost every aspect of it out before triggering the trap to get the keys (they failed on that insane dex check). I know millage will vary from group to group though. Hah. Or even with my own group when they aren't asking enough questions.
1516644971
Jeromy S.
Marketplace Creator
I went in and added a landing page, image in adventure overview, and Jukebox integration to the Cartographers temple as well as my newly published module "The lost treasure of One Eye Drok" which was published today. (I think they just beat me to my updates, but I'm not sure. They may be live in the new module already) I've been told it may take up to a week to update to the marketplace, but keep an eye out. Future games I will also implement your other suggestions. Thanks again!
1516645642
Gold
Forum Champion
That is very responsive! Thanks Jeromy and Roll20. I will either Update my installed copy of the module if possible, or start a new game with a fresh copy, to test these upgrades soon. I'll also go looking for One-Eye Drok, sounds intriguing! You're good at mysterious Titles.
1516648892
Jeromy S.
Marketplace Creator
No problem at all! I sent off the update, and got a response saying they pushed it to the Dev team. Hopefully it will get updated in tomorrows push, otherwise he said it will definitely be done in next Tuesdays. If you pick up One Eye Drok I would love to hear whether the updates (jukebox, title image, and landing page) made it in to the module before it was posted for sale. :)
1517467429
Gold
Forum Champion
Hi Jeromy. Is there a thread for One Eye Drok feedback yet? Start a thread. The updates --- didn't seem to make it as of last week, FYI, either module. I'll check again in a day or 2.