The Ghosts of Saltmarsh, Thoughts?

[username1]

Wizards just announced what the spring release book is going to, the Ghousts of Saltmarsh. I was very intrigued first hearing about it, but now I’m not quite sure. It sounds like we are getting ship rulesets, probably something like the unearthed arcana. However it sounds like it’s not going to included a full campain, just some old adventures. What do you people think? I’m exited for the ship stuff, but the adventures, not so much.

[Willie the Duck]

Sounds like another Tales from the Yawning Portal-style book. I thought that that was well done. People have been asking for more adventures that are not prepackaged semi-railroads from level X to Level Y in a preset order and the like. Without going into extreme detail, it sounds good. Why do you think it will be less than satisfactory?

[Yora]

I was courious about a book about ships. But I'm not interested in adventures. Especially not conversions of old adventures.

I am not going to get just for a bit of ship mechanics.

[Sigreid]

For adventure books I prefer they be they type that are easily piecemealed out.

[Yora]

The description says it contains the following:

The Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh (AD&D, 1981)
Danger at Dunwater (AD&D, 1982)
The Final Enemy (AD&D, 1983)
Salvage Operation (3rd Ed., Dungeon 123)
Isle of the Abbey (AD&D?, Dungeon 34)
Tammeraut’s Fate (3rd Ed., Dungeon 106)
The Styes (3rd Ed., Dungeon 121)

[ImproperJustice]

Our group has been playing through Tales of the Yawning portal for like two real life years.

That’s pretty good bang for your buck.

Looking forward to this too.
Should be a lot fun to have some cool aquatic adventures.

[Millstone85]

However it sounds like it’s not going to included a full campain, just some old adventures.If it is like Tales from the Yawning Portal, it will be old adventures combinable into a full campaign, at least level-wise.

While these adventures were never meant to be combined into a full campaign--over 30 years separates the newest from the oldest--they have been selected to provide play across a broad range of levels. With a little work, you can run a complete campaign using only this book.

Starting with The Sunless Citadel, guide your players through the adventures in the order that they are presented in this book. Each one provides enough XP that, upon completing the adventure, the characters should be high enough level to advance to the next one.

The Yawning Portal, or some other tavern of your own invention or drawn from another D&D setting, provides the perfect framing device for the campaign. The characters hear rumors of each dungeon, with just enough information available to lead them to the next adventure. Perhaps a friendly NPC drawn from the upcoming adventure visits the tavern in search of help, or some element of a character's background pushes the group down the proper road. In any case, these dungeons are designed to be easily portable to any campaign setting.
Good old inn of hiring adventuring parties. As the book says a couple pages later: "This approach is a cliché, but it is an effective one."

Still, reading the official page (http://dnd.wizards.com/products/tabletop-games/rpg-products/ghosts-saltmarsh) for Ghosts of Saltmarsh, I am getting hopeful that more efforts were put into developing the hub for all these adventures.

[Yora]

Looking forward to this too.
Should be a lot fun to have some cool aquatic adventures.

From what I remember, the adventures are mostly set in sea caves and harbors. Though at least one of them is underwater and one includes a floating derelict.
I don't think there is a lot of actual sailing in them, though. Which is a bit of a shame, but I already pointed this out when the book was first announced. Sea travel never has had much presence in adventures.

Which is a shame. I really want to do naval fury road one day. Polinesian war canoes would probably much more fun than galleys or cogs.

[Unoriginal]

https://youtu.be/GajoKmh9-68

Kate Welch's interview about this book.

Apparently this is only the first product using the vehicle rules that will come out this year...

[Millstone85]

Kate Welch's interview about this book.

Apparently this is only the first product using the vehicle rules that will come out this year...I just upvoted a bunch of comments going "Spelljammer confirmed!"

Probably not, but what a tease.

[Unoriginal]

I just upvoted a bunch of comments going "Spelljammer confirmed!"

Probably not, but what a tease.

It's actually a Mad Max supplement for Dark Sun.

[2D8HP]

My thoughts are:
IT MUST BE MINE!, and I want to read what. GitP's "sailor on the sea's of fate" @KorvinStarmast says about it.

[Zhorn]

I just upvoted a bunch of comments going "Spelljammer confirmed!"

Probably not, but what a tease.
It's actually a Mad Max supplement for Dark Sun.
Either that, or:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSCGoefBO7Q

[guachi]

Hard pass. It's a nostalgia book that doesn't have the nostalgia as the look and feel are completely different from the original releases. If it's anything like Yawning Portal it will be a lazy port to 5e rules.

Basically we are paying for new art. And the art is great in, for example, U1 Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh. You can show your players the pen and ink interior art and say, "That's exactly what it looks like."

As for the adventures, U1 is fantastic but converting it for your game is quite easy and it's so popular you can find all sorts of fan made supplements for it already, including some amazing maps that will no doubt destroy whatever WOTC comes up with.

U2 and U3 are not nearly as good and really I don't suggest playing them. The others are from Dungeon and I had to scrape up copies of the relevant issues to read them and the adventures are okay but nothing special. Basically, it's ship rules and one great adventure you don't need WOTC for.

That's it. Skip it. Spend $5 on a pdf of Saltmarsh and spend an hour or two converting it, tops. Done.

[Tetrasodium]

Right now I'm not sure what I think. Supposedly it is "setting neutral" like every other 5e designed for forgotten realms book we have. At the current time I don't have enough info to form any thoughts other than, eberron has the Lhazaar Principalities (https://eberron.fandom.com/wiki/Lhazaar_Principalities) that are built for this kind of adventure, you better bleeping believe it that I expect it to be "setting neutral" enough that I don't need to do cumbersome & difficult manipulations to things in order to strip incompatible bits of forgotten realms.

TL;DR "setting neutral" is not the same as "this can convert between greyhawk & forgotten realms with a couple name changes". That needs to be the case.

[Kalashak]

I feel basically the same way I did about Yawning Portal, if you're only putting out 3 books a year (which I'm fine with) you probably shouldn't spend 1 of those re-releasing old modules. I'd rather just buy the old ones and convert them myself.

[Finback]

It's actually a Mad Max supplement for Dark Sun.

my immediate responses:

1. <Warforged> SHINY AND CHROME!
2. I roll, I die, I roll again!

(but how glorious would that be, a mixture of strange sand-skimming vehicles, massive warbeasts, sandstorms whipping around.. it even lends itself perfectly for a module - help a weary warrior escort a small harem out of bondage to freedom).

[Millstone85]

It is a me thing, but I try to keep a 1:1:1 ratio between what I regard as the three main categories of books.

So far, I have:

PHB
MM
DMG
SCAG
VGtM
TftYP
XGtE
MToF
DotMM
GGtR

So it is too soon for me to purchase another adventure.

[Yora]

1. <Warforged> SHINY AND CHROME!
2. I roll, I die, I roll again!

If you ever wondered what to do with the Lord of Blades, Warforged Boys is the answer.

Wittnessed!!!

[Imbalance]

As a perennial late adopter, I celebrate new releases that more ravenous fans will clamor to buy as it usually leads to deep discounts on older products.

[username1]

As a perennial late adopter, I celebrate new releases that more ravenous fans will clamor to buy as it usually leads to deep discounts on older products.

That’s actually a really good point, never thought of it that way.

[deljzc]

Hard pass. It's a nostalgia book that doesn't have the nostalgia as the look and feel are completely different from the original releases. If it's anything like Yawning Portal it will be a lazy port to 5e rules.

Basically we are paying for new art. And the art is great in, for example, U1 Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh. You can show your players the pen and ink interior art and say, "That's exactly what it looks like."

As for the adventures, U1 is fantastic but converting it for your game is quite easy and it's so popular you can find all sorts of fan made supplements for it already, including some amazing maps that will no doubt destroy whatever WOTC comes up with.

U2 and U3 are not nearly as good and really I don't suggest playing them. The others are from Dungeon and I had to scrape up copies of the relevant issues to read them and the adventures are okay but nothing special. Basically, it's ship rules and one great adventure you don't need WOTC for.

That's it. Skip it. Spend $5 on a pdf of Saltmarsh and spend an hour or two converting it, tops. Done.

I am about 90% through upgrading U1: Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh now (I think for the better). I will give it away for free if anyone want it. Just a project I was working on since I'm an old-school 1980's player trying to get into 5e for my kid's sake.

[username1]

Sure, I always meant to run it.

[Sigreid]

As a perennial late adopter, I celebrate new releases that more ravenous fans will clamor to buy as it usually leads to deep discounts on older products.

I do that with video games. A good game is going to be just as good in 3 months when I can get it for 20 or less instead of 50 or more.

[Yora]

In fact, when it's still popular after a year, you can be quite certain that it's actually really good. :smallbiggrin:

[Willie the Duck]

I do that with video games. A good game is going to be just as good in 3 months when I can get it for 20 or less instead of 50 or more.

Guys! The cake is a lie! (https://xkcd.com/606/)

[Imbalance]

At last, I have found my people!

[Finback]

As a perennial late adopter, I celebrate new releases that more ravenous fans will clamor to buy as it usually leads to deep discounts on older products.

Ugh, I wish this happened where I am. Even 4e stuff is selling for the same RRP as when it hit shelves here. I've yet to see a 5e book for under $60Aus.

[KorvinStarmast]

We had so darned much fun with those three modules in 1e, I have a preoder happening.
Because I Must!