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AL1: Siege of Shadowdale (Canceled Premium Module)
Submitted by:
Submitted by Migrate Wizard on 2014-06-30 12:32.
Last modified:
2015-12-05 13:43
Old Vault Category:
modules
Old Vault ID:
147
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| Title | AL1: Siege of Shadowdale |
| Author | Alazander |
| Submitted / Updated | 09-24-2002 / 02-08-2013 |
| Category | Final Version |
| Expansions | Requires Both Expansions (SoU & HotU) |
| Setting | Dalelands, Forgotten Realms. |
| Gameplay Length | 4-6 hours. |
| Number Players | 1. |
| Language | English |
| Level Range | 1-7. |
| Races | Any. |
| Tricks & Traps | Light |
| Roleplay | Light |
| Hack & Slash | Heavy |
| Classes | Arcane spellcasters, as well as rogues and bards, will have a hard time and should set the difficulty to "Normal" for this module. |
| Scope | Medium |
| DMNeeded | No DM Required |
| Single or Multiplayer | Single Player |
| Max Character Level | 03 |
| Max # Players | 01 |
| Min # Players | 01 |
| Min Character Level | 01 |
| Content Rating | Teen |
| Alignments | Any, although good or neutral characters work best with the story. |
| Gameplay Hours | 05 |
| Description | |
| "Like a tide of darkness they came, butchering the folk of the Dale with wanton glee. Many are the foes I have battled in my long life, but were it not for the actions of one brave adventurer I fear even I would have been undone that fateful day..." Elminster of Shadowdale, 1372 DR. Siege of Shadowdale is a module set in the home of Elminster himself, an exciting adventure with a mix of action, dialogue and roleplaying. The player arrives in the famous Dale unaware of the events that are about to unfold, but is soon swept up into a sinister plot by a villain hell-bent on bringing the entire region to its knees. Now updated to take advantage of the features found in Shadows of Undrentide and Hordes of the Underdark! NWN + SoU + HotU + patch 1.69 or above required. Current version: 1.69 Final Check out My Website for updates on my current projects. Alazander (Luke Scull) is now an upcoming internationally published fantasy author! His first novel, The Grim Company, will be released by Head of Zeus in the UK & Commonwealth in March 2013, and by Ace-Roc (Penguin)in North America in September 2013. You can download The Grim Company: The Epic Free Sample (67% of the story!) here. Help spread the word! | |
Files:
| Attachment | Size |
|---|---|
 siege_of_shadowdale.rar (2183) | 512.42 KB |
Well polished, and well concieved, this module actually works both single player and multiplayer. While beautifully crafted, both my husband and I have the distinct impression that the cold open this game gives was not intended that way - it seems an intro video or FMV was meant to lead off the story. Despite the cold open, the game rapidly turns into a masterfully crafted story, with many great and subtle nods to the Forgotten Realms - it's clear the writers knew their stuff. I highly recommend this module to anyone.
The following comment is from my Blog, as I just recently completed a fairly detailed five-part recounting of SoS, the first post of which is here: Siege of Shadowdale - Part I of V
Siege of Shadowdale has a few shortcomings, but one has to remember it was made in 2002. For me, this module feels sort of like an experiment, or a showcase/spectacle in some ways, but it has undeniable strengths in the form of its strong Realmslore and Realms-flavored writing that enhance the critical path and six optional quests (all of which are above average).
I would say SoS is an absolute pleasure to read (especially if the player knows their FRCS), but not so much to play - mainly because of the copy-pasta encounters (lacking that handcrafted touch), hardly any skill checks in dialogue (aka no "role-playing"), and the tendency for items and encounters to favor warrior builds (Wizards n Rogues will feel kinda left out). Some players also might not appreciate being "shown up" in a few places by Realms heroes, but others might enjoy rubbing shoulders with them, who knows.. I myself got some laughs out of them, so I don't mind.
Experience points mostly come from progressing in the plot and completing side-quests rather than from killing things. This means the player doesn't have to be overly concerned about experience penalties or vying with NPCs for the kill - just create a character and play. That's not to say tough encounters are non-existent - for new players I highly recommend a "sword n shield" warrior.
Is Siege of Shadowdale a classic, though? For FR fans I would answer yes.
Hi. May I know what the acronym "AL" stands for? Thanks.
Probably "Alazander" which is author's nickname. His blog is dead though.
This module, if it would be "updated" with the new 1.69 contents, would be really cool. As it is, i think it's too simple. Areas are not very detailed, npc too generic... That sort of things.
After all these years...what a great series- at least so far. I have just completed Shadowdale and Crimson Tide and I must say I have thoroughly enjoyed both. Crimson Tide is the better of the two - it is clear to see Alazanders development both in creativity and coding ability. Along with the Aielund Saga, this may be one of the best cRPGs I have ever played. And when I say any cRPG, I am including professionally developed stuff. It may not quite be a BG2 (imho, still the best RPG ever developed), but it has been a lot of fun to play. All the twist and turns in Crimson Tide keep you guessing right up till the end. If I have any complaint, it is that the PC was a little overpowered toward the end. Otherwise a truely great mod though. I look forward to Tyrants. I hope it is even half as good.
Classic, and i played it with Zwerkules facelift haks which makes it better experience.
This module is about as basic as they come. The plot is very linear, the characters (including the main character, who is given zero reasons even for being in the city in the first place) are generic, and most of the area design feels uninspired. Despite all that, I did find the module entertaining enough, with some moderately interesting side-quests (all of which are helpfully labeled as "optional") and encounters hitting the sweet spot of "dangerous enough to get you killed, but not frustratingly difficult." I do think that the quest EXP is maybe a little generous--1000 EXP for the first (very basic) quest sets the tone, and it continues from there (to the point where I was level 7 by the end of the game and didn't feel like I had done nearly enough to earn that). I know very little Forgotten Realms lore, so the number of name-drops and cameos was a little obnoxious, but I imagine it was cool for those with that knowledge. A couple of warnings: 1) you don't get a companion for this one, so support classes will find it more difficult (the warning in the description is much-appreciated, as I've found this out the hard way in a few too many modules!); 2) near the end of the game, there's a portal you can enter, but make sure you've completed all the side-quests you intend to before entering it as you will not be able to go back to them afterward.
I wouldn't enthusiastically recommend this one to anyone, but I wouldn't warn anyone against it, either. It's along the lines of the Kingmaker Premium Modules, I think--some interesting stuff, but ultimately flawed...though this one does feel like the story is completed, at least. Crimson Tides of Tethyr is much, much better, and I'd recommend that one to anyone regardless of whether they played this one.
nice module 8/10