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DDEX1-08 Tales Trees Tell (5e) $2.99
Average Rating:4.5 / 5
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DDEX1-08 Tales Trees Tell (5e)
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DDEX1-08 Tales Trees Tell (5e)
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast
by Roger M. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 06/22/2023 07:43:44

This is a good module which can be dropped into any campaign. My players enjoyed this but smart play can really shorten some encounters.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
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DDEX1-08 Tales Trees Tell (5e)
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast
by Paul H. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 11/03/2022 22:59:44

(Full disclosure: This was the first module I played in AL)

There's a village, and the folks are in trouble! Someone has upset the peace! Can you help them? I mean, you have to say yes with the puppy-eyed halfling holding a hat full of coppers and silvers asking you to save them!

The call to action has a very dramatic moment that drives home just how in trouble this village is - maybe even the whole region! Avoiding spoilers but ||body horror|| is involved.

The PCs set off to help and have to do a bit of investigating, mixed with a couple of scuffles, to find out who/what/why before heading off to the where. There can be some good RP moments here, if the players want them.

Then the creep-fest begins. Rainy woods, tricksy fey, surly elves. And a Cabin in the Woods where the antagonist friendliest of friendly hermits lives. This becomes a Diplomacy or Swords-out event based on the groups actions, so again, lots of options for RP and setting the scene.

A strength of this module outside of it's general quality is that it helps to build up the area around Phlan, making it a living and vital place.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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DDEX1-08 Tales Trees Tell (5e)
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast
by G. B. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 09/16/2019 03:16:06

This is a very thematic module that is supposed to have a suspenseful, creepy vibe. The DM really needs to play up the unsettling nature of the time trip through the forest to sell it, though, or it'll just come off as silly. It is certainly one of the standouts of Season 1, though.

I do have one complaint, however. The module offers no advice on what should be done with a party consisting entirely of elves and/or half-elves. In theory, they should be violating none of the rules of the forest (and thus not really running into any of the troubles on offer), but such a party (not entirely unlikely--especially at a small table) is not even contemplated.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
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DDEX1-08 Tales Trees Tell (5e)
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast
by Curt C. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 07/01/2019 19:08:49

I'll try to write this review without spoilers, but hawt diggity DARN is this a fun adventure.

My players were semi-experienced D&D'ers and were using this adventure as an opportunity to work on their roleplaying chops. And they had opportunity in spades.

Between the various clever NPCs, the unexpected allies, and the dealings with the BBEG, my players absolutely loved playing it (maybe even as much as I enjoyed DMing it)!

Definitely recommended. We're now heading to Myth Drannor based on "Yes, ands..." that were entirely prompted by the players and Jenny.

Cheers!



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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DDEX1-08 Tales Trees Tell (5e)
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast
by Ben J. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 01/31/2019 23:50:53

There is a good amount of RP, and a fun story for the players to explore. There is a lot of detail with relevant history of the location and motivations and attitudes of the NPC's to help the DM play them well



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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DDEX1-08 Tales Trees Tell (5e)
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast
by Dan M. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 01/19/2019 11:22:03

This was one of the first modules I DMed and had a great time. A lot of great areas for exploration and some good twists. The various NPCs, and the things affected by who is with you, is fun. I strongly recommend the modules. Thank you to the arthur!



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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DDEX1-08 Tales Trees Tell (5e)
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast
by Emma P. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 01/03/2019 14:37:46

First time running a session, extremely helpful layout. Best to read over it a few times to understand the storyline so if your PC's throw any curveballs at you, you have something that works in relation to the plot.

They loved the storyline but I used it as a one-shot and it worked out great!



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
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DDEX1-08 Tales Trees Tell (5e)
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast
by Greg T. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 09/07/2018 00:36:34

The best that Adventurer's League Season 1 has to offer

Set almost exactly at the halfway point of Adventurer's League Season 1, "Tales Trees Tell" offers a very welcome departure from the formulaic outings up to this point. It finally breaks with the "investigate phase, dungeon phase" model to instead offer a well-executed excursion into atmospheric horror.

This adventure takes the party to the Quivering Forest, north of Phlan. The first half details a growing sense of menace in the town of Kabel's Hill, located on the edge of the forest, while the second half covers a journey into the cursed forest itself seeking out a terrifying and memorable fey...

The Good:

There is simply no other adventure in Season 1 of AL that does atmospheric horror as well as this. The season's last real excursion into horror, "Shadows Over the Moonsea", really didn't work (and had more than a little accidental racism), while "Dues For The Dead" had lots of undead but little horror. "Tales Trees Tell" hits all the bases - effective flavour text, genuinely horrifying scenarios, strong pacing and escalation, and meaningful ways for the players to interact with the horror rather than merely being mute witnesses to it. In fact, it's such an escalation in horror for the adventure path that it comes with a unique warning in the introduction that less robust groups may need some aspects softened.

The adventure has a flexible approach to combat. For talkative groups, almost all combats are avoidable, but those hankering to shed some blood will be treated to some unusual and interesting monsters (including the rarely seen Scarecrow) which is great news for those tired of killing yet another kobold or yet another zombie.

The adventure uses only a few named NPCs, and the module gives you a good grasp on their concerns and motivations and how to use them interestingly. The friendly NPCs are good enough, but both the core villain and a certain fiendish wildcard are season standouts.

The module as a whole is very flexible, filled with digressions that can be easily chopped off without feeling like the players are missing much, yet adding flavour where the GM or players want to invest. That should be standard for the limited-time AL format and yet in practice it's rare enough to be refreshing here.

For all of the above reasons, this is the adventure Season 1 really needed at this point. It's a great change of pace for a group playing through the entire season, but it's self-contained enough to be run as a one-off with few changes.

The Bad:

The module is not without flaws. None of them greatly impact by opinion of it.

At the outset, let me say that the title is misleading. No tales are told by trees. In fact, there are no talking trees at all. Minus ten points to Gryffindor.

Moving on: it has a lot of typos. Few of them cause problems, but it's always unfortunate in a commercial product. The author has never returned to fix them despite repeated notifications of them over the years.

Secondly, it's missing cartography. This isn't a big deal, and it's par for the course for Season 1, but a handout showing the relative positions of Phlan, the Quivering Forest, Kabel's Hill, Greenhall and Jeny's clearing would go a long way. (Especially as the players find exactly that map in the possessions of multiple NPCs during the module.) Arguably the lack of geographical detail adds to the fairy-tale feel of the plot, perhaps.

Thirdly - and now we get to more serious concerns - there are some motivational issues in the module. The players know that the first person who entered the forest was making a mistake. They know that the villagers following him in was a mistake. Why would they go in themselves? NPCs such as Serelis repeatedly tell them not to enter the forest, and it's hard to argue that they're not right. DMs will need to do work to pick up the slack here.

Further, the module wants the players to visit Greenhall to learn the way to Jeny's glade, but the whole Greenhall section is problematic. The body on its borders is a fairly reasonable warning the elves don't want visitors, and they're elves - players may feel disinclined to try and "beat the information out of them". Plus the whole encounter is a bit boring, and the perfectly healthy elven village undermines the menace of the forest a little. Depending on time and pacing, DMs should either have the players' guide (or map) lead them straight to Jeny, or replace Greenhall with other Quivering Forest spookiness.

Finally, despite attempts, the adventure doesn't tie particularly well into the larger campaign. In theory, it should be a core adventure - there's a magical pact protecting Phlan's safety, it's tied in with the history of the Lord Protectors, Kabel Hill is an important trading post and warning point, the Cult are involved. Yet the events of Tyranny In Phlan (DDEX1-10) will happen whether a pact is struck or not, which rather undercuts events. There's further problems in the idea that the players might fight her for the finale. As a one-off it's not a big deal, but her stats as-written don't exactly sell her as capable of killing an entire Netherese army (as she's said to have done), or of protecting Phlan if a new pact is struck. Also, she returns in future modules, requiring some fancy footwork to cover her resurrection if players have previously murdered her.

Summary:

If you're running AL Season 1, look forward to this one. It's not as epic as "Tyranny in Phlan", but it's a solid high point for module writing in this series, and should be applauded.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
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DDEX1-08 Tales Trees Tell (5e)
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast
by Robert R. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 09/02/2018 02:35:40

has a good amount of RP mixed with one really hard fight depeneding on level. I liked it a lot especially as a new DM.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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DDEX1-08 Tales Trees Tell (5e)
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast
by Drew J. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 08/27/2018 14:51:00

A fun one, part murder mystery, part rescue mission. Has a nice urgent feel to it.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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DDEX1-08 Tales Trees Tell (5e)
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast
by Jon K. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 07/25/2018 01:53:53

Great module in which almost every encounter can be solved with non-violent and/or peacful means. Awesome!



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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DDEX1-08 Tales Trees Tell (5e)
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast
by Mikaela R. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 07/03/2018 00:54:57

Another favorite module of mine. This can tend to be very rp heavy with minimal combat, which is fun for both dm and players. It's a joy to run because of the colorful cast of characters in the module.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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DDEX1-08 Tales Trees Tell (5e)
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast
by William F. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 06/27/2018 02:10:49

Lots of social interaction and a great "creepy" feel. My players loved the imp Pipyap and wanted to adopt him. This adventure introduces the iconic NPC Jenny Greenteeth. This adventure requires more DM prep than usual because of all the exposition and social interactions. My players still refer to how one of the characters "doomed Phlan" in some of his interactions with Jenny over the human soup. Depending on how the player do, this adventure could go long. You might need to cut some of the forrest stuff short to give yourself enough time for Jenny.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
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DDEX1-08 Tales Trees Tell (5e)
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast
by Frank v. d. Z. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 06/05/2018 08:24:29

Tales trees tell is a very nice adventure to run. I would advice to enhance the atmosphere using candles + music.

The disclaimer at the start really pays off, the creepy feel you can give to the adventure helps bringing it to life. Using a mixture of fey creatures is a really cool addition. Not all encounters have to be combat orientated (Pixie's).

It also features one of the iconic DnD creatures in the Displacer Beast. The iconic monstrosity which was fatal back then and will be fatal again in ToA as my groups Wizard is slowly dying.

The last encounter and the overall quest is also a lot of fun to sell to your group. It's not your basic, go there and kill the boss, there are alternatives which makes this a very good module.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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DDEX1-08 Tales Trees Tell (5e)
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast
by Jonathan E. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 05/06/2018 20:23:21

Honestly I didn't enjoy this adventure much. Displacer beasts are ust frustrating bag of hard-to-hit-HP and the final interaction with JG felt very forced. I was disappointed considering the glowing reviews for it.



Rating:
[3 of 5 Stars!]
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