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D&D Solo Adventure: Tyrant of Zhentil Keep $9.99
Average Rating:4.7 / 5
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D&D Solo Adventure: Tyrant of Zhentil Keep
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D&D Solo Adventure: Tyrant of Zhentil Keep
Publisher: Dungeon Masters Guild
by Stuart G. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 04/04/2023 22:33:34

I've played both this one and Death Knight Squire. What I like about this one in comparison the numbering entry system instead of keywords, and it is longer than DKS. What I don't like is a few typos, and it plays more awkwardly, seems unnecessarily wordy at times and 'shoehorns' the reader. As examples: no choice entries that go to another entry with no choices (i.e. 100 to 160 to 295) or forcing you into side quest combats without choice to rest or retreat (i.e. the Bugbears). Despite these quirks it remains a solidly entertaining adventure and worth the price.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
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D&D Solo Adventure: Tyrant of Zhentil Keep
Publisher: Dungeon Masters Guild
by Timothy S. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 02/24/2022 17:39:22

Like the previous one, everything is well written and flows even better. But There was a story line that took less then an hour from starts to finish. Unbelievable but there is a much shorter one as well. Very disappointing when compared to the first adventure. In fact, after several replays most choices lead to around an hour (ish) adventure. Felt a little cheated based on how nice the first one ran and this one sporting more pages is somehow less because of choice paths being restrictive. Still very engaged in the story arc and hoping that book 3 goes better (bang for the buck wise). Additionally, there were seeds in book one like, "There is a map of Loudwater, and the sewers beneath it… it appears these thieves, whose lair this is, have found (or at least think they have found) a hidden crypt full of riches" what happened here? Feel cheated from that. Also One of the knights from book one (who gave you the sword) should be tracking you, what and where? a few missed oppertunities?



Rating:
[3 of 5 Stars!]
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D&D Solo Adventure: Tyrant of Zhentil Keep
Publisher: Dungeon Masters Guild
by Thomas C. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 10/20/2021 17:07:50

There is so much I like about this book and I ABSOLUTELY LOVE how rich and thorough the solo system is in this book, and in its predecessor, The Death Knight’s Squire. The writing is really excellent. I have an MFA in creative writing and this is definitely professional quality writing, in my opinion. The author makes you feel that the world you are in is real (especially in this book) and that you are immersed in it. The writing is lively and the descriptions aren’t stale.

I love the D&D aspect of it – the very challenging combat, the numerous skill checks, things not being too easy, etc. But the problem I have with this book is that if you try to focus on the main storyline, and not take unnecessary risks [such as some of the side quests], you get through the book rather quickly. And one mission I was VERY much looking forward to never got followed up on. I agreed to help, I was told to meet somewhere at the appointed time, then the day ended and I went back to my base of operations and then I never heard from that person again (nor was offered the opportunity to rendezvous as first agreed upon).

The “follow-ups” are generally awesome in this book. The amount of time taken to make all of these intricate connections is very impressive. But I was very disappointed that this one mission – which seemed REALLY cool and key – never got followed up on.

I recommend the book but you probably want to take advantage of most of the side quests, if not all of them, to get your money’s worth. But I also have the feeling that the combat might not allow you to participate in every side quest, particularly not if you want to survive them all :-)

GREAT series so far. Really compelling solo play. And this book particularly would play GREAT with 2 players and a DM. I did ding one star because I never got the opportunity to follow-up on this really cool-sounding mission. But regardless, I recommend the book. Great material in it.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
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D&D Solo Adventure: Tyrant of Zhentil Keep
Publisher: Dungeon Masters Guild
by Dylan S. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 03/11/2021 09:18:37

small question, is there a way to hyperlink the choices? also how do I get the audio files/ how do Iget them to work? sorry I'm a Newby at this stuff.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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D&D Solo Adventure: Tyrant of Zhentil Keep
Publisher: Dungeon Masters Guild
by Jay G. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 10/04/2020 00:08:30

As a chapter in an ongoing solo campaign (which it is) this adventure was great! Taken as a single adventure though it's somewhat lacking.

As with the previous entry the writting, background and battle maps are all terrific. In addition Tyrant Of Zhentil Keep really increases the number of NPC interactions and non-combat encounters to give a fuller role-playing experience. Overall I enjoyed my time playing the adventure.

My one criticism would be that this adventure is written very much like the middle story in a trilogy. That is there is a lot of plot seeding, exposition, and development happening but no real satisfying conclusion. The whole adventure feels like it's primary purpose is to get the PC to the starting line for the next adventure.

If you're playing through the entire series, this adventure is a fun diversion, but if you're looking for a standalone adventure I felt The Death Knight's Squire was a more complete story.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
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D&D Solo Adventure: Tyrant of Zhentil Keep
Publisher: Dungeon Masters Guild
by David Y. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 08/26/2020 13:49:40

Excellent sequel to the excellent Death Knight's Squire, I really enjoyed this. It's very free-form with a lot more player agency than you usually find in solo adventures. There is a wealth of content and you can run it multiple times and discover new things each time. I'm considering going back to Zhentil Keep with the same character to just further explore the city. Additionally it's exceptionally well-balanced. I played a lvl 3 paladin and felt the combats were just the right challenge.

I feel I have to dock a star for some plot and technical issues. Some of the links don't work (e.g. first option on p. 12, entry #68, #82, etc) and plot-wise I would have liked a bit more of a purpose for why I was there and what I was doing initially. It was a fun time exploring the city of Zhentil Keep (really, really well-constructed solo exploration, nice job!) but I felt I was missing something in terms of my character's purpose for being there until the five minutes of the module. Also it would be really, really nice to have XP awards listed. You can deal with the broken links by manually scrolling to the right location.

Honestly this is a very good module and I highly recommend it. I intent to continue playing through this series with my paladin and I recommend you do too.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
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D&D Solo Adventure: Tyrant of Zhentil Keep
Publisher: Dungeon Masters Guild
by Ataberk B. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 02/28/2020 19:21:46

I have really enjoyed the atmosphere and the danger, the production is unbelievable, the sound effects and all the utilities. It has content for hours and hours, however, the ending really left me hanging.

--kinda spoiler--

I discovered more than a couple side quests and then scenario ends after giving you only a chance to finish one of them and then when it says your adventure will continue in the sequel Citadel of Raven, it feels like a paywall... A real shame because I have lots of lots of things to do with this character and the book and the flow just does not let you. You can replay, definitely, but I spend time to create a character and I don't want to run a beautiful story again with the same character, feels like cheating.

--

A great buy but if you are going to buy and play it, also buy the sequel Citadel of Raven.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
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D&D Solo Adventure: Tyrant of Zhentil Keep
Publisher: Dungeon Masters Guild
by Joey F. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 01/16/2020 07:23:47

FANTASTIC. We are playing this adventure with two characters and have really enjoyed the fact there are so many side quests. I was a little hesitant to try these solo adventures at first, I was quickly proved wrong by how much fun we had playing !



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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D&D Solo Adventure: Tyrant of Zhentil Keep
Publisher: Dungeon Masters Guild
by Joshua G. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 08/07/2019 21:07:58

As a Perma-DM, this was a lot of fun as something to play in between sessions. I can't wait to play more!



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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D&D Solo Adventure: Tyrant of Zhentil Keep
Publisher: Dungeon Masters Guild
by S &. K N. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 02/18/2019 23:37:59

Played with 2 of us & absolutely impressed at the quality of these. Even better than the first. Wish there was more than just a few of these.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Creator Reply:
I am literally working on the next installment as we speak. It's called The Tortured Land and it's not too far off.
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D&D Solo Adventure: Tyrant of Zhentil Keep
Publisher: Dungeon Masters Guild
by C. G. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 09/25/2018 11:17:47

I will repeat what I already wrote in the comment section: "Great adventure! I got into D&D recently, and I am learning the mechanics, still. I moved to Japan some years ago and now that I am ready to play, I can't find a group to do it with. I would've never been able to go exploring and adventuring if not for these books. Really well designed and planned. You can see there's a lot of work behind this stories. Really looking forward to the sequels, I want to get my character to upper levels."



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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D&D Solo Adventure: Tyrant of Zhentil Keep
Publisher: Dungeon Masters Guild
by Patrick P. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 05/01/2018 00:23:36

Another great SOLO adventure. It took me a while to get the chance to play, but glad I found the time. This one is just as fun (if not more) than the 1st one! It took longer to get through and left me wanting more. If your group has a missed session and you have that D&D itch, this is a perfect way to enjoy the game by yourself. As a DM it is always great to play every now and then and I enjoyed this Solo-adventure a LOT!



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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D&D Solo Adventure: Tyrant of Zhentil Keep
Publisher: Dungeon Masters Guild
by david r. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 04/03/2018 21:31:06

So far I am 1 hour into this adventure and I am completely hooked. I loved the first adventure in this series, The Death Knight's Squire, and this adventure is even more engaging and immersive. I played Death Knight's Squire completely on my cell phone using D&D Beyond character sheet, a dice roller app, and Adobe free PDF viewer (other viewers would not allow clickable links). One minor annoyance I am having with Tyrant of Zhentil Keep is that I can't use the audio links embedded in the PDF on my mobile reader. I guess the mobile version of Adobe doesn't support it. Is there any way the audio files could be available for download so I can get the full experience?? :) If anyone knows of a better reader to use, please let me know. Thanks for an awesome product and I hope you continue this solo adventure series through level 20!



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Creator Reply:
Hey David. Tried to get mobile combatibilty going during playtesting but could never get it working. I can provide you with the audio files if you like, but its a fairly large download, about 53 mb. https://www.sendspace.com/file/881roa Check that link there. Thanks for your review!
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D&D Solo Adventure: Tyrant of Zhentil Keep
Publisher: Dungeon Masters Guild
by Troy W. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 03/06/2018 21:51:09

With this adventure, Paul Bimler blew my socks off!

After completing the "Death Knight's Squire", I started "Tyrant of Zhentil Keep".

It opens with a travel montage that brings your character to the the land of the Zhentirim. After learning a bit of general information about the region, your character arrives at the City of Zhentil Keep. The rest of the adventure consists of the character exploring the city, meeting NPC's, learning about the poltical situation and some of the powerplayers, and discovering various adventure hooks while stumbling into occasional random encounters.

The character's total time in the city seems to be about 36 hours. On the evening one arrives, one gets to witness some of the tensions in the city, decide whether or not to get immediately involved in things, and then has the opportunity to learn more about what is going on by interacting with a number of NPC's. The second day is spent exploring the city itself, visiting different areas of the city, discovering adventure hooks, purchasing equipment, dealing with set encounters at some of the locations visited, and random encounters while travelling. The second evening one may spend following up on one of the adventure hooks discovered so far. My character had three leads to choose from, and I followed up on an adventure that pitted and NPC ally and I against a small group of scoundrels that I was eager to vanquish. The morning of the third day gets the character started on the path to the sequel of this book (at least, that's how it turned out in my first playthrough).

What I find most fascinating is the way the city is presented for solo play. During the second day, one is given four "progress points" or time blocks to explore the city. It takes one progress point to explore two or three sites in a district, or two progress points to thoroughly explore the larger districts. With a total of six districts, a single play through does not reveal all of the possible encounters and opportunities that might be discovered!

Plus, the exploration is enlivened by the random encounters that might take place as one transitions from one district to another.

The only problem I have with this adventure series so far, and it is a minor quibble based entirely on my playing style, is that the loot is incredible! In Death Knight's Squire, my character ended up with more than 2,300 gold coins worth of loot at 3rd level...more than most of my characters usually see by 5th level! Tyrant of Zhentil Keep is similarly generous. Fortunately, there are shops that sell magical goods so the money can easily be put to good use. My character is now equipped in a way reminiscent of fifth and sixth level characters I had in prior editions of D&D...except for the lack of a magical weapon.

I eagerly await the next installment in this series!



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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D&D Solo Adventure: Tyrant of Zhentil Keep
Publisher: Dungeon Masters Guild
by Arch G. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 02/10/2018 09:48:44

My GF and I ran through this one together. we both loved it. I usually DM so it was really nice to get to actually play PCs together. This was hands down the best no-DM adventure I have seen. What is the ETA the follow up adventure? Please keep them coming!



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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