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Disclaimer: The cover artist, Journeyman, is my best friend and creative partner. I've interacted with Carlan on social media as well.
Carlan's earlier mini-adventure, Veils & Vengeance (also available on DM's Guild) was a light, comedic, romantic romp. This adventure replaces romance with action, but keeps the humor and lightness and adds a few more noteworthy rules but also has some flaws due to its scope.
The weakest part of the adventure is the beginning, Part 1, in which Carlan spends too much time getting the PCs to the actual adventure. I would suggest that you not have your PCs be kidnapped or forced to the island. In my experience, the kidnapping or force attempt becomes the main focus of the adventure. Ultimately, each DM knows his or her players and should be able to get them to the island on without the writer spelling it out. Despite some amusing situations and crew, Part 1 was not necessary.
Once the PCs get to the island and accept the mission to train the goblins to defend the island against the orcs and to help in that defense themselves, the fun begins. The PCs are assigned goblins to train, and each of these types of goblins has three sub-types. The types are Saboteur, Berzerker (sp), Mystic, Kamikaze, and a boss type for each of those. Thus there are eight types and 24 sub-types, and honestly, you could run a Goblin campaign if you just fleshed these types out.
What's amusing is the suggestion that goblins can only learn magic by risking death, though I would apply that same mechanic to the various types since as interesting as these goblin types are, there are no formal training mechanics. The goblins already come trained. If that is the case, why train them? I would give PCs a pool of goblins, perhaps 10 each, and put them through a training "funnel" in which all the goblins, like the spellcasting ones, have to pass a Death saving throw in order to learn their specific skill. Any survivoes may put in for advanced training (Boss level), though that is not mandatory.
I also have a question about the Mana Pool. It refers to "trained Goblins." Is that goblins trained in any of these options or only goblins trained in magic?
Lastly, the training section has quite a few fun spells. I know that anyone can use them, but they are especially appropriate to goblins and other small humanoids such as kobolds and halflings. Just as you think you've got them, one of their leaders barks, and suddenly their AC goes up by 4 or your wand is covered with oil and you just might drop it.
After the goblins are trained, it's time for the fight. The orcs bring one warship and two frigates, with a total of three orcish arch-mages between them (Rebus is an arch-mage too). Make no mistake: This is a mini-game. Although it is not explicitly stated, the orc arch-mages are ONLY using their magicks to hinder Rebus (with good reason--given the chance, he summons Fhloid the Kraken). This is important. The standard PCs for this adventure will be third-level. If the orc arch-mages are on the losing side, what's to stop them from casting fly and raining lightning bolts on the very vulnerable PCs?
Another point of concern is the exact capabilities of the trained goblins. Can the Kamikaze goblins, for example, actually do real damage to a ship or are they simply a complete joke?
Part 4, in which the PCs are rewarded with treasure is fine, and the maps in Part 5 are fine as well.
So why give this product 5 stars? I know it has errors, but those errors are easily fixed. What I appreciate is Carlan's imagination, attention to detail, and sense of humor. For $1, you get a lot, and I appreciate that too.
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