Posted in: Board Games, Games, Review | Tagged: d&d, DnD, dungeons & dragons, Hoard of the Dragon Queen, Rise Of Tiamat, Roll 20
Messing Around With Two New Roll 20 Expansions For D&D
A few months ago, Roll 20 got their copy of Tomb Of Annihilation for us to check out, and their version of the expansion to 5th Edition held up pretty well to the physical book. This time around, they got their hands on a couple new expansions that work well together in the Rise Of Tiamat and Hoard Of The Dragon Queen. These two expansions have already been out for a few years through D&D directly, so its kind of interesting to see them finally make their way to Roll 20 after all this time.
Starting with the Rise Of Tiamat, everything you need from this book is in here complete with guides, maps, and the storyline. Some of the impressive parts are the interactive maps that allow you to show part or all of what's happening in front of you to the players as you decide to explore. As usual, the DM has full control over the map and can utilize it in any way they see fit from expanding the size to filling it with enemies to littering it with treasures. The second piece that is impressive is the improved tokens list. These are interactive tokens that come with all their attributes built into them, so the minute anything happens to those characters, you can deal damage or give bonuses and effects properly.
Hoard Of The Dragon Queen follows it with the same bonuses and minuses to the content. Everything you need to run the campaign is readily available and can be adjusted at a moment's notice to fit any changes people may take if they decided to go off the beaten path. One of the best parts of the Roll 20 app, when they receive these additions, is that they work out just like a regular game would with pencil and paper. Sure, there's some flare left out of the mix from not having the same artwork and specialized text from the adventure, but they still manage to get the job done. And if all you're looking for is a straight-forward playthrough, these work out fine.
Overall, I didn't have any major issues running either adventure, and it's good that both of them came together as they're both tied together. (You play Dragon Queen first and then Tiamat to continue that campaign.) If you use the app on the regular, there shouldn't be any issues for experienced DMs and players alike.