Elena Erasmi
Before getting to the heart of the Storm of the Castle review, I would like to thank Uno Critico for providing us with the digital version of this adventure for D&D5e.
If after reading the review you want to buy this product, you can find it in digital format only on DriveThruRPG at the cost of $3.28.
Storm of the Castle Aesthetic Review
The manual consists of 35 pages, whereas the last eleven are NPC files. The layout of this adventure is classic, clean and linear. It must be said that this adventure can be read very easily: the writing is very simple and well understandable.
The pages are mostly divided into two columns interspersed with a large amount of illustrations and maps. The cover was created by Natalia Gennuso, full of bright colors and manages to evoke the setting of the story very well; instead the internal illustrations, created by Emilia Benedetti and Rabanwulf, present the portraits of the various NPCs and the maps of the castle rooms. I think they are really high quality, both in style and in colour.
Adventure Plot
The adventure is designed for third-level heroes and a variable number of players; in fact, the X is used to indicate the number of PCs.
The plot is divided into three acts lasting about an hour each. They describe the various parts of the assault on the castle of King Ophilio, a powerful and wealthy enemy of the nation. The heroes, members of Mandar’s army in the Broken Wing unit, must face the guards and the enemy army to enter the castle and defeat the King. Once inside, they have the opportunity to loot various treasures and investigate, using soldiers and workers, the location of the room containing the treasures. The third act, which closes the story, reveals the true (unexpected) nature of some NPCs.
The adventure follows a railroad style, leading players to take up to two possible different paths, but once in the heart of the story it also leaves room for investigation.
Conclusions of the Storm of the Castle Review
Overall, Storm of the Castle is a very good adventure, suitable for those who want to delve into the most famous role-playing game in the world; its simplicity makes it easy to tell and play.
In general, I recommend it to those who want to approach the world of role-playing games and to those who want to have a classic and fascinating story that they can offer as a one-shot.
