Excellent adventure. I DM for a group of 13-14 year olds with mixed experience. This adventure provides a great way to introduce new and experienced players. It's low magic and relies heavily on teamwork, problem solving and role-play. Gives a great opportunity for all characters to shine. I wish more adventures were this well thought out and easy to execute.

[Note: this review is re-printed from EN World, available at the following URL.]

http://www.enworld.org/reviews/index.php?sub=yes&where=active&reviewer=JERandall&product=CMGTWW

This is not a playtest review. It does contain possible spoilers.

It's hard to be too disappointed with a product that only costs five dollars, but that is how I feel about The Whispering Woodwind: disappointed. This is an ambitious product that doesn't quite accomplish what it sets out to. While the adventure is probably playable as written, it will require significant DM effort to make it flow smoothly.

Published by Creative Mountain Games, Whispering Woodwind is a questus (adventure) for four 2nd-level PCs. It's available as a 38 page download and is supported by two free web enhancements, Locus - Jalston (a player's overview of the town in which the adventure starts) and Lexus - Culture Class - Trundlefolk (a DM's overview of a gypsy-like race).

It's clear that CMG founder Mark Clover has put substantial effort into Whispering Woodwind and its supplements. Unfortunately, part of that effort will be wasted for the simple reason that the PCs will likely spend little time in Jalston (thus mitigating the need for the Locus). Furthermore, the 10 pages of Whispering Woodwind that describe the Trundlefolk encampment are dismissed by the author: "You may wish to eliminate this [encounter] entirely," as the adventure "might be stalled by a heavily descriptive encounter such as this." These are strange recommendations for a passage as lovingly detailed as the Trundlefolk encampment, which includes two maps; geographic information, including individually named hills and knolls; 30 named NPCs with full stat blocks, background information, and motivations; and descriptions of each wagon. The previous sentence should convey the breathless and exhaustive feeling Mr. Clover creates in this section.

The adventure itself seems straightforward at first: Tardak, an innkeeper in Jalston, hires the PCs to track down the bard Contel and his magical flute. Tardak blames Contel for the fire that is burning his inn to the ground as the PCs arrive. Here's a problem. The Whispering Woodwind gives two pages describing the inn-burning scene to the players whose characters are presumably standing around doing nothing while the fire rages. Generally, it's a bad idea to assume inaction on the part of the PCs. It's also not advisable to bore the players with lengthy, non-interactive narrative passages, such as the one in which Tardak berates a man for salvaging a box of rags from the burning inn, then rewards him anyway. Only after some more to-ing and fro-ing by the crowd and speechifying by Tardak are the PCs given an opportunity to act.

In addition to the lengthy setup, DMs must also slog through Mr. Clover's dense prose. In places, Whispering Woodwind reads like a rough draft. Sentences are awkward and full of adjectives and adverbs. Whole paragraphs could use a rewrite. There are few outright mistakes or typos, though.

One area in which Whispering Woodwind shines is its approach to NPCs. This approach is sufficiently novel that it warrants lengthy paraphrasing. CMG uses the PROSE system to break down the attitude of primary NPCs, prioritizing how they view the world in five areas. Each area receives a rating from one to ten indicating how highly the NPC regards that aspect. To his credit, Mr. Clover doesn't merely introduce the PROSE system; he provides solid advice on what a high or low rating in each aspect means. He also instructs on how to use the system to create realistic NPC interaction. This is good stuff that should be helpful to many DMs, especially those new to the task.

My only quibble is that the PROSE system's one to ten scale implies a level of precision that is neither possible nor desirable when dealing with something as amorphous as NPC attitudes. For example, Tardak is rated a 4 on the P-axis while Contel is rated a 5. What does this mean? How differently will the two react when dealing with P-related matters? A simple descriptive scale (high, medium, low) might streamline the PROSE system and make it even more useful.

The Whispering Woodwind also deserves kudos for its method of scaling encounters to provide an appropriate but not overwhelming challenge for varying groups of PCs. The adventure is written at a baseline level ("Playing By the Book"). For new players or smaller groups, encounters can be scaled down to "Allowing Some Leeway" or even "Holding Their Hands." For experienced players or larger groups, encounters scale up to "Bumping a Notch" or "Dialing Way Up." Again, this is good stuff, solidly conceived and pretty well executed. A couple of the early encounters have no "Holding Their Hands" adjustment, but DMs can extrapolate downward from the "Allowing Some Leeway" recommendations that are provided.

Mr. Clover also provides a one page summary of the sites and events in the Whispering Woodwind. This is a welcome addition to any adventure as it lets the DMs know what's supposed to happen. Another welcome addition is the conclusion that explains what the PCs can expect when mopping up the villains and settling up with the authorities and with Tardak. Too many adventures leave DMs hanging, but Whispering Woodwind avoids that mistake.

The pacing of the adventure is also addressed. The PCs are supposed to proceed swiftly along the track of the bard Contel, although there are numerous opportunities for them to be delayed or sidetracked. What's odd about the emphasis on pacing is that while "speed is of vital importance" for the PCs to be successful, the encounters do not contain notes on time. If pacing is truly crucial, DMs need to know when Contel passes through each location in order to determine when and where the PCs catch up to him. Without this information, DMs are left to adjudicate this aspect on their own.

Actually, it's likely the PCs will not overtake Contel. In that case, Contel - the NPC around whom the entire adventure revolves - ends up casually slaughtered by some stock villains. In fact, the first time I read Whispering Woodwind, I missed the passage describing Contel's eventual fate: that's how underwritten and abrupt it is. I am really at a loss to understand why Mr. Clover chose to kill off the story's pivotal NPC at all, let alone why he chose to do it offstage with no possibility for PC intervention. I had hoped for a scene of confrontation between the PCs and Contel, with the former attempting to convince the latter to give himself up and return to face Tardak and pay off his debts. This would've been a great opportunity for role playing and would've highlighted PC social skills like Sense Motive, Diplomacy, or Intimidate.

Instead, it is far to easy for the PCs to dawdle in their task and miss out on any chance to speak to Contel. In that case, the adventure ends with one of the oldest D&D cliches of them all: a cutthroat ambush. This ambush is potentially quite deadly. It takes place during a storm and in the dark, imposing harsh penalties on ranged combat. The PCs are opposed by five 1st-level rogues, four 2nd-level rogues, and their 4th-level leader (who is equipped with magical weapon and armor). While I haven't playtested this encounter, it seems likely that the four 2nd-level PCs for whom the Whispering Woodwind is intended will suffer serious casualties when ambushed and outnumbered more than two-to-one.

Assuming the PCs survive, they will recover Contel's flute. It is actually a cursed item that subtly disrupts part of the owner's free will. Adjudicating the effects of this curse could prove problematic for all but the most experienced DMs and dedicated PC role-players.

As I noted in my introduction, the Whispering Woodwind needs some work before it will flow smoothly. Realistically, any adventure ought to be reworked by the DM rather than used as written. The Whispering Woodwind is no different, and that is the source of my disappointment. Mr. Clover obviously understands how to create a compelling story and back it up with useful DM advice (the PROSE system, notes on scaling, the summary and concluding notes). These strong elements gave me hope that the Whispering Woodwind would not require as much reworking as most adventures. However, the weaker elements (the mishandling of Contel, the potentially deadly climactic ambush, and the problematic magical flute) counteract the strengths, leaving the Whispering Woodwind feeling decidedly average.

At only five dollars, the Whispering Woodwind is still a reasonable buy for DMs willing to put some effort into their adventures. If nothing else, you get several intriguing NPCs plus a slew of Trundlefolk who could be modified for your homebrew campaign. You will also be supporting an author who shows real promise and a love of the game. Whether or not that's worth the money is up to you.

The Whispering Woodwind by Creative Mountain Games (CMG) is a d20 system adventure designed for 2d level characters. It is set in Creative Mountain Games? World of Revloc, though it could easily be adapted to any campaign setting by simply changing the names of the locations. The adventure would easily fit into a coastal setting close to a medium-sized or larger town.

The Whispering Woodwind uses both site- and event-based encounters to develop its story. The adventure begins in the town of Jalston, where in reacting to a local emergency the party meets an innkeeper with a problem. Eventually, the adventurers are hired to recover an item from the inn?s former bard, and are led on a merry chase down the coast. On the way, they meet a number of colorful inhabitants, and eventually find a small hamlet with troubles of its own, where the adventure climaxes.

The great strength of this adventure is the depth of the setting and the development of the non-player characters the adventuring party will encounter. CMG has gone to great lengths to create vivid, interesting NPCs that the game master can portray in a realistic manner. Each of the primary NPCs is described using CMG?s ?PROSE? system, which rates each character?s outlook in terms of view on Politics, Religion, Others, Self, and Economics, along with some basic character traits. With a little study of the system, the GM use these NPCs and their surroundings to create a living locale in which to base a campaign with a great deal of realism and internal consistency.

The adventure also makes good use of boxed text both for encounter descriptions and to provide suggestions for the game master. Its handling of skill checks in roleplay is particularly effective, with a number of possible responses for each situation mapped out depending on how players handle each encounter. This assistance is invaluable for a relatively novice GM who is attempting to introduce more roleplay and character interaction into his or her game.

Another strength is the scaling of the adventure. Tough designed for 2d level characters, each encounter provides a sidebar on ?Adjusting the Bar?, enabling the encounter to be easily scaled for levels 1-4, or to adjust if the party is having too easy or too difficult a time with the encounter.

The Whispering Woodwind is not a hack-and-slash dungeon exploration. While there are several combat encounters, the adventure provides many encounters that can best be handled with shrewd roleplay. The setting for the adventure is relatively low fantasy ? most of the encounters are with animals or humainoids in a civilized setting. The overall feel is more gritty and realistic than some of the more high-magic, high-monster adventure offerings.

The adventure includes a brief supplement that outlines a culture called the Trundlefolk, nomadic bands of people reminiscent of gypsies. The supplement provides two complete NPC classes for the Trundlefolk, and this culture could easily be imported into any campaign.

The Whispering Woodwind does have a couple of challenges a prospective GM should be prepared for. Though many of the encounters are event-based, the exact timeline is left to the GM to develop. The GM should be familiar with combat-based rules. Though a great deal of effort is spent providing help for relatively novice GMs to better roleplay NPCs, other encounters still require some basic proficiency. Because of the detail provided, the GM should also be sure to study the links between events carefully, to be better prepared to transition from one to another. At least one significant encounter is not directly relevant to the basic adventure plot, but could be used to develop a number of interesting future adventures.

Lastly, the town of Jalston in which the adventure begins is not described ? there is a free player download from CMG that gives some basic background, and a full treatment of the town is forthcoming. This might pose a challenge for a GM whose players decide they want to spend some time in town before proceeding on the adventure. Taken together, the town of Jalston plus this adventure would provide an excellent starting point for a low-level campaign in a believable setting with richly developed NPCs.

I would recommend this adventure to GMs who are looking to introduce their gaming group to a higher quality of roleplay, to GMs looking to improve their own handling of NPCs, or to those looking for a nicely developed setting for starting a low-level campaign. For the $5 price, one can mine this product for a host of good ideas, encounters, and NPCs, even if the full adventure is never played.

Rated 4 stars out of 5 for great characters and roleplay opportunities, though requiring some additional work for DMs to execute event-based portions.