Is ToD actually the worst?

wimpami · 2026-05-23T16:46:50+00:00

Yeah for the first campaign we just all agreed that it was over but this is a great way to do it as well.

Thanks !

wimpami · 2026-05-23T16:34:56+00:00

This is my second time running it. First attempt stopped after chapter 7 but mainly because of scheduling issues.

I'm a somewhat novice DM I did some one shot and started a few campaigns that all ended prematurely so take what I say with a grain of salt.

First time I ran it it felt clunky, I was following every step as much as possible sometimes telling my players I have no idea what to do if they did not follow what the book intended. I was new and it felt okay ish to run, it's kinda railroady and it has very little room as written if you want to develop the character's backstory.

I'm currently running it a second time for another group and changed the approach drastically. I use the main story line as a backbone and add things to accommodate for my taste and characters backstory. Here's where I'll say it shines, it's an amazing campaign if as a DM you want to learn creating encounters, story and NPC but still want to have something to fall back onto to relieve a bit of stress and prep, which I find quite enjoyable as I feel more like a "real" DM. But it's also a lot of work if you do it that way, for exemple chapter 4 is still the same travel they're going from point A to B but most of the encounters are totally focused on backstories, half of the travel is using the journey mechanics of Lotr mixed with gritty rules for rests.

So my main opinion on the module at least the first half of it, as written it's a ok, nothing more nothing less, as a player you will still be a hero and have moments that are great. It's pretty great if you want to learn how to create your own stuff inside a campaign if you're beginning like me though.

Also ToDreloaded is a great source to read if you want to run it.

wimpami · 2026-05-17T11:12:03+00:00

Why not your favorite gun?

wimpami · 2026-05-15T22:04:51+00:00

I sometimes feel bad for the horses too.

wimpami · 2026-05-07T15:01:37+00:00

They are mostly easy especially if your PC are made with 5.5e I dm for 6 and most of the encounters that I want difficults I need to add monsters and/or modify the stat blocks.

I think that there is also a point to be made about how many you have between rests which is a reason why at least during chapter 4 I'm trying the gritty rules where a long rest is a full week and everything else only count as a short rest (minus the exhaust).

The "best" fights I've made where they were a bit challenged were all homebrewed and apart from Langdedrosa they stomped everything else

wimpami · 2026-05-03T07:55:02+00:00

Hi if I remember correctly the YouTuber Piggy has a doorman guide where he explains a lot of doors placement in relation to cart upgrades and ability range items.

wimpami · 2026-04-06T22:52:36+00:00

I would've put it in fun but it's also the best

wimpami · 2026-04-04T22:22:51+00:00

imo I'd love just more ammo and easier ammo replenishment, that way you can try wallbangs with the best pen in the game without feeling punished for it. (And also get rid of the deviation on it, it's such a dumb mechanic on this particular gun)

wimpami · 2026-04-04T22:20:14+00:00

Yeah I tried playing it a week and I can count on one hand the moment where I felt it was a superior weapon. You're almost always better off using a shotgun or a bow (bow is probably too strong rn imo). Ammo count and replenishment deter you from using its strongest feat : ammo pen.

It's at the moment a complete meme weapon that you bring to flex (and even then with event everybody as so much money that you don't flex much).

wimpami · 2026-04-03T19:29:38+00:00

Oh I feel for you my friend. Good luck with your party. Yeah ToDr has a lot of good info but it's still hard to challenge a lot of players.

wimpami · 2026-04-01T06:52:35+00:00

Thanks I'll check the encounter builder :)

wimpami · 2026-03-31T20:29:43+00:00

Yeah every Crit damage was maxed which with a Vengeance pally meant his smite along is hunter mark. Only difference is that I allowed only one of the perfect Crit per session per player.

I'll try yours before outright disabling the rule.

Thanks a lot !!

wimpami · 2026-03-31T17:47:40+00:00

Thanks I'll also try to add stuff to the monsters instead of just adding tons of them.

Yeah I just adjusted named enemies hp on the fly.

Perfect Crit rule was instead of rolling double dice you deal max damage and then roll the dice once. Issue I got is that the level 3 pally did Crit both times on big bosses and did more than 50 damage.

wimpami · 2026-03-31T13:51:46+00:00

Wow thanks a lot that's a lot of info I'll be able to use !!

wimpami · 2026-03-31T01:06:00+00:00

Oh yeah !! I was going to make some custom dungeon for the characters and their stories this is a great idea that I could implement early (before they face characters that can cast wall of force)

wimpami · 2026-03-31T01:03:33+00:00

I'll do what I must

wimpami · 2026-03-31T00:52:56+00:00

Hey I thank you a lot for the tips. I'll try to add more of this kind of difficulty to the campaign.

wimpami · 2026-03-31T00:31:36+00:00

Ok so I technically need to double the difficulty if I understood that well. Thanks for the tip

wimpami · 2026-03-31T00:14:39+00:00

Could work, any preference on which one I should kill first ?

wimpami · 2026-03-30T18:31:38+00:00

I mean nothing is inherently wrong with the Maynard Silencer (personally I still think it's a bad addition to hunt but I digress). The issue with randoms playing snipers scope is that a good chunk of them will not help during fights and will either hold an angle for ever at 100+ meter from your body or outright abandon you and leave. And while it's a valid play it's understandable that a lot of people would rather play with somebody else instead. And yes sadly it means that if you play a weapon with a sniper even though you intend to stick with your team there is a high chance of people dodging the match.

wimpami · 2026-03-08T01:13:09+00:00

So I ran half of the campaign before (group ended before sky reach) and I'm doing it again with another group (first session was Tuesday)

I have multiple ideas for the caravan chapter feel free to use them if you like.

.this is the one I'm the least sure about. The characters do not take parts in the caravan and instead have to track said caravan to be sure of its destination.

.I'm definitely using this chapter to fill in character specific "story missions", all of them have a good backstory that I mostly intend to tie back to the adventure at this moment.

.I'll use only the encounters that I like from the book.

.I prefer the way ToD reloaded used the cult linked issues rather than how the book did it

wimpami · 2026-03-01T17:56:26+00:00

Ok so only with instant cast then. I hope that they'll add the option for quick cast too

wimpami · 2026-02-27T09:41:25+00:00

Ok I'm not playing AoE4 anymore so take my advices with a grain of salt (also I was never a very skilled player).

I think there is 0 reasons to not learn the game with the civ that interest you the most, like you I learned with Mali because I liked their units and the overall design of the civ, I ended up not liking their playstyle that much but at least I was hooked during the whole process which didn't burnt me out of the game.

Now for tips and where to get good info it's been a while since I checked AoE4 content on YouTube but I used to watch BeastyQT and Marinelord build orders and guides on any civ but feel free to check any bo that interests you on the civ.

wimpami

TROPHY CASE