I've begun playing through the challenge entries as well. I have completed rogueknight's
Snow Hunt, and gotten stuck near the end of PHoD's
Black Book.
SNOW HUNTSnow Hunt is a remarkably polished module. I played a ranger thorughout. Here are a few comments:
I enjoyed the use of the custom content which I haven't had a chance to see in game before. Sen's Icy Caverns are used to good effect, as are Six's Winter
Wonder Wildlands. I particularly liked the use of placeables from the Winter themed CCC content. Very nicely done.
I don't normally like Hack and Slash modules because single player combat usually feels tedious to me in NWN. BUT I didn't feel this way in Snow Hunt. Every combat was a challenge, and I had to manage my resources and tactics to succeed. I didn't die once, nor did I use the offered henchman (which I regret for story reasons) BUT I had to use pause frequently as I assessed a difficult situation. Due to the challenge I enjoyed the combats, and see them as the highlight of this module.
The adventure was well catered to a ranger. Plenty of animals to sway to your side, and tracks to follow. Given that you are a bounty hunter, the amount of thought given to play as a ranger was appropriate and well done.
[SPOILERS WARNING]
I have two poins of criticism however.
One, I was able to avoid fighting the Frost Giants after they started conversation. I think they should attack on conversation abort. I had also first thought they were illusions created by your quarry, but was unable to determine if this was or was not the case. Perhaps I missed something. BUT given the skills of your quarry and that one of the trails is intended to mislead you to this cave, I would think that an illusion would make this even more interesting.
Two, similarly I was able to escape the lodge at the end, and return to combat later. My intention had been to lead my quarry into traps, and so perhaps it was good that he didn't follow, but it seemed that I should have been punished for coming and going from the lodge during the climax.
[/END SPOILERS]
BLACK BOOKSince Snow Hunt already has four screenshots on the Vault Page I wasn't thinking about taking more while playing. I felt compelled however to take screenshots of PHoD's Black Book.
While I do not like the combats in Black Book, I think they are entirely besides the point. My recommendation to PHoD is to make them more interesting (besides the entertaining visual feast and parade of humorous monster names which I enjoyed) or to tone them down a bit as they become tedious.
Nevertheless I got what I played for. I have long wanted to see PHoD's custom content on display in the way the artist intended. While you never can be sure about the Plush One intentions, I liked what I saw: Crazy sky boxes, swirling displays of chaotic color, and the smeary and eerie madness of the giger indpired landscapes. I felt in particular that the astral library and that the threshold where the world transitions from normal rural green to lovecraftian rubbery trees were well done. I'd like to see this module - digitally remastered with all the CC that PHoD wanted from the beginning.
Other than the CC, you play Black Book to read the dialogues. They are linear. I didn't encounter any choices, but I didn't mind. Its funny stuff, and there is so much of it. I was impressed.
One torubling issue that I ran into is that the story gets stuck on the icy island after the climax. I suspect its a bug as I've tried many ways of advancing the story to the end at that point but been unable to.
