This is the first chapter in the Blaark Chronicles. It is designed to be played using a brand-new solo character. As the story progresses in future chapters, the character will have to make many decisions that will shift his alignment towards good or evil, and neutral characters may have difficulty playing through to the end without an alignment change. There are no henchmen in this chapter, but some will be available later in the series. I have added a map to the .zip file. There have been a number of recent updates; see the readme for details.
Posted by ravenscar7007 at 2010-06-24 11:58:16 Voted 8.25 on 06/24/10
good story but alot of empty areas, low amount of monsters, with good story ended up wanting more content
Posted by Mirgalen at 2010-02-18 23:34:42 Voted 4.00 on 02/18/10
Unless you are a fan of the O.C. you probably don't want to bother with this vintage campaign.
I had some trouble with it in 2006 and only did a bit better this time. Still my character got easily killed twice by a bug that should not have been there in the first place (average damage 15) and once by a spider just after arriving in the forest after the boat trip.
In the review I found this:
"Gameplay: 8
I played through this mod with a Human Fighter and never died. Just from going through the mod Fintallo was very accurate in the mod description in the Readme. It's a walk through with a fighter, casters will be moderately challenged, and Rogues and bards may have to reload a few times."
I strongly disagree with this. If the module is (made for or recommended) for fighters (or melee classes) fine, if not than IMHO the author does not know how to properly balance the encounters (and no it is not OK to reload over and over because when you complete the module you will have little if any sense of achievement).
Conclusion: If you are going to play a "tank" and don't mind the boring OC look and feel you may enjoy this otherwise you will probably not have a good time.
3-4: It is clear the author tried to make something interesting, but still fell short. With more work it might be worth the download.
Why hasn't WeAreAllKosh been elected main official reviewer in the Vault? You have no idea how many lousy modules I could have avoided had he written a review on them, and how many I was saved from because of his words!
Honesty and objectivity are hard to come by, and even though I find his manners to be a little harsh, they are usually over-the-top reactions to valid points. Just once have I found myself in disagreement with his perception, and even then he warned about a subjective approach to the matter (Read Adam Miller's trilogy comments).
Too bad about Blaark Chronicles. I really don't think authors improve their work by reading community comments, at least not significantly, but perhaps this particular campaign could have been improved by such.
Posted by MikeLM9215 at 2008-07-07 20:28:06 Voted 7.00 on 07/07/08
Fairly decent beginning module with lots of quests, some a little tough for beginners. No respawn penalty. Does give multiple quests to same person where getting second quest makes finishing first quest impossible, though both quests can be given simultaneously. _________________________ The road to Ravenloft is paved with good intentions.
Posted by WeAreAllKosh at 2008-03-14 12:46:29 Voted 6.00 on 03/14/08
*laughs* This is the lowest rated module of the series? I just don't get it...
Far and away the best of the series. This one is easily comparable to the OC. Not much better -- the story isn't that compelling -- but the quality control is right on par. A good blend of story, questing, and fighting, with (this is the most important factor) small, well-balanced fights. Unfortunately, the series just gets worse and worse and worse as it goes on. The author made many bad judgment calls in building the sequels, and no one had the courage to steer him back onto the right course. Why? This might have something to do with it:
"In case you've been disencouraged from the community by the loudmouths, Fintallo, I'd like to apologize for us players. We lose a lot of module builders in the start of their career to whiners who don't know the difference between hobbies and stuff they've paid blood for - we seldom get gems since we drive out anyone striving for perfection before they accumulate experience. It's sad."
PAID BLOOD FOR! Oooooooo! The Christ has returned to us in the form of these humble and selfless modmakers who do all this tireless work for free. Of course, I'm sure Kataja has shown her appreciation by sending some kind of donation to Fintallo ... right?
Lovely sentiment. I'm glad we didn't lose Fintallo and only heaped endless praise on him. Wonderful effect it had on him, didn't it? Yeah, he really strove for perfection. I think this series is wonderful only for the fact that it showcases why critical votes are a good thing. Here is yet another series of modules that got none, and so got worse as each new installment was cranked out.
For the record ... if a modmaker is 'disencouraged' by criticism, it's not the fault of the critic; it's the fault of the modmaker for not growing a thicker skin. The commenters who sing praises to the modmakers do far more damage. If a modmaker isn't going to accept criticism and improve his work, I don't -want- him building NWN modules, because chances are he's a lousy modmaker. Criticism either improves the modmakers who can accept it or chases off the divas who can't. Praise and, more harmfully, attacks on the critics by this -endless- legion of pom-pom waving mod apologists only give the modmaker the idea that he's doing nothing wrong.
Kataja and all you cheerleaders, I'll speak for 'us players' too:
Keep sending your votes of 10 and your heaps of appreciation to the modmakers ... as is your unquestioned right. And when it comes to those of us who don't really want to drink the kool-aid and would -dare- to vote less than 8? Shut the #$&@ up!
Posted by SusanMcKinney at 2007-12-09 12:38:09 Voted 9.50 on 12/09/07
This was a fantastic set of adventures. I loved the overall storyline. I loved the nuances of the world as I traveled through them. I hope to find more modules like this!
Posted by Nelson The Geek at 2007-09-17 03:16:31 Voted 10.00 on 09/17/07
A great series by Fintallo. I noticed in the Vault posts that this was his first module series. I am amazed. Well polished, with an engaging plot and very few spelling errors.
Some posters have complained about the linearity, especially in the later chapters. IMHO, this is misguided. You are on a save-the-world quest. You're not going to go off on a side-jaunt at a time like that. The most intelligent point made was the comparison to writing a novel. When writing a cohesive series of modules, that's what you're doing - writing a story. If the complainer wants a more free-form module with non-linearity, that only comes with sacrificing the story. I for one prefer a cohesive plot.
Fun - 10, Layout/Design - 10, Dialogue - 10, Originality/Creativity - 10, Quality Control - 10, Overall - 10
Posted by ChrisH at 2007-08-31 07:58:27 Voted 8.75 on 08/31/07
Enjoyable introduction to the series
Posted by Mirgalen at 2006-11-27 16:31:58 Voted 4.00 on 02/18/10
One would think that it should be fairly easy to find a suitable module for a level one character. I tried playing this after trying a couple of not so famous adventures. I probably was unlucky and got myself into broken plot early on. While trying to do the farmer quest, I found a necklace and a sword on the ground so I assume that two NPCs are already dead and the girl quest will never be completed. I also found two creatures responsible for the farmers problem took one down but the other took my character to the grave...
Posted by Litepulsar at 2006-09-13 17:58:33 Voted 8.50 on 09/13/06
I won't reiterate the other comments here regarding some of the bugs, but the overall series, the effort gone into it, and the storyline well outweight that, as well as the fact that this is the first mod, and each subsequent mod improves on the last.
Posted by frabron at 2006-08-25 06:16:22 Voted 8.50 on 08/25/06
Nice module. The areas are sometimes a little bit too big for my taste. The start was a little bit boring but it definitly improves after a while.
I intended to play this module as a Level 1 starter and now I will download the second part to continue the story. Well done!
Posted by Spartanfighter at 2006-07-24 19:38:13 Voted 8.25 on 07/24/06
Good module! A tad buggy here and there, but a fun little game that only gets better as you go throu the chronicle.
Posted by kipetok ( 193.93.xxx.xxx ) at 2006-07-02 04:42:46
I'm really impressed!
Posted by ericdoman at 2006-03-12 09:31:22 Voted 8.75 on 03/12/06
Decided to vote on this at last. Have now gone through it twice with ftr/rg and sorceror. Challenging for both and ocassionally very easy for both. My vote would be lower if this is a one off mod but it is part 1 of 6. So the effort and time put into it is immense.
Posted by Gevaudan at 2006-01-20 07:06:01 Voted 8.00 on 01/20/06
This module is rather good considering he openly admitted it was his first module. It has some minor bugs but they don't stop playability and don't take away from the game.
One such bug involves the matchmaking quest with the farmer's daughter. If started at night the farmer and his daughter are no where to be seen and so you'd obviously just continue on with the major quest and go after the goblins. If you do so when you see the farmer and his daughter during the day you cannot continue the quest at all. But again it is a minor side-quest and not needed for the actual story.
This module has a very decent story to it, everything is thought out well and he uses his transitions very well. I'll be giving this module a score of 8 because it shows great promise, makes me want to continue the series, and shows that you don't need scripting to make a good mod with and interesting story. The minor things like small bugs and spawns that respawn if you revisit non-intended areas are the only reason why I do not give it a 10.
Posted by Gevaudan at 2006-01-20 07:03:33 Voted 8.00 on 01/20/06
This module is rather good considering he openly admitted it was his first module. It has some minor bugs but they don't stop playability and don't take away from the game.
One such bug involves the matchmaking quest with the farmer's daughter. If started at night the farmer and his daughter are no where to be seen and so you'd obviously just continue on with the major quest and go after the goblins. If you do so when you see the farmer and his daughter during the day you cannot continue the quest at all. But again it is a minor side-quest and not needed for the actual story.
This module has a very decent story to it, everything is thought out well and he uses his transitions very well. I'll be giving this module a score of 8 because it shows great promise, makes me want to continue the series, and shows that you don't need scripting to make a good mod with and interesting story. The minor things like small bugs and spawns that respawn if you revisit non-intended areas are the only reason why I do not give it a 10.
Posted by Kataja at 2005-07-22 12:38:18 Voted 8.00 on 07/22/05
Bah. Comments and vote-comments are made from the same box but end up in completely different places, as is logical... I'd like the whine post to not be the last to show here, but as I already reposted my vote-comment to the wrong board out of disorientation (and then re-misposted when backing up in the wrong window, and can't remove anything), I'm too embarassed to repeat the process. So check out the stats for more thought-out commentary, but in short:
I recommend this series to charismatic characters with a wee bit of disarming traps (and a point of unlocking is always fun), and an interest in crafting items. If you're not a careful sort, bring some hit points.
Posted by Kataja at 2005-07-22 12:30:56 Voted 8.00 on 07/22/05
Although some juvenile people here just can't appreciate module builders' hard work, I'd like to point out that Blaark I was quite ok to play with a paladin. I've played up to III this far, liked II more than this one for a more plotty plot. I've been playing a Paladin, but now I think I maybe should have started something more charismatic, either a Bard or a Sorcerer, with an eye for armour and weapon crafting for the module - there's nice support item-wise for it. Oh, and have a point or two for trap disarming and bring a universal key (sword-shaped or lockpick-shaped). I didn't run into any problems from being a generally curious and talkative sort. There were some typos, but more like ten than a hundred for the entire mod. The fights weren't generally very challenging for a fighterly type in normal difficulty, but I did need to reload once or twice for getting careless with bosses.
There's a bit much of empty space in houses and such without anything going on, which makes me wonder if the builder was going for some realistic feel. To balance it out, all romp-ey caverns and such tend to have a courtesy portal at the end to draw you to the beginning without having to walk all the way. The nice support and encouragement for crafting things made me add to my wishlist a module where weapon and armour crafting is really worth the trouble and gold. :)
From the posts I hear this is Fintallo's first try at module building. As such it is a great start and I'm glad that the series got finished even if the evil plotline didn't. In case you've been disencouraged from the community by the loudmouths, Fintallo, I'd like to apologize for us players. We lose a lot of module builders in the start of their career to whiners who don't know the difference between hobbies and stuff they've paid blood for - we seldom get gems since we drive out anyone striving for perfection before they accumulate experience. It's sad.
Posted by Deadsayer at 2005-06-14 22:18:57 Voted 3.00 on 06/14/05
Kind of sad really, it had to the potential to be at least a good, enjoyable mod if not a great one.
Posted by Deadsayer at 2005-06-14 21:45:26 Voted 3.00 on 06/14/05
This module is so full of bugs as to be unplayable.
Posted by Deadsayer at 2005-06-14 21:44:35 Voted 3.00 on 06/14/05
Well Well. I decided to start over again and give the wench her pendant before I killed the goblins. I got that far. Got back to the town and told the guard guy that I had eliminated the goblim problem and then went to get the woman's manure. Remembering I had seen some manure in the goblin cave I went back there to get it, only to find that the goblins were back, even the cow the goblins kill when you first walk into the cave was alive again and the goblins killed it again when I walked in...again. Well done. This module is so full of bugs it's unplayable. Great job.
Posted by Deadsayer at 2005-06-11 23:01:23 Voted 3.00 on 06/14/05
Ok. So I found the amulet, pendant, whatever. She won't take it. Just says "Someone said you killed some goblins or something. Whatever." and that's it. I'm afraid there's still a bug here mate. I can't go any farther with this. I'm getting tired of home made mods that I end up not being able to finish, whether they say they're possible for all classes but end up being clearly impossible for anything but a fighter or have bugs at such crucial points that you can't continue. Very nice.
Posted by Deadsayer at 2005-06-11 22:34:13 Voted 3.00 on 06/14/05
I can't find whats'ertits' amulet. Where is it?
Posted by Vimsen at 2005-04-24 08:35:43 Voted 9.50 on 04/24/05
Posted by Steve_Savicki at 2005-04-14 19:56:13 Voted 10.00 on 04/14/05
DIfferent scenery, quests, and monsters.
An adventure packed in 1 mod. Wonder how the rest will pan out. _________________________ Steve's Characters - please don't forget to vote on them if you play them.
Thanks,
Steve
Posted by Steve_Savicki at 2005-04-14 19:55:00 Voted 10.00 on 04/14/05
Where was the chalice to give back to the cleric? _________________________ Steve's Characters - please don't forget to vote on them if you play them.
Thanks,
Steve
Posted by mikeyonker at 2005-04-13 19:48:35 Voted 8.25 on 04/13/05
It was fun. Some good bits, for sure. The dialogue was very stiff in most parts and took away from the story, but i had fun.
A note to potential players of the series by someone who just played through it: a very strong series overall, especially the even-numbered mods (II, IV, VI), but make sure to play through with a good or neutral character, because the evil path was never completed (they were going to be separate mods). Really good series, though. I actually got a little bored with episode I and just created a level 4 character to start with in episode II, which worked fine story-wise. By the way, this is a very good series to try the PRC pack with, since you get to high levels by the end.
Posted by garyh2018 at 2005-01-04 14:20:39 Voted 8.25 on 01/04/05
Good fun, but a little buggy.
Posted by erthule at 2004-12-13 01:56:25 Voted 5.75 on 12/13/04
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