Your travels through the wilds have brought you to a farmhouse in the neighbouring countryside. All is not well as you are called upon by a frightened young woman for help outside of her parents farm. As she tells you of the terrible events on the farm you realise...
Only you can face the troubles on the farm...
Farm of the Dead (GFB)
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Version Req. - SOU, HOTU, 1.68
Play duration - 1 hour
Character level - 1
Tips
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* There is a secret area with some goodies in it.
* There is a second secret area which expands with a sub-plot.
* A henchie is available if you can find her.
Was lucky to found the nice (if not uber) gear but went to the "underdark" and was killed on the way out. Not that the creature is that tough but one of the custom/plot item is way too heavy for the non Strength base classes.
Posted by E_H_Bonner at 2008-12-27 07:54:52 Voted 9.50 on 12/27/08
Gadflybite,
I thought I voted/commented this piece before, but I guess not. Well, we'll rectify that situation right ... now! And, before I go, here's my two copper's worth on the module.
***Oh, yeah, the following text may contain spoilers. I'm not sure, so if ya don't want it spoiled for you, perhaps you're better off reading this after you've played the module!***
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Ok, here we go! I must say that I really, really enjoyed FotD. It is what it says it is, a short-but-sweet little romp through an infested farm. I'm a tremendous fan of smaller, single quest size modules, because my play time is rather limited - I'd rather do a 10 minute, one-shot deal than become involved with an epic, far-reaching character growth-driven storyline. I didn't need to invest too much of my precious time, and that makes this module sweet, sweet, sweet! The farm possessed a creepy ambiance that was nicely maintained throughout its progression (love the scene just inside the farmhouse, pure gold!), spawn points made sense and weren't uber-powered - these things all get points in my book. Your recommendation of gun-and-run battle tactics worked like a charm! But I do like to get my hands dirty from time to time, so I died a few times before discretion took the better part of valor and I put up the sword in favor of the bow. The small area that the farm occupied was nicely filled; there wasn't any tracking through large empty spaces before finding the next interactive thing. I like that!
Now, I'm no stickler or stitch-counter, or anything like that, but there were three very specific items that stuck with me enough to not give this nugget a 10:
1) The bard's name. I know that it's your module, and I know that you've taken some flack for this one simple thing, but for me it really put a damper on the immersiveness of the environment, which was otherwise very developed and very effective. Sorry, gadflybite, but that name is just too pop-culture-ish for me to take seriously. Seriously, in my humble opinion, this was probably the mod's biggest pothole.
2) There was no clear direction. Honestly, I wasn't sure where to start, and ended up doing it bass-ackwards the first time through. Now I understand that if there was a zombie attack, the chances that someone would stand on the corner and do nothing except say "Go see the old man in the dark woods" - yeah, that would be slim to none. A minor point, at the most...
3) The girl's store was a bit overpriced for a 1st level character. Perhaps less of a selection at lower prices - kind of a "I was able to grab these things as I was fleeing the place, perhaps one of them will be useful" mentality for her. Again, a minor point...
Having said all that, it was a really good module that I will play again, certainly! I will also have no problems recommending this to any NwN players that I know, for a quick fix that sticks to the ribs!
"Black Wax, says change your mind and say they do and he will give you a hearing, while MEAT HOUSE SLIM, laying in the bin killing all good men." - L. A. Vaugh
Posted by ares417 at 2008-09-06 18:35:35 Voted 8.75 on 09/06/08
Nice short mod-I have no idea why ppl complain its too tough for a lvl 1. I had a lvl1 fighter that died once (and really it was my own dam fault, I was too dam close after I lit one of the powderkegs lol :D ). The atmosphere was excellent. The rats are a nice addition, since it was the rats themselves who would catch me offguard. Also I loved the powderkegs, they allowed me to blow down doors, and I found a new use for the acid flask as well. Didn't have any bow/crossbow so down came the traped door where hencie was behind. (Good thing she wasn't RIGHT behind it lol). _________________________ By Clargin, may my axe hit true!
Posted by synthpop at 2008-06-26 01:26:10 Voted 7.00 on 06/26/08
Nice atmosphere - I kept expecting to run into hordes of zombies roaming around outside (only ran into one) and in the various outbuildings (good suspense). Cool that the guest house only had a couple zombies in it - this made the encounters in the main house that much better; especially when you first enter. And being able to bash in doors instead of having to pick the locks was nice - made it feel like a normal home with wooden doors (invincible doors can get old fast).
Only a couple complaints - the items that you can buy off the girl in distress are a bit silly for a simple zombie romp. What if there were bigger baddies with some sort of evil leader, like a vampire or other intelligent undead that could only be hurt by magic (the last encounter at the homestead gate would be a great place for a "boss fight")? The horror atmosphere was great until I found the henchman... totally ruined any immersion. I was able to overlook the parrot and the name of the farm, but 'Ashlee Simpson' the bard? *groan*
All in all, nice job on the maps (loved the homestead layout!) and the horror atmosphere sans bard. Thanks for making a fun little module :)
_________________________ `
Posted by Dendalie at 2007-06-17 01:18:56 Voted 9.50 on 06/17/07
I played with a fighter wearing full plate, a bastard sword, and a tower shield (all from a character creation mod) and there was still some challenge to it. The survival/horror atmosphere was strong, but not overbearing like it is in most zombiefests. I also liked the inclusion of rats as enemies. It's very simple, but it helped to break the monotony of fighting zombie after zombie.
The moods in this mod ranged from mildly humorous to slightly creepy. It's always a good thing when a short mod gives you a wide variety of feelings without focusing on a single one that can't be properly developed in 1 to 2 hours.
Overall a very good mod that I can see myself replaying a lot in the future.
Hi peej0000, I couldn't help but agree with pretty much everything you said.
I knew there were some typos in there I just kept missing them. Typos fixed in the latest version. (and *long muse* I think 'fragin' is a justfiable expression in my game world :) lol )
minor spoilers
Damn, I missed the rough continuity with the 2nd quest's plot overlap. I'll see what I can do about that. Thanks for pointing it out.
I think people should be able to find the henchie without too much hassle. They'll have to go (roughly) past her on their travels. Unless they want to skip a section of the guesthouse.
I also figured Steph'd be more likely to trade with someone who is helping her in return. Hence she opens her store more directly after you take the mission.
Actually the scrolls do have a sort of background - they're found in, the budding sorceress, Steph's room. I also figured that the man of the house, the farmer, would have weapons about, home defense in medieval times and such. This is actually mentioned in the answers Steph gives when questioned. I might need to reinforce that somewhere tho.
A few polishes will be in the next update, coming when I next reinstall the toolkit.
Thanks :)
Posted by peej0000 at 2006-12-16 15:08:05 Voted 8.50 on 12/16/06
Good short module that fills an important niche - not everything has to be an epic 20+ hours. It delivers what it says it will and I didn't encounter any problems - thanks for making it. I think the level recommendation is fine - I started as a 1st level cleric and did well except for a few times when I was not cautious at 1st level. A few suggestions just based on my run through the game in case you ever update it (minor spoilers):
I would change the name of the last quest to keep the suspense going a little longer - you know as soon as you enter the area who is behind the goings-on. I would also leave some kind of clue or reorganize the quest journal (don't end the first quest or start the second one sooner?) so after the battle in the cellar you know for sure it is not the end. I know you did leave a clue in the cellar but you kind of have to know to look for it, and I was in a hurry to get back out to talk to Steph so I missed it at first. So I would suggest some more overlap between the two main parts of the adventure so no one quits too soon.
Steph's store breaks her conversation and you have to go back through the whole thing again - I think it is because her conversation doesn't change until you finally accept the mission which might be after you use the store.
Maybe a hint (e.g. through dialog or some tracks outside the building, or some dropped item to help you find the henchman - I missed finding her at the beginning and once I got going I forgot you had mentioned her in your description. I guess in short all the things you mentioned in your tips above are important - I would just make sure they don't get missed by building safeguards in the mod itself.
Maybe this is not important for a combat mod, but I like more background, especially for things that might seem unusual - for example, why would there be scrolls stashed in the farmhouse - was the farmer a retired adventurer? You know what I am getting at - I didn't want to feel like they were just put there for me to find (although of course they were).
Few minor typos:
Steph's conversation - should be "of" instead of "on my arcane self". Also "(she laughs) my brother" needs a dash or a period before "my brother"
Scythe description - "it's should be "its"
Henchman - should be "friggin'" or maybe "frickin'" I think?
Sorry so long winded, but I find specific comments helpful, hope you will too. _________________________ Ninja School -- a short NWN training and adventure module for young players. Missing Persons -- a short single-player NWN adventure for levels 4-5. My music submissions
Posted by GreyOoze at 2006-12-08 20:52:48 Voted 9.50 on 12/08/06
I enjoyed this module. Nicely done areas that weren't three times bigger than they needed to be. Thank you for making things darker! It really added to the feel. Nice use of sound, particularly weather effects. Good combat. My lvl 3 Bard had no problems, though the henchwoman...didn't fair so well. The story could have been fleshed out a bit more, but otherwise I had fun. Thanks for making it. Good job.
Posted by Kenrae at 2006-12-07 12:38:43 Voted 8.50 on 12/07/06
A cute little mod. It has been a good way to start with my new cleric. I prefer to play mods instead of using level up modules, this kind of mods are perfect for that. A good way to use one/two hours of my life, even if it's hack & slash without anything else.
Dawnseeker
It can be done on level one, honest! Various equipment has been placed to make things progressively easier as you work through the mod. A higher level character might not have as much fun 'powering up' through the various weapons.
The henchie not the only pop music figure...
I have another mod on the vault; "The Orc Caves" which you might be interested in. It's also a short hack 'n slash mod.
j_mnemonic
Glad you liked it. Thanks for commenting.
A good short mod. A little difficult with my lvl.1 fighter... but i enjoyed it.
Posted by Dawnseeker at 2006-12-02 07:33:22 Voted 8.50 on 12/02/06
Gadflybite... Not bad for such a short mod. It seems simply conceived yet well thought out. After reading Coreyh2's post I played the mod with a lvl 1 fi/lvl 2 cl (with a +1 flail and non-magical plate armor)that I had on hand from a previous module, and it was still *mildly* challenging. I recommend a pc lvl of 1-3 consequently. I think lvl 4+ would sacrifice a lot of challenge. The only thing I took off points for was that you named your henchman(henchwoman) after a popular music icon. I understand that some might think it cute and amusing, but IMHO, I think it detracts (mildly) from the atmosphere and gloomy feeling the mod is trying to project. That said, I didn't take off much for it (.5), and I never take points off for a mod being short. Short mods are plentiful, but *good* short mods are a rarity. Overall, a wonderful effort and as for myself, I'd love to see more from you. Thanks for sharing with the NWN community! _________________________ Regards,
DS
_____________________
Don't worry about avoiding temptation. As you grow older, it will avoid you.
-- Winston Churchill
Hey coreyh2, this mod is intended for newly made level 1 characters. Try find one of the ranged weapons that are stashed here and there. I usually attack from a distance until level 2.
I found it hard for my newly made level 1 half-orc druid. I was killed in one hit by a zombie. Went to a trainer mod and got some armor and a +1 club and was killed.
My views on balance might be different then others though. Level 1 isn't that fun in my opinion.
The undead theme seems interesting and the opening conversation funny in a Evil Dead kind of way.
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