I just read an interesting review of the old D&D module "White Plume Mountain" over at Grognardia. He had a lot of good things to say about the module, and I enjoyed reading it.
I especially enjoyed reading it because I hate that adventure.
Nothing in the review changed my mind - I still hate White Plume Mountain. It's a story-free puzzle-filled mound of unconnected environments. Some of the individual encounters are neat; I don't object to kayaking through midair rivers or fighting giant crawfish inside a plastic bubble that's holding back a boiling ocean. But it doesn't have anyone to talk to, and the neat individual encounters don't lead to anything more than some magic weapons. The module has no personality, and it doesn't hold anything for PCs with personalities of their own. So I see it as a waste of paper.
But I liked the Grognardia review, because it thoughtfully laid out why the author enjoyed playing through it. Didn't change my mind one bit, but I like knowing why people hold different opinions. Now I kinda wish I hadn't thrown out or given away my copy of the module, since apparently someone would have paid good money to take it off my hands. Live and learn. Hopefully my old copy ended up with someone who enjoys what White Plume Mountain has to offer. Me, I have a stack of old Champions supplements that need to be read.
