A Night In Seyvoth Manor is labelled as a "challenge adventure" on it's cover. I wasn't sure what that meant but was very happy to find out that it's structured a lot like the older tournament modules in that it has a time limit and a scoring system to measure a group's success (or failure).
The titular Seyvoth Manor is basically a villain's haunted house that has two recently abducted innocents that the party is trying to recover before they are lost forever.
The adventure has a lot going for it and depending on what you value different DMs may find appeal in different aspects. As I mentioned at the start I really do enjoy running groups though tournament style modules as it creates a different dynamic for the players and can create that rare example of D&D play where player's can feel like they're "winning". As a big movie and horror fan I also really liked all the subtle (and not so subtle) references to classics of the genre spread throughout the adventure. The adventure contains a number of breakout boxes labelled 'trivia' that will lay out those references so you will understand all of them even if you don't immediately pick them up on your own. The room maps are brilliant, in addition to being graphically appealing if you purchase the PDF they could easily be blown up into battle maps if your preferred play-style includes miniatures. The challenges vary from room-to-room and the mix of problem solving and combat encounters should appeal to almost everyone. Overall I think most groups would enjoy this adventure and find it challenging and fun in equal measure.
Having said all of that I did have a few issues with the adventure. First up on page 3 of the adventure it references "Several different types of cards are included in this adventure", the cards are in fact not included but are required to play the adventure. The cards are available either as a PDF or as a physical purchase to be bought separately. The PDF is a great offering from the author but in my case (I live in Canada) the physical cards were cost prohibitive as the two options would have cost me $40 or $50 each factoring in shipping and exchange. If you're good with the PDFs this is a non issue. My other major issue was that I made the mistake of only purchasing the print version of the adventure, the adventure contains 17 separate maps of the rooms and grounds around Seyvoth Manor but does not include 1 map showing the entirety of the manor. What this means is that each small map includes notations on where it links to the next map (or maps) in sequence but the text is very small in some cases and without the ability to increase the size (as I would be able to with the PDF) it's a bit hard for me to piece together. My final issue with the adventure is minor but other than the maps and the cover the adventure contains no art. For many players and DMs this will be a non-issue but for me personally I always find art helps set the mood and immerse me in the setting.
Overall I would still recommend A Night In Seyvoth Manor but I would strongly recommend buying the PDF rather than the print version as that would somewhat address my maps issue.
A Night In Seyvoth Manor is currently available from Drivethrurpg at https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/253742/A-Night-in-Seyvoth-Manor-DnD-5E
-Jay
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