| Doom Moon II: Dragon’s Revenge | |
| by Andres Gonzales | |
| iambobsushi’s Review | |
It was sometime in 99, I think, when I went to the Spiderweb tables for the first time, looking for a cool scenario to play. Doom Moon II was the first that caught my eye. “A nightmare from beginning to end.” is a good attention-grabber. So, I downloaded it, went through the party maker a few times, watched the movie, and started playing.10 minutes later, I found myself up against 6 very powerful dragons. And I had no idea what to do. Using Armageddon never even occurred to me.
It was 2 years before finally gave Doom Moon II another try. This time, with more than 30 other scenarios completed, the answer to the first puzzle quickly became obvious. And the nightmare began.
The strongest point of the scenario is design. It was this scenario that showed, for the first time, the true potential of the editor. To the best of my knowledge, DM II was the first to combine NPCs, Special Spells, and NPC spells in one scenario, and remained so until Falling Stars. Almost all the dungeons were made very well, with unique little puzzles and difficult monsters thrown in at every turn. Finally, the scenario was big, very big. There were at least three different outdoor ‘regions’, including a futuristic sequence, and over 70 towns. The fights were hard, yes, but nothing too challenging for a party with a bit of experience. He was also the first, and one of the only, to make a ‘movie’ with the editor.
The scenario did well in plot, but it certainly wasn’t as good as many others. The three main quests at the beginning seem a bit repetitive, but looking at how varied and fun the dungeons are, I don’t think this was a big issue. The real fun came after you got the map together. The Spaceship’s ending, the barrier town, the truth about the Red Dragon, and the final battle with San-Racku. All strengthen the plot tremendously. Suspense was used well in many points, and there was always a sense that you were going to walk into a town and see it destroyed. My only big complaint is the actual ending; I strongly dislike “it never really happened” plots.
Andres Gonzales did a lot to make the scenario fun. The Rock, Paper, Scissors and soccer games were enjoyable, and the custom spells were all cool, especially Blades of Exile. The custom monsters were well designed and a lot of amusing to fight, especially the fish. And of course, there’s the huge surprise when you meet the last monster.
The NPCs, especially, were among the best part of the game. The quests were all a lot of fun, and often yielded more gains than just a new member, such as weapons. They appeared for all major battles making them a great asset. Amber was useful against the outdoor monsters, as you could move your party down, while she easily took out even Liches quickly. Also, after the battles were over, you could talk to most of them, and they gave you hints or much needed comic relief.
The custom graphics were pretty good, but the dragons’ crowns were ugly. Not a big thing. There were also no bugs I ran into, pretty incredible for a scenario like that. A few spelling mistakes, but certainly not as many as Doom Moon I. Also, I think the title was cool.
Doom Moon II revolutionized the way BoE world, and it’s incredible design was an inspiration for scenarios like Falling Stars. I wish the author continued to be part of the community. His next one could have been astonishing (not that this wasn’t, but even more so.)
I do hereby give Doom Moon II a 9.5
DMII is for Very High level parties and is rated G.
— iambobsushi