Bathtub Review: Rare Bird

Bathtub Reviews are an excuse for me to read modules a little more closely. I’m doing them to critique a wide range of modules from the perspective of my own table and to learn for my own module design. They’re stream of consciousness and unedited critiques. I’m writing them on my phone in the bath. Rare Bird is a 39 page module for Swyvers by Owen Braekke-Carroll with art and cartography by Alice Carroll. In it, you steal a rare and massive bird from a well-protected mansion. It’s pay what you want. I love a module with a solid moral dilemma at its’ heart, and while in Swyvers you’re generally not good guys, and here you know you’re working for the bad guys, the moral dilemma that can ensue if you succeed in stealing the bird is a very, very juicy one. The added complication of the rival crew of Swyvers with a similar but not identical goal, makes things even juicier. This is clever set-up, and adds a sense of tension to the module. I often look to be excited by the first few pages…