Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen

Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen is a solid adventure that returns players to the Dragonlance setting for the first time in decades. Players can expect an adventure that's a mix of wilderness exploration, dungeon crawls and a military campaign. If you have nostalgia for the Dragonlance setting, you will enjoy battling Draconians, but how much more DL flavour you get from the campaign will depend somewhat on your DM's knowledge of the setting. The adventure has many elements from the original books, but the adventure doesn't necessarily emphasize them. As a dungeon master, you will find that the adventure structure is fairly easy to follow, although you may have to dig into the text for motivations and themes that aren't apparent on a light skim. The battle encounters are tightly focused on the player characters in a way that gives the feeling of a larger battle, while keeping it manageable for the DM. (It's worth noting that there is a board game, Warriors of Krynn, that ties directly to the adventure--from what I've heard, the context of some of the larger battles is explained better in the board game, if you want to look into that.) There is a surprising number of dungeon crawls for a military campaign. This isn't necessarily a positive or a negative, but something to be aware of, when setting expectations for players.

This module is quite good. On it's own it has many good things any many tiny little details that are great for exploration. One of the things I feel is most often overlooked in DnD and maybe in TTRPGS in general. The player interactions with the module and how the rest of the aspect of the games go (Roleplay and Combat) depends a bit on the GM and their way of running games. But in many ways, the book has everything one might need to create an enjoyable experience and has enough material for multiple types of encounters and even for some crazy twists and turns in the story. It has everything that could be needed as foundation for a memorable campaign. If it does become one? That depends on the GM and the players. But all in all, I say it is balanced enough and with enough content that not only can be added upon, but also learn from for you own campaigns. At least on the core needs of an adventure, and the importance of some of the small details.

my experience was definetly a unique one. It was my first ever DnD campaign where I had joined midway right into the story. The lovely Kevin Couto was a saint since I had not properly setup anything to join 2 days prior to the scheduled game time. Kevin walked me through it, assisted me in every way possible and welcomed me with such compassion that I wasn't too nervous to start playing! (pun 100% intended) but without giving anything away, the campaign was everything i had dreamt of playing my first campaign. to amazing maps and assests. to moments of pure stress and agony thinking about the next turn. to rolls that made even Kevin consider what was going on lol. it was a pure blast of ups and downs. to losses and wins. as well as story points that were not in the main dragonlance module that still lived up to how well written it was specifcally for the players. I'm truly glad that my first DND experience was with kevin and hope to see other experience that as well!

As a player I loved dragonlance, it was just the right amount of action/adventure and the setting leaves a lot for the DM to incorporate players backstories. My favorite part was the battles, multiple large scale maps with all sorts of ways it can go wrong or right. If I could wish for anything to change I would wish that the dragons be more unique and not just mounts or bosses. Other than that I absolutely loved playing, the DM extended it to level 20 and I accomplished one of my life goals, max level!

I had the pleasure of playing in Kevin’s Dragonlance campaign from 4 February 2023 to 9 March 2025, and it was easily one of the best D&D 5e experiences I’ve had. Kevin guided us from level 1 to level 20 with remarkable consistency and care, all while immersing us in the rich, iconic world of Krynn. He was always open to compromise, balancing Dragonlance’s deep lore with player creativity. His rulings were fair, consistent, and always aimed at keeping the game engaging. Whether we were battling dragons, navigating Solamnic politics, or unearthing ancient relics, Kevin ensured every session felt meaningful and exciting. If you’re looking for a GM who can run a smooth, story-rich campaign while making sure every player feels heard and valued, Kevin is the one. His Dragonlance campaign was unforgettable, and I’d gladly play in any of his games again.

It has its hiccups at the lower levels, but throughout the mid the high tiers of play there are great encounters and combat set pieces that allow players to feel like they truly are in a war zone. In a good dm's hand whos willing to put in the work to homebrew, this can easily spring board into grander adventures across krynn and make your players feel like the rebel alliance to the dragon armies empire