They Came from 270 was my attempt at the prompts provided to create a "post apocalyptic alien invasion prison break". My initial design was centered around an old farm, but after deciding that setting to be a tad too boring, I began considering more exciting or unusual settings. I eventually settled on having my alien armada invade a quaint American every-town from the 1950s. The setting was a nice change of pace from the usual fantasy map, and my players noted how fresh and fun the visuals were, so I definitely believe the theme was a hit.
(Concept Layout- Not fully indicative of actual map)
(Actual map as playtested)
As for the specific layout of the level, the players choose their classes and begin their journey at a barricaded gas station. Taking consideration on the enemy's use of ranged weaponry, Justin chose the ranger class and Eli chose the mage class so both could avoid a disadvantage of distance. Surrounded by bulky cars, the team is given a secure spot to kick things off. From there, the team would work their way down the street to a drive-in movie theater. Once a popular spot for date night, the drive-in lot now laid littered with long range enemies, melee brawlers, and their captive citizens. In retrospect, there were far too many enemies in this single section and the overwhelming surge was felt by both my party members as well as myself. Upon rescuing the prisoner, he gave word of something useful atop the projector booth.
Of course, just handing them the reward would be 'too easy'! With the roof access ladder blocked by a locked entry cage, the party must now find some way to remove the lock if they decide to see what awaits them on the booth's roof. At first, Eli was uninterested in the mystery item, denouncing it as a waste of time, and suggested continuing their pursuit of the main objective, while Justin made note that something requiring this much effort to obtain must be worth the hassle. Both held valid arguments, but it was Justin whose plan would prevail. Neither knew of the tommy gun hidden up there, but once they had it in their possession, they would've made quick work of every remaining invader.
Upon entering the park, the crew immediately ran for cover behind a pickup truck. Two laser gun wielding invaders began taking potshots from across the green. The one behind cover lasted a bit longer while the sap standing around in the open was swiss cheese in seconds. Once the gang made quick work of the spacemen in the park, they took out the second crystal and made their way for the loot bag across a small stream. Jumping over the creek, the players had found an alien frequency resonator which could be used to unlock the ladder's cage. Unfortunately, right after my players got the resonator, the gameplay timer rang. Though a fair bit of our inability to complete the level in time was on part of having to teach the various mechanics of Roll20 again, there were certainly some sections that could be finer tuned.
Firstly, there were way too many enemies for our combat style. This is most apparent with the drive in. Guarded by two gunmen, the lot itself held 4 melee enemies. With six enemies in total, the drive-in alone took around eight to ten minutes due to the slow, turn-based nature of Dungeons and Dragons. Part of me was worried that the resonator 'puzzle' might've eaten too much time, but it felt too engaging to omit from the final level. If I were to make a second iteration on my level, I would definitely scale back the enemies- possibly making the melee enemies cannon fodder. This was my intention at first, but eight health was still way too much. Cutting it back to three or four would definitely help ease the grind with minor enemies. Beyond the time constraints, our first playthrough went pretty smoothly, providing a healthy challenge with no party casualties.
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