A Review of the Role Playing Game Supplement Adventures in Bayhaven – Caravan to Rivenshore / Caravan to Bayhaven

Adventures in Bayhaven – Caravan to Rivenshore / Caravan to Bayhaven by Brain Benoit is a role playing game supplement published by Roving Band of Misfits Press for use with the Hero Kids system.

The supplement is available as two PDFs from RPGNow for $1 but was purchased at the reduced price of $0.75 as part of the Adventures in Bayhaven Ultimate Bundle.

The supplement is comprised of two adventures, one from Bayhaven to Rivenshore and the other one the other way around. Each adventure is in a thirteen page PDF, with one page being the front cover, one the front matter, one a map of Bayhaven and one an encounter map.

The adventures are essentially identical; only the order of the encounters is simply reversed and some of the people dealt with at the start of the adventure are different – the merchant and caravan staff are identical. This does mean that a GM can’t easily run one adventure to get characters to one location and then the other to get them back.

The adventures start with a list of what is needed to play and what would make playing more fun, and also introduces an optional rule called Time Units, which is used in other adventures in the series. If Time Units are used and players run out of them, the characters fail the adventure.

One page covers background, for the starting location and adventure, and a synopsis, as well as what could follow on from the adventure.

Each version of the adventure starts with the characters getting employment as caravan guards. Next are three encounters, whose order changes depending on the direction. These are a washed out bridge, a goblin attack (with a battlemap) and theft between caravan members, followed by arrival at the destination. Each of the three main encounters is different in nature.

Adventures in Bayhaven – Caravan to Rivenshore / Caravan to Bayhaven in Review

Neither version of the PDF has bookmarks and, although the adventure is quite short, these would have been appreciated. The text maintains a two column format and no errors were noticed. There is a single stock black and white illustration, a map of Bayhaven with two places marked on it and a battlemap for the combat encounter which appears to be hand drawn in coloured pencils. Presentation is okay.

This adventure connects the Brecken Vale and Rivenshore setting of Hero Forge Games to the Bayhaven setting of Roving Band of Misfits Press – Rivenshore and the other parts of the official setting are not free to use under the Hero Kids compatibility license but the author has got permission to use them and has written Hero Kids adventures for Hero Forge Games. The adventure can be used to get characters who have run through the adventures in one location to the other to play the adventures there.

There is a nice mix of encounter types in the adventure; only one is a combat-based encounter, meaning that players have to use different skills for the others. The addition of Time Units can create time pressure for the adventure, although this is optional and perhaps is better suited to older children.

Adventures in Bayhaven – Caravan to Rivenshore / Caravan to Bayhaven is a useful adventure connecting two different Hero Kids settings and it can be found by clicking here.