Great adventure, and most important, great to DM!

Bandit's Nest is exactly what it says on the first page, a DnD 5e adventure to go from 1st to 2nd level. That being said, it is a great introduction to the basic elements of DND for new players, as well as a good way to start an adventure off for old hands. I am a big fan of Dan Coleman's works (found him through Kickstarter) because his adventures are written to be fun for both players as well as DMs alike. There are player-safe maps included in the download, which are a huge time saver. We can go on about those, but onto the adventure first.

The adventure itself is very well organized, starting with tips, general background, and the major story beats/ideas of the adventure. It is a small gesture that goes a long way for the DM's planning. Basically, you can read through the adventure 2 times and be pretty well prepped to run it. I reskinned the Kenku as dragon-modified cultists from Horde of the Dragon Queen (thus reworking the bland cultists from HotDQ to these variety as well as dragon-human hybrids), and used this as a lead in to give the PCs a reason to go to Greenest in the first place. But that's the best part of this adventure and Dan Coleman's stuff -- it is designed to be plug-n-playable as needed, and ultimately ended up making my own adventure better! [Note : If Dan wants to tackle re-doing HotDQ, I will pledge my money to that in a heart beat... that is a train wreck of an adventure compared to this].

Maps are clear, simple, and effective at a glance. Encounters are organized, varied, and easy to implement. Coleman even adds Role-Playing tips to add to the effect for DMs who love to act out for their players. Additionally, he has enough foresight and planning to account generally for the most likely outcomes of the adventure, meaning as a DM I do not have to improvise complicated mechanics on the fly while being unaware of their repercussions. I get to use my improv skills elsewhere. Finally, just about every Skill has at least one use in the adventure. That is a personal pet peeve of mine when DM's don't do it -- so good on Coleman for getting that right!

In short, this simple adventure is filled with ideas. I have stolen his Kenku (and his descriptions of their mannerisms) for my own games. After I ran this adventure, I refer back to it often for scenes to steal. It is a great reference.