Review: A Man & His Dog by Bart Carroll

A Man & His Dog is a piece of tie-in fiction for Storm Kings Thunder in issue 9 of Dragon+, which was published in September 2016. The tale is written by Bart Carroll, digital marketing manager for Wizards of the Coast. As always with the Dragon+ stories, they are free if you get the app on your phone.

The not-so-pretty look of a 5e Blink dog

Ranger for the Emerald Enclave, Gibbet, is in a small town north-east of Waterdeep, Beliard. The citizens are fleeing from a fire giant and his pack of hellhounds. Gibbet is specifically hunting giants, for one destroyed his hometown of Catherine's Crossing when he was just a boy. His dog, Blencan, is a blink dog, and also a survivor from an elven village waylaid by a fire giant.

This specific giant is going from small, basically defenseless villages, to pillage singular magic items to add to his armor. He seems to be making this armor so he can free the Primordial Maegera and withstand her intense heat.

There were some clever things in this story; we explore magical arrows, wearing heraldry devices, and how people can get ekenames. It's a personal story, our protagonist is quiet and gives off a sad vibe. There were a few surprises, though there was not much chance of seeing them coming; that is forgivable because of its short length. This is a fresh Realms take on a classic trope. A Man & His Dog is Good, for what it is.

I have not experienced Storm King's Thunder for myself, but those who have, let me know how you feel about this tie-in story in regards to the whole campaign.

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