Evaluation of Sessions 1-12: A New Hope

The Good

• Combat is quick, brutal and very tense.
• Magic is powerful, dangerous and unpredictable.
• Dungeon crawling does not kill roleplaying. Creative players find opportunities everywhere.
• There were plenty of heroic acts, all the more meaningful because the risk of death is real.
• The DM has no idea what's going to happen and is as excited as the players.
• Due to the PCs' interactions, the village next to the dungeon is taking shape at a rapid pace, spawning opportunities for adventure and roleplaying.

The Bad

• The Barrowmaze lacks the kind of sword & sorcercy atmosphere and sense of wonder I desire.
• I dropped the ball regarding faith and religion. I failed to set the mood with the village priest and except for one player's initiative, these elements are largely absent from the game... 

The Ugly

• Resource management, random encounters and using miniatures on a grid can be tedious at times.
• Dying - especially dying over and over again - can be frustrating and strain player creativity and compassion. (The players are handling these challenges well, though.)

In a nutshell

The campaign is just like I hoped it would be! All sorts of challenges remain but I'm looking forward to every session. A big thank you to my players -- you're making it happen!