Greg Marks’ Oubliette of Fort Iron is a significant milestone in the D&D Adventurers League range. It was released in 2015 as part of the second season, and it’s the first two-hour adventure for the league, a format that has come to dominate the range.

The adventure is mostly a linear dungeon-crawl, with encounters split between combats and hazards. None of the three combats is “vanilla”; they all have some additional feature – terrain or otherwise – to make them more challenging. Three combats in a single 2-hour adventure might often be too many, but it’s quite achievable with Tier 1 characters.

The setting for the dungeon is clever, although it’s possible that the players might not realise the nature of the area they’re exploring. I think there’s an opportunity missed in the finale to reveal what’s going on. A group of Black Earth cultists arrive to fight the party for the treasure, but there’s no negotiation with them – or, indeed, conversation of any kind. The text that describes what the treasure looks like comes in the resolution, but I’d have preferred it a little earlier – and with a little more import as to what the characters have discovered.

The hook for the adventure – they’re hired by the granddaughter of the famous merchant, Aurora, to find a lost treasure – is excellent, and the faction missions are clear and achievable.

Despite all the excellent work in the design of the adventure, it ultimately feels disposable. The players get to stop a plan of the Black Earth cult (even if unintentionally), but it’s still a stand-alone adventure with few ties to the larger story of the season.

Still, if you’re looking for an entertaining adventure with some interesting challenges, this is one to consider. Recommended.