AD&D 1st edition
This isn’t a brand-new review; I’m just archiving it on my blog for those who missed it in my original posting on rpggeek.com The third part of the D (Drow) series brings the pursuit of the drow to a close. Finally, in this adventure, they find from where the drow originated – and it’s an astonishing place. Unfortunately, the execution of the Vault does not … Continue reading AD&D Review – D3: Vault of the Drow
My D&D 4E Greyhawk group have reached the Demonweb Pits, looking for the soul of their bullywug companion (played by Paul). Yeah, it’s just another day in my Greyhawk game! Using this adventure out of the original context it was published in works well. Mostly. My group are not big mappers, especially as it’s rarely needed with the dungeons I use in this campaign. This … Continue reading Fun in the Demonweb Pits
The up-and-down numbers of my AD&D player base saw only four players attend this weekend’s session. I wouldn’t be utterly surprised if I’m dealing with ten players next week; it’s that sort of campaign! The regulars of Jesse and Tait were there, along with Tim and a new player, Mike. Mike rolled up a fighter, and so we had characters from 1st to 9th level … Continue reading AD&D – The Frost Barbarians – session 65(ish)
If there is one adventure that really shows how different and ambitious the UK division of TSR were, it is this one. Published in 1983, Beyond the Crystal Cave is notionally in the World of Greyhawk, although the world it evokes is one that would be unfamiliar to most players of D&D at the time. Indeed, the entire adventure would feel unfamiliar, as it moves … Continue reading Review of AD&D module UK1: Beyond the Crystal Cave
One thing was certain, that the rules of naturalistic adventure writing had nothing to do with it: — it was Gary Gygax’s desire to do an adventure based on Lewis Carroll’s works, and Lewis Carroll’s best writing came from taking ideas found in his (and our) world and twisting them to be amusing and possibly satirical. And, when Gary Gygax became involved you got an … Continue reading Review of AD&D adventure EX2: Through the Magic Mirror
My ongoing AD&D campaign, which I’m currently running every second Saturday at my FLGS, just finished playing through C3: The Lost Island of Castanamir. It isn’t part of the main storyline of the campaign, but was played more as a side quest to allow a number of newer characters to gain experience so they can be properly integrated into the larger campaign. Thus, the Lost … Continue reading Vikings, Lost Islands and Encumbrance – my AD&D Greyhawk game
Against the Slavelords (A0-4) is a reprint of the classic series of AD&D adventures, first run at GenCon XIII in 1980, done as part of the series of reprints Wizards have been publishing during the gap between 4th edition and whatever D&D Next eventually gets called. It has the same trade dress as the other AD&D reprints, and is an attractive package. If some of … Continue reading Review of Against the Slavelords
The Assassin’s Knot is the second adventure in Lenard Lakofka’s Lendore Isle series. It is also a mystery adventure: the Baron of Resternford has been assassinated, and the players need to find out who did it! This type of investigation was still new to D&D at this stage, so Lakofka had little in the way of previous examples to guide him. It should not be surprising to anyone … Continue reading Review of L2: The Assassin’s Knot
I reviewed 1983’s The Final Enemy immediately after reviewing 1982’s Pharaoh. The 1983 product looks like a much earlier product than the 1982 one. I rather suspect it’s because it was: there are 1981 dates on some of the illustrations. The Final Enemy is the third part of the series that began with The Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh and continued through Danger at Dunwater. Although Saltmarsh is highly regarded, it’s never … Continue reading Review of U3: The Final Enemy
The early days of adventures at TSR had provided us with a lot of converted tournament adventures; indeed, most of the classics from this era (Giants, Drow and Slavelords) are of this type. By 1982, we were getting adventures specifically written for the purpose of being run at home rather than at conventions. Tracy Hickman and his wife, Laura, had self-published two D&D adventures in … Continue reading Review of I3: Pharaoh
