Players Secrets of Khourane Birthright Domain Sourcebook Advanced Dungeons and Dragons
September 15, 2009 by Simple Hobbies · Leave a Comment
Players Secrets of Khourane Birthright Domain Sourcebook Advanced Dungeons and Dragons
Lankhmar City of Adventure Advanced Dungeons and Dragons sourcebook
September 8, 2009 by Simple Hobbies · Leave a Comment
Lankhmar City of Adventure Advanced Dungeons and Dragons sourcebook
Book of Lairs II Advanced Dungeons and Dragons Official Game Accessory 9198
September 3, 2009 by Simple Hobbies · Leave a Comment
Book of Lairs II Advanced Dungeons and Dragons Official Game Accessory 9198
The Shining South Advanced Dungeons and Dragons 2nd Edition Forgotten Realms FR16
September 2, 2009 by Simple Hobbies · Leave a Comment
The Shining South Advanced Dungeons and Dragons 2nd Edition Forgotten Realms FR16
Thiefs Challenge Advanced Dungeons and Dragons Module HHQ3
August 28, 2009 by Simple Hobbies · Leave a Comment
Thiefs Challenge Advanced Dungeons and Dragons Module HHQ3
The Forgotten Temple of Tharizdun Advanced Dungeons and Dragons module WG4
August 27, 2009 by Simple Hobbies · Leave a Comment
The Forgotten Temple of Tharizdun Advanced Dungeons and Dragons module WG4
User Ratings and Reviews
5 Stars Regarding “Excellent Party Potential”
NOTE: THIS REVIEW FOR REFEREE’S EYES ONLY. THERE ARE SPOILERS HERE FOR PLAYERS.
The prior two reviews are right on the point. I wanted to elaborate on the comment made in the one review regarding this AD&D module’s “Party Potential.”
My sister and SO had just shown up, and we — including my brother, my wife and I as well — had the evening left after a Thanksgiving meal. What to do? Gaming had been mentioned, AD&D specifically. Eyes turned towards me… “Wayne, can you come up with something?” “Ahh, yeah, maybe…” And I went and did some thinking.
Any DM who’s been forced to come up with a scenario on short notice knows this situation. Four players and about 4 hours to work with, including set-up & prep. (And you know gaming sessions always take longer than you anticipate) I wanted the adventure to be memorable, and come to a satisfying conclusion within that time. I asked the players if they wanted a thinker-type module, or a knock-down, drag-out melee.
You can guess their vote. Well, I’d remembered Tharizdun had a No-BS lead-in with the players needing to assault a tough humanoid faction holed-up in the Temple. Tharizdun ended up being a perfect choice: A combination of old-fashioned PC assault and intelligently sketched humanoid defenders. I used the PC tournament character roster from Module S3: Expedition to the Barrier Peaks.
I altered the scenario background slightly, directing the Gnome King to request the party’s aid in rooting out this nest of bandits. The gnomes had sent their forces against the humanoids previously, but had been unable to concentrate their forces effectively enough to crack this nut. But the PC’s party represented exactly the sharpened force necessary for the task. They’d be the assault force, with the gnomes to follow-up and secure the Temple afterwards.
The 5 PCs and 13 ’spear-carrier’ gnome warriors attacked the temple directly. I added fabric/chain link curtains to the entrance to prevent any cheap-shot player Fireballs hurled through the entrance. I thought the attack was too easy for the PCs at the beginning. The tarry net trap at the entrance caught them by surprise, but the two Fighters were able to hold off the humanoid counter-attack at the next doorway. The rest of the party extricated itself from the net undisturbed.
The two fighters — a dwarf and human — were able to make short work of the Orcs. (Which I’d traded for the uninspiring Norkers… two players were relatively new, and the orcs made a nice mental image from the recent LoR movies.) Despite the numbers attacking, they were able to slay several per round. The gnoll archers were firing into the melee, hitting friend and foe alike.
The fighters were able to press forward and to the side a bit, allowing the rest of the party to slowly emerge from the bottleneck. This continued for a bit, with bodies piling up. Humanoid reinforcements started trickling in at first (per the module’s clever chart, showing how the lower-level’s rooms would empty out and come to the aid of their comrades upstairs).
The wizard, levitating above the melee and shielded from normal missiles, cast a Cloudkill. The noxious vapors started forward in the room, and eventually down the stairs ahead. This slayed the mid-level defenders, killing the gnolls to the last one. With the pressure on the PCs eased for a moment, the orcs in close melee started dropping quickly.
The reprieve was not to last. The 5 trolls and giant trolls came up the stairs and pushed through the poison cloud. The tide turned here, for the PCs were pressed hard. The dwarf fighter went down, with the cleric saving him at death’s door. The trolls were cutting the gnomes down like grass; the gnome archers fled the scene.
The mage’s lightning bolt and frost wand helped to regain control of the situation, until the 2 hill giants and mountain giant leader arrived. A Cone of Cold repelled the hill giants, causing them to flee down the stairs badly wounded. But the mountain giant pressed on. Given the 2 trolls still functioning at this point, the party was in desperate straits. The remaining fighter went down, and the mountain giant tossed the cleric across the room like a rag doll. The mage and thief (who’d been finishing off downed but regenerating trolls) pressed their attack, facing a badly wounded giant and barely wounded troll. They knew they would either succeed in this next round, or not at all.
Under the pair’s desperate attack, the troll died for good. The mountain giant surrendered, gravely wounded. The gnome forces arrived, their poor timing receiving only weary looks.
The lower levels remained, unexplored for now. Yes, I’d say Tharizdun makes a fine party module.
Wayne Gralian
Wayne’s World of Books
4 Stars Great, dark, mysterious adventure
A well-named module… WG4 is an excellent Greyhawk adventure written by Gary Gygax in 1982, but almost no one remembers it! Even better, it forms the epic prequel to the legendary S4, Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth. (Tharizdun - The Phantom Menace?) I personally believe this is Gygax’s most bleak, mysterious, demonic, sinister, and gothic adventure, followed closely by T1-4. Oh yeah… it’s a lot of fun at parties, too. 
3 Stars Good Side Trek for the Lost Caverns
This module suffers from being basically an extended random encounter for the Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth. Given that, it’s a very GOOD addition to that adventure. However, it lacks good art (actually, it almost lacks art, period) and doesn’t have enough “personality” to make it a great module. In essence, this is a “hack’n’slash” adventure that is something of a war of attrition with humanoids that have set up housekeeping in a temple to an imprisoned evil power. It has the beginnings of some great atmosphere, but ultimately lacks luster. Get it if you have the Lost Caverns; then it is imbued with the added depth it sorely needs.
Ravenloft Monstrous Compendium Appendix II Children of the Night Advanced Dungeons and Dragons 2nd Edition
August 17, 2009 by Simple Hobbies · Leave a Comment
Vault of the Drow Advanced Dungeons and Dragons Module D3
August 4, 2009 by Simple Hobbies · Leave a Comment
Vault of the Drow Advanced Dungeons and Dragons Module D3
“This module contains background information, a large-scale referee’s map with a matching partial map for players, referee’s notes, special exploration and encounter pieces, a hex map detailing an enormous cavern area, a special temple map, encounter and map matrix keys, and additional sections pertaining to unique new creatures for use with this module and the game as a whole. A complete setting for play of ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS is contained herein. This module can be played alone, as the final part of a series of three modules (with DESCENT INTO THE DEPTHS OF THE EARTH, D1 and SHRINE OF THE KUO-TOA, D2.), or as the sixth part of a continuing series of modules which form a special campaign scenario (DUNGEON MODULES G1, G2, G3, D1, D2, D3, and Q1, QUEEN OF THE DEMONWEB PITS, soon to be released).”
Lords of Darkness Advanced Dungeons and Dragons Forgotten Realms Accessory REF5 9240
July 30, 2009 by Simple Hobbies · Leave a Comment
Lords of Darkness Advanced Dungeons and Dragons Forgotten Realms Accessory REF5 9240
Castle Greyhawk Advanced Dungeons and Dragons Module WG7
July 22, 2009 by Simple Hobbies · Leave a Comment
Castle Greyhawk Advanced Dungeons and Dragons Module WG7
User Ratings and Reviews
4 Stars Just for Fun
This was desinged almost as an April Fool’s Day prank on gamers. It isn’t just an adventure, it is a campaign. There are 18 levels to this dungeon, each one geared for varying degrees of difficulty. First level for level 1 characters, second level for level 2… etc. The entire thing was designed as a joke or to be something silly, and would not fit in with most regualr campaigns. If you want to try it, I would recommend that you devote an entire campaign to this adventure, separate from any other ideas you might have planned.
One problem though is, as a joke, it goes on too long. I tried to run it several times and never made it past level 6. I’ve never heard of anyone finishing this module.
5 Stars Lighten up! 
This is definately NOT your average adventure. It’s fun and exciting. You can’t predict what’s coming next because it is all so off the wall. It’s a welcome change to all the adventures where you are out to save the world and battling dragons and other monsters. This is a light-hearted adventure with fun in mind. I have NEVER had so much fun gaming as had with this adventure, and I have never laughed so hard in my life.
This has been the best adventure I have ever seen. I am still in the middle of it, and will be quite sad when it’s over. I only wish there were more like it.
1 Star Spoof based on Greyhawk Ruins
AVOID THIS PRODUCT
I accidentally got this adventure thinking it was WGR1 Greyhawk Ruins. What a surprise. The whole adventure is one bad joke after another. AND I DO MEAN BAD. I can’t believe even TSR would publish such a piece of worthless trash!
Well if you get a chance WGR1 Greyhawk Ruins is a pretty cool module, but extremely hard.
1 Star Rubbish for the humour-challenged
This is simply a huge dungeon with so-called “hilarious” levels in it. Have fun fighting Col. Sanders, one-horned ducks, Dr Who and other “hilarious” stuff. I have no idea why T$R published this.
