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
Van Richtens Guide to Fiends Advanced Dungeons and Dragons Ravenloft No 9477
August 16, 2009 by Simple Hobbies · Leave a Comment
Van Richtens Guide to Fiends Advanced Dungeons and Dragons Ravenloft No 9477
User Ratings and Reviews
5 Stars Evil: The Capital “E”
I recomend this source book for any DM who wishes to run a deamon in Ravenloft. This book will destroy all the preconceived notions you have about fiends; Van Richtan rewrites typical D&D cannon for a fresh revitalization of the traditional views of the Planscape-typical monster. These masters of darkness are unlike anything you have ever witnessed — foes of awsome power with the power to tempt even the stoutest of heroes, the most faithfull priest, and the holiest of Paladins. No Ravenloft collection is complete without it!
3 Stars Gives good points on villains, but leaves fiends too weak…
This book treats fiends mostly as average intelligence monsters with little in the way of “supernatural” powers. It is a pale shadow of the original ‘fiends’ presented in the 1st Ed. AD&D game. Since it is designed for the Ravenloft setting, many of the powers and abilities are difficult to translate into another setting. The limitations built into the creatures’ make-up are part of the Ravenloft setting too — again, it makes it difficult to translate it into another game setting. If you are looking for insights into the netherworld, this isn’t it! If you are a Ravenloft fan, buy it if you must, but there are better resources available.
4 Stars The Fiends are just as devilish as ever!
If you thought that TSR “toned down” the fiends because of religious pressure, think again! Even if you think you already have all the stats on fiends, this book adds some new diabolical powers, including possession! A fiend can even use your body to enter the Prime, sending your character hurtling into the Abyss in its place! The only disadvantage is that you’ll need the Planescape Monstrous Compendium to make much use of it, as Van Richten is a Clueless and doesn’t know the full stats for fiends
White Plume Mountain Advanced Dungeons and Dragons module S2
August 10, 2009 by Simple Hobbies · Leave a Comment
White Plume Mountain Advanced Dungeons and Dragons module S2
User Ratings and Reviews
5 Stars Problem solving and exotic dangers combined
White Plume Mountain is one of the original classic AD&D modules. I could not recommend it highly enough. It contains tricks, traps and unique monsters and requires a party to cooperate together to win. You will need a mixed group to get through this. It also contains three extremely powerful magic weapons - especially Blackrazor - which may need to be limited in power if you wish to continue with it in your campaign.
5 Stars The pleasure of a classic dungeon module
NOTE: THIS REVIEW FOR REFEREE’S EYES ONLY. THERE ARE SPOILERS HERE FOR PLAYERS.
AD&D is old enough now that a new generation of players has arrived — those who weren’t around when the classic RPGs were in print. I take great pride in introducing my 13-year-old daughter to Advanced Dungeons & Dragons. She reads the rule books and accessories faster than I can pass them on to her. Though she has been on several adventures with larger parties, last night was her first solo adventure.
I chose S2 - White Plume Mountain because it has numerous opportunities for a clever player to avoid fighting by solving riddles and using creative solutions. WPM is a personal favorite for me, partly from nostalgia, and partly from the module’s clever design. I’m no blind apologist; the module’s zoo-style dungeon design is clearly obsolete, but fun nevertheless as a tournament adventure.
My daughter’s favorite character — Evana Vega, an Elf Amazon Warrioress — was accompanied by several NPCs. I borrowed Brianna Burdun (druid) and Brenna Graycloak (mage) from the Forgotten Realms Heroes’ Lorebook, and then rounded out the party with 4 4th-level city guardsmen. The women were in charge of THIS party.
Evana led the group into the giant-geyser/mini-volcano known as White Plume Mountain, searching for 3 powerful magic weapons stolen by the legendary Keraptis. [DMs: These magic weapons could well unbalance a campaign if the players keep them!] The party found the underground complex to be uncomfortably warm and humid. Almost everywhere the floor was covered in a foot of murky water. After contemplation, my daughter solved the riddle posed by the gynosphinx at the first intersection and was allowed to pass.
The party continued north to the kelpie room. Evana lowered a rope with a caltrop tied to the end into the water to sound the depth. But one of the kelpies — still hiding because only a woman was present — started pulling the rope into the water. Startled, Evana cut the rope and withdrew without knowing her adversary.
The party retreated and tried the northeastern hallway. The first three party members (including Evana on point) were walking through the green slime under the water before they realized the danger. With their boots dissolving, and their feet next, those involved wanted to burn the slime off. But the party was using continual light stones; no torches were lit. In the very humid air, using the tinderbox was agonizingly slow work, so the mage used Burning Hands on three torches held right in front of her. Those affected burned the green slime off their feet. Evana’s magical Boots of Striding and Leaping were ruined.
A bit of dithering followed, with Evana leading the party in a different direction, probing the Heat Metal corridor. The party withdrew once again, and found a way past the green slime. The room with the 5 flesh golems was next, and my daughter solved their question immediately, for it was a current subject at school. With a flesh golem ally in tow, the party confronted the twin geyser room. Only the three women attempted the “chandelier-pedestals” and passed to the room beyond, where they made surprisingly short work of the vampire there. With one of the special weapons secured, the trio made to return to their party. Brenna the mage fell to her death in the boiling mud below, underscoring the danger of this room, and the wisdom of not bringing the whole party through.
Evana managed to lock herself in the room with the suspended globes, but methodically broke globes and fought monsters until the true key was found. The party returned to the kelpie room, uncertain of the nature of their adversary in the water. Evana asked one of the guardsmen to call-out the monster there, and then watched in horror as the charmed man leaped into the water, drowning in the ecstatic embrace of the kelpie. Then another man went to his death in the arms of the second kelpie. Fury broke Evana’s indecisive paralysis, and she dived into the water trying to catch the two kelpies who were swimming around her. Unsuccessful, she retrieved the bodies.
My brother returned from work at this point, and my daughter begged him to join in the game. He did (taking over the druid and the flesh golem), advising her to use the whole party to trap and kill the kelpies. Then they faced the giant crab in the bubble room. Through an oversight in the module, they were able to pick at it with their missile weapons with relative impunity. The crab relinquished the second magic weapon.
Together, they figured out a way to pass the Heat Metal corridor (using the golem as vanguard), and the frictionless room (by removing doors and lining the razor pits). The reverse ziggurat room with monsters on different levels was circumvented through wanton destruction, which led them to the third and final weapon.
Good job, guys!
Wayne Gralian
Wayne’s World of Books
5 Stars The ultimate adventure for puzzle-solving heroes
Following in the legendary footsteps of S1, Lawrence Shick created the ultimate puzzle-solving adventure. Voted one of the best 5 adventures of all time in the recent TSR fan poll, S2 features riddles, unspeakable traps, ingenious settings, three weapons of unbelievable power, and a series of unforgettably twisted monster encounters that will give your players migraines as they desperately try to save the lives of their favorite PCs. Well, at least it’s lots of fun for the DM… for levels 5-10.
5 Stars The Greatest AD&D Module
I first played this campain when i was 11! Afther that i was hooked on AD&D. I loved the artifacts (black razor*),the puzzles were some of the best i’ve seen (frictionless room). It had alot of great monsters too (merfolk*)It is simpley a great campain for beginner D&D players.
5 Stars A perfect example of classic AD&D gaming
Yes, this truly is a piece of gaming history worthy of being enshrined. Why? Well, S2 was the first module to incorporate the following - riddles (”Roleplaying? Egad! Can’t we just hack our way through?”), unique magical items with strong, evocative personalities (without approaching the “breaking point” of artifacts), extensive mysterious hooks (you never know who the prime antagonist really is; in fact, the DM is practically begged to make this adventure his or her own), and unique puzzles that can only be overcome through teamwork and sheer creativity (the frictionless room, the cavern of the geysers, etc.). Yes, it may seem crude by today’s standards, but when you consider the quantum leap forward that this adventure represented (along with S1, which it strongly follows), and the fact that all of this was in 1979, we definitely have a magnum opus. I love it.
Against the Cult of the Reptile God Advanced Dungeons and Dragons
August 5, 2009 by Simple Hobbies · Leave a Comment
Against the Cult of the Reptile God Advanced Dungeons and Dragons
User Ratings and Reviews
5 Stars One of the best
Very few modules allow the DM to easily create a storyline, aid low level players with a helpful but limited non player character, make use of rangers and druids in wilderness foray, and a creepy dungeon crawl complete with an interesting boss.
The town and temple require players to investigate not only what is happening, but where to sleep (in safety at least). The NPC is a powerful but old wizard who can add some comic effect if played well. Players are forced to make interesting alignment decisions (is a cursed or twisted priest of a good diety fair game to attack?). The wilderness requires guides or tracking skills. The dungeon is simple and there is actually a plan for rescuing people and destroying the entire dungeon.
One of the best modules of all time.
5 Stars Excellent low level module
This adventure has it all, but I still think (T1-4) The Temple of Elemental Evil is the best of all time. This gives players a chance to roleplay in a well thought out and developed town where they attempt to discover what is terrorizing the poor sleepy community. Once they discover what is going on the adventurers get to dive into a fun dungeon that has the right balance of good creatures and well deserved treasure. This can be fun even for those dimwitted players that couldn’t solve a mystery to save their lives(and it usually does). Design some subplots around the meaty town or use the kidnappings setup in the module. You may find yourself wanting to stay in this town for quite some time! Hey eventually everyone has to figure it out right?
5 Stars One of the very best Greyhawk adventures
This rare module is the finest introductory-level module ever made for Greyhawk. (I know that’s sacrilege, but it’s even better than T1; and, your heroes will be much better prepared for T1-4 after they survive this!) You get a perfectly detailed starting base in the northern heartlands, and a wonderful mystery - the reptilian creatures of the Rushmoors are becoming more insidious and organized with every passing week. What is going on? In order to re-establish the trade routes, the heroes must plunge into the depths of the mire, and into a seeping subterranean hell they will never forget… highest recommendation.
