I literally hadn't looked at this in 20 years, but discussions in the weekly group had me dig it out of the nether regions of the endless closet.
I forgot how much this module does right, such as:
- tri-fold cover, which could double as a poor man's DM's screen (given a choice between a module and a DM's screen, teenage me would go for the module every time)
- illustration booklet - holy shit, but it is well done - damn shame I can't draw for shit, or I'd be doing this for my game sessions
- "This module is meant to stand on it's own, and includes areas on the map where Dungeon Masters may add their own levels" - I did so back in the day, just wish I could find those maps 30 years later
It does suffer quite a bit from "boxed text-itis". Too much to read, to the point the players' attentions will stray. Easily enough to fix, but common for the era.
Still, i ran this multiple times. May have to do so again in the future.
Never heard of this one before.
ReplyDeleteThe rewritten version that was a gift for D&D Encounters judges is a nice update to this.
ReplyDeleteTop 5 module of all time, I completely rewrote this for a DCC tournament at my store last summer. Big hit!
When I was working on RCFG, I converted this module, and the players had a blast.
ReplyDeleteIt's one of the best!
ReplyDeleteThe following sentence wins the internet today as far as I am concerned.
ReplyDelete"It does suffer quite a bit from "boxed text-itis". Too much to read, to the point the players' attentions will stray. Easily enough to fix, but common for the era".
Boxed-texted and its proper usage is something I mull over way more than is healthy for a normal person.
Therefore, I am grateful to live in the modern era. I can find others whose opinions regarding important topics that I feel strongly about without boring anyone in my immediate vicinity to death.
Z
boxed text is fine - in moderation.
Deletewinning the internet for a day? woot! ;)
Boxed text works here in the context of a tournament module. Clues are hidden in the text and when read to all the teams insures a fair game. I ran this back in the day as a sort of tournament with my usual players using the three characters they gave. Was fun even though they didn't make it all the way through.
ReplyDeleteTamoachan dropped into Dwellers of the Forbidden City is like the Reses Cups of AD&D.
ReplyDelete