ASC Review: The Pit of the Muirneag

The Pit of the Muirneag (Stooshie & Stramash)

LL AEC for four to six PCs of 5th-8th level

Another B/X retroclone...this time Labyrinth Lord (with the Advanced Edition Companion).  The author also makes note that they adapted several creatures from the Fiend Folio. Map is by Dyson Logos.

For my review criteria, you may check out this post. All reviews will (probably) contain *SPOILERS*; you have been warned! Because these are short (three page) adventures, it is my intention to keep the reviews short.

Another "pit" adventure, yet the map is much clearer. This one is also rather large (23 encounter areas), but it's rather light on encounters and dangers (traps and such). In fact, for an adventure aimed at parties of this level, the monsters herein are pretty darn weak. Sure there's a white dragon, but it's only got 42 hit points and it's bedraggled, weak, and restrained in magical chains (there's another smaller one that cowers in fear from fire and only has 14 hit points). Mephits? Encountered singularly? Really?

Sure, somewhere floating around the adventure is an efreeti. But he only appears as a wandering monster or if the party does something to trigger him showing up (like freeing the white dragon...in which case you have an ally to fight him!). Even in White Plume Mountain (an adventure for levels 5th-10th) efreet appeared in pairs. A single creature with a single attack per round isn't particularly challenging to a hearty group of mid-level slayers. Ha...he even "threatens and extorts before fighting." What a wimp!

Treasure should be in the 120K-150K range. Fat chance.  Total treasure in the adventure is barely more than 50K, of which 35K is in the form of jewelry adorning the (chained) white dragon. If you help her you only get a bag of gems worth less than 11K. I mean...that's pretty paltry. Magic items are almost completely absent: a +1 scimitar and eyes of petrification (no save). Great.

This adventure is pretty lame. It's got a good map...but Dyson draws good maps. Two-thirds of one page is used to set up a whole backstory/history of the place and some conflict between Elemental Princes of Evil (from the Fiend Folio) that, while interesting, doesn't have any real impact on the scenario. It's frosting. Bland frosting.

There's just not much "adventure" here. And I can't, in good conscience, give it more than two stars (out of five). There's some puzzle-ly stuff, some creatures to interact with. But in the end, there's not much here...it's a precursor to a greater story. Which (since we don't have the greater story) is a waste of time. Maybe that seems unfair...but other folks have given more using the same contest parameters.

**

ASC Review: Pit of the Red Wyrm

Pit of the Red Wyrm (Jakob McFarland)

S&W for four to six PCs of (average) 5th level

Swords & Wizardry is an OD&D retroclone. I own it; I've read it. I don't play it. It varies a bit from OD&D (which I have played), and I'll try to take those variations into account. But I may not be aware of all the nuances of the system.

For my review criteria, you may check out this post. All reviews will (probably) contain *SPOILERS*; you have been warned! Because these are short (three page) adventures, it is my intention to keep the reviews short.

Again, this one is a "real" adventure: a three level, 23 encounter location. The system (S&W/OD&D) really allows the space to fit such a scenario into a short (three page) publication, without needing to shrink font or cram the text. 

I don't particularly like this one, but the encounters seem about right for the system/character level. Found no grimlocks, naiads, or vampire moss in my copy of S&W; author should note where to reference these. Shambling mound is under-hit diced. Berserkers are over-hit diced, but assume this is an effect of the "insanity peppers" they consume. 

A lot of this doesn't make much sense to me. Why do the berserkers have the box? If the PCs just saw the dragon flying with it in its claws (the "hook" for the adventure) then when did the berserkers have the chance to kidnap the thief, imprison her, get her to unlock it, etc.  Do grimlocks use ballistae? Do the grimlocks manning the ballistae sit around hiding all day without eating anything? Etc., etc.

Treasure is good: 105K for an adventure that should clock in around 80K; however, several loot items are extremely heavy or hard to retrieve. This is fine. Magic is okay...maybe a little low for OD&D, but sensible and well-themed.

The map is tough to parse, especially Level 1 and how it interacts with the wilderness...however, I think I've got it figured out enough. I like the hot springs: good effects, good interactive hazard. The bank notes are also a nice treasure item (especially as value can be adjusted by DMs for inflation rates or currency valuations, etc.). Not sure why a dragon would want these, though...or be robbing banks.

This one gets the "playable D&D" rating from me...barely. It can use some refinement, but an OD&D crowd should be able to stumble through this without too much Fridge Logic bonking their noggins. I might not like it, but it gets three stars (out of five), with a negative asterisk.

***-

ASC Review: Scarborough Shire

Scarborough Shire (Nick Roman)

"AD&D" for PCs of 5th-7th level

*sigh* 

For my review criteria, you may check out this post. All reviews will (probably) contain *SPOILERS*; you have been warned! Because these are short (three page) adventures, it is my intention to keep the reviews short.

While this submission doesn't say which system it's written for, it was suggested...and later confirmed by the author...that it was designed for AD&D.  As such, I examined the adventure through that particular lens. 

Unfortunately, if this is written for AD&D, then the author doesn't know AD&D very well at all.

Sorry, but halflings can't be assassins in AD&D, so an adventure about a halfling assassin guild is a no-go. What's more, halflings can't get up to 7th level in fighting ability. Oh, yeah...and there's no such thing as a multi-class character that has 7th level in fighter and 4th level in thief. Sorry, that doesn't exist in ANY version of 1st edition AD&D ever...multi-class characters divide x.p. equally between classes, and thief will ALWAYS outpace fighter.

You know what else? Hobgoblins in AD&D have 1+1 hit dice, not 3+3. And their leaders never have 6 hit dice (although hobgoblin chiefs might fight as a 4 hit dice monster). And ogres have 4+1 hit dice not 5+5. 

While we're at it, gnomes can't reach 8th level illusionist either, unless you're using the UA rules and the character has some exceptionally high ability scores. However, judging by the rest of this adventure, I'm guessing the author was just 'winging it,' rather than making a calculated effort.

There are devils in AD&D...lots of devils. I can figure out these are the stats for a bone devil...but why not just say so? Also: this is not how an iron flask functions.

The author appears to be trying to be 'cute' with their adventure. I'm not into cute. I want functional adventures that work within the parameters of whichever game system I'm choosing to use. 

Total treasure is (maybe) half what it needs to be: under 50K in monetary treasure, most of which is in literal TONS of trade goods; fun D&D. Wands with no charges listed...sloppy. Also: there's no such thing as a "mace of crushing."

If I were EOTB, I'd knock off a star for the assassin hiding in the latrine. As it is, this thing gets one star (out of five).

*

Blood Bowl Stars

Superstars.

Pass rushers. Quarterbacks. Shutdown corners. Workhorse running backs. Receivers that are just bigger, stronger, faster than anyone else.  These are the playmakers and game-changers that every NFL team wants to have...and never have enough of.  Players who carry your team to the playoffs...and who can derail your season if injury or suspension keeps them from the field.

Our most recent Blood Bowl games have been great; I really need to emphasize this. We've played humans versus wood elves, orcs versus wood elves, Amazons versus orcs, Amazons versus wood elves...lots of different player types competing against a variety of opponents. And all without roster construction. That (to me) is the most amazing part: we simply say 'play with your sixteen players.'  We don't worry about the player costs. We give everyone two team re-rolls per half. No stars...just roll with what you want (subject to the normal limitations of the team type).

The elves are quite good with their excellent agility and speed. But they're not dominant. And part of the reason they were able to eke out wins against tougher teams (like my orks) is that my son had the luck of the devil when it came to rolling injuries...just boxcars after boxcars. And sometimes that happens in games (it's Blood Bowl, after all); luck doesn't always run in your favor. Each team has its strength, and learning to play to those strengths...and neutralizing your opponent's strengths...is part of the coaching process.

But adding superstars to the game is the next step of our game's evolution.

In a "salary cap" league (like the NFL), it is the hard top on payroll that prevents the wealthiest teams/owners from filling their roster with ringers from top to bottom. But every team has the money to pay some players extra money. Sometimes those players play up to their contract; sometimes they don't. If they don't, they might be cut or traded. However, sometimes it's the coach that gets fired, not the player...and the new coaching staff comes in with the aim of rehabilitating these under-performing stars or 'using them in the right way.' You see it all the time.

But even with all the money in the world, superstars don't just grow on trees. Sometimes you want a blazing pass rusher or a road-grading offensive guard...and there ain't one available. Teams that have stars are reluctant to trade them away...it's hard to improve by getting rid of good players. Not that it doesn't happen, but there is only so much (star) talent available. 

Here are our (soon to be play-tested) rules:

• Each team may hire six star players.
• The maximum number of stars at any particular position is equal to 50% of allowable number for the team. So, for example, a human team can have no more than ONE star thrower, no more than TWO star catchers, no more than TWO star blitzers, and up to SIX star linemen. 
• Not all stars are created equally: each star is assigned a number from one to six. This is the number of improvements the star possesses.
• The first improvement is chosen by the coach; all other improvements are determined randomly.
• Big Guy Stars have only half as many improvements (rounded down) for their star rating as a normal star player. For example: an ogre whose assigned number is "four," gains TWO improvements, one of which is chosen by the coach and one of which is determined randomly.
• Stars have the same chance of injury as any other player; star players who have been injured/killed cannot be replaced until the offseason.

With regard to injuries, I should probably provide our updated casualty table. After the final whistle sounds and the game ends, for each casualty roll D68 (d6 + d8) on the following table:

11-18 Good to Go!:  the player will be ready to play by next game.

21-38 Dinged Up:  the player must miss the next game.

41-48 "Legit" Injury:  the player must miss one or more games; roll 1d6 at the beginning of a game, if the roll is less than the number of games missed, the player is ready to suit up and take the field.

51-52 Lost a Step:  as "Legit" Injury but MA permanently reduced by 1.

53-54 Nagging Issue:  as "Legit" Injury but AV permanently reduced by 1.

55  Bad Back:  as "Legit" Injury but AG permanently reduced by 1.

56  Gone Soft: as "Legit" Injury but ST permanently reduced by 1.

57-58 Severe Concussion: as "Legit" Injury but player acquires the Bonehead trait. If the player already has the Bonehead trait, they acquire the Really Stupid trait.

61+ Dead! Rest in peace.

All right, that's enough Blood Bowl for now.  Yes, yes the Adventure Site Contest reviews continue...but there's playoff football going on, baby! Did you really think I could neglect the BB talk?

ASC Review: The Two Spires

The Two Spires (Louis-Joseph Benoit)

OD&D for three to six PCs of 3rd-4th level

I found this one a bit tricky to parse, and I'm wondering if this is an ESL issue...certainly the author and play-testers all appear to have French names...? Regardless, it took me a couple read-throughs to "get" this one.

For my review criteria, you may check out this post. All reviews will (probably) contain *SPOILERS*; you have been warned! Because these are short (three page) adventures, it is my intention to keep the reviews short.

More OD&D, and more gonzo, but if you're going to do gonzo then OD&D is (perhaps) the right system, given just how rudimentary it is. This one doesn't irritate because it feels like it's built on some fairly developed (or, at least, thoughtful) world building. This is post-apocalyptic (hence the gonzo), but there's a lot of background which explains not just WHY things are, but...most importantly for the players...HOW the elements interact with each other. Players need to have something to react to (that's the game): and this adventure gives the DM the tools for this.

There are "Copper Men," who are a race of telepathic humans (but still humans) with a xenophobic religion and "hand-crossbows" (rudimentary zip-guns) that husband/ride "reptoctohorses" (eight-legged reptilian steeds). Despite the weirdness, they're still just a human faction, and the group encountered in this adventure site is a bunch of pariahs, because they've REJECTED their religion and tried to make friends with other humans and demi-humans.  They are attempting to amass gold to recruit the local orc tribe, a group called the Praise-Song Orcs who are neutral in alignment and hire themselves out as mercenaries. With this extra muscle, they hope to overthrow their zealot religious relatives.

This is all GREAT stuff: yeah, it's weird and (slightly) subverting D&D tropes, but it's still UNDERSTANDABLE. Orcs? Got it. Religious conflict? Yep. Gold for trade, barter, hiring, etc.? Makes perfect sense.  The orcs are their own kind of religious zealot, but it's simply one of balance (explaining their neutral alignment)...very easy-peasy.

These two groups, along with a handful of interesting NPCs (a sage/chieftess of the Coppers, her undead spectral husband, an alchemist/witch and her giant fox companion), have made camp in and around two imposing metal spires rising out of the desert that mark the site of an ancient battleground. A small underground cave complex/crypt completes the area...a perfectly reasonable situation for a band of wasteland marauders...er, "adventurers" to stumble into.

While there are plenty of bargains to be struck, people to interact with, and orcs to kill (should the PCs be "that kind" of party), the real "adventure" is underground in an incredibly tiny "micro-dungeon." While some 15K in treasure is available for the finding, the dangers are either incredibly weak sauce (mummies with 14 hit points? Wraiths with 8 hit points?) or incredibly rough (a seemingly unlimited pit of zombies and skeletons that may or may not be hostile). This is made more confusing by the spectre who has multiple motivations depending on what die roll shows up as a random encounter...? Huh?

This is a nicely themed post-apoc scenario that shows a lot of world building depth and makes me both interested in the setting AND the OD&D system. However, the thing needs a bit of editing and a LOT of tuning of the actual "adventure" section (unless PCs are supposed to get into a bunch of backstabbing mayhem with the orcs and Coppers...in which case, some order of battle stuff is needed). I'd like to give it more, but two stars (maybe 2.5) out of five is all I can reasonably give this one. However, this one shows some really good potential.

**+

ASC Review: The Barbican of Blood

The Barbican of Blood (Mitch Hyde aka dreadlord)

AD&D for four to eight PCs of 6th-8th level

This one is an actual "adventure site;" something a group might encounter wandering around the wilderness. Because of its lack of hooks, it might turn out to be just a single encounter. Hmm.

For my review criteria, you may check out this post. All reviews will (probably) contain *SPOILERS*; you have been warned! Because these are short (three page) adventures, it is my intention to keep the reviews short.

So, there's a small fort//ruin that's been taken over by a wandering lord (9th level fighter) and his small retinue. He's been defending the area in zealous fashion, irritating the local druids and whatnot. His odd behavior is due to being under the control of a vampire who lives in the (mostly linear) dungeon that lies beneath the tower...an 11 encounter affair that involves a bunch of random dangers popping up one after the other. Here they are, in order:

• A hollow statue with a magic mouth, that's filled with green slime spilling out if attacked/broken.
• A slide trap that dumps a bunch of flaming oil on PCs that fall in.
• A cursed barbarian that fights people in a room with odd magical effects.
• A giant chess board room filled with invisible coffer corpses that PCs bump into as they traverse the place.
• A room with a false door that jets fire from the pipe behind it.
• A 1 HD alchemist with his two homunculi assistants and his flesh golem creation.
• A room with a programmed illusion of two 5th level vampire assassins that jump out of the shadows and attack. Also in the room is an alcove containing a sphere of annihilation.

Actually, I'm not going to go on. It's just a bunch of silliness, one after another. There's no choice here...just a question of whether or not the group wants to continue with the gauntlet and face the challenges presented. They may, in fact, be interested because the treasure amounts are stupidly high for this adventure. I'd be expecting something in the realm of 210K for an adventure of this size...this one has well in excess of 314K even without the magical treasure that's here: magic tomes and manuals, spheres of annihilation, bowls of commanding elementals, magic arms, armor, potions, scrolls, etc.

This doesn't quite fall down to the one star level, but it's a LOW two stars (out of five).

**-

ASC Review: The Stables of Zothay

The Stables of Zothay (Patrick Dolan, aka OwlbearHugger)

AD&D for PCs of 4th-5th level

Hm...another "heist" scenario. Ostensibly for AD&D, there are indications that the adventure was originally written for a different system, or that it was written by someone who uses a "hodge-podge" version of D&D. Which, of course, annoys me.

For my review criteria, you may check out this post. All reviews will (probably) contain *SPOILERS*; you have been warned! Because these are short (three page) adventures, it is my intention to keep the reviews short.

On the other hand, it may just be that this kind of "adventure" is hard to judge: the players are hired by some faction to murder the local tyrant's prize race horse. Reward varies depending on who's doing the hiring, but I infer that the author is looking at getting 2,500 x.p. apiece to a party of four individuals. Players have a "mission" to accomplish, and then get "rewarded," possibly finding incidental loot along the way (though...well, we'll get to the treasure in a moment).

This is 3rd edition style thinking. Four player parties. Give PCs a mission with a universal reward. Suggested x.p. "bonus" if doing job for a church who doesn't pay hard currency (as the thieves guild might). No: this is not how to play AD&D. 

Players need a certain degree of self-motivation...and the more experience they have (both as players and characters) the MORE motivated they should be. Is it worth risking the wrath of the local sovereign for 10K? "Oh, yeah, you can also steal whatever's not bolted down in the king's castle." Oh, really? Does the sovereign have access to magical support dudes who can track down thieves and intruders? That doesn't sound like a very profitable situation...and players should be able to refuse such offers, not be presented with 'This is the scenario we're playing tonight; deal with it.'

The stables themselves housing the target is a bunch of weirdness. The duke (or whatever he is...no title is given), has a bunch of giant monsters (1d3 9' long boring beetles as a random encounter) wandering the premises. The tyrant keeps a damn styracosaurus (an aggressive, 18' long dinosaur) that gets exercised in the yard, all the while covered by an illusion that it's a fat work horse. Um...18' long? Here's a pic I found on the internet:

How do you get that thing in and out of the stable door? Or past the fences that surround the exercise yard? And doesn't it kind of tear up the yard? How much does the duke feed the thing?  This isn't the only beast the guy is keeping as a pet, by the way: there's a manticore and a gorgon, too! You'd think there's be a bunch of stablehand "statues" scattered around the place.

Then there are the random wanderers. A bulette that has managed to find its way into the dirt 'horse arena' and that the duke (or whatever he is) is feeding it a horse every day (!! Costs !!) in hopes he can add it to his menagerie. Of course, if it can get in, can't it get out...and ravage the city?   

A ghost haunts the stable (who is this? no explanation) and takes the racehorse out for a "ride" every night (again...why?) using a saddle of etherealness which is sometimes solid, sometimes not, and is kept who-knows-where when not in use. It's weird and random and I can only figure it's there to give PCs a big loot reward (valued at 30,000 g.p.) because otherwise it doesn't make sense and is far too powerful an encounter for 4th-5th level characters.

Generally, this is meant to be a heist scenario with a bunch of "gotcha'" encounters. There aren't any real  risk/reward choices for the players except whether or not they want to take this job at all (which they really shouldn't want). "We try to rope the horse." "Uh-oh, it's actually a manticore under an illusion...fight!"  "We try to rope this other horse." "Whoops, that's a gorgon under another illusion." 

"Uh-oh, the ground erupts with a bulette." 

"Uh-oh, a ghost appears and possesses one of your party members; everyone else age 10-40 years."

This adventure needs a lot of work. Two stars (out of five).

**