ASC Review: Fog Valley Retreat

Fog Valley Retreat (Ben Gibson)

AD&D for levels 5th to 7th level characters

Sorry, Ben...I'm going to be a little tough on 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.

A fog-filled elven shrine of some 21+ encounters. Map by Dyson Logos has a nice layout. The premise of the scenario is that this crumbling temple offers refuge to fleeing noble-types (elves mostly) and the PCs are supposed to go in to find some dastardly quarry. I like evil/twisted elves, and this kind of thing wouldn't be out of place in my own campaign, but I have some issues with it.

First, I'll talk a little bit about "usability." Not usually a big deal in my judging, but I'll note I dislike using "letters" to code encounters. Is it as bad as Roman numerals? No. But it's not a great form of numbering, especially as you're limiting yourself to 26 entries (unless you want to go down the dreaded road of AA, BB, CC...or, even worse, AB, AC, etc.). Just use numbers, people. 

Also, when a person puts a lot of effort into style...as Gibson does, with colored banners and highlighted boxes...it's pretty annoying to read multiple typos in the second paragraph of the text. Also annoying the inconsistencies of formatting...a lot of text is underlined besides magic/special items (despite messaging to the contrary).

Finally, for an adventure that contains a lot of environmental effects (in this case, the pervasive interior fog), devising some way to code the map is more desirable than throwing "code symbols" on the keyed entries. With a map as intricate as Dyson's, I found myself having to flip back between entries and map to figure out the fog layout. 

Minor gripes, but these add up. Text space is spent explaining the reason for the sequencing (not all that necessary) while more important text is missing. What text would that be? How about the movement rate of the avatar...kind of an important thing to know when you have a 13 HD entity looking to avenge itself on the players. How about a movement pattern for the cockatrice? How does it get through closed doors? What is its relationship to the shrine/priests?

Treasure total is solid...just under 165K without factoring the (rather paltry) selection of magic items. However, most of the magic is in the form of huge, bulky, and/or fragile items: 400# crystal chandeliers suspended 20' off the ground, 650 books that must be "handled gently," a half-ton harpsichord, cockatrice eggs that are worth 7K each but which hatch 30 minutes after removal from their heat source (and then peck at you). A LOT of cursed items: cursed statues, cursed tapestries, cursed elven cloaks and boots. Getting the most out of the dungeon is going to require a long and arduous reclamation project/clean-out...which, while an interesting challenge, isn't really what I call "pulse-pounding D&D."

Then there are the monsters. A bunch of 3rd level acolytes armed with clubs. Okay...those guys are nothing but speed bumps. A single cockatrice hiding in the fog...but only encountered on a random encounter table (and, as said, no normal indicated route of patrol). A lot of spectres...a LOT of spectres (the place is filthy with them). For a party with an average level of 6th? That's only a 1-in-4 turn chance. There's one chamber with 16 spectres (automatically hostile if party is carrying a certain tapestry...or interacts with them in any way besides dancing). Um...that's a blood bath at this level.

Then there's the avenging avatar that shows up if the PCs manage to find & slay their quarry (or if they kill the 7th level high priest (he's not that tough for 6th level PCs). It's 13 HD, only struck by +2 or better weapons, has multiple attacks, and magic resistance of 65% (making it 95% immune to 6th level spell-casters). It's unable to enter 5' wide doors or hallways...but since the map has no scale to it (usability again), it's tough to figure out just where this prevents it from going. Also: can it fly (say, to the upper level of its chamber) with those wings? Hard to say, since it has NO MOVEMENT RATE GIVEN.

This is a neat scenario idea that suffers from issues of general usability and some "lack of thoughtfulness." In my opinion, it is by turns both too easy and too difficult and while monetary treasure is in good supply, it is (ironically) frustratingly difficult to acquire while the magic item take is comically low for an adventure of this level.

Two stars (out of five), with a half star added for tight theme. Apologies Ben.

**+