ASC Review: The Grand Retreat of the Great Sage Tellah

The Grand Retreat of the Great Sage Tellah (thanateros777)

"B/X, etc." for PCs of "mid-level"

Man, people reading these are just going to think I'm a jerk, huh?

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 "mid-level drop-in funhouse adventure for B/X, etc." That's what it says on the box. Well, now. I know B/X like the back of my hand, and "mid-level" for B/X is 7th level. So that's how I'm going to treat this one. ALSO: please note that I do enjoy the (occasional) "funhouse" adventure...see my numerous blog posts on White Plume Mountain over the years.

How much should I drag this out?

It's not good. We'll start with the basics: for a B/X adventure of this size (20 encounters...a tad big but within contest parameters) a "mid-level" party could expect to find somewhere in the neighborhood of 261K, all monetary (because B/X doesn't give x.p. for magic items). If the PCs were able to pull out every last scrap of loot, they get a grand total of 21,100 g.p. value. Pitiful.

Then there are the encounters: illusionists (no such thing in B/X). A necrophidius (not in B/X). "Clockroaches," "assassin vine," "mycelian," and "shocker lizards" (I've never even heard of these things). Water weirds (not in B/X). Guardian familiar (not in B/X). That's a helluva' lot of "etc." No stat blocks are provided for any of the monsters.

Usability is an issue. Decent map, nice and clear. But the three pages of text are not only crammed together, but using a font that makes reading this a thing of torture...it is the proverbial "wall of text" which makes table use a nightmare, even on maximum magnification. At least the monsters are highlighted.

Yes, it's another negative review. And I'm sure many readers assume/believe that I take great glee in being negative, of being critical, of looking for every possible flaw. And probably I do...to some degree. 

But part of why I'm doing this is in aid of helping folks. Not just the author, but other people who might want to write/design adventures. Because writing an adventure for publication...something to be read and used by other people...requires a different standard from what DMs do when jotting down notes for their home game. It requires a different degree of care and attention. Because other DMs aren't you, Mr./Ms. Author...and they can't read your mind.

Let's elevate our design chops. Yeah, we're all amateurs (for the most part). If you're writing/designing for WotC you're probably not reading this blog; you're probably not entering contests like these. If you're a professional adventure writer, this info ain't for you. But if you, like me, are just an amateur or (glory be!) a semi-pro, please take this advice to heart:

Choose one system. Learn that system. Design/write for that system. 

System matters. This adventure gets one star (out of five) because the author decided that system doesn't...and it thus fails to work as a functional module for anyone looking for a "B/X, etc." adventure.

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