ASC Review: Save Vs. Sarnoth

Save Vs. Sarnoth (Riley)

S&W (OD&D) adventure for four to six PCs of levels 4th-5th

I am reviewing these in the order they were submitted. For my review criteria, please check out this post. All reviews will (probably) contain *SPOILERS*; you have been warned! Because these are short (two page) adventures, it is my intention to keep the reviews brief.

We start the contest with a submission from Riley, author of last year’s excellent Tower of the Necromancer. Unfortunately, few of you will have heard of Tower of the Necromancer despite it being 4-star (“solid”) D&D because it did not make the final cut of the ASCII adventure compilation. Of this I can only say that my values and priorities with regard to adventure design often differ from my fellow judges.

This year’s offering from Riley is not as good, in my estimation. An S&W (read: OD&D) adventure, the size is right, and the treasure count accurate…if perhaps a tad on the high side (not by much!). But the danger level seems woefully slim and the actual amount of “stuff” in this adventure…a colloquial term I use to indicate “interactive situations and environmental factors”…feels thin indeed. A handful of feral centaurs, readily encountered as wandering monsters (50% chance each turn!), and a single gorgon makes this not much more than an elaborate “lair,” though I wouldn’t go so far as to downgrade it…the thing is a true “adventure site,” with SOME weirdness and non-combat encounters to provide a change of pace.

Still: 17 keyed encounters of which only three are overtly hostile, and the two “traps” that appear being in the same location as two of the hostile monsters makes for a site that’s pretty empty of challenge and danger.

Totally dig that several of the playtest characters show up as statues in the gorgon’s lair…this is the kind of touch I like to add to my own adventures. The elaborate spine-forged sword, while passably interesting, is pretty extraneous.

This is playable D&D: *** with a (-) sign added due to the lack of challenge. Yes, a gorgon is tough, but there’s more treasure to be had in the rest of the site (treasure that's far easier to obtain) without ever setting foot in its grotto. Would also like to know what the hell is the relationship between the centaur, dryads, nixies, and gorgon.