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This is a compact repackaging of the 1991 Big Black Box, with the Dragon Cards folded into the rulebook, IIRC.
How's it differ from the original D&D Basic Set? I already have that boxed set, so I'm curious if there is any real difference between the two boxes.
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I managed this through the trading away of old novels [mine and my sister's (*)] and some RPG books and references that never really grabbed me or weren't in good enough condition (i.e. the worn out innards of a WoG box). I flipped two old school modules (EX1 and EX2) and a Paladium book (called Old Ones) that I traded for simply to use as trade bait at Whyte Knight. I "owned" it for less than an hour.
It was another great day of wheeling and dealing!
I'll be doing more on Friday too. I have come into possession of some novels (they were free) that I hope to be able to sell/trade away to one of the Wee Book Inn's here in Edmonton. If I'm lucky, I'll have more trade bait books to trade at WK.
Anyway, I just thought I'd share.
Cheers!
KF
*My sister said I could keep the money/trade value. She just wanted her books gone.
p.s. RE: More opinions on my Master List are always welcome.
__________________ Robert Blezard I write; therefore, I am!
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The owner of WK pointed out something cool to me today. He showed me something he had under the glass counter.
WK has a copy of Eldritch Wizardry: Supplement III for CAN $45!!!
I'm SOOOO getting that when I have money again.
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Cities of the Sun and Rjurik Highlands are gazeteers of other regions of the Birthright map, in the same way that the Birthright boxed set included a gazeteer of the original region (whose name escapes me).
Cities of the Sun is the "Arabian" part, whereas the Highlands are much wilder and uncivilised.
I'm fairly sure Cities of the Sun includes naval combat rules.
Both products are very pretty.
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Pathfinder RPG (no hearts were broken in the making of this product)
I've got it, and, to be honest, it's fairly uninspired. The map is colourful, but lacks a scale or a grid , the writing is pedestrian, and there isn't much about Rary, Robilar, et al at all.
Most of the book centres on Father Eye and his duergar (hhiding on the edges of The Bright Desert) and the Scorpion Men living in the desert (remnant of a powerful civilisation, and hiding an artifact Rary is after).
Rary's tower is mapped, though the map of one level is missing.
It's pre-Sergeant Greyhawk, and lacks the energy and innovation of his From the Ashes re-invention. One for Greyhawk completists only, I fear.
I used to have Journey to the Rock, a very long time ago.
According to my B1-9 In Search of Adventure PDF (not available for sale at all good on-line stores), it was a tournament adventure with 3 possible ways to get to the Rock in question.
The PCs are recruited by a mysterious wizard, and asked to travel to the Rock and bring back its secret. No one knows what the secret is.
The condensed version in B1-9 gives the PCs only one way to get to the Rock, but fortunately they chose my favourite way. Thus PCs get to encounter a bunch of gnomes pulling a ship on rollers (in search of an ocean, naturally).
There is also an encounter with some chameleon men, and other weirdness. It concentrates on puzzle solving and role-playing rather than combat.
When they arrive at the Rock there is one more challenge, and hopefully they can put what they (the players, not the characters) learned on the journey to good use.
B1-9 doesn't have a picture of the damsel in distress they meet at the end, but (assuming I'm not getting it confused with something else) it was right up there with the female cleric in the Basic Set in the attractiveness stakes (and wearing quite a bit less clothing).
__________________ Embrace the chaos!
Pathfinder RPG (no hearts were broken in the making of this product)
I've got it, and, to be honest, it's fairly uninspired. The map is colourful, but lacks a scale or a grid , the writing is pedestrian, and there isn't much about Rary, Robilar, et al at all.
Most of the book centres on Father Eye and his duergar (hhiding on the edges of The Bright Desert) and the Scorpion Men living in the desert (remnant of a powerful civilisation, and hiding an artifact Rary is after).
Rary's tower is mapped, though the map of one level is missing.
It's pre-Sergeant Greyhawk, and lacks the energy and innovation of his From the Ashes re-invention. One for Greyhawk completists only, I fear.
Hmm, it doesn't sound like it's a book I'd want.
I knew about the missing map, which is available on WotC's web site, but I figured this book was the "best" resource regarding Rary and his minions.
And, I love From the Ashes! It's one of my favorite Greyhawk products. Now, if I could just find an intact version of The City of Greyhawk boxed set, I'll be prime.
__________________ Robert Blezard I write; therefore, I am!
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Cities of the Sun and Rjurik Highlands are gazeteers of other regions of the Birthright map, in the same way that the Birthright boxed set included a gazeteer of the original region (whose name escapes me).
Cities of the Sun is the "Arabian" part, whereas the Highlands are much wilder and uncivilised.
I'm fairly sure Cities of the Sun includes naval combat rules.
Both products are very pretty.
Birthright stuff makes me nervous. I remember liking the several of the novels when it came out, but I felt the RPG books were uninspired. I stopped buying Birthright books early on.
Still, I like Arabian-based RPG material, so I could see getting Cities in the Sun to incorporate into my homebrewed version of Land of Fate.
Hmm... possibilities.
__________________ Robert Blezard I write; therefore, I am!
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I used to have Journey to the Rock, a very long time ago.
According to my B1-9 In Search of Adventure PDF (not available for sale at all good on-line stores), it was a tournament adventure with 3 possible ways to get to the Rock in question.
The PCs are recruited by a mysterious wizard, and asked to travel to the Rock and bring back its secret. No one knows what the secret is.
The condensed version in B1-9 gives the PCs only one way to get to the Rock, but fortunately they chose my favourite way. Thus PCs get to encounter a bunch of gnomes pulling a ship on rollers (in search of an ocean, naturally).
There is also an encounter with some chameleon men, and other weirdness. It concentrates on puzzle solving and role-playing rather than combat.
When they arrive at the Rock there is one more challenge, and hopefully they can put what they (the players, not the characters) learned on the journey to good use.
B1-9 doesn't have a picture of the damsel in distress they meet at the end, but (assuming I'm not getting it confused with something else) it was right up there with the female cleric in the Basic Set in the attractiveness stakes (and wearing quite a bit less clothing).
Thanks for the overview, amethal. Very informative.
I have/had the option of getting B1-9, but I think I'd rather have the individual modules for the B Series.
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Added to the list: Arena of Thyatis [DDA1]; Earthshaker! [CM4]; Dark and Hidden Ways [2019S]; Descent into the Depths of the Earth [D1-2]; Legions of Thyatis [DDA2]; Midnight on Dagger Alley [MV1]; The Bane of Llywelyn [C5]; The Endless Stair [CM8]; The Lost Island of Castanamir [C3]; To Find a King [C4]; Warriors of the Gray Queen [IQ3] [InQuest (1999)]; Wild Things [2020S].
EDIT: I also reorganized and added to the Role Aids listings. Some of that stuff looks really cool.
__________________ Robert Blezard I write; therefore, I am!
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I have this one, along with a few other; Rary the Traitor, Country Sites (somewhere...) Return to the Keep on the Borderlands (again, somewhere) and maybe some others. I used to own Nightmare Keep, Bloodstone Lands but I gave them away to a friend and never saw them again. Curses.
So without much further ado: LICH LORDS
The module is writtten by Lynn Sellers and the cover art is by Frank Frazetta. The module is 32 pages long. It mentions that this is for 6-8 characters (six to eight?!? who's group has eight players?) of Skill level 12 to 16.
Right on the bat, this is our first exposure to MAYFAIR ROLE AIDS nomenclature; Skill Level is your Character level. There is a glossary of terms printed inside the back cover, detailing standard abbreviations, however it is left to the reader to find the relationship of statistics between MAYFAIR GAMES and TSR related products. (Incidentally, the cover proudly exclaims 'ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS is a registered trademark of TSR Inc. This use of TSR's trademark by Mayfair Games is not approved by TSR.' (empasis mine)
So back to the stats for a second; a lot of it is easily recognisable (THACO as opposed to THAC0 is a good example, ST is STR, IT is INT, etc.) however some will baffle the casual reader:
HTK - Hits to Kill - equates to Hit Points
IN - Insight - equates to Wisdom
SM - Stamina - equates to Constitution
AP - Appearance - equates to Charisma.
Okay, now that I have that out of the road, back over to the front cover; it details rules for Wishes, High Level Magic and Liches. Further investigation reveals that High Level Magic is a half-page devoted to two seriously broken spells and the Wishes section is another half page on examples of Wishes, of which most seem reasonable, if a bit tame. As a DM, I would have litte reservation granting most of these. Skipping over the Pregen characters, a player handout and the introduction to the adventure we get to the section on Liches.
Obviously, the adventure itself centres around a group of 5 Lich Lords who have awoken and seek to conquer the world from the buried northern City of OOL. The section on Liches deals with a paragraph on how to roleplay a Lich Lord then moves onto describing the Pentacate (as the module refer to the 5 Lich Lords as) in paragraph format. This is required reading for the module itself as it deals with some of the Liches betraying their leader, Mortebus in various ways and forms. Personally, I found this section rather convoluted but there are some good ideas there to expand upon. Ultimately it gives the feel that the adventure is a little railroad-y.
The last section on the Liches details their statistics; each Lich is given two sets of stats; one in a 'Weakened State' and 'Normal State' The weakened state represents the liches without the power of their (spoiler) Crowns of Eternal Night. The Crowns themselves appear to be only incidental plot devices, not artifacts as I had hoped, so that was a minor disappointment..
Just a word on the stats of the Pentacate, if one was to run this adventure using AD&D or OSRIC, or even Castles and Crusades, I would certainly recommend the DM rebuild each Lich from the ground up; Mortebus, the leader of the Pentacate is my case in point; Mortebus is listed as a (spoiler) Level 25 Magic User in his weakened state and as a Level 25/15 Magic User Cleric in his normal state (along with access to 5 Wishes!). Given that the adventure is rated for level 12-16 Player Characters. I dearly believe that this encounter alone is a TPK.
In the centre of the module, you are treated to an A3 double-sided map made of cardstock. One side details the overland trek from the City of Saybalod to Ool in the north, the other side details the dungeons of Ool itself, along with a small cutaway diagram how Ool is organised. My gripe is that because it is double sided, players wanting to view the overland map deftly prevents the DM from accessing the Ool maps. No small deal to photocopy them ,but the trust issues abound just by having the DM maps printed on the other side. No too much for me and will make my head explode. The players will have to make do with a B+W photocopy of the Overland map.
The overland map works hand-in-hand with the area encounters within the first part of the adventure. Each area, (such as Tanglewood, Fogdrop, etc, have a number (either 1, 2 or 3) of keyed encounters which may occur on the roll of a die, whereas other areas have sequential encounters that will occur if the PCs enter the area. Another factor is time which deals with the Crowns of Eternal Night and the countdown their activation - or in game terms, the usage of the Normal Stats for the Liches. There are four timed encounters that may occur if the PCs dally too long.
On the plot, the PCs are tasked with (spoilers) destroying the Pentacate. Along the way, they will meet several allies who will insist that the players look for a holy sword that once belonged to a paladin who was instrumental in defeating the Pentacate the first time around. Regardless if the PCs decide to trek after the sword, they will be treated to some encounters with agents of the Pentacate, as well as one of the Pentacate himself before the final showdown in Ool. For me, this worked surprisingly well as it set up a number of memorable moments with these villains. at the time, I was reminded of being in the Dragonlance setting in terms of story arc. I had a small issue with the holy sword (Spellbane), being +5 for a Paladin, but +2 for anyone else. Even though it was a holy sword, it still had a capricious nature and on a roll of 01 or 02 on d00, meant that the sword would not fight for you, which to me seemed against the very nature of the swords purpose. Personally, I would have liked to see a more generic weapon fit for any user. The impression I get is that any prospective party needs a Paladin to finish the adventure successfully; something that does not sit well with me. Still, it is not a big issue to change it.
The City of Ool itself is dark and atmospheric, however some encounters seemed a little arbitrary and others needed more explanation, such as why would demons, daemons and devils be in the same area together? And Theodros the Death Kn..er Soldier -- totally underused, in my opinion.
It is also of worth to note that there are a few format issues as well; the magical items are not italicized and there is some DM information whcih has been mistakenly formatted as read aloud text (Sections 45 and 55 spring to mind). On a positive note, I found the overland sections done well and the few internal illustrations captured the feel of what Lich Lords is about.
As a collector of esoteric...things, I bought it after having been a player who got through it (though my recollection of events is markedly different to the printed version) and since then, I have ninjaed bits and pieces over time; a name here, an encounter there. When i played it, the feeling of a coming apocalypse worked for me. This would serve as a great finale to a campaign after it had some work done on the stats and the PC aides were spread out a bit further. It is hard to be objective about something that is subjective for me. I like it as I have fond memories of having played it, but as a DM, I'd probably pan it because of the prep work that needed to be done.
It would be good for a one-off/one-nighter, provided the DM is willing to do the groundwork for it.
I have this one, along with a few other; Rary the Traitor, Country Sites (somewhere...) Return to the Keep on the Borderlands (again, somewhere) and maybe some others. I used to own Nightmare Keep, Bloodstone Lands but I gave them away to a friend and never saw them again. Curses.
So without much further ado: LICH LORDS
<snip>
Wow. Thanks for the excellent review. If you feel like doing a review on Return to the Keep on the Borderlands, I'd like to hear your opinions on that one (if you can find your copy).
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B9 Castle Caldwell and Beyond was actually the first module I got as a kid, along with a copy of the red box, the year it came out. It had this lizardman on the cover, and I think there was a damsel in distress. The cover art was pure Larry Elmore, if I remember.
It was an episodic/sequential adventure wherein the party gets hired by a local businessman to clear out the castle he has recently bought. Either the deceased owner of the estate or the businessman was named Clifton Caldwell, a nod to a d&d artist whose last name was Caldwell.
The first level of the dungeon included fighting some wolves and stirges, and there was a magical statue. Classic OD&D stuff. The second level of the dungeon was a bit more complex and included the need for the party to read a riddle aloud, and the riddle itself when read aloud was a terrible pun that I still remember to this day.
Interestingly, the contents, which were kind of scattered and episodic to begin with (albeit a ton of fun - I've run this mod about 12 times over the years - no exaggeration) ended up being adapted into the B1-9 "In Search of Adventure" super module, as one of the kick off points for the campaign across the then released Grand Duchy of Karameikos setting. The re-release didn't alter the module, but by making it part of a grander scheme, it removed some of the nostalgia that I have for what a simple but effective standalone intro mod it was. I was 5 when I got it, and it still holds some charm 25+ years later.
Right. There. I said the words. I'll be going, now. Bye.
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I recently acquired this one. I would recommend getting it. I've skimmed over it a few times. The PCs get involved with a corrupt senator, somehow become gladiators, must make their way through some dungeon to pass a test, escape from the city they are in. It was designed for DM's who have experience. There are no "flavor text" boxes. Much of the city is detailed and the adventure itself is setup so that a DM can edit it easily.
The Classic Dungeons & Dragons Game [1106] [boxed set] (unsure)
I just recently purchased and will have it on Tuesday. I'll get back to you on it.
*Forgotten Realms - The Accursed Tower
DEFINITELY get this one if you can acquire it. A great adventure. The PCs are tasked with finding a journal and must travel around the Icewind Dale region to find it. They meet up with NPCs like Drizzt and Regis and help them along the way but don't worry. They don't outshine the PCs. They are just guides to help give them a little push.
I recently acquired this one. I would recommend getting it. I've skimmed over it a few times. The PCs get involved with a corrupt senator, somehow become gladiators, must make their way through some dungeon to pass a test, escape from the city they are in. It was designed for DM's who have experience. There are no "flavor text" boxes. Much of the city is detailed and the adventure itself is setup so that a DM can edit it easily.
I would recommend adding it to your collection.
Thanks for the advice. Both of the DDA modules really interest me since I've decided that I want to re-acquire the Dawn of the Emperors boxed set.
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The Classic Dungeons & Dragons Game [1106] [boxed set] (unsure)
I just recently purchased and will have it on Tuesday. I'll get back to you on it.
Cool.
How much did it cost you, if you don't mind me asking? I want to know what to expect pricewise should I find it.
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B9 Castle Caldwell and Beyond was actually the first module I got as a kid, along with a copy of the red box, the year it came out. It had this lizardman on the cover, and I think there was a damsel in distress. The cover art was pure Larry Elmore, if I remember.
You are correct...
Castle Caldwell and Beyond
Quote:
Originally Posted by tylerthehobo
It was an episodic/sequential adventure wherein the party gets hired by a local businessman to clear out the castle he has recently bought. Either the deceased owner of the estate or the businessman was named Clifton Caldwell, a nod to a d&d artist whose last name was Caldwell.
I wondered if that was the case. (The Acaeum doesn't have any background on this moduels history.)
Quote:
Originally Posted by tylerthehobo
The first level of the dungeon included fighting some wolves and stirges, and there was a magical statue. Classic OD&D stuff. The second level of the dungeon was a bit more complex and included the need for the party to read a riddle aloud, and the riddle itself when read aloud was a terrible pun that I still remember to this day.
Interestingly, the contents, which were kind of scattered and episodic to begin with (albeit a ton of fun - I've run this mod about 12 times over the years - no exaggeration) ended up being adapted into the B1-9 "In Search of Adventure" super module, as one of the kick off points for the campaign across the then released Grand Duchy of Karameikos setting. The re-release didn't alter the module, but by making it part of a grander scheme, it removed some of the nostalgia that I have for what a simple but effective standalone intro mod it was. I was 5 when I got it, and it still holds some charm 25+ years later.
If you can still grab this, get it!
Well, it's not first on my list, but I'll consider it like I do all the old school modules I come across. Thanks for the overview!
__________________ Robert Blezard I write; therefore, I am!
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DEFINITELY get this one if you can acquire it. A great adventure. The PCs are tasked with finding a journal and must travel around the Icewind Dale region to find it. They meet up with NPCs like Drizzt and Regis and help them along the way but don't worry. They don't outshine the PCs. They are just guides to help give them a little push.
Hmm... It sounds very integrated into FR's canon. How well do you think it would work in another campaign setting?
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![Tell me about these older edition D&D products [revised list]](http://www.enworld.org/forum/iconimages/general-rpg-discussion/tell-me-about-these-older-edition-d-d-products-revised-list_ltr.gif)
, the writing is pedestrian, and there isn't much about Rary, Robilar, et al at all. 
only, I fear.
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