Goodman Games Latest News on Into The Borderlands

Goodman Games announced at GaryCon last year a license with Wizards of the Coast to publish 5^th Edition conversions of classic Dungeons & Dragons adventures, as well as reproductions of the original first edition versions. The first two adventures up for the 5^th Edition treatment are B1: In Search of the Unknown and B2: The Keep on the Borderlands. Today, Goodman Games have revealed the preliminary front cover design for Into The Borderlands as well as an interview with Chris Doyle, who converted both the adventures to 5^th Ed.

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Into the Borderlands is expected to be a 380 page hardcover. All the writing, editing and art are completed but Goodman want to add a few extra things before it goes off to print.

The hardcover includes:

· Restored scans of two complete printings of the original B1: In Search of the Unknown. Specifically, the second and sixth printings, one featuring the original monochrome cover and the other featuring the later color cover by Darlene.
· Three complete monster and treasure assortments for stocking the dungeons of In Search of the Unknown (which are “un-stocked” in the original 1E edition).
· Restored scans of two complete printings of the original B2: The Keep on the Borderlands. Specifically the second and fourth printings. These are distinguished the change in monster stats between the two printings (Dexterity scores were included in early printings). The later printing also features six interior illustrations that were not present in earlier printings.
· A complete, “pure” 5E conversion of In Search of the Unknown, including tables for stocking it with creatures.
· A separate chapter with a few new encounters for the Caverns of Quasqueton, all inspired by references in the original work.
· A complete, “pure” 5E conversion of The Keep on the Borderlands.
· A separate chapter with a few new encounters for The Keep on the Borderlands, all inspired by references in the original work.
· Appendices with 5E stats for newly introduced monsters, hirelings and followers, and magic items.
· A chapter of introductions and testimonials.

You can read the full interview with Chris Doyle on Goodman Games site.

 

[ddaley]

Wish they had done a kickstarter for this... so they could take my money now.

 

[Dungeonosophy]

Thorough. Thank you Goodman Games! Only addition I'd like to see would be a summary of the other "canonical/official" mentions of the Keep and Caverns within the wider D&D Multiverse, for example:

-The official placement of the Keep and Caverns within the Kingdom of Karameikos in the D&D World of Mystara
-The official placement in the D&D World of Greyhawk (IIRC in the Yeomanry in the 2E Return to the Keep)
-The official placement of the Keep in the D&D World of Nerath
-The official placement of the Hackmaster licensed version of the Keep in Garweeze Wurld.
-The 2E Return to the Keep on the Borderlands. I asked WotC on their Message Boards back in the day why it was labeled a Greyhawk adventure when there was hardly any Greyhawk content, and WotC officially replied that the Greyhawk logo was a misprint, and that it was located in a generic world of the author's devising. But this is still a D&D World. Might as well name that world. And also give official Oerth, Mystara, and Nerath-specific adaptations of the Babylonian gods and other continuity snags.
-The Keep on the Borderlands novel
-Since the Keep exists in three D&D Worlds already, might as well say it exists in all of them, and place them on the map of Toril, Eberron, Athas, Krynn, and so forth.

 

[SMHWorlds]

Am I nitpicking? Both of these modules were written for basic set Dungeons & Dragons. They were not "1E" modules. I will still get this book in all likelihood. However that doesn't give me a lot of faith in the conversions for some reason.

 

[pukunui]

I personally would just want the 5e conversions. I have no interest in having not one but two variants of the originals.

 

[Olaf the Stout]

How the heck is the book 380 pages?

The original modules were 32 pages each, even allowing for the fact that they are reprinting the original modules (twice each), that only accounts for 128 pages. So there’s still 252 pages or 126 pages per module of additional content.

And why completely reprint the originals twice each in the book? That seems like a bit of overkill.

 

[Omega9999]

I know this is done for nostalgia mostly, but i would have liked a modern rendition of the B2 Cover. I hope the 5th conversion inside features it

 

[SMHWorlds]

I am also curious what the author did with the Cave of the Unknown and Area 51, Boulder Filled Passage or if they have been left for the DM's own creation.

 

[LordEntrails]

Isn't this months and months later than what they promised already?

I mean I would love it too. But how overdue it seems to be, and the re-prints of versions I probably already have just seem to be bloat.

I want a good/great 5E conversion so I'm torn.

I want to want it... but I'm skeptical until it is actually available.

 

[ddaley]

I am not going to stress about this purchase as much as some of you seem to be stressing over it (unless it turns out to be quite expensive... which I doubt). I have the original Keep on the Borderlands that came with the boxed set, which we never really played through. But, I do not have In Search of the Unknown.

I will most likely purchase this as soon as it is available.

Isn't this months and months later than what they promised already?

I mean I would love it too. But how overdue it seems to be, and the re-prints of versions I probably already have just seem to be bloat.

I want a good/great 5E conversion so I'm torn.

I want to want it... but I'm skeptical until it is actually available.

 

[mach1.9pants]

How the heck is the book 380 pages?

The original modules were 32 pages each, even allowing for the fact that they are reprinting the original modules (twice each), that only accounts for 128 pages. So there’s still 252 pages or 126 pages per module of additional content.

And why completely reprint the originals twice each in the book? That seems like a bit of overkill.

Like their oversized reprint of Metamorphosis Alpha, this is as much a collectors piece as an actual game item. This is to have and hold and enjoy. If you want 'just' a conversion then your better of getting the original PDF and these Classic Modules Today