Keep on the Borderlands - your experiences?

[Quasqueton]

I would like to start a series of threads on the old classic Dungeons & Dragons adventure modules. I think it would be interesting to see how everyone's experiences compared and differed.

For instance, I'll start this series with an old Basic D&D adventure that many, many old-timers cut their teeth on:

Keep on the Borderlands

Did you Play or DM this adventure (or both, as some did)? What were your experiences? Did you complete it?

I'll detail my experiences later in the thread, although I'll throw out this: Did your PCs ever take on the Keep itself? I know two completely seperate groups who did at some point assault the garrison from the inside because of a botched bank robbery and because they got cocky when they reached 3rd level.

Quasqueton

 

[janta]

Oh, man, did we ever! We played this module to DEATH. I both DMed it and played in it.

Of course, I've got to mention that we played it all wrong; the first few times round (hey, we were kids, and the novelty was enough) we took EVERYTHING that wasn't nailed down. You remember those rooms with all the pallets and barrels and chairs and junk? Every scrap of it went onto our character sheets.

Then when we got bored with that, we converted part of the dungeon to a super-awesome disco night club for our characters. Seriously. My copy of that map still has the marks on it from where we "installed" speakers. The whole west half of that dungeon was wired for sound....

I won't even go into detail about the "Gamgee Express" card. We were strange, stange little kids.

--Janta

 

[BlackMoria]

Hehe. Our group tried to rob the 'bank' as well, which resulted in me dying to some poisonous snakes that were in a strong box. I was the thief and after all, thieves steal things right....

Our group got through the entire module. I don't remember much of the experience, except for the bank robbery and the uproar the half orc fighter (run by a close friend) caused when he decided to bathe in the public fountain in the keep.

 

[jessemock]

I would like to start a series of threads on the old classic Dungeons & Dragons adventure modules. I think it would be interesting to see how everyone's experiences compared and differed.

For instance, I'll start this series with an old Basic D&D adventure that many, many old-timers cut their teeth on:

Keep on the Borderlands

Did you Play or DM this adventure (or both, as some did)? What were your experiences? Did you complete it?

I'll detail my experiences later in the thread, although I'll throw out this: Did your PCs ever take on the Keep itself? I know two completely seperate groups who did at some point assault the garrison from the inside because of a botched bank robbery and because they got cocky when they reached 3rd level.

Quasqueton

We love this module--and even the 'Return' to it. We've played it recently (four or five months ago), albeit as themed monstroid parties, i.e. groups of monstrous characters restricted to races in the Keep module. Obviously, we had to take on the Keep, but, just for kicks, we had a zombie infection hit the place: a number of the characters got bit and had to reach the survivors, among whom was a cleric capable of curing them, etc.

 

[Crothian]

I've run it a few times, ran the return to it once, and played in it a few times, once just a few months back. Its a good module but it just doesn't seem to hold together that well when the players need more of a reason to explore then caves then just because.

 

[Quasqueton]

My experiences with KotB:

When we first played this module, the DM handled the Keep much like a dungeon environment -- mapping out what we could see, and treating each building as a self-contained encounter area.

We'd hire mercenaries in the tavern with the question, "Are you lawful or chaotic?"

A PC once hired a mercenary to go kill another PC elsewhere in the Keep, just because it would be funny.

The Curate handed out healing potions to whoever asked for one.

In the Caves of Chaos themselves, we had a hell of a time with the ogre. And ironically, most of the time when I ran this module as the DM, the ogre cave was usually the first cave entered by a new, 1st-level party. The description of the ogre in the module, and in the BD&D rulebook did not mention a weapon. So we always said/pictured the ogre doing 1d10 damage with his bare fists.

One PC kill all the skeletons in the "throne room" by attacking them before touching the throne (when they would animate).

Getting lost in that simple, little minotaur's maze was aggravating as hell.

I never saw anyone take on the "side treks" that were available. Never met the mad hermit or the lizardmen.

I don't think any of my groups actually finished (cleared out) that ravine of monsters. We either all died off, or just moved on to other adventures.

Quasqueton

 

[the Jester]

Both played and ran it multiple times. Not sure if we ever finished it either, though.

 

[Neo]

It was one of the first adventures I ever played, may brother ran it for me and my cousins. It despite it being perhaps one of the most unadulterated excuses for a combat fest ever because of the pivotal role it played in my first experiences with roleplaying it was and remains one of three most loved modules I have ever played within.

I bought return too though it didnt move me in the same way.. I guess having matured as a gamer the old romps kinda translate in much the same way as say watching Blake 7 does today, they just seem poorly put together and cheesy in some ways.

However my copies of Keep on the Borderlands, the Village of Hommlet and the Oasis of the White Palm will ever remain three of my fondest memories and most loved possessions.

 

[rogueattorney]

My first ever adventure as a player was in the Keep.

My most recent adventure as a DM was in the Keep.

I've run or played in it probably a dozen times in the 20+ years in between.

The first time, I was a thief named Pickpocket (I was 9 and had just seen the Oliver Twist musical). Pickpocket was intensely questioned by the guard on the way in due to my appellation. He died a nasty death when he charged the ogre, who was in with the goblins.

My most recent party has hired a number of mercenaries. They've taken out the raiders to the south for a handsome bounty, and are about to head off to the Caves to kick monster booty.

The most memorable moment came when my brother-in-law's fighter (Thurgood) said that he was going to throw his dagger at the alter in the Shrine. My brother's thief (Alek) had been examining it for traps. I had expressly asked by brother if Alek was touching the alter as he looked for traps. He said "no". So when Thurgood announced he was throwing the dagger, we all, in unison, said "are you sure?" He said "Yup." <<Heavy sigh from the DM.>>

"Bong" goes the gong. And the sound of forty marching feet coming down the hallway from the north. Of course, the morons decide to try to stand their ground and fight. The only thing that kept it from being a TPK was Alek drinking an invisibility potion and heading for the hills. The rest of the party surrendered and endured days of torture until Alek could round up a rescue team and save them.

The moral of the story - Fighters should fight and leave the Alter in the Shrine of Evil Chaos to the thief.

R.A.

 

[BiggusGeekus]

Best. Module. Ever.

Seriously. Linear and non-linear components. It's clear the Castellan can't do this himself. The evil/chaotic cleric is pulling the strings. The caves of chaos are a little hokey, but they are otherwise cool. The mad hermit is a HARD encounter. And every module should have a rumors table to roll on.

I sincerly think this is an excellent module for a 2nd level party.