Beware! This review contains major spoilers.
This is not a playtest review.
Price: $13.95
Page Count: 60
Price per page: About 23 cents per page
Designed for Character Level: 8-9
Format: Softcover
External Artwork: An excellent picture of three characters trying to calm a rampaging mammoth in a snow-covered evergreen forest.
Additional Page Use: An overview of the adventure accompanies a good black and white sketch on the back page. The inner pages contain another good black and white sketch on the front inner page and two area maps on the back inner page. The first page contains credits and contents, and the last two pages have an advert and the OGL.
Internal Artwork: Artwork is in the form of black and white sketches, and ranges from poor to good, with most being average.
Maps: The maps are average - clear, keyed and scaled without being exciting.
Text Density: Text density is relatively average, though titles have a fair amount of white space around them and the margins aren't small, though some sidebars overlap the graphic margin. Be aware that there are 22 pages of appendices, leaving only 34 pages of actual adventure, though the material in the appendices is invaluable and enhances the adventure.
Text Style: The style is engaging and informative. There are few typos.
The Adventure:
The module begins with some advice for GM preparation, and the introduction of some basic terms used throughout the adventure - the adventure draws heavily on Russian history and mythology, and Russian terms are scattered throughout the text. When they are first used, they are highlighted and defined in sidebars. The background history is then given - the tsar of Torassia has captured mammoths from the tundra to the north and trained them as a fighting force to keep his boyars (barons) in line. The cost of maintaining the mammoths has forced him to tax the peasants to the hilt. In addition, he has forced the peasantry to convert to the new national religion of Khrestianin. This has forced the peasants to stop making placatory offerings to the local spirits and demons. The tsar is not a well-liked man. In particular, a self-aggrandized osyluth fiend has decided that enough is enough and has decided to take down the tsar and return the peasants to their pagan ways. He launches an attack on the capital of Torassia using undead. The tsar takes his mammoth and a cadre of troops out to meet the attack. The osyluth uses his powers to defeat the tsar's force and most of the men are killed, whilst the tsar's traitorous sons flee. However, through a ruse, the tsar himself manages to escape into the snowbound forests, where the osyluth sends zombie winter wolves to hunt him down. All survivors believe the tsar to be dead.
After the background, an adventure synopsis is then given, followed by some advice on running adventures in the snowbound wilderness of Torassia, including random weather, random encounters and the introduction of the idea that basic firearms are available (pistol and musket). There are a couple of options for character hooks, a sidebar on roleplaying Torassians, some notes on the disguises of the two main characters (the tsar is disguised as his military commander, and Winter (an Osyluth) is disguised as Gregor, a charismatic advisor who has wheedled his way into the role of advisor to the tsar, from where the osyluth plots the tsar's downfall. In fact, since the tsar's apparent demise, he has seized the reins of power of Torassia himself.
The adventure begins with an overview of the thorp of Volkov. Local rumours are listed, followed by an overview of each of the locations in the small settlement, with particular reference to the NPCs and their fate when Winter launches an attack upon the community later in the module. The action begins when the PCs, marching through a snowstorm (following their chosen character hook) comes upon Tsar Peter (disguised as his lieutenant) fighting a losing battle against the zombie winter wolves. The PCs can learn the story of the defeat by the undead from the lips of the Tsar himself if they save him. The PCs also come across the remains of the furs they are searching for, destroyed by a cryohydra. They also come across the tsar's mammoth being chased by more wolves, and they can use it if they manage to calm it before it tramples them. The party return to Volkov with the Tsar, only to find the settlement has been destroyed, most of its inhabitants killed, and a Cryohydra still in the midst of destruction, though somewhat the worse for wear from eating villagers poisoned by the osyluth. There are also frozen zombies waiting for the PCs, created by the osyluth for just such an occasion.
The Tsar attempts to talk the PCs into taking him back to the capital of Dolstev. The journey takes about ten days across taiga and tundra. On the way they enter the small town of Drakino, where they see the peasants suffering at the hands of a cruel boyar and meet up with Winter/Gregor's new fiendish enforcers who are tasked with tracking down the troublesome PCs. In addition, they must face a moral dilemma, as a mob of townspeople angrily demand the PCs leave town as they have brought the fiends down upon the town. The mob is led by a Khrestianin priest, and the Khrestianin religion is given a brief sidebar with domains, alignment, etc. On their way out of town, they are offered an alliance with an old woman (who is actually a hag). The PCs can gain a powerful ally or a patient enemy, depending on how they treat the offer. Further out, they must also face a bard who recognised the tsar in Drakino, and is seriously thinking about killing him, as he hates the rule of the tsar. The Tsar, recalcitrant after having seen the suffering of the peasants, repents his past behaviour. The PCs can help to make peace between the two. The PCs continue, crossing over a rickety bridge with an octopus waiting beneath, and eventually coming to the ranch where the Tsar's mammoths are held. The mammoths have attracted the attentions of a giant frost worm. When the Tsar meets up with his sons at the ranch, the only thing that stops the battle between the arguing sons is the sudden explosion of the frost worm out of the earth and into the mammoth compound, sending mammoths and warriors running. The PCs may be able to herd the mammoths towards Dolstev to help the Tsar regain his throne from Winter.
Finally arriving in Dolstev, the Tsar and the PCs head for the palace, though other areas of the city are detailed and a random encounter table included. The adventure concludes with a confrontation with Gregor/Winter in the palace amongst a group of intoxicated boyars. A creative list of really nasty tactics for Winter should severely challenge the PCs. The PCs are rewarded with grants of land on the dangerous borders of Torassia if they manage to save the Tsar. The Tsar is a much-changed man from his experiences and promises to make life better for the peasants. Several ideas for future adventures are given.
The lengthy appendices give stats for all NPCs, creatures, and eight new monsters, as well as detailed descriptions of the important NPCs and the new monsters. There is also a section on Torassian weapons and armour (including the firearms), and some new magic items.
The High Points: An entertaining, in-depth adventure with an unusual setting steeped in Russian history and mythology. The NPCs are very well developed and add to the depth of story and setting. There is a good balance of combat and roleplaying, and it is pleasant to come across an overland adventure, where the setting has an impact on the actions of the characters. The writing style is attractive and the ideas imaginative. The plot holds together very well despite its complexity, and the grim atmosphere, both politically and environmentally, is brought home with force.
The Low Points: I would have liked to see an EL summary and some more advice on scaling and modifying the adventure, particularly in relation to more generic campaign settings. Some of the most interesting aspects of this adventure are the history, mythology, and use of firearms - however, these in turn may create problems for GMs attempting to integrate the adventure in to their own campaign. I'm not sure that the 'amusing' titles (e.g. Mammoth Task, All Fur Naught) to the encounters are appropriate to the grimness of the setting, but thats up to the opinion of the individual.
Conclusion: Up there with The Longest Night, Death In Freeport and The Spear Of The Lohgin for fascinating setting, dark atmosphere, NPC depth, and cohesive yet complex storyline. Like some of the aforementioned adventures, its uniqueness can in turn make it difficult to integrate into a more generic campaign setting, but there's no doubt that it could be done to great effect. Hopefully we will see more of this quality from Monkey God Enterprises.
