Castle Amber, Clark Ashton Smith question

[Herpes Cineplex]

Cheesy and "old school" as it is, X2 still has much more potential for development than I think MoA did.

Speaking of X2, anyone who hasn't seen it yet has to go and read this hilarious story over on RPGNet from a group which converted the stats in the module and left all the other cheesy, old-school, thoroughly inexplicable things about it intact.

--
well worth it
ryan

 

[Cthulhudrew]

ELH? I wish I knew what that was!!!

Sorry- Epic Level Handbook. It's got a listing for the Flesh Colossus in it- a CR 27 creature. Yeesh!

(It could be even tougher if you allow Nathaire to use his spellcasting abilities while possessing it.)

Yes, you've not only put a lot of thought into it, but successfully demonstrated that you're quite the CAS/Zelazny scholar. Amazing!

Heh. For some reason, X2 has always really been a favorite of mine. I was actually planning a Neverwinter Nights module/campaign along the lines of what I laid out above, but I always get overwhelmed about thinking how difficult it would be to code the whole thing... maybe someday. *sigh*

 

[Whisper72]

Erm.........aren't Expert, Advanced, & Basic ALL considered to be 1E? That's how I've always reckoned things, anyway.

erhmm.... nope...

Theres OD&D (you know, the stuff Diaglo plays), which consisted of a set of manuals with names like 'men and magic', 'monsters and treasure' etc. to which there were several 'supplements', such as blackmoor, eldritch wizardry etc.

Then there was 'regular' Dungeons and Dragons (the sets, ranging from basic, through expert, companion and master to immortal)

These sets had many modules, B for the Basic Sets, X for the Expert sets, C for the companion sets etc. and all the Mystara stuff

'Regular' D&D culminated in the big 'Rules Cyclopedia', which basically combined all the stuff from the five boxed sets and some other stuff.

Halfway through the 'regular D&D' cycle, Advanced Dungeons and Dragons took off, which was quite different from 'regular' D&D in several respects. The AD&D series saw the development from 1st edition, 2nd edition, 2.5 edition (Player Options etc.), and finally with the new 3rd (and 3.5) editions, was renamed simply 'Dungeons and Dragons' again....

So... 1st edition is NOT the same as OD&D or Basic/Expert etc. D&D...

 

[Drifter Bob]

Also, another idea that I personally have used and that you might consider is to look at/read up on the Amber family from Roger Zelazny's "Chronicles of Amber" series. Though they are not credited like CAS' stories are, I still feel to this day that the Amber family of the module must have been inspired by the early Chronicles of Corwin that Zelazny wrote (I think he would have only had one or two out at the time X2 was printed). I find it really helps to flesh out the "eccentric" d'Ambrevilles and makes them much more than just NPCs to hack up.

I always thought Zelazney's Chronicles of Amber were the sole inspiration for that module. Was Zelazeney copying CAS? Another reason to try to find some CAS books. Somebody could make a bundle reprinting them methinks, used copies are always very expensive one Ebay and such...

DB

 

[rogueattorney]

I always thought Zelazney's Chronicles of Amber were the sole inspiration for that module. Was Zelazeney copying CAS? Another reason to try to find some CAS books. Somebody could make a bundle reprinting them methinks, used copies are always very expensive one Ebay and such...

I don't believe that the Amber in the title is referring to Zelazny's Amber at all. I believe it is a reference to the fact that the Amber family is stuck in the Castle under the curse of Prince Steven like a fly in amber. Moldvay was quite specific that C.A.S. was the main inspiration for the adventure.

R.A.

 

[Tuzenbach]

Hey guys, thanks for all the great responses!

 

[grodog]

De nada

 

[mmadsen]

In fact, I've often thought that X2: Castle Amber could be a full campaign in and of itself if done properly.

Speaking of X2, anyone who hasn't seen it yet has to go and read this hilarious story over on RPGNet from a group which converted the stats in the module and left all the other cheesy, old-school, thoroughly inexplicable things about it intact.

When I asked over on RPG.net, everyone agreed that X2 was completely unplayable in any serious sense. Now Cthulhudrew claims it could be the basis of an entire campaign. What do you have to do to make it playable?

 

[rogueattorney]

What do you have to do to make it playable?

Step 1: Not listen to anyone on RPGnet.
Step 2: Open up the adventure and read it.
Step 3: Have it on hand when your players show up for your next gaming session.

Castle Amber is one of the classic old D&D modules. If you don't like classic old D&D adventures, as the majority of posters to the above RPGnet thread apparently do not, then you won't like Castle Amber.

R.A.

 

[Farganger]

Step 1: Not listen to anyone on RPGnet.
Step 2: Open up the adventure and read it.
Step 3: Have it on hand when your players show up for your next gaming session.

Castle Amber is one of the classic old D&D modules. If you don't like classic old D&D adventures, as the majority of posters to the above RPGnet thread apparently do not, then you won't like Castle Amber.

R.A.

Nicely put.