Dark Awakenings: Shadowland

[Messageboard Golem]

Having survived the terrors of Guardian Island, you now face the daunting task that has been set before you. Strengthened with ancient weapons and arcane devices you must enter the world of your enemy and try to win through to its place of power. Only then can you hope to return to Guardian for the final showdown.

"We had come to the end of our long trek through this vile and desolate place and the tower stood before us like some looming giant. I felt I was looking at something with a malign intelligence rather than a structure of stone and mortar. I turned and looked at the long road by which we had traveled; a gray thread winding through the ashen ruin and splintered rocks. Yellow fumes coiled about the lowlands, revealing the loathsome thorny plants that clung to life in this part of Shadowland.

Giliath coughed, spitting out the foul taste of the air. I reached down to pass him a water-skin and it was then that I noticed Alvyd was missing. Before I could say a word, the stillness of the air was broken by a shrill scream from the direction of the tower. The fool had gone ahead without us and I dreaded to learn what fate had befallen him..."

 

[Simon Collins]

Beware! This review contains major spoilers.
This is not a playtest review.

Dark Awakenings: Shadowland is the sequel and conclusion to Dark Awakenings: Guardian, Auran's first d20 adventure. Similarly to Guardians, Shadowland includes a CD-ROM with sound, music, scenes, maps, background information and the entire adventure in.pdf format. The adventure is designed for PCs of levels 3-4.

At $19.95 for 56 pages, the adventure seems at first sight to be very expensive, but one must take into account the CD-ROM as well. In addition, four of the central pages are in colour. Against this, there is poor use of space with about 8 pages of non-adventure material, and an additional 4 page glossary which seemed a bit over-the-top. In addition, the 3D images on the CD-ROM crashed my PC after 30 seconds or so. I have a fairly decent graphics card and I won't be buying a new one just to view this CD-ROM (the graphics require an NVidia TNT or equivalent card with full Open GL and Direct X 8 support). All in all, I found this to be fairly poor value in terms of amount of content, but I am somewhat influenced by the fact that I was unable to view the 3D contents of the CD-ROM.

The art is generally good, though some of the characters portrayed are a little jowly. The cover is an interesting piece of computer-generated art showing two huge stone hands clenched over an ash-covered brick path with hellish mountains in the background, all set in a sphere tinged with greenish lightning.

Though maps are colour and scaled, indoor maps are not gridded and there are no compass directions. They are of average quality and computer-generated.

The quality of writing and editing is good. The author really evokes the atmosphere of Shadowland in a dark, grim fashion and the NPCs are evoked engagingly.

Following on from the plot of Guardians, the PCs must enter Shadowland, the realm of the Queen of the Dead, in order to retrieve a magical jewel stolen from the island of Guardian. The artifact was part of a magical prison entrapping a powerful demon. The PCs must regain the jewel and attempt to return to Guardian to face the demon before it escapes.

The adventure offers two means of travelling to Shadowland - a journey on a ghostly boat piloted by the ghost of a murdered priestess introduced in Guardians, or on a ship captained by a half-celestial known as Lord Fate, who demands payment for the journey.

The PCs must overcome the horrific illusory nature of Shadowland whilst they travel towards the keep where the jewel is being held. The keep itself contains magical traps and undead. The PCs must then attempt to escape the keep (if they have survived to retrieve their prize) during a firestorm and may be hunted by a poweful undead (new creature, a Darkseeker) riding another new creature, a Shadowdrake, dependent on their actions within the adventure.

They may return to Guardian using the same means as they arrived. There they can attempt to re-imprison the demon. A clue in the keep in Shadowland (in the form of a riddle) may encourage the players to actually release the demon in an attempt to destroy it permanently.

There is a lengthy appendix, including random encounter tables, NPC stats and details, new creature stats and description, including a Bean Sidhe (banshee), and a number of magic items relevant to the adventure, some of which are very powerful.

Conclusion:
There were a couple of things I really liked about this adventure - the atmosphere created by the writing (this was backed up by the still scenes on the CD ROM that I could view which were rendered well) and the depth of information given on the NPCs. I also appreciated the way that the author created options within each scene and gave advice to GMs on dealing with players who want to take alternative actions.

What I didn't like was the wasted space. The actual adventure only takes up 18 of the 56 pages and the action seems to be over and done with pretty quickly; essentially the plot can be summed up by saying the PCs enter Shadowland, travel to a keep, retrieve an artifact after defeating the keep's guardian, return to the island of Guardian and defeat the demon. Not a particularly original plotline, even though its presented well. Having said that, I would have liked to see ELs for each encounter and creature stats in the text rather than at the end (just my personal preference - I don't like flicking between different parts of a module when I'm GMing if I can help it). I also felt, like Guardian, that the background of the setting, the adventure and the NPCs overwhelmed the adventure itself.

So I'm going to give this an average score because although its a well-written and nicely detailed adventure its too short and basic for its price tag, despite the benefits of the graphics, sound and documents on the CD-ROM. After Guardians, which I enjoyed, I expected more from Shadowland and found myself somewhat disappointed.

Note: If you are going to buy it, make absolutely sure your Graphics Card will run the 3D graphics.

 

[JoeGKushner]

Dark Awakenings II
Shadowland
Game Product Design by Keith Done
Published by Auran
56 color pages w/CD-Rom
$19.95

This product follows on the impressive Guardian module but fails to take it to the next step. For example, Guardian was longer, had more maps, more options, more 3D scenes, and cost the same price. Here, Shadowland is indeed just that, a Shadow.

To start off, the module itself is less than twenty pages. A lot of space is taken for magic items, historical notes on the Shadowlands, NPCs, and other fare. Here, the players enter the Shadowlands to find the last gem necessary to re-imprison the Grimorden that is about to break free. This emerald will insure that the party can overcome this powerful foe without sacrificing life and limb.

Second problem is that this isn’t a stand-alone adventure. This isn’t really made clear but trust me, when it states on the cover that this is the conclusion, it’s not a stand-alone product. The players start just as they are about to enter Shadowland.

As in the first product, there is a lot of background for the default setting. Since it’s a demi-plane, this isn’t a huge problem. It can pretty much be put into any campaign setting. The demi-plane itself, however, is a little lacking. The ruler of this dread place is a fallen goddess whose reduced powers give her a very small role, if any to play here and indeed, the players, if they are wise, will stick to the Gray Path, a column of safety in an otherwise unsafe land.

There are lots of options in the module though. For instance, when the party first emerges into Shadowlands, they emerge into a dark sea. From here, they can join either Wynsar, a ghost who the party should be familiar with from the first adventure, or the new character, Lord Fate, a half celestial that seeks to aid the players due to the high deck stacked against them.

Once in Shadowland, the party has a bit of a fight against them, as they must confront a number of issues that are best role played out. Unfortunately, since the party is such a low level, they won’t have suffered or have a well-developed background as higher-level characters would. This limits the effectiveness of the illusions that seek to tempt the players away from the safety of the Gray Road. Still, it’s always good to see the party have to fight their own greed as ghouls use treasure as a lure to remove the characters from the Gray Road.

After enduring some trials, the party comes upon the Grimorden’s keep and here, learn that they have a choice in the matter. If they speak the creature’s true name, it gains numerous vulnerabilities and perhaps the party, using the items they’ve gathered along the way, can put an end to this creature for all time instead of merely strengthening the seal. As I said, there are some options.
After finding the emerald and learning some more things about the Grimorden, the party returns to Guardian after some more trials in the Shadowlands. Once they’ve returned, they must decide what to do. Release and battle the Grimorden or secure its prison and help watch over the beast for all time.

The CD contains five scenes, a cut down from the seven in the first module. As before, I had no problem installing and viewing the material, but I’m running a fairly high level machine. The scenes come with numerous options and can add quite a bit to a game where the GM has the computer at the table. Unlucky me however, keeps his PC in the background and doesn’t have enough memory on his laptop, either ram or storage wise, to pop this into my computer.

In addition to the adventure itself, the module includes several extras. The work done on the NPCs for example, is great. Those hungry for new monsters have the undead Dark Seeker and it’s mount, the Shadowdrake. They’ve also have to content with the Bean Sidhe, an undead that possesses an elven maid in this module, as well as the fleshy-ooze, the Shrarvrus. New magic items, like Kusrulda, a dagger forged of Shadow Iron, and the Lord Fate’s magic items, including dice and ring, add to the crunch factor, but don’t really go that extra mile to provide the GM with material to pull out of the module.

Most of the art is top notch and is a worthy successor to Guardian. The layout however, takes several blows as there are a few tables surrounded by oodles of white space. The handouts this time are also reduced in number. There are four color pages, and one standard page, just as last time, in the middle of the book with no visible means of removal. In addition, while the ads are nice, there are too many of them for a module of this size. Lastly, while the Glossary of Terms is nice, it’s not really needed and takes up a lot of space.

Shadowlands works well as the conclusion to Guardian but it’s not as good as Guardian. If it had been the same page length with as many 3D scenes, and a director’s script, the price tag would be justified. However, by cutting it short over thirty pages and not having as many 3D scenes, the price, compared to their first offering, is too high and the adventure too short.

 

[Psion]

Dark Awakenings: Shadowland

Auran first tried to introduce the use of computer graphics to d20 system tabletop gaming with their Dark Awakenings: Guardian adventure. The adventure was set apart not only by the fact that it provided a CD with interactive 3d graphics designed to enhance a tabletop game, but the adventure itself was top notch, one of few d20 system adventures that makes good use of mood, timing, and an event based structure.

Dark Awakenings: Shadowland is the sequel to Dark Awakenings: Guardian and the next of Auran's CD-enhanced adventures. The adventure is designed for 4-6 characters of levels 3-4.

A First Look

Dark Awakenings: Shadowlands is packaged as a 56 page perfect-bound soft cover book with a CD-Rom disk. The CD Rom contains a PDF document with the entire contents of the adventure books, and an application that displays 2D and 3D versions of various scenes from the game. The package is priced at $19.95 US.

The cover of the book has a red stone-textured background with an image of the eerie landscape that the characters end up in during the game.

The interior is black-and-white. The illustrations are by a artist by the name of Bob Jones. His style is very crisp, detailed, and displays a lot of character. Jones is one of the better artists to grace the pages of d20 system adventures.

The book includes some slick full-color pages including maps and player handouts.

The text on the interior uses a small typeface, though there are many gaps between paragraphs and sections in the books. Dark Awakenings: Guardian was $19.95 for 84 pages plus the CD-rom. Dark Awakenings: Shadowland has a smaller book (plus CD-rom) for the same price. This makes it even more important to consider how much value you will get out of the CD-rom when purchasing this product.

The Adventure
(This section contains spoilers regarding the content of the adventure.)

The Adventure book contains some brief instructions for using the CD rom 3D scenes in the game. Parts of the adventure that provide 3D scenes are labeled with a CD symbol for easy reference. The contents of the disk are discussed in the next section.

The adventure background is exhaustively detailed. As mentioned in Dark Awakenings: Guadian, the adventure centers around a demonic creature called the Grimorden, an implacable foe of elves in days long past. The Grimorden is a servant of Sirrith, a goddess of death. Sirrith's otherworldly realm is called the Shadowland, a dark and forboding land which is covered with illusions to snare the souls of elves on the way to the afterlife.

In Dark Awakenings: Guardian, the PCs visit an island called the Guardian, where the Grimorden is imprisoned. However, due to some actions by thieves, three gems that prevent the Grimorden from using its three powers has been removed, and a slaughter ensued. In Dark Awakening: Guardian, the PCs have the opportunity to recover two of the three gems called the Star-kin Stones. The third Star-kin Stone was transported to the Shadowland. At the end of the adventure, the PCs enter a portal to begin their journey to retrieve it.

The characters begin the adventure by appearing in an otherworldly sea. Unless they players are exceptionally dense, the characters will be picked up by one of two beings: the ghost of the murdered priestess Wynsar (that the charters may have met in Guardian) or Lord Fate, a semi-divine being sent to assist the players.

After that, the players will be taken to the Shadowland, which is a nightmarish land covered with illusion. Their conversation with Wynsar may or may not provide them with the clue to the fact that the island is covered by a pleasant illusion.

Once the PCs disembark, they will have to travel along the grey road to the tower where the Emerald Star-kin Stone is sequestered. Along the way they will face a variety of obstacles. There is a grey road that the characters are admonished to stay on. While on the path, the PCs are relatively safe. However, there will be many illusions to tempt them to stray. If they do, they may be attacked by undead creatures.

The players will face other hazards and landscape features along the way, such as a rain of fireballs and other attempts at deception. One of the first things they run across is a chamber that has a barrier that makes it difficult for elves to escape the shadowlands. Daring players can fiddle with the mechanism that causes this effect and the illusion, but the effects could easily kill characters of the described levels.

Once in the tower of the Grimorden, the PCs might meet (and possibly free) Aedrinia, an elven sorceress with some useful information about the Grimorden. Aedrinia has clues that might allow the PCs to not only re-imprison the Grimorden, but actually defeat it. However, the PCs will probably have to face Murlyssa, a female elf possessed by a ghost like creature, a Bean Sidhe.

While in the tower, it is possible the PCs might draw the attention of Sirrith. In that case, their return journey will be interrupted by her minions. Otherwise, the players can return to the shores of the Shadowland, back to the mortal realms, and either enlsave of destroy the Grimorden.

The CD Rom

The CD Rom is very similar to the one presented with Dark Awakenings: Guardian. The CD Rom is for PCs and has an adobe acrobat file version of the printed adventure. It also has an application that can display 3D rendition of scenes from the adventure.

In the 3D application, there is a control panel that you can use to alter what is to be shown in the 3D scenes. Some scenes have different camera angles and other options. For example, some scenes feature camera angles with and without the illusions that cloak the Shadowland, and while crossing the bridge, the GM can click a button to activate the firestorm animations, which show fireballs raining down.

Each 3D scene allows you to pan or zoom the camera. Some scenes have multiple cameras. Overall, the scenes are nicely done, but they are all background. There are no people or creatures in the scenes.

The specs on the back of the product specify that you must have a PC with a NVidia TNT or equivalent card. This is unfortunate, as many laptops (including mine) use a portable version of the ATI rage card, which cannot run the 3d software, and laptops are probably the first choice when it comes to adding computers to tabletop games. I was able to get it to run on my desktop computer (with a GeForce II MX card) and it looks very nice.

Conclusion

In my review of Dark Awakenings: Guardian, I stated, I think the adventure is a little pricey if you are not able to take advantage of the CD-Rom. That statement is even more emphatic for Dark Awakenings: Shadowland. Not only do you get a smaller book, the adventure is a bit more ordinary, in contrast to the rather excellent adventure presented in Dark Awakenings: Guardian

-Alan D. Kohler