Dungeon 112: Castle Maure comments?

[Thorin Stoutfoot]

Running a group of 16 level characters through it...

... with no modifications. They're finding it an easy romp so far on the first level (the terrible iron golem went down in 2 rounds), but I expect they'll start getting stiffened challenges later...

 

[Darkberserker]

I will be running it this weekend. Im keen to see how the party do against some of the nastier encounters.

 

[Derulbaskul]

Yes, this is the greatest adventure I think Dungeon has ever published. I can't wait to run it, maybe a marathon session at Gencon? (snip)

I concur!

Also, the return of the nabassu alone is worth the price of the mag, IMO.

 

[Cassander]

Yes, this is the greatest adventure I think Dungeon has ever published. I can't wait to run it, maybe a marathon session at Gencon?

To answer your question, I haven't run it, but here's hoping your characters aren't the types to fire off all their baddest abilities in the first combat they happen upon.

Could a dungeon crawl ever be greater than an innovative classic like Ailamere's Lair? Or in 3e, the pure epicness of Mysterious ways and the cold naturalism of Natural Selection?

Basically, what makes this great? How is it different from a normal "enter the dungeon and kill monsters and steal treasure" stuff?

I haven't read this, mind you, as I haven't resubscribed yet. I'm just curious if my taste is 100% antithetical to the stuff popular here. How I miss the Christopher Perkins days of Dungeon...

 

[dwilgar]

Having almost finished reading the adventure, I have a few observations:

- This revisit of Maure Castle is definitely a fitting tribute to the classical dungeon crawl modules of 1e AD&D. If this is the type of adventure you and your players enjoy then I would highly recommend this work.

- I found the editting of the work to be somewhat disappointing. There are a handful of glaring mistakes (mostly of the cut and paste variety). This may be nitpicky, but I was disappointed.

- I really would have liked more time spent on developing the backstory of Maure Castle and the tactics and motivations of the groups within the ruins. I maybe be mistaken, but I get the sense that some of this information was left on the editting table.

A last aside - the descriptions of the module seem to be somewhat inconsistent with the reprinted article by Gary which describes the initial Mord./Bigby/friends assult on the castle. In particular I am refering to the descriptions leading up to the unopenable door.

All-in-all though a solid piece of work, especially if dungeon crawls are your thing.

Dwilgar

 

[Prime_Evil]

I just got this issue of Dungeon and I am *very* impressed with the work that has been done to update and expand this classic adventure.

It's definitely an old-school dungeon crawl, but it's not just a hack'n'slash adventure -- there are plenty of opportunities for puzzle solving and interaction with colourful NPCs.

Rob Kuntz manages to pack a number of more cool adventure hooks into the module that enables a creative DM to expand the published module almost ad infinitum. One of the very first rooms contains an adventure hook that could be used as the basis for an entire campaign...

I sincerely hope that Paizo will commission additional levels of the Maure Castle for future issues.

 

[ivocaliban]

I snatched this issue of Dungeon up a few days ago and I'm still having a blast just reading through it. I've been doing a campaign in Greyhawk for the last couple of years and my player (yes, just one, unfortunately) is just at the point where he can survive this one with a little assistance from the NPCs. I'm simply amazed that an adventure this lengthy, well-planned, and fascinating went for less than $7.00.

This is, in fact, the first issue of Dungeon magazine I've ever bought...and I've browsed each one for the past four or five years. I tend to avoid ready-made adventures, but with so little free time I've been forced to give them a go. I don't think I could have made any better choice than this one. With this I should have no problem reaching the end of my story arc with this PC. I've even found a way to tie it in to my "Tharizdun Reborn" uber-plot. It's simply grand.

 

[Joshua Randall]

Basically, what makes this great? How is it different from a normal "enter the dungeon and kill monsters and steal treasure" stuff?

That's basically it. What makes it great is that the monsters are innovative. Here are just a few.

Spoiler

* an nearly invulnerable iron golem with two unique weapons
* an awfully nasty demon guarding a Lovecraftian magic book
* the depraved wizard, Eli Tomorast, who has grafted demonic appendages onto the stumps of his arms

There are also some very clever puzzles in the true 1st edition mode -- screw up the puzzle and you're either dead, losing your items, or otherwise hosed.

I think what is great about Maure Castle is that it takes the typical dungeon crawl and makes it interesting. It should be fun for almost any group of players, unless they're completely jaded and cynical about old-style D&D'ing.

 

[Cassander]

That's basically it. What makes it great is that the monsters are innovative. Here are just a few.

Spoiler

* an nearly invulnerable iron golem with two unique weapons
* an awfully nasty demon guarding a Lovecraftian magic book
* the depraved wizard, Eli Tomorast, who has grafted demonic appendages onto the stumps of his arms

There are also some very clever puzzles in the true 1st edition mode -- screw up the puzzle and you're either dead, losing your items, or otherwise hosed.

I think what is great about Maure Castle is that it takes the typical dungeon crawl and makes it interesting. It should be fun for almost any group of players, unless they're completely jaded and cynical about old-style D&D'ing.

Thanks for the info. As I suspected, not really my style. I tend to go for stuff with more interesting stories and characters (esp. villains). An innovative plot, well executed.

 

[grodog]

Thanks for the info. As I suspected, not really my style. I tend to go for stuff with more interesting stories and characters (esp. villains). An innovative plot, well executed.

Hmmm, given the level of plotting, interesting characters, and possibilities for storyline expansion in the original WG5---and from what I understand the new Dungeon version goes well beyond the original [but I don't know because my subscription copy still hasn't arrived yet]---I'm curious to hear what constitutes an innovative, well-executed plot IYO Cassander. I'm not trying to be picky/prickly/offensive, I'm honestly curious