Idylls of the Rat King
I have purchased this and are running my players though it at the moment.
There are times when reading the module that I could not believe what I was reading, it seemed so silly. There were other times I really liked what I saw. I made the decision to run it for my players anyway, but only because I had paid for it, rather than me thinking it was anything super-special.
If you are wanting a light hearted silly dungeon romp then this game is for you (though you might want to not use their boxed text). If you are wanting something more serious, then I would avoid it. It is exactly what it promises to be, a combat fest.
The reason I state that I laughed and laughed at the sillyness of the boxed text is because it was so often reminicent of a bad B-Grade horror movie. "So, you have defeated my minions; prepare to die" is the kind of thing that crops up several times. Also, almost every creature they fight seems to have to draw their "naked blade".
Reading it to my players, they have started to be able to predict what is about to be said. It is a funny game.
My problems with the scenario itself are:
* There are quite a few secret rooms that should never be found. The DC is too high for character of that level unless they are searching, and they would have to take 20 on every 5' secion of thousands of feet of wall.
* There are places where things that are effectively impossible are required. For example on Strength check has a DC of 30. If a strong 1st level PC takes 20, they might be able to get to 24. Then they need 3 other people helping (with Aid-Another) to be able to get to the required number. As a GM you just give up and let them do it.
* The stats are a mix of 3.0 and 3.5; with some monster stats that contradict both. As a GM, you have to make frequent decisions if you want to run with what they have or want to make it more "Core-Rulesish".
All of this being said, it is fun to play. It is the first of the series, and the writing style and stat checking I hope has improved in the later modules. I will definately be buying one of the higher level ones when my PCs get that far.
Richard Canning
