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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Melan" data-source="post: 2944822" data-attributes="member: 1713">I consider Keep on the Borderlands to be the best designed introductory module for D&D. It provides a novice DM a base of operations, a simple wilderness section and a beginning dungeon which is compartmental enough not to totally overwhelm a beginning party, yet extensive enough for that feel of accomplishment once the PCs complete it. For this reason, the separate (yet often interconnected) caves approach is not just adequate, it is a brilliant design decision.The skeletal, bare-bones design is a definite strength. There is enough structure and guidance to sustain the play experience and teach one about designing adventures, and there is enough blank space to stimulate the imagination - the cave of the unknown, for example.Regarding ecologies or the lack thereof, B2 and its success (which makes Mearls's old review all the more funny - B2 was bundled with D&D's bestselling edition, and may be the most popular roleplaying adventure ever) is a strong testament to the fact that good D&D is about fantastic adventures and not the kind of inbred culture-ecology-simulation some fans would prefer it to be. There are no ecological details in Keep because this aspect is superfluous in a fun game, and doesn't add to it. What it has instead are memorable encounters: the mad hermit or the shrine of evil chaos aren't explained by backstory or a mini-essay; they are mysterious and tantalizing, letting your imagination fill in the blanks. This is, contrary to game designer wisdom, good game design. Even in a comparatively "bread and butter" adventure like Keep on the Borderlands, the unexplained elements provide an air of mystique that creates sense of wonder and makes the experience a memorable one. If I had to choose one thing modern game designers could learn from B2, this would be it.</blockquote>

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