Is The Sunless Citadel a well-designed adventure module?

[airwalkrr]

I voted "yes," but let me diverge a bit on why. The Sunless Citadel was a good 3e adventure. It was one of the first adventures to be released for 3e and it did a very good job of incorporating some of the things that made D&D interesting. The shatterspike sword, for instance, highlighted sundering and was so good it warrented inclusion in the 3.5 DMG. Additionally, it included a very memorable monster, the twigblight, which was original and challenging in a new way.

However, were this adventure released as a 1e adventure, I probably would have been disappointed with it. The Sunless Citadel does not thrive on puzzles and traps and problems. It thrives on the tactical aspects of D&D that make 3e a success. The Sunless Citadel is a tactical adventure, and because of that, it gets a "yes" vote from me.

 

[airwalkrr]

And I removed Meepo.

Sacrilige! He has to be my favorite 3e adventure character ever. Next to Lumbee of course. Why is it kobolds are so memorable?

 

[Melan]

Sunless Citadel was a refreshing change after most 2e adventures and a step in the good direction. However, it didn't go far enough. The idea of a weird tree in an underground environment was sound, and so was making the adventure "just a dungeon crawl". The focus on tactical play was also commendable. However, there are problems with the dungeon design. SC plays too much like a story with a definite beginning and end - that is, it is too linear with not enough decision branches. Unlike Keep on the Borderlands or In Search of the Unknown, it doesn't do a good job of emphasizing the game's openness, where you can do almost anything in a complex environment. You go in and are pretty much expected to go along a certain path, tackle the situation and beat the "boss". That is not too bad for tournament design, but an intorductory product should probably be more open. I also have some stylistic quibbles (e.g. the portrayal of goblins/kobolds as "cute"), but this is outside good design and in the realm of personal opinion.

What would have made SC a good intro module? A little bit more extensive village and wilderness section would have helped. Instead of "the base" where you "recover" and "get quests", the village could have used more adventure hooks, a treacherous NPC guide, for instance, or a sub-quest outside the dungeon... A few wilderness encounters along the way or off the beaten path - e.g. like the infamous mad hermit or lizardman mound. Second, the dungeon should have had more alternate paths, circular routes, hidden stuff the players could find and so on. It would have made it a more rewarding experience and introduced beginning players to the concept that the decisions they make have more impact. All these changes would have pushed the module into the 48-56 page range, but with 3e's large stat blocks, this wouldn't have made it unwieldy.

Personally, I maintain that Necromancer's Crucible of Freya - some minor problems notwithstanding, like the railroading style opening - makes for a much better intro. You get a situation and you can deal with it almost any way you like.

For these reasons, I voted no. However, this is all comparative - compared to 2e products (e.g. an "intro" module like Terrible Trouble at Tragidore or Beneath the Twisted Tower) I had the misfortune of owning, it is a masterpiece. Compared to the best of the best, it is a nice try but not enough. Which is a pity because an introductory module should be among the best of the best.

 

[DragonLancer]

What's not to like? It's a classic dungeon crawl with a big fight at the end. That's a tried-and-true structure to hang an adventure on. I enjoyed DMing it, and that cute lil' gnome Erky Timbers stayed on with the party as an NPC for years to come.

As far as what designers can learn from it, it's a reminder that an adventure for 1st level characters has to be very gentle, with low hp monsters, opportunities to flee or rest, and friendly NPCs to lend a hand.

I couldn't put it better myself. For a low level, and newbie easy module, its well designed.

 

[The_Gneech]

I had a few issues with it, mostly around the Dragonpriest. Why the heck would somebody fanatic about becoming a dragon turn into a troll instead? I kept the stats as written but changed his appearance to that of a dragonkin, and he eventually became a recurring villain.

In fact now, five years after his death, he still bedevils the PCs as an occasional encounter with his ghost.

My only other real gripe is that the NPCs at the end should be redeemable -- so in my game, they were.

Everything else is a fine adventure!

-The Gneech

 

[The Shaman]

SC plays too much like a story with a definite beginning and end - that is, it is too linear with not enough decision branches. Unlike Keep on the Borderlands or In Search of the Unknown, it doesn't do a good job of emphasizing the game's openness, where you can do almost anything in a complex environment. You go in and are pretty much expected to go along a certain path, tackle the situation and beat the "boss". That is not too bad for tournament design, but an intorductory product should probably be more open.

QFT.

 

[Storm Raven]

I had a few issues with it, mostly around the Dragonpriest. Why the heck would somebody fanatic about becoming a dragon turn into a troll instead? I kept the stats as written but changed his appearance to that of a dragonkin, and he eventually became a recurring villain.

His condition was a punishment, not a reward. Being turned into a dragon would be a goal he aspired to. Being turned into a troll is the penalty for his transgressions against his own religion.

 

[Megatron]

Wow, I hate to say it after seeing how many people loved The Sunless Citadel - but I hated running it and thought it was illdesigned.
Oh well, it's been awhile so I think I should take another look at it.

 

[The_Gneech]

His condition was a punishment, not a reward. Being turned into a dragon would be a goal he aspired to. Being turned into a troll is the penalty for his transgressions against his own religion.

I understand that; I still thought it was silly. My own take was that he had managed to be partially successful -- which was the transgression. Hubris, as it were, to think a mere mortal could aspire to be a god (which is how their cult saw dragons). The punishment was being locked in eternal stasis -- a kind of "curse of immortality" thing.

-The Gneech

 

[Storm Raven]

I understand that; I still thought it was silly. My own take was that he had managed to be partially successful -- which was the transgression. Hubris, as it were, to think a mere mortal could aspire to be a god (which is how their cult saw dragons). The punishment was being locked in eternal stasis -- a kind of "curse of immortality" thing.

Well, thinking it was silly is different. You said you didn't understand "why the heck" he turned into a troll instead of a dragon. Clearly you misspoke. You did understand, you just didn't like it.