Old D&D adventure set in Manhattan

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Not Expedition to Brooklyn Heights?

 

[DeadlyUematsu]

Whizbang, make me those modules now.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Hold on, finding my old copy of Keno on the Borderlands ...

 

[the Jester]

Hold on, finding my old copy of Keanu on the Borderlands ...

I didn't even know he was around back then!

 

[GrumpyOldMan]

Issue #100. The module is called "The City Beyond the Gate".

If you're talking about the scenario originally published in Dragon #100 I'd be astonished. It was a real stinker. Awful, unplayable, badly plotted, and obviously written by an american who had never been to London.

I suppose transferring it to New York would have got rid of some of the more ridiculous elements. That plus a decent GM to re-write much of the plot.

It's interesting how peoples can have such differing opinions on the same scenario.

My recollection was that the author hadn't bothered to do any research at all. Horrifying as TSR had a UK office in those days. The currency was wrong, we were informed that the UK had gone decimal (correct) and that that there were now ten pennies to the shilling and ten shillings to the pound (nonsense).

London was peopled by 'Peter Pan/Oliver Twist' street urchins, 'Mary Poppins' nannies and (contrary to what another poster says) armed policemen, or at least policement with ready access to guns. A friend of mine was in the Metropolitan Police at the time, he'd never seen a gun, and the gun cabinet key was kept locked in the safe.

The author was also amused by the fact that in the playtest one of the characters had tried to drive a car, but had got in the wrong side (as we Brits drive on the left) !!!!

Awful

 

[Angel Tarragon]

I have the issue in question. When I get my primary computer up and running I'm going to do my best to convert it to 3.5 for the fantasy element and D20 Modern for the Earth element.

 

[grodog]

If you're talking about the scenario originally published in Dragon #100 I'd be astonished. It was a real stinker. Awful, unplayable, badly plotted, and obviously written by an american who had never been to London.

I can't speak for the rendition of London (having flown through there once, which resulted in me sprinting from gate to gate in Gatwick), but I otherwise agree with the scenario: it was quite weak, and was one of the lamest ways to acquire an artifact that I've ever read. That's why I liked Gygax's original idea better (quoted above)

 

[JohnRTroy]

Actually, IIRC, and I'd have to look it up on my Dragon CD-ROM, but the adventure was actually based off a few novels about faeries in London, with enough changed so it was not considered a copyright violation, and the author admits it after some letters were written. I think it was based on some novel series call "The Boggles" or something like that.

 

[Glyfair]

... and (contrary to what another poster says) armed policemen

I remember a discussion about the policemen having guns. Now that my memory has been jogged, I think the I remember the discussion being in a later letter claiming the policement shouldn't automatically have guns.

 

[Angel Tarragon]

I remember a discussion about the policemen having guns. Now that my memory has been jogged, I think the I remember the discussion being in a later letter claiming the policement shouldn't automatically have guns.

Nightstick!