There’s that old adage that says “One never gets a second chance to make a first impression.” And for the most part, that adage is very true when meeting people for the first time.
But the secret is that the old saying is also true when you are asking for any kind of review.
So whether you’ve released a film, a novel, a painting, or a game product, you only have one chance to impress a reviewer before he or she toddles off to tell the world (-wide-web) what they think about your hard work. It’s tough to get a critical review, and it’s even tougher to bounce back from it and take another swing at the challenge again.
But when that happens, I think any decent reviewer has an obligation to offer up a second chance.
Rocks Fall Games has recently re-released their first adventure module, which is now called The Dark Totem Part 1: The Chantry Keep. When I reviewed the first version, it scored poorly, but the author remained undaunted and started re-writing.
This new version purports to be a complete re-work of the original concept, with more content and a better story than the original. So I’m doing the decent thing, and giving The Dark Totem Part 1 that second chance…
The Dark Totem Part 1: The Chantry Keep
The Dark Totem Part 1: The Chantry Keep is an adventure module compatible with Pathfinder RPG rules, and is designed for a party of 3rd-level characters. The adventure takes place in a campaign world setting designed by the author, called Awesfur, but as with all modules, it can likely be adapted to other Pathfinder-friendly campaign settings.
Production Quality
The production quality of The Dark Totem Part 1: The Chantry Keep is generally quite good. The author has re-written the module from beginning to end, and with considerably more flair than the first version. The layout is logical, and the flow of the text is considerably improved making it easier to read and run. Even the font has been replaced with a slightly-stylized antique style, which looks nifty and is easy to read. The page length has more than doubled, but this time there is both a table of contents and PDF bookmarks, making the presentation much more user-friendly.
“Read-aloud” text, appearing in red, has been much improved, and accompanied by a short narrative describing the room and its contents, and even some background to its original purpose. The monster stat blocks have a bolder format than the first edition of the module, standing out from the text, and even describing tactics and morale.
The cover art of the product was done by the same artist, who has a strong affinity for comic book styles. Having read the module, I’m still not sure if the art depicts a scene which is related to the adventures, but at least it makes a bit more sense than the uptight wizard appearing on the first attempt. Overall, it’s a fairly cool comic book style rendering of a fantasy combat about to get nasty.
While there are no interior illustrations, the map for the adventure is decently rendered, and the author provides an appendix of all the encounter areas – one per page – to allow GMs to print and use them during the game. It’s definitely a strong improvement over the previous maps.
Once more unto the breach…
The differences between The Dark Totem Part 1: The Missing Child and this new version, The Dark Totem Part 1: The Chantry Keep, are so startling that it almost felt as though I was reading a completely different author! Surprisingly, the two big McGuffins of the story have not been changed at all, but the author has re-created a tale around them which is actually engaging and full of drama.
The starting plot of The Dark Totem Part 1: The Chantry Keep still revolves around the heroes being offered a reward to locate a missing boy. But this time around, the author gives the reader an immersive story as to why the boy might have run off to the ruined chantry outside of town, which local townsfolk consider to be haunted… or worse.
But in this new version of The Dark Totem Part 1: The Chantry Keep, there is so much more information given than just dropping an adventure hook on the party, and yanking them come-hither to the dungeon. In fact, the author gives us a bit of a world to play in.
The module now contains a very succinct and basic overview of the adventure plot, but it does not stop there. The author actually has a short but detailed geo-political gazetteer of the Awesfur setting, including the town of Varatolo where the story begins. Further, there’s real ambiance now in that moment when the adventurers get the call to become heroes. The story opens at the Blind Basilisk Inn - yea, I know, always seems to start at an inn – but it gets better! – which is a lively and detailed locale now, complete with interesting NPCs, descriptions of food and drink, games played, and even its mascot – a blind basilisk. Frankly, I’m likely to purloin this establishment for one of my own homebrew campaigns, just because it feels like a great place to serve as a favored watering hole to start and end new adventures.
But moreover, there is an overarching story here pertaining to the Dark Totem and its influence on those weak of will or with even a glimmer of evil within them. A GM reading The Dark Totem Part 1: The Chantry Keep is not just told a about a series of rooms and the monsters they contain, but instead is given a rich and detailed plot of how the chantry fell into ruins, and what happened to the goodly order of hospitallers that used to reside there. The background of the Chantry Keep is a real horror story, and each room is described to the GM as to its original purpose, as well as how the gentle monks and priests were murdered there and what killed them. Once again, we’re given ambiance, which was quite lacking the first time out, and plenty of information for a GM to go beyond the “read-aloud” text to enhance the creepiness of the ruin.
The “ecology” within the ruins has also been substantially improved from the earlier version, and the encounters are more logical in their placement and type. If you read my first review of The Dark Totem, you remember I mentioned some ghouls and hobgoblins being present, as well as the corpses of wat might have been an adventuring party. Well those are all still there, but this time the author gave us reasons as to the who, what, why, and where of the encounters. That overarching plot surrounding the mysterious Totem I mentioned earlier permeates the entire storyline within the adventure, and by the time a GM finishes reading the adventure, it feels very complete – except for the bit about the Dark Totem, of course.
Apparently, it’s to live on in future modules from the author…
Overall Score: 3.75 out of 5.0
Conclusions
I’d have to say that I was far more than just pleasantly surprised by what I found in the re-release of The Dark Totem Part 1: The Chantry Keep! In essence, this new module is almost an entirely different product altogether!
The author has “flipped” the first module, from its original insipid form, into an adventure that I can honestly say I’d enjoy running for my gamer friends. In this new version, there was such a smorgasbord of information about the dungeon, the totem, and the surrounding area that I actually lost count of the number of adventure hooks I could have used to start crafting spinoff adventures and continuing storylines by myself. Obviously, that was done intentionally by the author, who is likely to drop the next part of The Dark Totem series on the market to push his story onward. If the next module in the series is anything like this one, it’ll definitely be worth some consideration.
As far as The Dark Totem Part 1: The Chantry Keep is concerned, it’s now well worth the price to get a copy of the PDF, and I have no fear in endorsing the module in its new – and vastly improved - version.
I’d like to wish the author and Rocks Fall Games all the best in this new version (or re-release, or reboot – I guess they all apply). They have definitely earned their second chance in my book!
So until next review… I wish you Happy Gaming!
Grade Card (Ratings 1 to 5)
Author’s Note: This Reviewer received a complimentary copy of the product in PDF format from which the review was written.
But the secret is that the old saying is also true when you are asking for any kind of review.
So whether you’ve released a film, a novel, a painting, or a game product, you only have one chance to impress a reviewer before he or she toddles off to tell the world (-wide-web) what they think about your hard work. It’s tough to get a critical review, and it’s even tougher to bounce back from it and take another swing at the challenge again.
But when that happens, I think any decent reviewer has an obligation to offer up a second chance.
Rocks Fall Games has recently re-released their first adventure module, which is now called The Dark Totem Part 1: The Chantry Keep. When I reviewed the first version, it scored poorly, but the author remained undaunted and started re-writing.
This new version purports to be a complete re-work of the original concept, with more content and a better story than the original. So I’m doing the decent thing, and giving The Dark Totem Part 1 that second chance…The Dark Totem Part 1: The Chantry Keep
- Author / Lead Design / Cartographer: Charles T. Marleau II
- Cover: Jose Ivan Negron
- Publisher: Rocks Fall Games
- Year: 2013
- Media: PDF (37 pages)
- Price: $2.49 (PDF $14.99 available from RPGNow)
The Dark Totem Part 1: The Chantry Keep is an adventure module compatible with Pathfinder RPG rules, and is designed for a party of 3rd-level characters. The adventure takes place in a campaign world setting designed by the author, called Awesfur, but as with all modules, it can likely be adapted to other Pathfinder-friendly campaign settings.
Production Quality
The production quality of The Dark Totem Part 1: The Chantry Keep is generally quite good. The author has re-written the module from beginning to end, and with considerably more flair than the first version. The layout is logical, and the flow of the text is considerably improved making it easier to read and run. Even the font has been replaced with a slightly-stylized antique style, which looks nifty and is easy to read. The page length has more than doubled, but this time there is both a table of contents and PDF bookmarks, making the presentation much more user-friendly.
“Read-aloud” text, appearing in red, has been much improved, and accompanied by a short narrative describing the room and its contents, and even some background to its original purpose. The monster stat blocks have a bolder format than the first edition of the module, standing out from the text, and even describing tactics and morale.
The cover art of the product was done by the same artist, who has a strong affinity for comic book styles. Having read the module, I’m still not sure if the art depicts a scene which is related to the adventures, but at least it makes a bit more sense than the uptight wizard appearing on the first attempt. Overall, it’s a fairly cool comic book style rendering of a fantasy combat about to get nasty.
While there are no interior illustrations, the map for the adventure is decently rendered, and the author provides an appendix of all the encounter areas – one per page – to allow GMs to print and use them during the game. It’s definitely a strong improvement over the previous maps.
Once more unto the breach…
The differences between The Dark Totem Part 1: The Missing Child and this new version, The Dark Totem Part 1: The Chantry Keep, are so startling that it almost felt as though I was reading a completely different author! Surprisingly, the two big McGuffins of the story have not been changed at all, but the author has re-created a tale around them which is actually engaging and full of drama.
***SPOILER ALERT: If you plan to play in this adventure, I would recommend that you skip to the Conclusion and avoid spoiling things by reading further.
The starting plot of The Dark Totem Part 1: The Chantry Keep still revolves around the heroes being offered a reward to locate a missing boy. But this time around, the author gives the reader an immersive story as to why the boy might have run off to the ruined chantry outside of town, which local townsfolk consider to be haunted… or worse.
But in this new version of The Dark Totem Part 1: The Chantry Keep, there is so much more information given than just dropping an adventure hook on the party, and yanking them come-hither to the dungeon. In fact, the author gives us a bit of a world to play in.
The module now contains a very succinct and basic overview of the adventure plot, but it does not stop there. The author actually has a short but detailed geo-political gazetteer of the Awesfur setting, including the town of Varatolo where the story begins. Further, there’s real ambiance now in that moment when the adventurers get the call to become heroes. The story opens at the Blind Basilisk Inn - yea, I know, always seems to start at an inn – but it gets better! – which is a lively and detailed locale now, complete with interesting NPCs, descriptions of food and drink, games played, and even its mascot – a blind basilisk. Frankly, I’m likely to purloin this establishment for one of my own homebrew campaigns, just because it feels like a great place to serve as a favored watering hole to start and end new adventures.
But moreover, there is an overarching story here pertaining to the Dark Totem and its influence on those weak of will or with even a glimmer of evil within them. A GM reading The Dark Totem Part 1: The Chantry Keep is not just told a about a series of rooms and the monsters they contain, but instead is given a rich and detailed plot of how the chantry fell into ruins, and what happened to the goodly order of hospitallers that used to reside there. The background of the Chantry Keep is a real horror story, and each room is described to the GM as to its original purpose, as well as how the gentle monks and priests were murdered there and what killed them. Once again, we’re given ambiance, which was quite lacking the first time out, and plenty of information for a GM to go beyond the “read-aloud” text to enhance the creepiness of the ruin.
The “ecology” within the ruins has also been substantially improved from the earlier version, and the encounters are more logical in their placement and type. If you read my first review of The Dark Totem, you remember I mentioned some ghouls and hobgoblins being present, as well as the corpses of wat might have been an adventuring party. Well those are all still there, but this time the author gave us reasons as to the who, what, why, and where of the encounters. That overarching plot surrounding the mysterious Totem I mentioned earlier permeates the entire storyline within the adventure, and by the time a GM finishes reading the adventure, it feels very complete – except for the bit about the Dark Totem, of course.
Apparently, it’s to live on in future modules from the author…
Overall Score: 3.75 out of 5.0
Conclusions
I’d have to say that I was far more than just pleasantly surprised by what I found in the re-release of The Dark Totem Part 1: The Chantry Keep! In essence, this new module is almost an entirely different product altogether!
The author has “flipped” the first module, from its original insipid form, into an adventure that I can honestly say I’d enjoy running for my gamer friends. In this new version, there was such a smorgasbord of information about the dungeon, the totem, and the surrounding area that I actually lost count of the number of adventure hooks I could have used to start crafting spinoff adventures and continuing storylines by myself. Obviously, that was done intentionally by the author, who is likely to drop the next part of The Dark Totem series on the market to push his story onward. If the next module in the series is anything like this one, it’ll definitely be worth some consideration.
As far as The Dark Totem Part 1: The Chantry Keep is concerned, it’s now well worth the price to get a copy of the PDF, and I have no fear in endorsing the module in its new – and vastly improved - version.
I’d like to wish the author and Rocks Fall Games all the best in this new version (or re-release, or reboot – I guess they all apply). They have definitely earned their second chance in my book!
So until next review… I wish you Happy Gaming!
Grade Card (Ratings 1 to 5)
- Presentation: 3.25
- - Design: 3.5 (Solid design; very good writing; decent layout)
- - Illustrations: 3.0 (Cover art nice but questionably related to the module plot; lack of interior illustrations; maps are decent and usable at the table)
- Content: 4.0
- - Crunch: 3.5 (Cool monster design/embellishments; decently challenging encounter design)
- - Fluff: 4.5 (Amazing details and background information; includes some world-setting info to boot!)
- Value: 4.0 (It’s a solid and fun module with a great plot – great value for the price!)
Author’s Note: This Reviewer received a complimentary copy of the product in PDF format from which the review was written.
