Tell me a little about B-4

[Stoat]

I want to put a big, decadent ruined city into my game. I want something that feels huge, creepy and old, with shades of Howard's Red Nails or Xuthal of the Dusk.

I read through B-4 The Lost City about 20 years ago, and I don't remember much of it all. How well would it work for my purposes? In particular, what the maps like? I'll probably wind up stripping out most of the encounters.

 

[Stormonu]

Actually, I never did much like B4. It was rather quirky and didn't feel like medieval fantasy - which may be exactly what you're looking for.

The general map of the pyramid for B4 is not outstanding, its a pretty typical "dungeon that fits on a sheet of graph paper". The ruined city overview map, though would probably be of more use.

I persomally think that I1 - Dwellers in the Forbidden City might be more to what you are seeking.

 

[Barastrondo]

Contrariwise, I liked B4 a lot, but agree that the maps are not the strong point. It's the albino masked city-dwellers, often drugged into a bizarre state of hallucination, that really make the module for me. I find them way more interesting and evocative than the actual monster-fighting action.

 

[David Howery]

IIRC, the first half of the module is very well done, detailed, holds together nicely. But the second half (delving down into the depths to face the BBEG) is not, being thin on details and basically committing the old school sin of having a bunch of monsters in adjacent rooms with little reason to be there...

 

[Stoat]

How are the maps in I1? Do they show an entire city? Do they show above ground areas or just underground dungeons?

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Contrariwise, I liked B4 a lot, but agree that the maps are not the strong point. It's the albino masked city-dwellers, often drugged into a bizarre state of hallucination, that really make the module for me. I find them way more interesting and evocative than the actual monster-fighting action.

I'm with you. My tattered copy of B4 has survived multiple purges of old gaming material over the years, which not even the Village of Homlett has managed. (The other survivor: EX1, Dungeonland. I may be a weirdo.)

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

How are the maps in I1? Do they show an entire city? Do they show above ground areas or just underground dungeons?

They're above ground ruins, as I recall.

 

[frankthedm]

I'll probably wind up stripping out most of the encounters.

http://www.enworld.org/forum/general-rpg-discussion/111875-lost-city-your-experiences.html

 

[pawsplay]

IIRC, the first half of the module is very well done, detailed, holds together nicely. But the second half (delving down into the depths to face the BBEG) is not, being thin on details and basically committing the old school sin of having a bunch of monsters in adjacent rooms with little reason to be there...

I'm not sure I understand this criticism. It has some undead associated with the old civilization, some nasty monsters masquerading as Cynideceans, and other details. True, it's probably unlikely for some of the more overtly dangerous monsters to be wandering so near each other, but if this strains your ability to suspend disbelief, consider that the lower levels adjoin an entire underground city torn apart by strife and overrun by monsters.

 

[Aspect of Veles]

The other survivor: EX1, Dungeonland. I may be a weirdo.

Dungeonland is one of my favorite adventures I've ever run! I ran it (with parts of the sequel, The Land Beyond the Magic Mirror) as a semi-dream sequence in my hombrew 4E/Call of Cthulhu/Land of Oz campaign with momentous success! My players have been yearning to revisit it ever since!