The Shared Experience: Keep on the Borderlands

[Mr. Patient]

I played it in 1980 with the Holmes rules, and I played it in 2006 with the Holmes rules.

 

[Wormwood]

One of the best sessions I ever ran involved an early 3.0 game in which the party encountered a cube with a partially-digested skeleton in it. They spent half their spells, some turning attempts, and an ill-advised charge attempt trying to deal with the "undead" menace. It was beautiful. The perfect cube encounter.

Okay, now this is just weird!

My second session of 3e included a gelatinous cube---appearing to be a skeleton clad in elven chain floating two feet off the ground and slowly approaching the party---and which had the exact effect on my players as you described (right down to the "forget this---I'm charging it!" climax).

Thanks for the reminder!

 

[Henry]

Started in 1975, I've never seen 'Keep'

...it's as if I never knew you!!!

That's fascinating - I just assumed most long-time D&D gamers had seen it or read it, if not played it.

 

[Raven Crowking]

Okay, now this is just weird!

My second session of 3e included a gelatinous cube---appearing to be a skeleton clad in elven chain floating two feet off the ground and slowly approaching the party---and which had the exact effect on my players as you described (right down to the "forget this---I'm charging it!" climax).

Thanks for the reminder!

Not so weird when you examine how the cube was depicted in earlier editions. I've run the same sort of encounter, and it appears in {SPOILER: Crown of the Kobold King}. I figure that encounter must be pretty regular in most people's games (and always worth a chuckle).

RC

 

[Ilium]

Not so weird when you examine how the cube was depicted in earlier editions. I've run the same sort of encounter, and it appears in {SPOILER: Crown of the Kobold King}. I figure that encounter must be pretty regular in most people's games (and always worth a chuckle).

RC

You know after all these years I don't think I've ever used or encountered the ol' cube. I may have to trot it out at my players soon.

 

[Michael Silverbane]

I started playing (DMing, actually) in July of '81, with the Keep as my first ever adventure. I was 8.

Later
silver

 

[JeffB]

& those with the earliest basic sets had to get by with just geomorphs & monster and treasure assortments. Someday I'm going to pick up the M&TAs & try running an adventure with them & the geomorphs.

Edit: Changed "buy" to "by". (9_9)

I should have been more clear when I posted. re: the different modules. In actuality the first holmes set I ever encountered (a friend's from grade school at the time) had the original with geomorphs/MTA.

I still have my MTA set 1-3, but the geomorphs are long gone

 

[bento]

I started in 1978 with the blue box, so my experience was with B1. Back then there seemed to be less than ten modules on the market - the G and D series and S1.

I think the lack of product and poor organization of the rules killed much of my enthusiasm for the game. I'm glad some things have improved in the past thirty years!

 

[gothmaugCC]

Started playing in 1990 just as 2nd edition was being released IIRC. We picked up alot of old 1st edition stuff, and keep on the borderlands was the first published adventure we ever played. Since then Ive run in 5 or 6 times in various editions. Basicially every time I end up forming a new group, out comes the Keep.

 

[Prince of Happiness]

I should have been more clear when I posted. re: the different modules. In actuality the first holmes set I ever encountered (a friend's from grade school at the time) had the original with geomorphs/MTA.

I still have my MTA set 1-3, but the geomorphs are long gone

I had the Geomorphs, but not the MTA. Now I have both, and am sorely tempted to try it out!