DOCSLIB.ORG

When Black Roses Bloom

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
When Black Roses Bloom THE DOMAIN Of SITHICUS Sample file Legend: UALACHAN Border TV Chasm City/Town Forest THE MISTS w Keep Mists Mountain // River Road Sample file Introduction 3 Azrael's Plan 28 Appendix: Preparing for the Adventure . 3 Kender Kindred 29 Nonplayer Characters 58 Running the Adventure 4 The Throne Room 29 Lord Soth 58 Fear and Horror Checks . 4 Memory Mirrors 35 Azrael 59 Story Background 4 Beyond the Looking Glass . 36 Magda the Wanderer 61 The Black Sapphire Entering the Mirrors 36 Tickelmop Toothfang 62 Medallion 5 Failing to Spoil a Starting the Adventure 5 Fantasy 38 Pull-out Section 31-34 Forgotten Fragments 7 Exiting the Mirrors 38 The Throne Room The Domain of Sithicus .... 7 The Idealized Lord Soth ... 39 (illustration) 31 The Black Moon 8 Mirror 1: Ogre Attack 40 Map 3: A Land Torn Asunder 9 Mirror 2: Murder Trial 42 Forest Clearing 32 A Cry in the Wilderness ... 10 Mirror 3: The Cataclysm. 44 Map 4: The Ghost Patrol 11 Mirror 4: Conquest of Solamnic Courthouse ... 32 A City in Chaos 12 Palanthas 45 Map 5: Main Entrance, A Dark Knight's Tale 14 Mirror 5: Kitiara's Contest. 48 Great Temple of Istar. ... 33 Into the Keep 17 Mirror 6: Soul Search 49 Map 6: Keening Spirits 17 Return of the Lord 51 Streets of Palanthas 33 Skeletal Guardians 19 On to Kendralind 53 Map 7: Contest Field 34 Encounters in the Keep ... 20 The Elf's Clue 53 Map 8: Specific Encounters .... 21 When Black Roses Bloom . 54 Temple of Takhisis 34 Credits Design: Lisa Smedman; Editing: Allen Varney Cover ArtSample: Scott Burdick file; Interior Art: Mark Nelson Cartography: David C. Sutherland III Project Coordination: Harold Johnson; Graphics Coordination: Sarah Feggestad Art Coordination: Peggy Cooper; Electronic Prepress Coordination: Tim Coumbe Typesetting: Angelika Lokotz; Production: Paul Hanchette TSR, Inc. TSR Ltd. 201 Sheridan Springs Road 120 Church End, Cherry Hinton Lake Geneva Cambridge CB1 3LB WI 53147 U.S.A United Kingdom 9476 This book is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America. Any reproduction or unauthorized use of the material or artwork contained herein is prohibited without the express written permission of TSR, Inc. Random House and its affiliate companies have worldwide distribution rights in the book trade for English language products of TSR, Inc. Distributed in the book and hobby trade in the United Kingdom by TSR, Ltd. Distributed to the toy and hobby trade by regional distributors. ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, AD&D, DUNGEON MASTER, RAVENLOFT, MONSTROUS COMPENDIUM, and DRAGONLANCE are registered trademarks owned by TSR, Inc. MONSTROUS MANUAL, PLANESCAPE, and the TSR logo are trademarks owned by TSR, Inc. Printed in the U.S.A. © 1995 TSR, Inc. All Rights Reserved. INTRODUCTION ow strangely are characters (PCs) enter the RAVENLOFT® domain our loue and of Sithicus. It quickly becomes apparent that hate misplaced! something is terribly wrong with the domain, Freedom we seek, and that the heroes are trapped there and will and yet from share the fate of its inhabitants. The only way to freedom flee; save themselves (and the domain) is to find out Courting those what is wrong with its ruler, the evil Lord Soth. tyrant sins that By entering his dark keep of Nedragaard and chain us fast, confronting the death knight, they may even And shunning find a route out of Sithicus. But will their escape Death, that also allow this evil lord to return to Krynn? only sets us free. Preparing for the Aduenture —William his adventure is set in Sithicus, one of the . ..»<'• Walsh domains at the core of the RAVENLOFT® (1663-1708), Tcampaign world. The adventure works best "Death" with a party of four to six characters of levels 4 to 6 (about 24 total levels). Honor. Devotion to duty. Chivalry. Love. Military Background information on the domain of law. Discipline. Sithicus and its evil ruler, Lord Soth, appears on As a Knight of Solamnia on the world of pages 30-31 and 84 of the Realm of Terror Krynn, the Lord Soth held these concepts dear. sourcebook from the RAVENLOFT boxed set. This He followed the Measure of his order, paying adventure's information augments that material. tribute to the gods, holding to the letter of his Additional background on Lord Soth appears Oath, and fighting for good on behalf of in the RAVENLOFT novel Knight of the Black Rose Paladine, the father of all good and the patron by James Lowder. It is not necessary, however, god of all valiant warriors. In time, he was Sampleto have reafiled the novel to play this adventure, awarded the order's highest honor and became a because much of the information presented in Knight of the Rose. the novel is summarized in this module. Even if "EstSularus oth Mithas. My honor is my life." the players have read this novel, there are sur- Soth's dishonor became his death. prises in this adventure to keep them guessing. Cruelty. Jealousy and greed. Falsehood. Other useful sources include the MONSTROUS Unbridled lust. Infidelity. Murder. MANUAL and the RAVENLOFT and DRAGONLANCE® Through these acts, Soth became what he is MONSTROUS COMPENDIUM9 appendices, which v> today—a death knight, a fire-blackened, undead provide important information about the travesty of all he once stood for. Once, all of monsters encountered in this module. Krynn might have called him hero. But when he Although this adventure has ties to the changed, only the mists of Ravenloft welcomed DRAGONLANCE saga, you need not have played in him into their deadly embrace. They forged for that campaign world to understand the events of him a new land, one he was cursed never to When Black Roses Bloom. Players already leave. Yet Soth still holds a bitter hope that he familiar with Soth's background and character can one day escape the Demiplane of Dread and may have a slight advantage in their dealings return to Krynn—return to the woman whose with this evil lord, but even those who have crooked smile and unflagging spirit claimed his never heard of the death knight will find enough heart: the dragon highlord Kitiara (Jth Matar. clues in this adventure to understand his When Black Roses Bloom begins as the player motivations and use them to their advantage. encourage better role-playing and generate an Running the Aduenture appropriate response to a horrific or terrifying unning an adventure set in the Demiplane situation. of Dread requires the DUNGEON MASTER® If the players are doing a good job of acting R (DM") to create and maintain an and are already role-playing appropriate atmosphere of suspense and dread. The Realm responses for their characters, omit these of Terror sourcebook in the RAVENLOFT boxed set checks. Reward especially dramatic responses offers useful tips for creating this mood in the with additional experience points. Fear and "Techniques of Terror" chapter. Feel free to add horror checks are intended only to guide the chilling details and unfortunate circumstances players and give the game an authentic feel of when describing locations and encounters, and Gothic horror. customize the ill effects that heroes suffer to make these assaults all the more keenly felt. During the course of this adventure, Story Background remember that, even though Lord Soth may ord Soth's early history is summarized in seem to be losing control of his domain, he is this module in the section "A Dark nevertheless much more powerful than the L Knight's Tale." As this adventure begins, heroes and can easily dominate and intimidate Soth has been trapped in Sithicus for more them. Take every opportunity to make the than twenty years. He is starting to lose hope heroes feel that they are at the mercy of the that he will ever find his way back to Krynn, nonplayer characters (NPCs) who inhabit and has become bored with a domain that Sithicus. The players should be uncomfortably offers no military challenges and no worthy aware that they are "outsiders" who are opponents. He is little more than a conqueror unwelcome in this domain. Both the domain's in a cage. native elves and the Vistani look on the heroes Some time ago, Soth captured a powerful with doubt and mistrust, and extend a helping illusionist who wandered into his domain. To hand only reluctantly. Constantly remind the earn his freedom, the illusionist, Tindafalus, players of the culture shock that resultSamples from file constructed for Soth a series of six magical travelling among a people with different and memory mirrors. By entering these mirrors, seemingly inexplicable customs. Soth can relive his greatest victories and Finally, emphasize the feelings of entrapment. reshape his worst defeats, subtly changing At the beginning of this adventure, the heroes events until they occur exactly as he would find themselves trapped in Sithicus. As the have desired. events unfold, the physical boundaries of this In recent months, Soth has spent so much trap narrow, slowly yet inexorably hemming time inside the memory mirrors that he is them in—preferably as the result of the heroes' becoming unable to distinguish between his own actions. Strive for a claustrophobic memory of the events as they originally atmosphere, offering a faint glimmer of hope of happened and the "memories" created by the escape only when the players have all but given mirrors. Because his history is the key to the up—and dashing that hope, at just the right creation of Sithicus, and because the domain is moment, to plunge them into despair once dependent on the death knight for its continued more. existence, the changes in Soth's memory are unhinging the domain.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Campaign Information
    Arak and Gwydion (Some Thoughts on the Shadow Elves' History) By R. Sweeney Gwydion isn't a 'real' demon, but rather a creature of great power from the plane of shadow. Gwydion's evil was his enslavement of the ShadowElves. His torment is his betrayal by Arak. Unlike Vecna, he was not on the prime and could only be 'trapped' because he was trying to follow the Shadow Elves into RL. (Presumably to kill them or re-enslave them). I wonder what Arak was thinking, however. Would there be anyplace he could take the Shadow elves into exile where Gwydion could not follow? Did he think he could hide from such a powerful creature? Gwydion must have had an enemy. A sibling perhaps. The Shadow Elves must have acted as some sort of armed forces for him. Arak must have believed that if Gwydion suddenly found himself without his Slaves, he would have been destroyed by his rivals. However, there other.. less satisfying, perhaps, ways of re-writing ShadowElf history. Gwydion, the shadow-being, falls 'in love' with an elf from some other world. They mate, bear children. Woman dies, Gwydion takes his children and their children as slaves. Millenia pass. Arak was Gwydion's favorite. Perhaps, Gwydion had mated with one of the Shadow elves of unsurpassed beauty and begat Arak. Thus, he set his son above all the other slaves. Arak, however, desired more than to be the head of the slaves. He managed to betray his father to his enemies. Arak had intended patricide. He was going to take away Gwydion's protective armed forces, leaving him vulnerable to attack by his other enemies.
    [Show full text]
  • Dragon Magazine #182
    Issue #182 Vol. XVII, No. 1 SPECIAL ATTRACTIONS Dragons: the lords of fantasy June 1992 9 Our annual tribute to our namesakeslong may they live! Publisher Not Cheaper by the Dozen Spike Y. Jones James M. Ward 10 Twelve of the DRAGONLANCE® sagas most egg-citing creations. Editor The Vikings' Dragons Jean Rabe Roger E. Moore 17 Linnorms: the first of a two-part series on the Norse dragons. The Dragons Bestiary Gregory Detwiler Associate editor 25 unhealthy branches of the dragon family tree. Dale A. Donovan Fiction editor F ICTION Barbara G. Young The Dragonbone Flute fiction by Lois Tilton Editorial assistant 84 He was a shepherd who loved musicbut he loved his audience more. Wolfgang H. Baur Art director R EVIEWS Larry W. Smith The Role of Computers Hartley, Patricia, and Kirk Lesser 55 From Mars to the stars: two high-powered science-fiction games. Production staff Gaye O'Keefe Angelika Lokotz Role-playing Reviews Lester Smith Tracey Zamagne Mary Roath 96 Now you can be the smallest of creatures or the most powerful. Through the Looking Glass Robert Bigelow Subscriptions\t 112 A collection of draconic wonders, for gaming or display. Janet L. Winters U.S. advertising O THER FEATURES Roseann Schnering Novel Ideas James Lowder 34 Two new horrific novels, spawned in the mists of Ravenloft. U.K. correspondent The Voyage of the Princess Ark Bruce A. Heard and U.K. advertising 41 This month, the readers questions take center stage. Bronwen Livermore The Wild, Wild World of Dice Michael J. DAlfonsi 45 Okay, so how many six-sided dice do you own? Kings of the Caravans Ed Greenwood 48 A land like the Forgotten Realms requires tough merchants! Dragonslayers on the Screen Dorothy Slama 62 Some handy guidelines for letting your computer be your DM.
    [Show full text]
  • Dragon Magazine #228
    Where the good games are As I write this, the past weekend was the WINTER FANTASY ™ slots of the two LIVING DEATH adventures; all the judges sched- gaming convention. uled to run them later really wanted to play them first. That’s a It is over, and we’ve survived. WINTER FANTASY isn’t as hectic vote of confidence for you. or crowded as the GENCON® game fair, so we can relax a bit These judges really impressed me. For those of you who’ve more, meet more people, and have more fun. never played a LIVING CITY, LIVING JUNGLE™, or LIVING DEATH game, It was good meeting designers and editors from other game you don’t know what you’re missing. The judges who run these companies and discussing trends in the gaming industry, but it things are the closest thing to a professional corps of DMs that was also good sitting in the hotel bar (or better yet, Mader’s, I can imagine. Many judges have been doing this for years, and down the street) with old friends and colleagues and just talk- some go to gaming conventions solely for the purpose of run- ing shop. ning games. They really enjoy it, they’re really good, and they Conventions are business, but they are also fun. really know the rules. I came out of WINTER FANTASY with a higher respect for the Now the Network drops into GENCON gear. Tournaments are people who run these things. TSR’s new convention coordina- being readied and judges are signing up.
    [Show full text]
  • DRAGONLANCE! Actually, the Name of the World Is Krynn
    Another world, another adventure. Another reality to explore, a thrilling new … library? A library, complete with the faintly musty smell of old tomes. Long tall stacks of books, scrolls, and tablets run the length of the chamber you find yourself in. Seated at a desk near the back of the chamber is a lone figure. He scratches away with quill and ink on a scroll, pausing only to wet his quill in a small inkpot and look into a crystal globe located to his left. “Astinus of Palanthas, Master of the Library of Palanthas and Historian of Krynn. He keeps a record of everything that happens here. Everything of note, at least. Most people think he’s immortal or some kind of god. No one seems to know for certain, though.” No one? Your Benefactor smiles one of those little smiles you’ve become so familiar with. “Well, maybe not no one. Maybe you’ll figure it out and tell me all about it?” Seemingly bored with that train of thought, your Benefactor turns away from you and runs their hands along the stacks. “So here we are: DRAGONLANCE! Actually, the name of the world is Krynn. Dragonlance is the title given to the intellectual property created, ‘created,’ by Margret Weiss and Tracy Hickman. So, if you’d like to take a minute to read up on what this place is about, now’s the time and here’s the place to do it. Or I can just give you the Chain’s Notes. Get it? Chain’s Notes? It’s like Cliff’s Notes, but … never mind.” “In the beginning was The High God and from the Beyond he called forth Paladine, Gilean and Takhisis, good, neutral and evil gods respectively.
    [Show full text]
  • An "Official" Spelljammer Guide to the Spheres [Revised 1.0]
    Guide to the Spheres An "official" Spelljammer Guide to the Spheres [revised 1.0] By Paul Westermeyer aka GMWestermeyer Table of Contents: Page Section 1 Introduction 2 Phlogiston Navigation 4 Phlogiston Transit Times 4 Where is the Rock of Bral? 6 “Official” Flow Map 7 The Spheres and other Phlogiston Locations 23 ‘Loose’ Planets/Worlds 34 Bibliography: Introduction Spelljammer is a very unique and creative setting, but it is also one of the worst organized settings TSR produced with material is scattered among many different products. This makes it very difficult to find what you are looking for, a problem exasperated by Spelljammer’s status as a ‘connection’ campaign, designed (like Planescape) to connect the ‘big’ three settings, Forgotten Realms, Greyhawk, and Dragonlance. I’ve been working to alleviate this problem by writing guides and indices for those aspects of Spelljammer that are most important for creating a coherent, rational game setting. The first of these guides was An “Official” Spelljammer Timeline, which collated Spelljammer-related historical mentions in published TSR products into a cohesive, coherent timeline that Spelljammer (or Hackjammer) gamemasters could use as the foundation of their own, personalized campaigns. This guide, An “Official” Spelljammer Guide to the Spheres, has a similar purpose. Spelljammer’s iconic center is the Rock of Bral, just as Sigil is the iconic heart of Planescape, Spelljammer’s setting cousin, but Sigil’s location is quite firmly placed at the center of the Plane of Concordant Opposition, metaphorically the heart of the entire Advanced Dungeons and Dragons multiverse. Moreover, the various inner and outer planes are all well mapped in relation to each other, and have been ever since the Advanced Dungeons and Dragons Player’s Handbook in 1978.
    [Show full text]
  • Knights of Tahkisis
    Knights of Tahkisis Foreword by the Retyper This document was copied out of the last pages of The Second Generation; a collection of stories relating to the years following Test of the Twins. This document is in no way attempting to cause trouble for TSR (or Wizards of the Coast when they purchase the company) and is not intended to be seen as an alternative to the actual book. The stories in the book are a must read for anyone incorporating Knights of Takhisis in their game and I thoroughly recommend reading it before doing so. Everything from the next page onwards is copyrighted by TSR, so there is to be no editing, copying or claims of authoring this stuff. I have published this document to make it far more convenient, allowing quick access to information needed for a game. I hope you enjoy it…. Knights of Takhisis Dark Warriors Many readers who love the novels of the DRAGONLANCE® saga go on to live the adventure by playing Ansalonian characters in the ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS® role-playing game. The following expansion of existing campaign rules provides players yet another option for their gaming. The Knights of Takhisis are a new nonplayer character (NPC) class in the DRAGONLANCE world of Ansalon. Nonexistent during the War of the Lance, these lawful evil knights were formed some twenty years after the downfall of Neraka, when the Queen of Darkness was banished back to the Abyss. The knights are an emerging and cohesive force of order and darkness in a world still reeling from years of war.
    [Show full text]
  • Dungeonsglragons COMPUTER PRODUCT Lleroes Oftlle LAJYCE
    Advit°iced Dungeonsglragons COMPUTER PRODUCT llEROES OFTllE LAJYCE A DRAGONLANCE™ Action Game STRATEGIC SIMULATIONS,INC. CONTENTS I. Background & History ............................................ 2 HEROES OF THE LANCE A. The DRAGONLANCE® Saga Program Creation : U.S.Gold Ltd B. ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS® Game Design & Co-ordination : Laurence H. Miller II. The Action Starts ..................................................... 3 Programming Team: Alan Bridgeman, Matt Ellis, Graham Lilley, A. Preparing for Play Teoman lrmak, Anthony Scott. B. Loading The Game C. IBM version differences D. Cassette/Disk version differences Product Manager: Jerry Howells Production Co-ordination : Bob Kenrick Ill. Playing The Game ................................................... 5 Based on the module: DL 1 Dragons of Despair A. Movement Original U.K.Manual : Laurence H. Miller B. Ranged Combat/Dodge Manual adapted by SSL Louis Saekow Design: LOUIS Hsu Saekow, David Boudreau, Pete Gascoyne C. Close Combat Box Art: Jeff Easley D. Screen Displays E. Menus and Sub-Menus Original Graphic for Title Screen : Clyde Caldwell F. Winning the Game Game developed by : U.S. Gold Ltd . & Strategic Simulations, Inc. G. IBM Keyboard Commands U.S.Gold Test & Development Team : Paul Sutton, H. A Note to ST Hard Disk users Charles Cecil & Mike Dixon IV. Characters ............................................................. 13 SSI Testing & Development Team: Chuck Kroegel, Dick Vohlers, Tanis Half-Elven Cyrus Harris, Graeme Bayless, Zane Wolters, John Bruning, Caramon Majere Robert Daly & James Kucera Raistlin Majere Sturm Brightblade ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, AD&D, DRAGON LANCE and the Goldmoon TSR logo are trademarks owned by JSR, Inc., Lake Geneva, W.I., USA and Riverwind used under license from Strategic Simulations, Inc., Mountain View, C.A., USA Tasslehoff Burrfoot © 1988 Strategic Simulations, Inc.© 1988 TSR, Inc.
    [Show full text]
  • Dragon Magazine #120
    Magazine Issue #120 Vol. XI, No. 11 SPECIAL ATTRACTIONS April 1987 9 PLAYERS HANDBOOK II: Publisher The ENRAGED GLACIERS & GHOULS games first volume! Mike Cook Six bizarre articles by Alan Webster, Steven P. King, Rick Reid, Jonathan Edelstein, and Editor James MacDougall. Roger E. Moore 20 The 1987 ORIGINS AWARDS BALL0T: A special but quite serious chance to vote for the best! Just clip (or copy) and mail! Assistant editor Fiction editor Robin Jenkins Patrick L. Price OTHER FEATURES Editorial assistants 24 Scorpion Tales Arlan P. Walker Marilyn Favaro Barbara G. Young A few little facts that may scare characters to death. Eileen Lucas Georgia Moore 28 First Impressions are Deceiving David A. Bellis Art director The charlatan NPC a mountebank, a trickster, and a DMs best friend. Roger Raupp 33 Bazaar of the Bizarre Bill Birdsall Three rings of command for any brave enough to try them. Production Staff 36 The Ecology of the Gas Spore Ed Greenwood Kim Lindau Gloria Habriga It isnt a beholder, but it isnt cuddly, either. Subscriptions Advertising 38 Higher Aspirations Mark L. Palmer Pat Schulz Mary Parkinson More zero-level spells for aspiring druids. 42 Plane Speaking Jeff Grubb Creative editors Tuning in to the Outer Planes of existence. Ed Greenwood Jeff Grubb 46 Dragon Meat Robert Don Hughes Contributing artists What does one do with a dead dragon in the front yard? Linda Medley Timothy Truman 62 Operation: Zenith Merle M. Rasmussen David E. Martin Larry Elmore The undercover war on the High Frontier, for TOP SECRET® game fans. Jim Holloway Marvel Bullpen Brad Foster Bruce Simpson 64 Space-Age Espionage John Dunkelberg, Jr.
    [Show full text]
  • View Book Sample
    DANGEROUS GAMES: HOW TO PLAY (BOOK #1) BY MATT FORBECK ALSO BY MATT FORBECK Hard Times in Dragon City (Shotguns & Sorcery #1) Bad Times in Dragon City (Shotguns & Sorcery #2) End Times in Dragon City (Shotguns & Sorcery #3) Leverage: The Con Job Matt Forbeck’s Brave New World: Revolution Matt Forbeck’s Brave New World: Revelation Matt Forbeck’s Brave New World: Resolution Amortals Vegas Knights Carpathia Magic: The Gathering comics Guild Wars: Ghosts of Ascalon (with Jeff Grubb) Mutant Chronicles Star Wars vs. Star Trek Secret of the Spiritkeeper Prophecy of the Dragons The Dragons Revealed Blood Bowl Blood Bowl: Dead Ball Blood Bowl: Death Match Blood Bowl: Rumble in the Jungle Eberron: Marked for Death Eberron: The Road to Death Eberron: The Queen of Death Full Moon Enterprises Beloit, WI, USA www.forbeck.com Dangerous Games and all prominent fictional characters, locations, and organizations depicted herein are trademarks of Matt Forbeck. The appearance of other trademarks herein is not intended as a challenge to those trademarks. © 2013 by Matt Forbeck. All Rights Reserved. 12 for ’12 logo created by Jim Pinto. Dangerous Games logo created by Matt Forbeck. Cover design by Matt Forbeck. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Dedicated to my wife Ann and our kids Marty, Pat, Nick, Ken, and Helen. They’re always my favorite players. Thanks to Peter Adkison, Adrian Swartout, Owen Seyler, and the rest of the Gen Con staff for being such great sports and even better friends.
    [Show full text]
  • Dragon Rage Game Manual
    Dragon Rage Game Manual Read t his first English - V.0.011 Dragon Rage Game Manual Players of Britannia, a strategically deep, four‐player game depicting t he history of Great Britain from t he Roman invasion to t he Norman Conquest, play primarily for entertainment, but some schools use it to teach Dark Ages history. Ot her games are fort hcoming, among t hem an abstract boardgame from Mayfair Games. A former contributing editor to several role‐playing game magazines, and aut hor of over a hundred game magazine articles, he is now Mont hly Contributor to GameCareerGuide and Gamasutra. Designer Biography : These sites, owned by Game Developer Magazine, are t he Dr. Lew Pulsipher started playing premier Web sites for t hose boardgames more t han 50 years interested in video game creation. ago. He designed his own games, t hen discovered strategic He is a contributor to t he books "realistic" gaming wit h early Avalon Hobby Games: t he 100 Best and Hill wargames, and ultimately Family Games: t he 100 Best (Green earned a Ph.D. in military and Ronin), and to t he fort hcoming diplomatic history at Duke Tabletop Game Design (ETC Press). University. His first commercial He is finishing his "howto" book, Get title was published in 1980. He is it Done: Designing Games from designer of Britannia, Dragon Rage, Start to Finish. Valley of t he Four Winds, Swords and Wizardry, and Diplomacy Games "Dr. P’s" "day job" is teaching game & Variants. design and ot her video game creation topics in t he sout heastern After a 20 year hiatus from game US, where he has 17,000 classroom design to teach himself computing hours of experience, mostly and work as a programmer and teaching computing and especially chief of PC support at a major Army computer networking, in college medical center, Lew has come back and graduate school.
    [Show full text]
  • The Sunless Citadel
    The Sunless Citadel All things roll here: horrors of midnights, 2. Kobold Den. The characters’ foray into the citadel be- Campaigns of a lost year, gins with an incursion into the most accessible areas Dungeons disturbed, and groves of lights; of the fortress, where a tribe of kobolds has taken up Echoing on these shores, still clear, residence. The characters can avoid strife with the ko- bolds by agreeing to retrieve a lost pet for the kobold Dead ecstasies of questing knights— leader, and they might be able to persuade the kobolds Yet how the wind revives us here! to join their side. Arthur Rimbaud 3. Goblin Lair. The goblins that live deeper inside the — citadel consider themselves the owners of the place. They defend themselves aggressively against intru- his adventure concerns a once-proud sion, making it difficult to avoid combat with them. fortress that fell into the earth in an age 4. Hidden Grove. Eventually, the characters discover long past. Now known as the Sunless Cita- the lower level of the citadel and the Twilight Grove del, its echoing, broken halls house malign that lies within. There, they learn the truth about the creatures. Evil has taken root at the cita- enchanted fruit, and they must confront Belak the Out- del’s core, which is deep within a subter- cast and the Gulthias Tree. ranean garden of blighted foliage. Here a terrible tree and its dark shepherd plot in darkness. Running the Adventure The tree, called the Gulthias Tree, is shepherded by a twisted druid, Belak the Outcast.
    [Show full text]
  • James Lowder's Games to Gift 2010
    JAMES LOWDER’S GAMES TO GIFT 2019 TOP PICK: WINGSPAN PUBLISHER: STONEMAIER; DESIGNER: ELIZABETH HARGRAVE 1–5 PLAYERS; 10 AND UP; $55 (SUGGESTED RETAIL) Competitive birdwatching may not be the first topic that leaps to mind as a winning board game theme, but Elizabeth Hargrave has built a marvelous design around it with Wingspan. The game has players taking on the roles of rival bird enthusiasts who scheme to attract birds of different types to their wildlife preserves. Points are gathered in various ways, from placing birds in the proper habitats to collecting eggs. Resource management becomes important, too, as you try to balance your feed supply with the bird population. There’s a lot going on during play, but the rules are well written, with clear explanations for all card effects. Wingspan is a superior game that will entertain casual gamers and hardcore hobbyists, even while offering up educational content, which is quite a feat. Like many of this year’s picks, it also boasts solo rules for when you can’t get your regular game group together for a session. OTHER GREAT NEW GAMES: Role-Playing Games: DUNGEONS & DRAGONS ESSENTIALS KIT PUBLISHER: WIZARDS OF THE COAST; DESIGNERS: RICHARD BAKER, JEREMY CRAWFORD, CHRIS PERKINS, ET AL 2–6 PLAYERS; 12 AND UP; $24.99 Wizards of the Coast already had a perfectly serviceable starter set on the market for the latest edition of Dungeons & Dragons, but went back to the design table this year to create the superior Dungeons & Dragons Essentials Kit. This new introduction to the world’s most famous role-playing game features condensed rules, streamlined character creation, a fistful of dice, and a new adventure, but also rules for one-on-one play and access codes for content on D&D Beyond, the game’s online platform.
    [Show full text]