Dungeonland

Last updated
Dungeonland
Dungeonland.jpg
The cover of the module.
CodeEX1
TSR product code9072
Rules requiredAdvanced Dungeons & Dragons 1st edition
Character levels9 - 12
Campaign settingGeneric / Greyhawk
Authors Gary Gygax
First published1983
Linked modules
EX1 EX2

Dungeonland (EX1) is a 1983 adventure module for the Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) roleplaying game, written by Gary Gygax for use with the First Edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (AD&D) rules. It is an adaptation of Lewis Carroll's 1865 novel Alice's Adventures in Wonderland , with the various characters from the book translated into AD&D terms. [1] [2] [3]

Contents

The EX module code stands for extension, as the adventure is designed to be inserted as an independent addition to another, ongoing scenario. [4] In Gygax's own campaign, an early version of Dungeonland was an extension of Castle Greyhawk. [3] In this module, the player characters (PCs) are plummeted into what White Dwarf reviewer Jim Bambra referred to as "a strange partial plane". [5]

Plot summary

The adventure begins with PCs falling down an earthen tunnel. It is suggested that the portal to Dungeonland be a barrel within the dungeon of Castle Greyhawk, but the Dungeon Master (DM) may work in any premise to get them to this stage.

Upon landing, the player characters (PCs) find themselves in a surreal, oddly-shaped hallway which contains The Pool of Tears and the entrance to a diminutive garden. Once they have explored these areas, they cross a fungi forest and arrive at The Wilds of Dungeonland, which is essentially a wooded area containing several connected clearings.

Over the course of the adventure, the PCs run into variations of Lewis Carroll's Wonderland creatures and characters, presented in a Dungeons and Dragons style. For instance, instead of the Mock Turtle, a Mock Dragon Turtle is present. The March Hare is a lycanthrope, and so on.

The story loosely follows the Alice in Wonderland novel, with all of the characters converted into hostile monsters with treasure. The PCs may leave Dungeonland when they choose, by returning to the Great Hall and wishing themselves back up the tunnel. The PCs may also explore The Land of the Magic Mirror, which adjoins Dungeonland to the West, if they are able to find the way.

Publication history

Dungeonland was inspired by Alice's Adventures in Wonderland , and "includes a very dangerous Mad Hatter and March Hare, a deadly game of croquet with the Queen, and a Mock (Dragon) Turtle". [2] Like its source material, the module is intended to be played in a "light-hearted and zany spirit", [6] though, unlike Carroll's Alice, the player characters repeatedly face potentially lethal combat with monsters. The Cheshire Cat, for example, is a magical smilodon eager to eat adventurers. [3]

Dungeonland was written by Gary Gygax, with illustrations by Tim Truman, and was published by TSR in 1983 as a 32-page booklet with an outer folder. [2] Dungeonland and The Land Beyond the Magic Mirror were designed to allow the DM to place them as an extension of any existing dungeon intended for 9th–12th level characters. [5] In the afterword, Gygax mentions that Dungeonland was an early part of the Greyhawk dungeon, and that his players visited it multiple times. Dr. Joyce Brothers is mentioned as having played in a version of the scenario run at a convention.[ citation needed ]

The module is paired with The Land Beyond the Magic Mirror , which is based on Carroll's Through the Looking-Glass . The scene on the cover of each module is from an event in the other module.

Reception

Doug Cowie reviewed Dungeonland favorably for Imagine magazine. [7] He noted that the module is designed to be inserted into any existing dungeon or dungeon level. Cowie praised the "excellent underlying theme" and the "whimsical", but on occasion "very black humour". [7] He also felt that this was a "good example of how module design is developing", namely "interesting and technically sound, whilst displaying more and more conceptual originality". [7] Cowie thought that the designer had done a "splendid job". [7]

The module was positively reviewed in issue No. 48 of White Dwarf magazine by Jim Bambra, who scored it 9 out of 10 overall. He reviewed the module along with The Land Beyond the Magic Mirror, and enjoyed the "rich vein of humour" that runs through the two modules, both of which "offer players an exciting and humorous time". [5] He felt that while the modules could be played individually, they work best when played together as they frequently interconnect, and player characters adventuring in one module could suddenly find themselves in the other. Bambra felt that although the modules were humorous in tone, some encounters could turn extremely dangerous, and that making them for high level characters makes them inaccessible for lower level characters. However, he concluded by saying that if players do have higher level characters available then "by all means play them, you won't regret it." [5]

In his 1991 book Heroic Worlds, Lawrence Schick said that the scenario was "inspired by Alice and Wonderland, but with the whimsy replaced by opportunities for slaughter". [2]

Reviews

Related Research Articles

Greyhawk, also known as the World of Greyhawk, is a fictional world designed as a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game. Although not the first campaign world developed for Dungeons & Dragons—Dave Arneson's Blackmoor campaign predated it by about a year—the world of Greyhawk closely identified with early development of the game beginning in 1972, and after being published it remained associated with Dungeons & Dragons publications until 2008. The world itself started as a simple dungeon under a castle designed by Gary Gygax for the amusement of his children and friends, but it was rapidly expanded to include not only a complex multi-layered dungeon environment, but also the nearby city of Greyhawk, and eventually an entire world. In addition to the campaign world, which was published in several editions over twenty years, Greyhawk was also used as the setting for many adventures published in support of the game, as well as for RPGA's massively shared Living Greyhawk campaign from 2000–2008.

<i>The Land Beyond the Magic Mirror</i> Dungeons & Dragons adventure module

The Land Beyond the Magic Mirror (EX2) is an adventure module, written for use with the first edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game. It is set in the World of Greyhawk campaign setting.

<i>Greyhawk Adventures</i> 1988 sourcebook by Jim Ward

Greyhawk Adventures is an accessory for the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (AD&D) World of Greyhawk campaign setting.

<i>Tomb of the Lizard King</i> Dungeons & Dragons adventure module

Tomb of the Lizard King is a Dungeons & Dragons' adventure module published in 1982 by TSR. In Tomb of the Lizard King, the player characters are employed by the Count of Eor to investigate a monstrous force that has been terrorizing caravans and peasants near the village of Waycombe. The adventure is appropriate for large groups of characters of level 5–7, or smaller groups with higher levels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mordenkainen</span> Fictional character in Dungeons & Dragons

Mordenkainen is a fictional wizard from the World of Greyhawk campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game. He was created by Gary Gygax as a player character, only months after the start of Gygax's Greyhawk campaign and is therefore one of the oldest characters continuously associated with Dungeons & Dragons.

<i>Against the Giants</i> Role-playing game adventure by Gary Gygax

Against the Giants is an adventure module written by Gary Gygax and published by TSR in 1981 for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. It combines the G series of modules previously published in 1978: Steading of the Hill Giant Chief, Glacial Rift of the Frost Giant Jarl, and Hall of the Fire Giant King. All three were produced for use with the 1st edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons rules. In 1999, to recognize the 25th anniversary of TSR, the company released an updated version, Against the Giants: The Liberation of Geoff. Later in 1999, Wizards of the Coast published a novelization of Against the Giants by Ru Emerson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Castle Greyhawk</span>

Castle Greyhawk is one of the central dungeon settings in the fictional World of Greyhawk campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game. The Castle was originally developed by Gary Gygax, for his own campaign and later detailed for publication. Castle Greyhawk is also the name of a 1988 Dungeons & Dragons adventure module that created a treatment of the Castle for the public to use. In 2005, Gygax announced the release of "Castle Zagyg," his new treatment of the dungeon.

<i>Beyond the Crystal Cave</i> Dungeons & Dragons adventure module

Beyond the Crystal Cave is a Dungeons & Dragons module set in the World of Greyhawk campaign setting. It is unusual among Dungeons & Dragons modules in that it encourages a non-violent approach to achieving the module's goals. It is set in an old English milieu on Sybarate Isle in the Hold of the Sea Princes.

<i>The Forgotten Temple of Tharizdun</i> Dungeons & Dragons adventure module

The Forgotten Temple of Tharizdun is an adventure module for the Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) role-playing game, for use in the World of Greyhawk campaign setting. The module was published by TSR, Inc. in 1982 for the first edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons rules.

<i>Isle of the Ape</i> Dungeons & Dragons adventure module

Isle of the Ape is an adventure module for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game World of Greyhawk campaign setting, in which the events occur in a magical demiplane of the same name created by the mad archmage Zagyg Yragerne.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iggwilv</span> Fictional wizard in Dungeons & Dragons

Iggwilv is a fictional wizard from the Greyhawk campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game. She was created by Gary Gygax.

<i>Against the Cult of the Reptile God</i> Dungeons & Dragons adventure module

Against the Cult of the Reptile God is an adventure module for the first edition of the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game, set in the game's World of Greyhawk campaign setting. It is designed for novice players and gamemasters. The suggested party size is 4-7 characters of level 1-3.

<i>The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth</i> Role-playing game adventure

The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth is an adventure module for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. It was written by Gary Gygax and published by TSR in 1982 for the first edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (AD&D) rules. The 64-page adventure bears the code "S4" and is set in the Greyhawk campaign setting. It is divided into two parts, a 32-page adventure, and a 32-page booklet of monsters and magic items. The plot involves the player characters investigating rumors of lost treasure. After traversing a wilderness and two levels of dungeons, the players face Drelnza, the vampiric daughter of long-deceased archmage Iggwilv.

Tritons are a fictional species in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game.

Lenard William "Len" Lakofka was an American writer of material for the fantasy role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons. Although never a formal employee of TSR, the company that published Dungeons & Dragons, Lakofka was an influential voice in the development of the game. He was one of the playtesters of the game as it was being developed, an editor of early manuscripts, wrote a widely-read monthly D&D magazine column and two official D&D adventures, and had his home campaign setting of the Lendore Isles incorporated into Gary Gygax's World of Greyhawk Fantasy Game Setting.

<i>Castle Greyhawk</i> (module) Dungeons & Dragons adventure module

Castle Greyhawk is a comedic adventure module for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game set in the World of Greyhawk campaign setting. The module bears the code WG7 and was published by TSR, Inc. in 1988 for the first edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons rules.

<i>Desert of Desolation</i> Dungeons & Dragons adventure module

Desert of Desolation is a compilation adventure module published by TSR for the Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) fantasy roleplaying game. It combines three previously published individual modules: Pharaoh, Oasis of the White Palm, and Lost Tomb of Martek. The modules were made for use with the first edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (AD&D) rules. Pharaoh was created by Tracy and Laura Hickman soon after the couple married in 1977, and published by TSR in 1982. Oasis of the White Palm was a collaboration between Tracy Hickman and Philip Meyers, and Hickman wrote the Lost Tomb of Martek on his own; both were printed in 1983.

<i>Danger at Dunwater</i> Dungeons & Dragons adventure module

Danger at Dunwater is an adventure module for the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (AD&D) fantasy roleplaying game, written by Dave J. Browne with Don Turnbull The module was first published by TSR, Inc. in 1982 and contains a 32-page adventure set in the World of Greyhawk campaign setting. It was designed for 6-10 characters of level 1-4.

<i>Dwellers of the Forbidden City</i> Dungeons & Dragons adventure module

Dwellers of the Forbidden City is an adventure module, or pre-packaged adventure booklet, ready for use by Dungeon Masters in the Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) fantasy role-playing game. The adventure was first used as a module for tournament play at the 1980 Origins Game Fair, and was later published by TSR in 1981 for use with the first edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons rules. The module was written by game designer David "Zeb" Cook, who partly ascribes his hiring by TSR to his work on this module. In the adventure, the characters are hired to find an object taken to a lost oriental-style city, which has been taken over by a cult of snake-worshipers, the yuan-ti, and their servants, the mongrelmen and tasloi.

References

  1. ↑ Livingstone, Ian (1982). Dicing with Dragons, An Introduction to Role-Playing Games (Revised ed.). Routledge. ISBN   0-7100-9466-3. (preview)
  2. 1 2 3 4 Schick, Lawrence (1991). Heroic Worlds: A History and Guide to Role-Playing Games. Buffalo, New York: Prometheus Books. p. 96. ISBN   0-87975-653-5.
  3. 1 2 3 "Wizards of the Coast - Dungeons & Dragons - EX1-2. Dungeonland and The Land Beyond the Magic Mirror". www.wizards.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on June 8, 2003. Retrieved 2008-09-05.
  4. ↑ Dungeonland, p. 2.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Bambra, Jim (December 1983). "Open Box: Dungeon Modules". White Dwarf (review). Games Workshop (48): 10. ISSN   0265-8712.
  6. ↑ Dungeonland, p. 27.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Cowie, Doug (August 1983). "Game Reviews". Imagine (review). TSR Hobbies (UK), Ltd. (5): 16–17.
  8. ↑ https://archive.org/details/fantasy-gamer-05/Fantasy%20Gamer%2006/page/n41/mode/2up
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.