 | This article needs additional citations for verification .(February 2017) |
 | |
| Authors | Allen V. Pruehs and Ree Moorhead Pruehs |
|---|---|
| First published | 1980 |
Escape from Astigar's Lair is an adventure for fantasy role-playing games published by Judges Guild in 1980.
Escape from Astigar's Lair is a scenario in which two pre-generated characters are provided, and the characters must escape the stronghold of an evil wizard within one hour; players in a tournament were to be judged on how well they role-played their characters. [1]
Escape from Astigar's Lair is an adventure intended to be used in a tournament, but can also be played outside of a tournament setting. The two player characters provided are a druid and a ranger, and are fully detailed in the back of the book. The characters have followed the bard Egad into his lair, and have sixty minutes to escape from his halls or he will destroy them. The Dungeon Master is instructed to award or subtract points to the players based on successfully performed feats or mistakes made. [2]
This adventure is a dungeon that was intended to be run real-time allowing only one hour for the players to have the characters complete the quest, with a simplified system for initiative. [3]
Escape from Astigar's Lair was used as the official Advanced Dungeons & Dragons tournament dungeon at Michicon VIII. [1]
Escape from Astigar's Lair was written by Allen V. Pruehs and Ree Moorhead Pruehs, and was published by Judges Guild in 1985 as a 16-page book. [1]
Elisabeth Barrington reviewed the adventure in The Space Gamer No. 30. [2] She opined, "I wish all the modules JG published were as well-written and as fun to play as is Escape From Astigar's Lair. Play moved quickly enough that the characters do not have time to sit and wonder how to resolve something, they must get in there and do it. In this respect, play simulates real happenings in such a situation. How much time would you want to take to figure out how to get rid of a water weird if you had used up half of your sixty minutes to get to that messy situation in the first place? It is suggested that the DM use a timing system, for it is with this that the module was designed to work." [2] She continued, "Aside from the arbitrary lessenings of the powers of some spells to almost useless, and allowing only a few options in given situations, there is not much wrong with the supplement. There are typos, as in almost any book of this kind, but they can be borne in the face of such good work." [2] Barrington concluded her review by describing the adventure as "Well worth the small price. The design can be built upon for future uses, or changed in small ways for the individual needs of the players. If you like the AD&D system, this is a good way in which to use it." [2]
Escape from Astigar's Lair was reviewed in Dragon #44 (December 1980) by William Fawcett. He stated "It is one of the least expensive items offered by the Guild, and in some ways one of the best. Since it was originally set up as a tournament, rather extensive modification will be required to adapt this set to fit your campaign." [3] Commenting on the simplified initiative system to help meet the time limit, Fawcett said "You may have difficulty using a more cumbersome system and still completing the quest in the time allowed." [3] He commented that "One factor that slowed down play when this dungeon was tested was that the points gained or lost for any action are listed separately at the end of the booklet. This leads to a lot of page-turning by the judge. The alternative is to tear apart the booklet and spread everything out. You will find that this is necessary anyhow, to give the player or players the detailed descriptions of the two main characters. These are long descriptions, and their contents are vital to playing the scenario correctly." [3] Fawcett concluded his review by saying "The writing itself (about 10 pages) is clear and descriptive. The dungeon offers a few interesting traps and puzzles. It is definitely designed as a thinking player’s dungeon. The two main characters are a Druid and a Ranger. If you enjoy playing either, this dungeon is designed specifically for their powers and abilities. Play is best limited to a DM and two players." [3]
Expedition to the Barrier Peaks is a 1980 adventure module for the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game written by Gary Gygax. While Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) is typically a fantasy game, the adventure includes elements of science fiction, and thus belongs to the science fantasy genre. It takes place on a downed spaceship; the ship's crew has died of an unspecified disease, but functioning robots and strange creatures still inhabit the ship. The player characters fight monsters and robots, and gather the futuristic weapons and colored access cards that are necessary for advancing the story.
Tomb of Horrors is an adventure module written by Gary Gygax for the Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) role-playing game. It was originally written for and used at the 1975 Origins 1 convention. Gygax designed the adventure both to challenge the skill of expert players in his own campaign and to test players who boasted of having mighty player characters able to best any challenge. The module, coded S1, was the first in the S-series, or special series of modules. Several versions of the adventure have been published, the first in 1978, and the most recent, for the fifth edition of D&D, in 2017 as one of the included adventures in Tales from the Yawning Portal. The module also served as the basis for a novel published in 2002.
The Secret of Bone Hill is an adventure module written by Lenard Lakofka for the first edition of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons and published by TSR in 1981. It is designed for novice and intermediate players with characters of levels 2-4. The module received mixed reviews from critics.
In Search of the Unknown is a module for the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game, designed for use with the Basic Set of rules. It was written by game designer Mike Carr and was first published in 1978 by TSR, Inc. The module details a hidden complex known as the Caverns of Quasqueton. Reviewers considered it a good quality introduction to the game that was written in the so-called dungeon crawl style, where the primary goal of the players is the exploration of a dangerous labyrinth to battle monsters and obtain treasure.
Scourge of the Slave Lords (A1–4) is an adventure module for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, published by TSR, Inc. in 1986. It combines the contents of four earlier modules, all set in the World of Greyhawk campaign setting and intended for use with Advanced Dungeons & Dragons first edition rules.
The Gem and the Staff, by John and Laurie Van De Graaf, is an adventure module for the Dungeons & DragonsExpert Set. Rather than being a typical group adventure, The Gem and the Staff was designed for head-to-head tournament-style play, with players separately playing the same adventure and competing against each other for points earned by accomplishing certain goals. The adventure is only playable with one dungeon master (DM) and one player.
The Hidden Shrine of Tamoachan is an adventure module for the Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) fantasy role-playing game, set in the World of Greyhawk campaign setting for use with the 1st edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons rules. It is the first in the C-series of modules, a set of unrelated adventures originally designed for competitive play, with the C representing the first letter in the word competition. It is the first D&D adventure to use boxed, "read aloud" text.
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.
The DL series is a series of adventures and some supplementary material for the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons role playing game. These modules along with the Dragonlance Chronicles trilogy of novels, which follow one possible adventure series through the modules, were the first published items that established the Dragonlance fictional universe. The original DL series was released from 1984 to 1986, with the final two modules added to it in 1988. In the 1990s these roleplaying adventures from the original series were collected and revised for 2nd Edition AD&D as the three DLC Dragonlance Classics modules. There were also versions of the module series released in 1999, 2000 and 2006.
Dragons of Hope is an adventure in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. It is the third module of the 14 Dragonlance adventures published by TSR, Inc., between 1984 and 1986. The module is intended for level 6-8 player characters.
Night's Dark Terror is an adventure module for the Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) fantasy role-playing game written by British game designers Jim Bambra, Graeme Morris, and Phil Gallagher. It was designed specifically for campaigns transitioning from the D&D Basic Set to the D&D Expert Set. The player characters (PCs) journey from a farmstead into uncharted wilderness, where they encounter new hazards and contend with a secret society. The adventure received a positive review from White Dwarf magazine.
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 recover a stolen object from a hidden oriental-style city ruled by a snake-worshipping cult of yuan-ti and their mongrelmen and tasloi servants.
The Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set is a set of rulebooks for the Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) fantasy role-playing game. First published in 1977, it saw a handful of revisions and reprintings. The first edition was written by J. Eric Holmes based on Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson's original work. Later editions were edited by Tom Moldvay, Frank Mentzer, Troy Denning, and Doug Stewart.
Adventures in Blackmoor is a 64-page Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game adventure, designed to be compatible with the Dungeons & Dragons Expert Set.
Lankhmar – City of Adventure is an accessory for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, first published by TSR in 1985.
Inferno is an adventure for fantasy role-playing games published by Judges Guild in 1980.
Portals of Torsh is a supplement for fantasy role-playing games published by Judges Guild in 1980.
The Treasure Vaults of Lindoran is an adventure for fantasy role-playing games published by Judges Guild in 1980.
Trial by Fire is an adventure for fantasy role-playing games published by Judges Guild in 1981.
Modron is an adventure for fantasy role-playing games published by Judges Guild in 1978.