Ruins of Adventure

Last updated
Ruins of Adventure
TSR 9238 - FRC1 - Ruins of Adventure.jpg
The title page of Ruins of Adventure
Author Mike Breault [1]
David Cook [1]
Jim Ward [1]
Steve Winter [1]
Illustrator James Holloway [1]
Cover artist Clyde Caldwell [1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Subject Roleplaying
Genre Roleplaying
Publisher TSR [2] [3]
Publication date
August, [2] or September [3] 1988
Media typePrint (Paperback) [2] [3]
Pages96 [4]
ISBN 978-0-88038-588-6 [3]

Ruins of Adventure is a Dungeons & Dragons module that was based on the "Gold Box" role-playing video game Pool of Radiance , published in 1988 by Strategic Simulations, Inc. (SSI). Mike Breault stated that TSR chose him, Winter, Cook, and Ward to work on the design and writing for Pool of Radiance, indicating that the material was originally created for the game. [5] However, according to the editors of Dragon magazine, Pool of Radiance was based on Ruins of Adventure, and not vice versa. [6] The plot loosely tracks that of the computer game. [3]

Contents

Plot summary

Ruins of Adventure contains four short Forgotten Realms adventure scenarios which are connected and adapted from the Pool of Radiance computer game, and take place in the devastated town of Phlan. [7]

The adventurers are hired to remove evil forces from Phlan, presumably by killing them. They hear rumor of a Boss controlling them and seek him out. This Boss proves to be a worthy adversary, but in the end the adventurers defeat him. [8]

Locations

There are various locations in the fictional city of Phlan. Each of these locations comes with a map and detailed area description. These locations include:

Pre-generated characters

There are numerous pre-generated characters in this book. Monsters each have their own stats prepared and there are quite a few non-player characters.

Publication history

Ruins of Adventure was written by James Ward, David "Zeb" Cook, Steve Winter, and Mike Breault, with a cover by Clyde Caldwell, and was published by TSR in 1988 as a 96-page book. [7]

Reception

Related Research Articles

Forgotten Realms is a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) fantasy role-playing game. Commonly referred to by players and game designers alike as "The Realms", it was created by game designer Ed Greenwood around 1967 as a setting for his childhood stories. Several years later, Greenwood brought the setting to publication for the D&D game as a series of magazine articles, and the first Realms game products were released in 1987. Role-playing game products have been produced for the setting ever since, as have various licensed products including novels, role-playing video game adaptations, comic books, and the film Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves.

<i>Pool of Radiance</i> 1988 video game

Pool of Radiance is a role-playing video game developed and published by Strategic Simulations, Inc (SSI) in 1988. It was the first adaptation of TSR's Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (AD&D) fantasy role-playing game for home computers, becoming the first episode in a four-part series of D&D computer adventure games. The other games in the "Gold Box" series used the game engine pioneered in Pool of Radiance, as did later D&D titles such as the Neverwinter Nights online game. Pool of Radiance takes place in the Forgotten Realms fantasy setting, with the action centered in and around the port city of Phlan.

<i>Curse of the Azure Bonds</i> 1989 video game

Curse of the Azure Bonds is a role-playing video game developed and published by Strategic Simulations, Inc (SSI) in 1989. It is the second in a four-part series of Forgotten Realms Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Gold Box adventure computer games, continuing the events after the first part, Pool of Radiance.

<i>Top Secret</i> (role-playing game) Spy fiction tabletop role-playing game supplement

Top Secret is an espionage-themed tabletop role-playing game written by Merle M. Rasmussen and first published in 1980 by TSR, Inc.

Jeff Grubb is an author who writes novels, short stories, and comics and a computer and role-playing game designer in the fantasy genre. Grubb worked on the Dragonlance campaign setting under Tracy Hickman, and the Forgotten Realms setting with Ed Greenwood. His written works include The Finder's Stone Trilogy, the Spelljammer and Jakandor campaign settings, and contributions to Dragonlance and the computer game Guild Wars Nightfall (2006).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gold Box</span> Video game series and game engine

Gold Box is a series of role-playing video games produced by SSI from 1988 to 1992. The company acquired a license to produce games based on the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game from TSR, Inc. These games shared a common game engine that came to be known as the "Gold Box Engine" after the gold-colored boxes in which most games of the series were sold.

<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.

<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.

<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.

James M. Ward is an American game designer and fantasy author who worked for TSR, Inc. for more than 20 years.

<i>Castle Greyhawk</i> (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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Cook (game designer)</span> American game designer

David "Zeb" Cook is an American game designer, best known for his work at TSR, Inc., where he was employed for over fifteen years. Cook designed several games, wrote the Expert Set for Dungeons & Dragons, worked as lead designer of the second edition of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, and invented the Planescape setting for AD&D. He is a member of the Origins Hall of Fame.

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.

<i>Vecna Lives!</i>

Vecna Lives! is an adventure module for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game, set in the game's World of Greyhawk campaign setting.

Fantasy Forest is a series of ten gamebooks published by TSR, Inc. from 1983 to 1984. The books are works of children's literature; eight of them are set in the fantasy world of the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game created by TSR, Inc., and two are set in TSR's science fiction world of Star Frontiers. They have been compared to other gamebook series, such as Choose Your Own Adventure or Endless Quest.

Michael Breault is a game designer and editor, and an author of multiple products for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game from TSR.

Steve Winter is an American game designer who worked on numerous products for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, which was originally published by TSR and later Wizards of the Coast.

Pool of Radiance is a series of role-playing video games set in the Forgotten Realms campaign settings of Dungeons & Dragons; it was the first Dungeons & Dragons video game series to be based on the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons rules.

<i>Pools of Darkness</i> (novel) 1992 novel

Pools of Darkness is a novel based on the Pools of Darkness computer role-playing game. It was written by James Ward and Anne K. Brown, and published by TSR in February 1992. The novel is set in the Forgotten Realms setting based on the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. This book was the second in a trilogy, preceded by Pool of Radiance and followed by Pool of Twilight.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bruce Nesmith</span> American game designer

Bruce Nesmith is a game designer who has worked primarily on role-playing games. He was Creative Director at TSR, working on a variety of games including Dungeons & Dragons, and is a senior game designer at Bethesda Game Studios, where he has worked on AAA titles such as Fallout 3, Fallout 4 and Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, and was lead designer on Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Ruins of Adventure. TSR, Inc. 1988. p. 1. ISBN   978-0-88038-588-6.
  2. 1 2 3 Amazon.com, 2009, ISBN   978-0880385886
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Barnes & Noble, 2009, retrieved 20 October 2009
  4. Pen & Paper RPG Database, 1988, ISBN   088038588X
  5. Breault, Michael (2021-05-13). "Making Pool of Radiance". Oral History of Video Games. Retrieved 2023-08-08.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  6. "The Role of Computers". Dragon (159): 53. July 1990.
  7. 1 2 Schick, Lawrence (1991). Heroic Worlds: A History and Guide to Role-Playing Games. Prometheus Books. p. 113. ISBN   0-87975-653-5.
  8. Ruins of Adventure. TSR, Inc. 1988. p. 3. ISBN   978-0-88038-588-6.