Trial by Fire (Judges Guild)

Last updated
Trial by Fire
Trial by Fire (Judges Guild).jpg
CodeCover
Authors Mike Wilson
First published1981

Trial by Fire is an adventure for fantasy role-playing games published by Judges Guild in 1981.

Contents

Plot summary

Trial by Fire is an introductory adventure intended for 1st-level player characters, a one-level dungeon located underneath a fortress. [1]

Trial by Fire is an Advanced Dungeons & Dragons introductory scenario in which the adventurers enter an underground land featuring dangerous monsters, with magic and treasure as rewards. Each room includes a description along with game rules related to each situation. [2]

Publication history

Trial by Fire was written by Mike Wilson, and was published by Judges Guild in 1981 as a 32-page book. [1]

TSR chose not to renew its Dungeons & Dragons license with Judges Guild when that license expired in September 1980. Judges Guild was able to keep their Advanced Dungeons & Dragons license for another year, allowing them to publish adventures like The Illhiedrin Book (1981), Zienteck (1981), Trial by Fire (1981), and Portals of Twilight (1981) before ending that line. [3] :201

Reception

J. David George reviewed the adventure in The Space Gamer No. 49. [2] He called the adventure "classic D&D". [2] George commented that "Perhaps the best part of this adventure is that the more obscure rules and monsters stats for each situation are found with the room descriptions, saving time for the DM. In a few cases where the necessary rules are too long for inclusion, the DM is referred to a page in the appropriate rulebook." [2] He continued: "There are a few omissions of rules and stats, but nothing a competent DM can't deal with. The biggest problem with the adventure is the adventure itself. Used as an introduction, it will give new players the impression that all AD&D consists of gilded holes, full of monsters waiting to be slain and lairs waiting to be looted. The background for the adventure is sketchy; the rationale is weak. Typical of bad D&D, big, predatory monsters live in rooms within a hundred feet of each other and more roam the halls in between." [2] George concluded his review by saying "Trial by Fire would be a fair adventure for the first-time DM, as it allows easy access to the more obscure rules. More experienced players and DMs are likely to be dissatisfied with the weak logic behind the scenario." [2]

Reviews

Related Research Articles

<i>Dungeons & Dragons</i> Fantasy role-playing game

Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy tabletop role-playing game (RPG) originally created and designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. The game was first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. (TSR). It has been published by Wizards of the Coast, now a subsidiary of Hasbro, since 1997. The game was derived from miniature wargames, with a variation of the 1971 game Chainmail serving as the initial rule system. D&D's publication is commonly recognized as the beginning of modern role-playing games and the role-playing game industry, and also deeply influenced video games, especially the role-playing video game genre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dave Arneson</span> American game designer (1947-2009)

David Lance Arneson was an American game designer best known for co-developing the first published role-playing game (RPG), Dungeons & Dragons, with Gary Gygax, in the early 1970s. Arneson's early work was fundamental to the role-playing game (RPG) genre, pioneering devices now considered to be archetypical, such as cooperative play to develop a storyline instead of individual competitive play to "win" and adventuring in dungeon, town, and wilderness settings as presented by a neutral judge who doubles as the voice and consciousness of all characters aside from the player characters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blackmoor (campaign setting)</span> Dungeons & Dragons fictional campaign setting

Blackmoor is a fantasy role-playing game campaign setting generally associated with the game Dungeons & Dragons. It originated in the early 1970s as the personal setting of Dave Arneson, the co-creator of Dungeons & Dragons, first as a setting for Arneson's miniature wargames, then as an early testing ground for what would become D&D.

<i>Expedition to the Barrier Peaks</i> Dungeons & Dragons module by Gary Gygax

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.

<i>The Keep on the Borderlands</i> Dungeons & Dragons adventure module

The Keep on the Borderlands is a Dungeons & Dragons adventure module by Gary Gygax, first printed in December 1979. In it, player characters are based at a keep and investigate a nearby series of caves that are filled with a variety of monsters. It was designed to be used with the Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set, and was included in the 1979–1982 editions of the Basic Set. It was designed for people new to Dungeons & Dragons.

<i>In Search of the Unknown</i> Dungeons & Dragons adventure module

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.

Several different editions of the Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) fantasy role-playing game have been produced since 1974. The current publisher of D&D, Wizards of the Coast, produces new materials only for the most current edition of the game. However, many D&D fans continue to play older versions of the game and some third-party companies continue to publish materials compatible with these older editions.

<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">Judges Guild</span> Role playing game publisher

Judges Guild is a game publisher that has been active since 1976. The company created and sold many role-playing game supplements, periodicals and related materials. During the late 1970s and early 1980s the company was one of the leading publishers of Dungeons & Dragons related materials. Its flagship product, City State of the Invincible Overlord, was the first published RPG supplement to feature a fully developed city environment. The supplement was followed closely by numerous ancillary cities, maps, and other materials published by Judges Guild.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dungeon Master</span> Game referee in Dungeons & Dragons

In the Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) role-playing game, the Dungeon Master (DM) is the game organizer and participant in charge of creating the details and challenges of a given adventure, while maintaining a realistic continuity of events. In effect, the Dungeon Master controls all aspects of the game, except for the actions of the player characters (PCs), and describes to the players what their characters experience. Regular Dungeons & Dragons groups consist of a dungeon master and several players.

<i>The Isle of Dread</i> Dungeons & Dragons adventure

The Isle of Dread is an adventure for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game. The adventure, module code X1, was originally published in 1981. Written by David "Zeb" Cook and Tom Moldvay, it is among the most widely circulated of all Dungeons & Dragons adventures due to its inclusion as part of the D&D Expert Set. In the adventure, the player characters search for a lost treasure, journey to the prehistoric Isle of Dread, and there meet new nonhuman races.

<i>Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set</i> Boxed set for tabletop role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons

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.

<i>Kings Festival</i>

King's Festival is an adventure module for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game.

<i>The Book of Lairs</i> Book by Jim Ward

The Book of Lairs is an accessory book for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, first published by TSR in 1986. It contains an assortment of monster-themed mini-adventures. A second volume was published in 1987. TSR coded the accessories REF3 and REF4 respectively, as part of a series of similarly-coded accessories. Both volumes were received well by critics, with the second being seen more positively than the first.

<i>High Fantasy</i> (role-playing game)

High Fantasy is a fantasy role-playing game system originally published by Fantasy Productions in 1978. A second edition in 1981 and several subsequent books were published by Reston Publishing that featured solo adventures using the High Fantasy system. The game received mixed reviews in game periodicals including White Dwarf, The Space Gamer, Different Worlds, Ares, and Dragon.

<i>Dark Tower</i> (module)

Dark Tower is an adventure module published by Judges Guild in 1980 for the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game.

<i>The Illhiedrin Book</i> Tabletop role-playing game supplement

The Illhiedrin Book is an adventure for fantasy role-playing games published by Judges Guild in 1981.

<i>Zienteck</i> Role-playing game adventure

Zienteck is an adventure for fantasy role-playing games published by Judges Guild in 1981.

<i>The Caverns of Thracia</i>

The Caverns of Thracia is an adventure for fantasy role-playing games published by Judges Guild in 1979. Written by Jennell Jaquays, it was compatible with Dungeons & Dragons. A revised edition—compatible with Dungeons & Dragons 3.5 edition—was published in 2004.

References

  1. 1 2 Schick, Lawrence (1991). Heroic Worlds: A History and Guide to Role-Playing Games. Prometheus Books. p. 115. ISBN   0-87975-653-5.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 George, J. David (March 1982). "Capsule Reviews". The Space Gamer . Steve Jackson Games (49): 30.
  3. Shannon Appelcline (2014). Designers & Dragons: The '70s. Evil Hat Productions. ISBN   978-1-61317-075-5.