The Assassin's Knot

Last updated
The Assassin's Knot
L2ModuleCover.jpg
The cover of The Assassin's Knot, with art by Stephen D. Sulivan. The artwork depicts six characters in a tavern.
CodeL2
TSR product code9057
Rules requiredAdvanced Dungeons & Dragons 1st edition
Character levels2 - 5
Campaign settingGeneric or Greyhawk
Authors Lenard "Len" Lakofka
First published1983
Linked modules
L1 L2 L3

The Assassin's Knot is an adventure module written by Lenard Lakofka for the first edition of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons and published by TSR in 1983. It is designed for 6 to 10 novice and intermediate players with characters of levels 2-5.

Contents

The Assassin's Knot is a sequel to The Secret of Bone Hill , and is the second of three modules in the Lendore Isle series. [1] It was ranked the 29th greatest Dungeons & Dragons adventure of all time by Dungeon magazine. [2]

Plot summary

The Assassin's Knot is a sequel to The Secret of Bone Hill , picking up on themes from that module and shifts them to a new locale. [1] The player characters must solve the mystery of who committed the murder of the Baron of Restenford, with evidence pointing towards someone from the town of Garrotten. [3] The scenario details both the town and its castle. [3]

The Assassin's Knot module is different from most of its contemporaries in that it contained no dungeon or dungeon-like area. The longer the players take to find the murderer, the more unfortunate events occur in the village.

The village, Garrotten, is reputed to be the place to go to have someone killed. The entire village shuts down when the Baron of Restenford is found dead, mutilated beyond the possibility of magical restoration. Three small clues are all the player characters have to unravel the mystery.

Publication history

The Assassin's Knot was written by Len Lakofka and published by TSR in 1983 as a 32-page booklet with two outer folders. [3] It is a sequel to L1 The Secret of Bone Hill, and the second module in the Lendore Isle series. This series was originally planned to be five modules. The third module in the series, L3 Deep Dwarven Delve, was only available as a limited release as part of the Dungeons & Dragons Silver Anniversary Collector's Edition set released in 1999. In 2006, Lakofka announced on the Pen & Paper website that he would be releasing L4 and L5 through Dragonsfoot, introducing additional material and adventures set in the Lendore Isles. [4] A subsequent threaded discussion on the Dragonsfoot forum gives the title of L4 as "Devilspawn". [5]

The adventure "Priestly Secrets" in Dungeon #71 (Nov/Dec 1998) was set in Restenford and took into account events from this module in Garrotten. [1]

Reception

The Assassin's Knot was ranked the 29th greatest Dungeons & Dragons adventure of all time by Dungeon magazine in 2004. [2] In his description of The Assassin's Knot in Heroic Worlds, Lawrence Schick makes light of the module by noting the obviousness of the murderers being from a town named Garrotten: "A murderer from a town called 'Garrotten'? Nah..." [3]

Doug Cowie reviewed the scenario for Imagine magazine. [6] He noted the high standard of production and the "well laid out, clear instructions" [6] for the gamemaster as well as good maps and plans. However, Cowie was dissatisfied with the proof reading and found a number of typos, some of which could interrupt the flow of play, according to him. He praised the fact that most of the interaction is all human/humanoid with "hardly a monster to be seen". [6] Cowie also liked the off-stage action that puts some time pressure on the players. He appreciated the excellent detail for the town of Garrotten and praised Len Lakofka for having successfully dealt with the special issues involved in a murder mystery adventure. Cowie ended his review by noting: "This is a good 'un. I like it." [6]

The Assassin's Knot received a fairly positive review by Dave Morris in issue No. 55 of White Dwarf magazine, who scored it 7 out of 10. Morris felt that the module was not in the same class as Temple of Death , lacking the sort of evocative background found in that adventure. He felt that it was "an entertaining murder mystery for AD&D characters", but added, "this module gives no feeling of being part of a real world with a real history... it is difficult to believe or be interested in the world of L2". [7] He did feel that younger players may enjoy the module for its puzzle aspect. [7]

Rick Swan reviewed the adventure in The Space Gamer No. 71. Swan felt that the characters on the cover of the module looked bored, and that players seeking to undertake this adventure had "better be ready to join them". Swan noted that the town in which the bulk of the adventure takes place and its occupants are well detailed, but that the non-player characters encountered were not interesting, and that the murder mystery of the plot is "a very pedestrian affair". Swan called the adventure "just plain dull" and advised passing on it. [8]

Related Research Articles

<i>Dungeonland</i> Dungeons & Dragons adventure module

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.

<i>Ravenloft</i> (module) 1983 adventure module for the Dungeons & Dragons game

Ravenloft is an adventure module for the Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) fantasy role-playing game. The American game publishing company TSR, Inc. released it as a standalone adventure booklet in 1983 for use with the first edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons game. It was written by Tracy and Laura Hickman, and includes art by Clyde Caldwell with maps by David Sutherland III. The plot of Ravenloft focuses on the villain Strahd von Zarovich, a vampire who pines for his lost love. Various story elements, including Strahd's motivation and the locations of magical weapons, are randomly determined by drawing cards. The player characters attempt to defeat Strahd and, if successful, the adventure ends.

<i>Day of AlAkbar</i> Dungeons & Dragons adventure module

Day of Al'Akbar is an Advanced Dungeons & Dragons adventure module written by Allen Hammack and published by TSR inc. in 1986. The module consists of a forty-page booklet with a large color map and an outer folder. It bears the Dungeons & Dragons code I9, I meaning intermediate and 9 for module 9 in that series.

<i>The Secret of Bone Hill</i> Dungeons & Dragons adventure module

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.

<i>Palace of the Silver Princess</i> Dungeons & Dragons adventure module

Palace of the Silver Princess is an adventure module for the Dungeons & DragonsBasic Set. It was recalled on the same day it was released, then rewritten and re-released some months later. The original version, with an orange cover, was written in 1980 by Jean Wells. When the orange version was recalled, the module was rewritten by Tom Moldvay and released with a green cover. Writing credit on the second version was given to both Moldvay and Wells, although there was very little of Wells' original content in Moldvay's version.

<i>Scourge of the Slave Lords</i> Dungeons & Dragons adventure module

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.

<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>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 Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh</i> Dungeons & Dragons adventure module

The Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh is a module for the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (AD&D) roleplaying game, written by Dave J. Browne with Don Turnbull. The module details a mysterious abandoned mansion at the edge of a town called Saltmarsh, and the secrets contained therein. The adventure is set in the World of Greyhawk campaign setting. The Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh received positive reviews from critics.

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>Deep Dwarven Delve</i> Dungeons & Dragons adventure module

L3 Deep Dwarven Delve is a fantasy adventure module or "module" for Advanced Dungeons & Dragons.

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>Dragons of Despair</i> 1984 book by Tracy Hickman

Dragons of Despair is the first in a series of 16 Dragonlance adventures published by TSR, Inc. (TSR) between 1984 and 1988. It is the start of the first major story arc in the Dragonlance series of Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) role-playing game modules, a series of ready-to-play adventures for use by Dungeon Masters in the game. This series provides a game version of the original Dragonlance storyline later told in the Dragonlance Chronicles trilogy of novels. This module corresponds to the events told in the first half of the novel Dragons of Autumn Twilight by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman. Its module code is DL1, which is used to designate it as the first part of the Dragonlance adventure series.

<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>The Veiled Society</i> Dungeons & Dragons adventure module

The Veiled Society is an adventure module for the Basic Rules of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game published in 1984. The adventure's product designation is TSR 9086.

<i>The Sentinel</i> (module) Dungeons & Dragons adventure module

The Sentinel is an adventure module for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, set in World of Greyhawk campaign setting.

<i>The Gauntlet</i> (module) Dungeons & Dragons adventure module

The Gauntlet is an adventure module for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, set in the World of Greyhawk campaign setting.

<i>Curse of Xanathon</i> Dungeons & Dragons adventure module

Curse of Xanathon is a Dungeons & Dragons adventure module designed by Douglas Niles for use with the D&D Expert Set. It was published by TSR, Inc. (TSR) in 1982 and is designed for 5–8 player characters of level 5–7.

<i>Temple of Death</i> Dungeons & Dragons adventure module

Temple of Death is a Dungeons & Dragons adventure module designed by David Cook for use with the D&D Expert Set. It was written by David Cook and published by TSR, Inc. in 1983. The module is intended for player characters of levels 6-10.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Rateliff, John D (2000-12-29). "Introduction to L2. The Assassin's Knot". Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on June 17, 2001. Retrieved 2007-03-06.
  2. 1 2 Mona, Erik; Jacobs, James; et al. (November 2004). "The 30 Greatest D&D Adventures of All Time". Dungeon . Paizo Publishing (116): 72. ISSN   0265-8712.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Schick, Lawrence (1991). Heroic Worlds. Prometheus Books. p. 103. ISBN   0-87975-652-7.
  4. ↑ Lakofka, Lenard. "Lendore Island modules" . Retrieved 2008-01-08.[ dead link ]
  5. ↑ "L4 Bonehill sequel" . Retrieved 2008-01-08.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Cowie, Doug (June 1984). "Game Reviews". Imagine (review). TSR Hobbies (UK), Ltd. (15): 18–19.
  7. 1 2 Morris, Dave (July 1984). "Open Box: Dungeon Modules". White Dwarf (review). Games Workshop (55): 18–19. ISSN   0265-8712.
  8. ↑ Swan, Rick (November–December 1984). "Capsule Reviews". The Space Gamer . Steve Jackson Games (71): 55–56.
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.