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Basic #B1
In Search of the Unknown
This package (a cover folder with maps and descriptive booklet within) forms a complete module for use with BASIC DUNGEONS & DRAGONS. It is especially designed as an instructional aid for beginning Dungeon Masters and players, specifically created to enable new Dungeon Masters to initiate play with a minimum of preparation. With only minor modifications, this module is also eminently suitable for use with ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS as well.
32 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1979
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
July 4, 2015
A bare bones adventure
3 December 2011
I decided to add this module to my list because first of all I have read it, and I have played it. It was released before Keep on the Borderlands but in a way it never stood out in my mind in the same way the other module did. I guess it is because it required the dungeon master to do too much work to be able to run it.
In Search of the Unknown is an interesting module though the writers never attempted to repeat the concept in subsequent adventures. The idea was that the players come across a network of caves in which a warrior and a wizard once inhabited long ago. However they are long gone and the complex is now overrun with monsters. So, the players go into the caves, explore, loot, and kill, and then go home for tea.
When I mention the work required to run the module it is because in its original form, the rooms, while described, are not populated with monsters or treasure. That is left up to the dungeon master. The module does contain a list of monsters and treasures to populate the dungeon, but that is all. In the end this is simply a dungeon hack that could technically come out different every time, though I feel that most DMs will get more joy out of writing their own rather than using this one. However, I guess the idea was for beginning Dungeon Masters to learn their trade rather than the author's simply being lazy.
3 December 2011
I decided to add this module to my list because first of all I have read it, and I have played it. It was released before Keep on the Borderlands but in a way it never stood out in my mind in the same way the other module did. I guess it is because it required the dungeon master to do too much work to be able to run it.
In Search of the Unknown is an interesting module though the writers never attempted to repeat the concept in subsequent adventures. The idea was that the players come across a network of caves in which a warrior and a wizard once inhabited long ago. However they are long gone and the complex is now overrun with monsters. So, the players go into the caves, explore, loot, and kill, and then go home for tea.
When I mention the work required to run the module it is because in its original form, the rooms, while described, are not populated with monsters or treasure. That is left up to the dungeon master. The module does contain a list of monsters and treasures to populate the dungeon, but that is all. In the end this is simply a dungeon hack that could technically come out different every time, though I feel that most DMs will get more joy out of writing their own rather than using this one. However, I guess the idea was for beginning Dungeon Masters to learn their trade rather than the author's simply being lazy.
January 3, 2013
Is this module great? No. Can you make this module great? Yes. Is this module iconic? Absolutely; the room of pools and the party falling through the pit trap down into the pool below are two very recognizable TSR D&D-isms. This is the module that invented dungeon dressing, which is good when it gives the reader ideas on how to embellish the adventure (such as Zelligar's diary of past exploits which I would use to provide a plot showcasing a former adversary) and bad when it really serves no purpose (such as a statue with arm outstretched to a corner for absolutely no reason). This module also serves as a rules extension to the Holmes basic set particularly with respect to henchmen and hirelings. Lastly, it shows both descending and ascending armor class, and it showcases all races as thieves.
April 21, 2016
B1: In Search of the Unknown Review
Then how can Zelligar be unknown? Oh I get it, In Search of the. . . .
I like Mike Karr, he doesn't take himself seriously. You find this sort of wordy-cheekiness throughout. Observe as I choose the party from the list.
1) Elf Magic-User: Lappoy The Unexpected. Because no one ever expects the Elvish Inquisition!
2) Human Fighter: Norrin the Barbarian
3) Human Cleric: Kracky the Hooded One. Wonder of the village, no doubt.
4) Human Magic-User: Glom the Mighty.
5) Human Fighter: Mohag the Wanderer, of the Tenfoot Poles.
6) Dwarf Fighter: Krago of the Mountains.
And two NPC's:
7) Halfling Fighter: Lefto. As in Lefto for the monster-o's.
8) Human Theif: Feggener the Silent (Butt Deadly).
Glom and Mohag seal the fates of Feggener and Lefto with some drinkin' coinage. Then the Party of The Unknown The's, set out in Search of. . . .
RUMORS!
Spoiler alert. Cease and desist. DM's eyes only.
Lappoy knows nothing. How Unexpected.
Norrin the Barbarian believes the very walls call out to intruders. Kracky the Hooded One is concerned that troglodytes have moved in.
Glom the Mighty is rumor-less. Mohag of the Ten foot Poles has heard there is a secret exit and the treasures are hidden in a pool of water. Krago complains that no one ever returns, but Rogahn possessed a fist sized gem worth over one hundred-thousand gold pieces!
The party enters the Caverns of Quesqueton. They pass some defense alcoves and are accosted by twin Blaring Magic mouths: "Who dares intrude. . . the curse of Rogahn will be upon them!"
Trapped in the Port of Cullis, Mohag wonders what he can reach with his ten foot pole. Glom is no match for the rusty bars and leaves it to Norrin.
Lefto mocks the others since he can squeeze through, but he's dashed to the floor by some shadow creature. Turns out the shadow was Kracky the Hooded. The party forces the Cleric to heal the halfling but things were never the same.
The climax:
Let's Rollandplay the Pool Tasting Party:
Lappoy saw some treasure in a pool, but when he touched the surface the illusion disappeared. How unexpected.
Mohag discovered the dry pool was impervious to cracking. Lefto drank from the pool of wine and turned into a real party pooper, so Kracky tossed him into the pool of acid. Glom drank from the pool of sickness and got a case of the Mighty Trots. A silent but deadly green slime pool, ate Feggener the thief, proving the old adage:
What did we learn from Danny's First Dungeon Dive? By modern standards this dungeon is a cliche: Barbie's Dream Dungeon. "Here's where they ate and slept," and blech.
The DM is supposed to come up with the plot and key the monsters to the rooms from a list. What a slog. Skipping ensued. From what I read this never happened:
because mummies aren't on the monster list and are probably too much for first level players. Neither did this, not even on a wall hanging:
Obligatory obese Dragon per TSR Artist Union Bylaws, Erol Otus abstaining.
I guess it works as a repetitive, poorly edited, dungeon-junk primer: transporters, dud treasure, and a resurrecting cat in a jar of formaldehyde. In the end it amounts to a Role Aids sized case of dungeon heartburn, best avoided. Instead, I recommend, The Dungeon Alphabet.
Far more modules are read for pleasure than for play, so read it as a historical oddity. For a better experience try this free PDF download from Kestrel Arts. It retains virtually everything from B1 with modern features like: story seeds, handouts, and a populated dungeon.
Here's an in depth internet B1 Sourcebook for those with the interest or nostalgia.
Continue reading with B2: The Keep on the Borderlands.
Rating: One Dragon on a wall hanging. Excelsior!
Then how can Zelligar be unknown? Oh I get it, In Search of the. . . .
I like Mike Karr, he doesn't take himself seriously. You find this sort of wordy-cheekiness throughout. Observe as I choose the party from the list.
1) Elf Magic-User: Lappoy The Unexpected. Because no one ever expects the Elvish Inquisition!
2) Human Fighter: Norrin the Barbarian
3) Human Cleric: Kracky the Hooded One. Wonder of the village, no doubt.
4) Human Magic-User: Glom the Mighty.
5) Human Fighter: Mohag the Wanderer, of the Tenfoot Poles.
6) Dwarf Fighter: Krago of the Mountains.
And two NPC's:
7) Halfling Fighter: Lefto. As in Lefto for the monster-o's.
8) Human Theif: Feggener the Silent (Butt Deadly).
Glom and Mohag seal the fates of Feggener and Lefto with some drinkin' coinage. Then the Party of The Unknown The's, set out in Search of. . . .
RUMORS!
Spoiler alert. Cease and desist. DM's eyes only.
Lappoy knows nothing. How Unexpected.
Norrin the Barbarian believes the very walls call out to intruders. Kracky the Hooded One is concerned that troglodytes have moved in.
Glom the Mighty is rumor-less. Mohag of the Ten foot Poles has heard there is a secret exit and the treasures are hidden in a pool of water. Krago complains that no one ever returns, but Rogahn possessed a fist sized gem worth over one hundred-thousand gold pieces!
The party enters the Caverns of Quesqueton. They pass some defense alcoves and are accosted by twin Blaring Magic mouths: "Who dares intrude. . . the curse of Rogahn will be upon them!"
Trapped in the Port of Cullis, Mohag wonders what he can reach with his ten foot pole. Glom is no match for the rusty bars and leaves it to Norrin.
Lefto mocks the others since he can squeeze through, but he's dashed to the floor by some shadow creature. Turns out the shadow was Kracky the Hooded. The party forces the Cleric to heal the halfling but things were never the same.
The climax:
Let's Rollandplay the Pool Tasting Party:
Lappoy saw some treasure in a pool, but when he touched the surface the illusion disappeared. How unexpected.
Mohag discovered the dry pool was impervious to cracking. Lefto drank from the pool of wine and turned into a real party pooper, so Kracky tossed him into the pool of acid. Glom drank from the pool of sickness and got a case of the Mighty Trots. A silent but deadly green slime pool, ate Feggener the thief, proving the old adage:
What did we learn from Danny's First Dungeon Dive? By modern standards this dungeon is a cliche: Barbie's Dream Dungeon. "Here's where they ate and slept," and blech.
The DM is supposed to come up with the plot and key the monsters to the rooms from a list. What a slog. Skipping ensued. From what I read this never happened:
because mummies aren't on the monster list and are probably too much for first level players. Neither did this, not even on a wall hanging:
Obligatory obese Dragon per TSR Artist Union Bylaws, Erol Otus abstaining.
I guess it works as a repetitive, poorly edited, dungeon-junk primer: transporters, dud treasure, and a resurrecting cat in a jar of formaldehyde. In the end it amounts to a Role Aids sized case of dungeon heartburn, best avoided. Instead, I recommend, The Dungeon Alphabet.
Far more modules are read for pleasure than for play, so read it as a historical oddity. For a better experience try this free PDF download from Kestrel Arts. It retains virtually everything from B1 with modern features like: story seeds, handouts, and a populated dungeon.
Here's an in depth internet B1 Sourcebook for those with the interest or nostalgia.
Continue reading with B2: The Keep on the Borderlands.
Rating: One Dragon on a wall hanging. Excelsior!
June 5, 2024
B1 was one of the first modules I played in the 80s, purchasing it hot on the heels of getting the Moldvoy basic set (which included B2). I remember little other than the map, and that I didn't rate it as highly as Keep on the Borderlands.
Returning to it now I can perhaps appreciate it more. It's very different to all the modules available at the time, geared towards starting DMs by providing a fair few pages of advice, as well as pre-gen characters of levels 1 to 3 with randomised equipment, and a fair amount on hirelings.
The actual adventure has a standard background (also printed as a handout) and then pages of room descriptions which are fairly detailed and sensible for the era of module. There are a few traps, but nothing towards other adventures of the period. What's unique (other than the Roman numerals to label rooms) is that the rooms are generally unpopulated with monsters and treasure. Rather the DM is given advice on 'keying' the dungeon, how to do so with balance, and how not to saturate the encounter areas. It's surprisingly well done, and in a way it's a shame more starter modules didn't follow the example.
Overall a quirky and unique adventure for the time. I purchased the monochrome cover, rather than the latter brown cover reprint.
Returning to it now I can perhaps appreciate it more. It's very different to all the modules available at the time, geared towards starting DMs by providing a fair few pages of advice, as well as pre-gen characters of levels 1 to 3 with randomised equipment, and a fair amount on hirelings.
The actual adventure has a standard background (also printed as a handout) and then pages of room descriptions which are fairly detailed and sensible for the era of module. There are a few traps, but nothing towards other adventures of the period. What's unique (other than the Roman numerals to label rooms) is that the rooms are generally unpopulated with monsters and treasure. Rather the DM is given advice on 'keying' the dungeon, how to do so with balance, and how not to saturate the encounter areas. It's surprisingly well done, and in a way it's a shame more starter modules didn't follow the example.
Overall a quirky and unique adventure for the time. I purchased the monochrome cover, rather than the latter brown cover reprint.
December 20, 2023
This is where it all started for me. My brother DM'ing and me playing, not having any idea what I was doing but loving every minute of it.
Full review: http://www.dndchronologically.com/mod...
Full review: http://www.dndchronologically.com/mod...
October 26, 2021
Una aventura también de las primeras que se publicaron, pero que al contrario que The Keep on the Borderlands pretende ser aún más instruccional, proponiendo una mazmorra de tamaño medio-pequeño, y dando al árbitro los recursos para poblarla y aprender a diseñar una.
Contiene todos los elementos tradicionales en este tipo de aventuras, y aunque nada brilla particularmente, es sólida y cumple su función.
Contiene todos los elementos tradicionales en este tipo de aventuras, y aunque nada brilla particularmente, es sólida y cumple su función.
May 3, 2022
La primera aventura comercial oficial, o al menos una de las primeras, en la historia del rol. Pretende ser una tutoría sobre cómo construir aventuras, en aquella época en la que todo era absolutamente nuevo. Y lo consigue.
Sencilla y, en principio, menos desafiante de lo que cabe esperar, cumple su función y es más que suficiente. Y luego está el interés histórico claro.
Por supuesto, la versión que mis jugadores están explorando está MUY modificada.
Sencilla y, en principio, menos desafiante de lo que cabe esperar, cumple su función y es más que suficiente. Y luego está el interés histórico claro.
Por supuesto, la versión que mis jugadores están explorando está MUY modificada.
February 18, 2023
In Search of the Unknown. Old school gamers and D&D aficionados don't require an introduction to this set. One of the earliest and also most iconic pieces of module ever written. Especially designed to be included alongside the Holmes Basic D&D bundle, this adventure works as a newcomer guide to the world of DMing. However, how good is it actually? Does it truly showcase the inner workings on dungeon mastering, and how to properly run an adventure? This is something I want to find out, but I also find myself caught between two different worlds. One is of the modern day, the new resurgence of RPG bloat and 5E domination, and one of the old school days, back when everything was new, no one knew how to run a game, and RAW was quite raw. To this day, nobody can really tell you ''how to'' run an old school RPG, because the simple fact of the matter is: old school was all about you. But how can you be you when you don't have anything to work with, a base to start? Especially when you start to consider that TTRPGs were relatively new even in the 1979. Well, I guess B1 was there to tell you how.
For a little bit on context on me and my limited knowledge. I think I heard about D&D for the first time thanks to Baldur's Gate and the terrible movie, some ten years ago. My experience back then was limited to simple knowing its existence. It wasn’t until the pandemic that my curiosity got reignited and I started to look more into. Yes, my very first D&D game was 5E, the current edition that has changed so much, 2014 feels like a new game compared to 2022. Yet I loved it. The three main books have giving me great company and a many deal of adventures, yet, as with most things current, I quickly found myself thirsting for something less E-rated, and something more historic. Thus, I learned about the history of D&D, fell in love with the OSR, and found myself glossing over the glorious amateur art of the 70s, and dear god the 80s and 90s art, gosh! But that's for another time.
And now, here I am, reading my very first oldie module from the golden days. I'd like to take a chronological journey and read everything from the past to the modern days, yet, it would probably be not worth it, thus, I decided to go with the icons, the legendary pieces of work that, some say, still stand the test of time. So, here, In Search of the Unknown heeds my call.
Think of this as a mix between commentary, analysis, and review, all from the POV of a fetus. I mean, compared to those veteran nerds? I've been only around the 5% of the lifetime of this fantastical hobby.
The Gist
The main target of B1 was newcomers to the hobby, specifically new DMs, as such, this module is designed around being easy-to-run and also full of teachings about how to run. Well, I think it actually succeeds at the latter, but fails slightly at the former.
The module actually starts with a considerable introduction designed to educate the DM on the concepts and basics of DMing and how to run the module. The first section includes several notes of helpful general tips and also related directly to the adventure. Of note, it mentions that this module is an almost ''ready-made'' game situation. Key word here being ''almost'', since the module actually requires you to fill out some of the details, and prepare tons of rooms. According to Mike Carr, this was done on purpose to teach the DM how to properly design encounters, so that they may be able to do it on its own in future campaigns, however, I don't think it teaches as effectively, as it strays the DM into one of the pits of old school gaming: randomness. Too much fucking randomness. I know some people appreciate the quality of leaving things to fate, but it can get quite crazy when on one end you can deal with a pack of kobolds, and the next you're fighting an adult black dragon in a dungeon. Now, of course, B1 doesn't go into such extremes, but it also doesn’t really properly explain a way to fill the dungeons other than just roll for it and see what it gives you. It's as basic as it gets (that's why it is called Basic you unrevealing fuck) in every sense of the word.
Other than that, the rest of the introduction is pretty solid and teaches the necessary stuff that would be required for playing with Basic. Time management, experience calculation, wandering monsters and treasure. XP in particular can be a little bit troublesome. Let's remember this is old school D&D, so monsters don't have tagged XP totals, and instead they have XP according to how many hit die they have, and you don't really get XP from completing quests unless the DM wants so. The RAW also indicates that the way to get XP is by treasure looted. With gold is easy, each gp is 1 point of XP, but it can get complicated when you find gems, precious items, or magical shit. Well, you can do it the simple way, which is to divide everything between the players, including the physical items such as the gems: Have a party of 3 players and 9 gems? Just 9/3=3 gems for each player. Now just convert the gp equivalent of each valuable item and award it to the players. It's not super complicated, but it does need a little bit of more math than your usual 5E game. Guess you math nerds feel like gods now, huh.
The Background Story
Personally, I'm not a big fan of adventure modules that have ton of background and pretty much fall into a campaign setting ground. Luckily, B1 doesn't take up much space, and only uses a single page to tell the story of this module in a few paragraphs. Rogahn the Fearless Zelligar the Unknown, two powerful persons of great renown and mystery, banded together to create the Caverns of Quasqueton. Their incredible deeds and adventures granted them with amazing richness. Ultimately, they both left the caverns to venture into the lands of the barbarians, never to return. Now, the caverns await, lonely, full of riches. That's pretty much it. Pretty simple, right?
The Conclusion
Once we get all the basics going, we start with a legend table that gives the players a chance to know a little more about the background/lore of the caves they are about to explore. Legend/rumor tables would become quite the mainstay in the future modules to come, and, to this day, they are still quite useful tools when you want to give your players some knowledge without having to necessarily expose it yourself.
As for the actual juice of the module; it is pretty good! There's plenty of rooms and variety. No room is like the other and the author makes sure to give you plenty of stuff to find and to do. However, Carr does go overboard with some of the details. Rooms are described in excess. They are written in excruciating detail, ranging from little narrative marks scattered around the rooms, to even explanations of the kind of wood a chair or table is made of. It becomes a little bit tiresome and by the time you're done reading, you realize that you're going to have to either highlight a lot or write some notes to actually remember the essential stuff. On the other hand, it is pretty damn complete. There's everything here and anything you might need as a DM. From monsters, random encounters, types of treasure, kinds of rooms, traps, etc. You have a massive outline to fill, but you are given the tools to do so.
In Search of the Unknown can be quite daunting for a newcomer, and I think it fails at being easy to understand and simple to run. It requires a lot of work and prep and you must read this several times to get familiar with it before running it. Despite that, it does work really well at showcasing a D&D adventure at its core. Dangerous, filled with monsters, treasure to be found, and the mysterious lurking presence of the unknown always close.
The last pages in particular are just tools and resources that you can use to make your adventure better, from the essential monster list to how to use your pre-generated characters.
Overall, it's a decent and well done module, and while it goes a bit overboard with the details and content at times, this adventure can fill the mind of any new DM with absolutely fantastical ideas.
For a little bit on context on me and my limited knowledge. I think I heard about D&D for the first time thanks to Baldur's Gate and the terrible movie, some ten years ago. My experience back then was limited to simple knowing its existence. It wasn’t until the pandemic that my curiosity got reignited and I started to look more into. Yes, my very first D&D game was 5E, the current edition that has changed so much, 2014 feels like a new game compared to 2022. Yet I loved it. The three main books have giving me great company and a many deal of adventures, yet, as with most things current, I quickly found myself thirsting for something less E-rated, and something more historic. Thus, I learned about the history of D&D, fell in love with the OSR, and found myself glossing over the glorious amateur art of the 70s, and dear god the 80s and 90s art, gosh! But that's for another time.
And now, here I am, reading my very first oldie module from the golden days. I'd like to take a chronological journey and read everything from the past to the modern days, yet, it would probably be not worth it, thus, I decided to go with the icons, the legendary pieces of work that, some say, still stand the test of time. So, here, In Search of the Unknown heeds my call.
Think of this as a mix between commentary, analysis, and review, all from the POV of a fetus. I mean, compared to those veteran nerds? I've been only around the 5% of the lifetime of this fantastical hobby.
The Gist
The main target of B1 was newcomers to the hobby, specifically new DMs, as such, this module is designed around being easy-to-run and also full of teachings about how to run. Well, I think it actually succeeds at the latter, but fails slightly at the former.
The module actually starts with a considerable introduction designed to educate the DM on the concepts and basics of DMing and how to run the module. The first section includes several notes of helpful general tips and also related directly to the adventure. Of note, it mentions that this module is an almost ''ready-made'' game situation. Key word here being ''almost'', since the module actually requires you to fill out some of the details, and prepare tons of rooms. According to Mike Carr, this was done on purpose to teach the DM how to properly design encounters, so that they may be able to do it on its own in future campaigns, however, I don't think it teaches as effectively, as it strays the DM into one of the pits of old school gaming: randomness. Too much fucking randomness. I know some people appreciate the quality of leaving things to fate, but it can get quite crazy when on one end you can deal with a pack of kobolds, and the next you're fighting an adult black dragon in a dungeon. Now, of course, B1 doesn't go into such extremes, but it also doesn’t really properly explain a way to fill the dungeons other than just roll for it and see what it gives you. It's as basic as it gets (that's why it is called Basic you unrevealing fuck) in every sense of the word.
Other than that, the rest of the introduction is pretty solid and teaches the necessary stuff that would be required for playing with Basic. Time management, experience calculation, wandering monsters and treasure. XP in particular can be a little bit troublesome. Let's remember this is old school D&D, so monsters don't have tagged XP totals, and instead they have XP according to how many hit die they have, and you don't really get XP from completing quests unless the DM wants so. The RAW also indicates that the way to get XP is by treasure looted. With gold is easy, each gp is 1 point of XP, but it can get complicated when you find gems, precious items, or magical shit. Well, you can do it the simple way, which is to divide everything between the players, including the physical items such as the gems: Have a party of 3 players and 9 gems? Just 9/3=3 gems for each player. Now just convert the gp equivalent of each valuable item and award it to the players. It's not super complicated, but it does need a little bit of more math than your usual 5E game. Guess you math nerds feel like gods now, huh.
The Background Story
Personally, I'm not a big fan of adventure modules that have ton of background and pretty much fall into a campaign setting ground. Luckily, B1 doesn't take up much space, and only uses a single page to tell the story of this module in a few paragraphs. Rogahn the Fearless Zelligar the Unknown, two powerful persons of great renown and mystery, banded together to create the Caverns of Quasqueton. Their incredible deeds and adventures granted them with amazing richness. Ultimately, they both left the caverns to venture into the lands of the barbarians, never to return. Now, the caverns await, lonely, full of riches. That's pretty much it. Pretty simple, right?
The Conclusion
Once we get all the basics going, we start with a legend table that gives the players a chance to know a little more about the background/lore of the caves they are about to explore. Legend/rumor tables would become quite the mainstay in the future modules to come, and, to this day, they are still quite useful tools when you want to give your players some knowledge without having to necessarily expose it yourself.
As for the actual juice of the module; it is pretty good! There's plenty of rooms and variety. No room is like the other and the author makes sure to give you plenty of stuff to find and to do. However, Carr does go overboard with some of the details. Rooms are described in excess. They are written in excruciating detail, ranging from little narrative marks scattered around the rooms, to even explanations of the kind of wood a chair or table is made of. It becomes a little bit tiresome and by the time you're done reading, you realize that you're going to have to either highlight a lot or write some notes to actually remember the essential stuff. On the other hand, it is pretty damn complete. There's everything here and anything you might need as a DM. From monsters, random encounters, types of treasure, kinds of rooms, traps, etc. You have a massive outline to fill, but you are given the tools to do so.
In Search of the Unknown can be quite daunting for a newcomer, and I think it fails at being easy to understand and simple to run. It requires a lot of work and prep and you must read this several times to get familiar with it before running it. Despite that, it does work really well at showcasing a D&D adventure at its core. Dangerous, filled with monsters, treasure to be found, and the mysterious lurking presence of the unknown always close.
The last pages in particular are just tools and resources that you can use to make your adventure better, from the essential monster list to how to use your pre-generated characters.
Overall, it's a decent and well done module, and while it goes a bit overboard with the details and content at times, this adventure can fill the mind of any new DM with absolutely fantastical ideas.
December 2, 2022
Great introductory adventure that walks both players and GMs through the basics of the game! The process of placing monsters yourself instead of running pre-planned encounters is unorthodox, but allows you to build a dungeon and tell a story that's uniquely your own. There's also just enough lore, with the two evil adventurers and their forays into barbarian lands, to form the basis of an ongoing storyline. Highly recommended.
June 5, 2014
Pretty old school, but well done.
July 22, 2017
My first dungeon module back in high school. It is where I got my first character's name, Ralt Gaither, that I would use in many adventures and even World of Warcraft. Great beginner adventure.
April 29, 2021
I really enjoyed reading this basic D&D module. I am not planning on using it in a AD&D 2e VTT game with Fantasy Grounds.
March 8, 2023
Hard to top as a teaching model. Often bizarre and fantastical in ways that modern D&D would never attempt.
May 22, 2021
Even though I'm giving it 2 starts, I think it's a very good module to read for anyone who's into D&D as it shows how it all started (whitout having to go through any core books) and how far we've gone from then, since it was designed as and introduction to the game as well as an "adventure" (mainly a dungeon with a very small hook/backstory). I know it's been adapted to 5e by a few people (I've seen at least one version on DMsguild and a few adapted map browsing on Google), and I feel it could be a good addition to a longer campaign or a somewhat ok one-shot if you add enough fluff around it. The backstory to this stronghold is alright I guess, but I feel like the overall motivation for the party to explore it as it's suggested is very weak.
I come straight(-ish) from 5e and 5e modules, so I was surprised by the whole "keying the dungeon" thing. I'm happy this is not how it's done anymore as I pick up module to not have to do all that extra work of making things connect in a natural way, and using a module is already enough work as is. So even though I usually enjoy reading adventures like that and looking at how the map of a space work and everything, the lack of specific monsters for specific spaces gave this stronghold a very empty feel to it. I'm also happy we changed the whole % system into the d20+modifier and DC system, because it was messy and sometimes a little hard to understand.
The first floor is WAY more interesting than the cave part, which felt like they run out of idea and steam at that point, the nicer room concepts being connected to the first floor is some kind of way.
All that being said, I think it's still an interesting read and that you can definitely pick up some inspiration for your own game.
I come straight(-ish) from 5e and 5e modules, so I was surprised by the whole "keying the dungeon" thing. I'm happy this is not how it's done anymore as I pick up module to not have to do all that extra work of making things connect in a natural way, and using a module is already enough work as is. So even though I usually enjoy reading adventures like that and looking at how the map of a space work and everything, the lack of specific monsters for specific spaces gave this stronghold a very empty feel to it. I'm also happy we changed the whole % system into the d20+modifier and DC system, because it was messy and sometimes a little hard to understand.
The first floor is WAY more interesting than the cave part, which felt like they run out of idea and steam at that point, the nicer room concepts being connected to the first floor is some kind of way.
All that being said, I think it's still an interesting read and that you can definitely pick up some inspiration for your own game.
November 12, 2022
The first of the TSR produced adventure modules not written by Gygax, this was bundled with the basic D&D box from the fourth printing until 1980 when it was replaced by Keep on the Borderlands (B2). So for a short while, mainly in 1979, this was what you would get in the basic set. I think you could also buy it separately, but I'm not sure about that. Anyway, it was a common module around that time, and although it's made for Basic D&D, it has instructions to adapt it to AD&D, which is really not that different at the early levels that this adventure is made for.
It's clearly a beginner's module and as such it has a lot of instructions for new players and particularly for a new DM, on how to play the game, how to populate the dungeon and so on. In fact this is a bit of a hybrid sandbox module, seeing as it has a dungeon and keep to explore, but it asks the DM to populate the dungeon with monsters and treasure, leaving a little space in each room description for the DM to fill in the encounters and treasure to be found. Of course there are tables to help the DM do this.
As the story goes it's very barebones, a couple of adventurers, a warrior and a magic user, built a keep which has now been abandoned as they are presumed dead. The players hear about this and decide to explore. That's it. Curiously though, the disappeared adventurers are repeatedly described as evil, but they seem like a couple of ok guys, you find loads of like "Employee of the Week" artefacts in the dungeon and even a funny "suggestions on how to improve the keep" report by their right hand man... they just seem like they run a nice workplace... I dunno.
It's clearly a beginner's module and as such it has a lot of instructions for new players and particularly for a new DM, on how to play the game, how to populate the dungeon and so on. In fact this is a bit of a hybrid sandbox module, seeing as it has a dungeon and keep to explore, but it asks the DM to populate the dungeon with monsters and treasure, leaving a little space in each room description for the DM to fill in the encounters and treasure to be found. Of course there are tables to help the DM do this.
As the story goes it's very barebones, a couple of adventurers, a warrior and a magic user, built a keep which has now been abandoned as they are presumed dead. The players hear about this and decide to explore. That's it. Curiously though, the disappeared adventurers are repeatedly described as evil, but they seem like a couple of ok guys, you find loads of like "Employee of the Week" artefacts in the dungeon and even a funny "suggestions on how to improve the keep" report by their right hand man... they just seem like they run a nice workplace... I dunno.
September 13, 2025
I'm rating this on the higher side because it's the first module for basic and it's a teaching adventure. The monsters and treasures are left for the DM to choose. Many modules would be slightly less interesting without monsters and treasure, but there isn't a lot else here.
There's a room with pools. There are traps that are fairly weak. A long room description is devoted to disturbing sleeping bats that can't harm the PCs. I understand the point of this: it's teaching DMs that a loud distraction can summon wandering monsters, so a party needs to be aware of their environment. Also, combat in a distracted state is more difficult. But it's also more difficult for a wandering monster to fight in a room filled with bats. It's an interesting circumstance, but I don't want an entire column devoted to this.
The map is good. It's not symmetrical. I like the lack of boxed text. This gives the DM freedom to describe the room the way he/she envisions it. The lengthy room descriptions of mundane items are unnecessary. This adventure could have been about 20% shorter without losing anything important.
I never ran this, but I am planning to run it as a playtest for my new house rules. I think it will work well for that sort of thing. It's also a decent adventure for brand new players, which is who it was designed for.
There's a room with pools. There are traps that are fairly weak. A long room description is devoted to disturbing sleeping bats that can't harm the PCs. I understand the point of this: it's teaching DMs that a loud distraction can summon wandering monsters, so a party needs to be aware of their environment. Also, combat in a distracted state is more difficult. But it's also more difficult for a wandering monster to fight in a room filled with bats. It's an interesting circumstance, but I don't want an entire column devoted to this.
The map is good. It's not symmetrical. I like the lack of boxed text. This gives the DM freedom to describe the room the way he/she envisions it. The lengthy room descriptions of mundane items are unnecessary. This adventure could have been about 20% shorter without losing anything important.
I never ran this, but I am planning to run it as a playtest for my new house rules. I think it will work well for that sort of thing. It's also a decent adventure for brand new players, which is who it was designed for.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 5, 2023
For some reason, my childhood basic set came with no modules, either this or Keep On The Borderlands. It seems similar, but inferior, to the training dungeon in the text of the Basic Set.
July 16, 2025
One of the best intro adventures ever. Superb DM advice. A classic.
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