Are megadungeons good?
Maybe. If you want to run one huge dungeon for a year or more for a whole campaign this would be good. There is a danger you will never finish it. Too repetitive foes can be boring. Ive been playing current dnd5 adventures fortnightly at about a volume a year or a bit more but 5th ed is a slow RPG for a combat crawl.
If you love waterdeep you might like the versions of dungeons under it but its not as coherant or usable as Temple of elemental evil which I played in much less than a year.
The modern design idea of having an insert of maps each page is lost on all of these so maybe that is for a future product. Maps in a separate book or pdf with a book would be good. Mad mage book was much better with the map pack. Some maps are designed to fit on a pages and I think it can hurt some dungeons. Stonehell handled this well and has been a good influence. Its designs are more like a bunch of one-page dungeons put together and its brevity is a strength to run or even read. Splitting maps between pages in a book seems to be a problem for some of these.
Finally, the Greg Gillespie books and his retroclones are lovely to look at and read and look good. Lots of old-school ideas I like. I think I followed him online for an hour before I changed my mind. I actively dislike his DM advice in the Dragonslayer book but like the general vibe of his take on old-school even If I disagree with what elements matter. But books are nice. I don't expect creatives whose work I like to be great people and find hero worship of past people to be unnecessary. It's a bonus if I like them, not be a given.
A lifetime of cultural work and bad clients probably fried my mind. Possibly why my current Chagrinspire was created to be an ultra edgy ridiculous 16km tall dungeon. Players spent 6 months around the outskirts and finally got inside by Lv5. I plan to keep going on this.
Gunderholfen looks basic but with the extra adventures set near it is an amazing setting and the weirdest here.
Modules that try to plan every party move and railroad tend to be bloated and I prefer the old 8page adventures in old Call of Cthulhu vs new books that reprint monster stat blocks in the same chapter 3 times and other waste. Masks of Nyarlenthotep could almost be here and I got half way before COVID killed the game after a few years campagn.
Some of these you could loot, have fun and not worry too much about lore. You could rush the endings on some if you had to finish fast. In my recent game players befriended lots of factions and can make 100 room descriptions obsolete from a player's perspective so I am doing something mean to turn a faction evil and a problem. I guess absolute enemies you know you don't have to not kill them but playing off factions has always been a feature.
Some have absurdly long treasure lists that should be handouts.
I think the lost city, fully expanded is one of the best
-original adventures reincarnated would rnk as good as anything here it the best of series
-various fan made online versions were created some in pencil in early 80s
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1w28gjDLHKBfInnLqjQKlMcmnbhsJ2nuT/view
https://www.pandius.com/B4_campaign_sourcebook.pdf
-story inspiring it
https://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks06/0601051h.html
the drug rules here made every game of mine better
- cheap addictive healing potions are awesome
https://pandius.com/cynidgaz.html
Or roll a bunch of d100s numbers and d12 and d20s on a list and grab some Dyson maps and use my tables and pdfs and just keep ahead of players with minimal prep. I use tales to drop in plots, villains, all kinds of flavour.
Can be a great way to sandbox or a prison.
What if players want to take treasure and go to sea to be pirates?
💖💖💖💖 love
or
💣💣💣💣bomb
Ratings For:
Art - illustration, how good, how it illustrates text
Maps - are they presented well? I prefer Dyson maps to colour computer game like ones
Layout - text as presented on page, readability, not wasting space with borders or logos
Story - is it a compelling story, how deep
Writing - verbose rates low concise yet flavourful is good
Information design - how easy is it to use the book and info in it
Salvage - how good is it to plunder from?
Overall Score - overall rating and how playable?
I am slightly mean so 2 is average
Sorry online sales platforms 4 is rare perfection not normal 2/4 is average
So don't contact me and complain but comments welcome
Everything else here will be compared with the first one for comparison
Temple of Elemental Evil ad&d (Book, PDF & Best PC game ever)
Art 💖💖💣💣
Maps 💖💖💣💣 - all in a separate book was good at time
Layout 💖💖💣💣
Story💖💖💖💣- plenty of villains and backstory
Writing 💖💖💣💣
Information design 💖💖💣💣
Salvage 💖💖💣💣 - classic village and pocket elemental levels have been copied
Overall Score 💖💖💖💣 - classic and playable
I ran this on a houseboat on mid 80s with other trapped teens on combined family holiday. Its a pretty enjoyable and pioneering dungeon I expect to be recreated soonish? I play the atari game yearly and its pretty good game prep. I feel I know it better than any other dungeon. The recent 2 vol editions was quite nice too but not best of these adaptions (the lost city was best, then Island of Dread and castle amber. I could run this again with pleasure. Its not too huge either and one of shorter ones here.
Undermountain 1 & 2 (box set I read in 80s, awaiting POD version)
Art 💖💖💣💣
Maps 💖💖💣💣 - poster maps - pretty unwieldy at table
Layout 💖💖💣💣
Story💖💖💣💣- requires a mad mage who wastes energy to do this
Writing 💖💣💣💣- wordy and overly detailed, overly complex elements
Information design 💖💖💣💣- adequate
Salvage 💖💖💖💣 - set pieces and rooms and ideas
Overall Score 💖💖💣💣 - classic and playable
https://rolesrules.blogspot.com/2011/09/orange-painted-corner-of-naturalism.html
This is an era where before I lost interest in dnd for 20 years.
I've not run it and I wouldn't. Just something I read for ideas but it has lots of those.
I hope they make maps usable in a POD version but part 2 is POD I think.
Dungeon of the Mad Mage d&d2014 (Book)
Art 💖💖💖💣- full colour modern schmaltz
Maps 💖💖💣💣 - extra map pack makes this +1 heart better and helps readability
Layout 💖💖💖💣- typical modern format
Story💖💖💣💣- requires a mad mage who wastes energy to do this
Writing 💖💣💣💣- some of the evil drow activity a bit tame, boring slog to read
Information design 💖💖💣💣- adequate
Salvage 💖💖💖💣 - levels as separate dungeons are better or skip some
Overall Score 💖💣💣💣 - needs work
I might steal a level from this one day. I've never seen a good play report and most ppl seem to just use individual levels. The light consensual drow bondage as a performance of evil is embarrassingly lame vs Gygaxian D series with drugs and porno furniture and demon orgies. Oddly one of the first 5th ed books I got just to read and it was a slog. Theros is why I got into 5th ed but that is another story. The map pack made reading bearable.
The World Biggest Dungeon (I held real thing 20ish years ago)
Art 💖💖💣💣- full colour modern schmaltz
Maps 💖💣💣💣 - videogame looking and basic
Layout 💖💖💣💣- repetitive boders, dense but some space for readability
Story💖💖💣💣- its a lock in with no trips to village
Writing 💖💣💣💣- wordy
Information design 💖💖💣💣- adequate and overall size makes hard
Salvage 💖💖💖💣 - may use bits - trap, disease and poison index is good
Overall Score 💖💣💣💣 - If I played one mega dungeon this wouldn't be a pick
http://www.james.neetersoft.com/wld/wld.htm - maps here
A new version in production now. Its a big effort. It has lots of words and an unappealing slog to read so i skimmed it and had a refreshing glance for this. It makes me want to go and just generate one at random from my own tables. I have heard people like it so good luck to them. It was a milestone.
Stone Hell (Softback POD book from LuLu)
Art 💖💣💣💣- not much but its fine
Maybe. If you want to run one huge dungeon for a year or more for a whole campaign this would be good. There is a danger you will never finish it. Too repetitive foes can be boring. Ive been playing current dnd5 adventures fortnightly at about a volume a year or a bit more but 5th ed is a slow RPG for a combat crawl.
If you love waterdeep you might like the versions of dungeons under it but its not as coherant or usable as Temple of elemental evil which I played in much less than a year.
The modern design idea of having an insert of maps each page is lost on all of these so maybe that is for a future product. Maps in a separate book or pdf with a book would be good. Mad mage book was much better with the map pack. Some maps are designed to fit on a pages and I think it can hurt some dungeons. Stonehell handled this well and has been a good influence. Its designs are more like a bunch of one-page dungeons put together and its brevity is a strength to run or even read. Splitting maps between pages in a book seems to be a problem for some of these.
Finally, the Greg Gillespie books and his retroclones are lovely to look at and read and look good. Lots of old-school ideas I like. I think I followed him online for an hour before I changed my mind. I actively dislike his DM advice in the Dragonslayer book but like the general vibe of his take on old-school even If I disagree with what elements matter. But books are nice. I don't expect creatives whose work I like to be great people and find hero worship of past people to be unnecessary. It's a bonus if I like them, not be a given.
A lifetime of cultural work and bad clients probably fried my mind. Possibly why my current Chagrinspire was created to be an ultra edgy ridiculous 16km tall dungeon. Players spent 6 months around the outskirts and finally got inside by Lv5. I plan to keep going on this.
Gunderholfen looks basic but with the extra adventures set near it is an amazing setting and the weirdest here.
Modules that try to plan every party move and railroad tend to be bloated and I prefer the old 8page adventures in old Call of Cthulhu vs new books that reprint monster stat blocks in the same chapter 3 times and other waste. Masks of Nyarlenthotep could almost be here and I got half way before COVID killed the game after a few years campagn.
Some of these you could loot, have fun and not worry too much about lore. You could rush the endings on some if you had to finish fast. In my recent game players befriended lots of factions and can make 100 room descriptions obsolete from a player's perspective so I am doing something mean to turn a faction evil and a problem. I guess absolute enemies you know you don't have to not kill them but playing off factions has always been a feature.
Some have absurdly long treasure lists that should be handouts.
I think the lost city, fully expanded is one of the best
-original adventures reincarnated would rnk as good as anything here it the best of series
-various fan made online versions were created some in pencil in early 80s
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1w28gjDLHKBfInnLqjQKlMcmnbhsJ2nuT/view
https://www.pandius.com/B4_campaign_sourcebook.pdf
-story inspiring it
https://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks06/0601051h.html
the drug rules here made every game of mine better
- cheap addictive healing potions are awesome
https://pandius.com/cynidgaz.html
Or roll a bunch of d100s numbers and d12 and d20s on a list and grab some Dyson maps and use my tables and pdfs and just keep ahead of players with minimal prep. I use tales to drop in plots, villains, all kinds of flavour.
Can be a great way to sandbox or a prison.
What if players want to take treasure and go to sea to be pirates?
💖💖💖💖 love
or
💣💣💣💣bomb
Ratings For:
Art - illustration, how good, how it illustrates text
Maps - are they presented well? I prefer Dyson maps to colour computer game like ones
Layout - text as presented on page, readability, not wasting space with borders or logos
Story - is it a compelling story, how deep
Writing - verbose rates low concise yet flavourful is good
Information design - how easy is it to use the book and info in it
Salvage - how good is it to plunder from?
Overall Score - overall rating and how playable?
I am slightly mean so 2 is average
Sorry online sales platforms 4 is rare perfection not normal 2/4 is average
So don't contact me and complain but comments welcome
Everything else here will be compared with the first one for comparison
Temple of Elemental Evil ad&d (Book, PDF & Best PC game ever)
Art 💖💖💣💣
Maps 💖💖💣💣 - all in a separate book was good at time
Layout 💖💖💣💣
Story💖💖💖💣- plenty of villains and backstory
Writing 💖💖💣💣
Information design 💖💖💣💣
Salvage 💖💖💣💣 - classic village and pocket elemental levels have been copied
Overall Score 💖💖💖💣 - classic and playable
I ran this on a houseboat on mid 80s with other trapped teens on combined family holiday. Its a pretty enjoyable and pioneering dungeon I expect to be recreated soonish? I play the atari game yearly and its pretty good game prep. I feel I know it better than any other dungeon. The recent 2 vol editions was quite nice too but not best of these adaptions (the lost city was best, then Island of Dread and castle amber. I could run this again with pleasure. Its not too huge either and one of shorter ones here.
Undermountain 1 & 2 (box set I read in 80s, awaiting POD version)
Art 💖💖💣💣
Maps 💖💖💣💣 - poster maps - pretty unwieldy at table
Layout 💖💖💣💣
Story💖💖💣💣- requires a mad mage who wastes energy to do this
Writing 💖💣💣💣- wordy and overly detailed, overly complex elements
Information design 💖💖💣💣- adequate
Salvage 💖💖💖💣 - set pieces and rooms and ideas
Overall Score 💖💖💣💣 - classic and playable
https://rolesrules.blogspot.com/2011/09/orange-painted-corner-of-naturalism.html
This is an era where before I lost interest in dnd for 20 years.
I've not run it and I wouldn't. Just something I read for ideas but it has lots of those.
I hope they make maps usable in a POD version but part 2 is POD I think.
Dungeon of the Mad Mage d&d2014 (Book)
Art 💖💖💖💣- full colour modern schmaltz
Maps 💖💖💣💣 - extra map pack makes this +1 heart better and helps readability
Layout 💖💖💖💣- typical modern format
Story💖💖💣💣- requires a mad mage who wastes energy to do this
Writing 💖💣💣💣- some of the evil drow activity a bit tame, boring slog to read
Information design 💖💖💣💣- adequate
Salvage 💖💖💖💣 - levels as separate dungeons are better or skip some
Overall Score 💖💣💣💣 - needs work
I might steal a level from this one day. I've never seen a good play report and most ppl seem to just use individual levels. The light consensual drow bondage as a performance of evil is embarrassingly lame vs Gygaxian D series with drugs and porno furniture and demon orgies. Oddly one of the first 5th ed books I got just to read and it was a slog. Theros is why I got into 5th ed but that is another story. The map pack made reading bearable.
The World Biggest Dungeon (I held real thing 20ish years ago)
Art 💖💖💣💣- full colour modern schmaltz
Maps 💖💣💣💣 - videogame looking and basic
Layout 💖💖💣💣- repetitive boders, dense but some space for readability
Story💖💖💣💣- its a lock in with no trips to village
Writing 💖💣💣💣- wordy
Information design 💖💖💣💣- adequate and overall size makes hard
Salvage 💖💖💖💣 - may use bits - trap, disease and poison index is good
Overall Score 💖💣💣💣 - If I played one mega dungeon this wouldn't be a pick
http://www.james.neetersoft.com/wld/wld.htm - maps here
A new version in production now. Its a big effort. It has lots of words and an unappealing slog to read so i skimmed it and had a refreshing glance for this. It makes me want to go and just generate one at random from my own tables. I have heard people like it so good luck to them. It was a milestone.
Stone Hell (Softback POD book from LuLu)
Art 💖💣💣💣- not much but its fine
Maps 💖💖💣💣 - clear and I like each level is in 4 parts with own theme
Layout 💖💖💖💣- minimal, simple, elegant, consistent
Story💖💖💣💣- it's a dungeon with history and lots of depth with brevity
Writing 💖💖💖💣- minimal to do the job, easy to do, good lore
Information design 💖💖💖💖- brief and easy to find everything, good expansions
Salvage 💖💖💖💣 - you could break it up or add more
Overall Score 💖💖💖💣 - If I had to run with little prep this would be the better choice
A popular and influential adventure. Probably the easiest to read and prep for and a smaller book. So many good design ideas its worth a look for setting out an adventure you could carry easily. Lots of good lore and a modular design. Lots of original ideas and monsters well detailed. No padded writing or fluff everything simple and easy to find. Does a four section dungeon layer in 4 pages with factions and own history building the the main bad guys. Im planning to get more expansions. The easiest to prep here.
Barrowmaze (Book)
Art 💖💖💖💣- as good as 80s TSR on a good day
Maps 💖💖💣💣 - clear and simple
Layout 💖💖💖💣- basic, clear and pleasant
Story💖💖💖💣- it's story affects everything you face
Writing 💖💖💖💣- good lore (some pop cliches and myth mashups but good)
Information design 💖💖💖💣- everything is easy to find
Salvage 💖💖💖💣 - you get lots of barrows and a barrow generator
Overall Score 💖💖💖💣 - If I had to run with little prep this would be the better choice
The first of a stunning series and quite readable. The art is a pleasure to look at. The 1980 d&d formula of a dungeon near Village Sandbox is great. Lots of great monsters and treasures here for years of play. A few barrows a session would be fine even if you never reached the megadungeon if you need under 6 room dungeons. Spawned 3 sequels, a RPG and a monster book. Slight risk of undead fatigue.
The Forbidden Caverns of Archaia (Book)
Art 💖💖💖💣- as good as 80s TSR on a good day
Maps 💖💖💣💣 - clear and simple
Layout 💖💖💖💣- basic, clear and pleasant
Story💖💖💖💣- it's a good menace any why all the monsters in one place
Writing 💖💖💖💣- good lore and fits in with barrowmaze setting
Information design 💖💖💖💣- everything is easy to find
Salvage 💖💖💖💣 - you get lots of dungeons you can slap anywhere fast
Overall Score 💖💖💖💖 - good variety of enemies vs barrowmaze undead
One of my favourites as I like the badguys and the hierarchy of bad guys (or pecking order). You could vary your start level a bit more and not just undead. Substantial dungeons and interesting wilderness canyons. Probably my fave of series. Lots of classic monster humanoids with own dungeons and hierarchy.
Highfell (Book)
Art 💖💖💖💣- as good as 80s TSR on a good day
Maps 💖💖💣💣 - clear and simple, towers
Layout 💖💖💖💣- basic, clear and pleasant
Story💖💖💖💣- has a good central menace but might not work all settings
Writing 💖💖💖💣- good lore and fits in with barrowmaze setting
Information design 💖💖💖💣- everything is easy to find
Salvage 💖💖💖💣 - you get lots of towers, has great book and spell component loot
Overall Score 💖💖💖💣 - fun with interesting varied wizard towers
I like this but a flying magic school dropped from near orbit on a city (like avengers2) is a bit too odd for some tastes I've heard. Im fine with that. The towers are a bit short to me and mostly 2-4 levels. Renasciance Bologna had 97m tall towers and my go to for wizards and city defences. You could add some weird towers of Dyson or Glen Seal Midderlands that could fit in. The treasure is wonderful with a wizard hats. The towers could be put anywhere and the wizard school dungeons could be slapped under any good city ruins.
Dwarrow Deep (Book)
Art 💖💖💖💣- as good as 80s TSR on a good day
Maps 💖💣💣💣 - geomorphs are good - city map hexcrawl didn't thrill me
Fattest of the series and basically a Moria type dungeon. Id recommend the 80s MERP moria book and the modern Middle Earth RPG version. You might be able to use some. If you would love to pick over a dwarf dungeon a few years this is your dream book. I didn't like the city map as a hexcrawl but I can understand it. Given how big the book is a city detail spread might helpbut. Maybe stuck in a mountain choke point so adventurers speed run across it to get through mountains would be good. My take on this as the least of the series despite being fattest is pretty common. Its still good just bit less fascinating than previous volumes. Many say the 5th ed versions are clunky and don't work with rest system for a megadungeon resource horror game. Id still like to see some more detailed hexcrawl for the city or that maybe a huge pointcrawl.
Gunderholfen (Book)
Art 💖💖💣💣- amateurish old-school charm
Maps 💖💖💣💣 - clear and simple
Layout 💖💖💣💣- basic with lots of space, old man eyes friendly
Story💖💖💖💣- nice backstory, setting and city
Writing 💖💖💖💣- clear, weirder than most here + other adventures complete
Information design 💖💖💣💣- everything is easy to find
Salvage 💖💖💖💣 - the city encounter tables (can get as a pdf) are great
Overall Score 💖💖💖💣 - id run this and played some solo well
Not as pretty as other volumes and looks simple but its usable and more weird tales dungeon fantasy. I get Clark Ashton Smith vibes from some of the separate adventures. Its good value currently vs initial release and a fat dungeon. I really like the setting for it's deviations from D&D cliches rather than revelling in them. It is the most Clark Ashton Smith like of all covered here. Weird undead and amphibian variants. Grisly weird diseases and curses and horrible ancient stuff. There is a vast weird dimensional space inside and the writer deals with some awesome scales. Currently at a good price.
Arden Vul vol I-V (Book)
Art 💖💖💣💣- section full page ones good but sparse and some assets are repeated often
Maps 💖💖💣💣 - pdfs better - lots complain about vol v map book
Layout 💖💖💣💣- dense and simple, overwhelming at times
Story💖💖💖💖- amazing back story and historical detail of setting especially vol IV
Writing 💖💖💖💣- can be dense but enjoyable, more than I expected
Information design 💖💖💖💣- basic layout but I was impressed how organised and you can go between books well
Salvage 💖💖💖💣 - brilliant use of lore and setting history, everything has a backstory
Overall Score 💖💖💖💣 - I'm pretty intimidated and still reading
Amazing stuff. Great history and lore and easy-to-find information. Maps a bit awkward and reviled by some but I think pdf is currently $5. I got them in this order vol 1 then 4 then 2 and 3. Vol4 is campaign lore and magic items. This is a great example of using lore well and feels more 3d and has more verisimilitude than many big adventures. If I ran It I wouldn't try to complete it. The lore is great and it doesn't matter if you don't get it all. If you want one campaign for year this is the leader. I like to change games perhaps yearly. So throughout and interconnected but not as intimidating as it sounds due to the overall design even and easy access to information. Lots of amphibians which I like. Occasionally I feel like its the readings for a university course. The information between volumes was surprisingly good once I got the hang of the size. The map book/pdf is notoriously bad - possibly get pdf and print bits as you need them. In the review pages I've seen ppl wish this element was better. Layouts are minimal but functional.
-------------------------
Final Notes
Ease to run/read/prep: Stonehell
Longest to play + complete lore: Aden Vul
The most Classic: Temple of Elemental Evil
Pretty to look at books and wish you could play + interesting overall campaigns: Barrowmaze/Highfell/Caverns of Archaia/whatever is next by greg I probably will get
Most Gonzo: Gunderholfen but get expansions to make weirder
When a few books come in I will do a similar post on settings
Layout 💖💖💖💣- minimal, simple, elegant, consistent
Story💖💖💣💣- it's a dungeon with history and lots of depth with brevity
Writing 💖💖💖💣- minimal to do the job, easy to do, good lore
Information design 💖💖💖💖- brief and easy to find everything, good expansions
Salvage 💖💖💖💣 - you could break it up or add more
Overall Score 💖💖💖💣 - If I had to run with little prep this would be the better choice
A popular and influential adventure. Probably the easiest to read and prep for and a smaller book. So many good design ideas its worth a look for setting out an adventure you could carry easily. Lots of good lore and a modular design. Lots of original ideas and monsters well detailed. No padded writing or fluff everything simple and easy to find. Does a four section dungeon layer in 4 pages with factions and own history building the the main bad guys. Im planning to get more expansions. The easiest to prep here.
Barrowmaze (Book)
Art 💖💖💖💣- as good as 80s TSR on a good day
Maps 💖💖💣💣 - clear and simple
Layout 💖💖💖💣- basic, clear and pleasant
Story💖💖💖💣- it's story affects everything you face
Writing 💖💖💖💣- good lore (some pop cliches and myth mashups but good)
Information design 💖💖💖💣- everything is easy to find
Salvage 💖💖💖💣 - you get lots of barrows and a barrow generator
Overall Score 💖💖💖💣 - If I had to run with little prep this would be the better choice
The first of a stunning series and quite readable. The art is a pleasure to look at. The 1980 d&d formula of a dungeon near Village Sandbox is great. Lots of great monsters and treasures here for years of play. A few barrows a session would be fine even if you never reached the megadungeon if you need under 6 room dungeons. Spawned 3 sequels, a RPG and a monster book. Slight risk of undead fatigue.
The Forbidden Caverns of Archaia (Book)
Art 💖💖💖💣- as good as 80s TSR on a good day
Maps 💖💖💣💣 - clear and simple
Layout 💖💖💖💣- basic, clear and pleasant
Story💖💖💖💣- it's a good menace any why all the monsters in one place
Writing 💖💖💖💣- good lore and fits in with barrowmaze setting
Information design 💖💖💖💣- everything is easy to find
Salvage 💖💖💖💣 - you get lots of dungeons you can slap anywhere fast
Overall Score 💖💖💖💖 - good variety of enemies vs barrowmaze undead
One of my favourites as I like the badguys and the hierarchy of bad guys (or pecking order). You could vary your start level a bit more and not just undead. Substantial dungeons and interesting wilderness canyons. Probably my fave of series. Lots of classic monster humanoids with own dungeons and hierarchy.
Highfell (Book)
Art 💖💖💖💣- as good as 80s TSR on a good day
Maps 💖💖💣💣 - clear and simple, towers
Layout 💖💖💖💣- basic, clear and pleasant
Story💖💖💖💣- has a good central menace but might not work all settings
Writing 💖💖💖💣- good lore and fits in with barrowmaze setting
Information design 💖💖💖💣- everything is easy to find
Salvage 💖💖💖💣 - you get lots of towers, has great book and spell component loot
Overall Score 💖💖💖💣 - fun with interesting varied wizard towers
I like this but a flying magic school dropped from near orbit on a city (like avengers2) is a bit too odd for some tastes I've heard. Im fine with that. The towers are a bit short to me and mostly 2-4 levels. Renasciance Bologna had 97m tall towers and my go to for wizards and city defences. You could add some weird towers of Dyson or Glen Seal Midderlands that could fit in. The treasure is wonderful with a wizard hats. The towers could be put anywhere and the wizard school dungeons could be slapped under any good city ruins.
Dwarrow Deep (Book)
Art 💖💖💖💣- as good as 80s TSR on a good day
Maps 💖💣💣💣 - geomorphs are good - city map hexcrawl didn't thrill me
Layout 💖💖💖💣- basic, clear and pleasant - the biggest volume of the series
Story💖💖💖💣- if you love dwarves this might be a 4 star campaign
Writing 💖💖💣💣- same world as Barrowmaze, you better love dwarves
Information design 💖💖💖💣- everything is easy to find
Salvage 💖💖💖💣 - some big dungeons but geomorphs are a star.
Overall Score 💖💖💖💣 - its impressive, bigger but less usable than others
Story💖💖💖💣- if you love dwarves this might be a 4 star campaign
Writing 💖💖💣💣- same world as Barrowmaze, you better love dwarves
Information design 💖💖💖💣- everything is easy to find
Salvage 💖💖💖💣 - some big dungeons but geomorphs are a star.
Overall Score 💖💖💖💣 - its impressive, bigger but less usable than others
Fattest of the series and basically a Moria type dungeon. Id recommend the 80s MERP moria book and the modern Middle Earth RPG version. You might be able to use some. If you would love to pick over a dwarf dungeon a few years this is your dream book. I didn't like the city map as a hexcrawl but I can understand it. Given how big the book is a city detail spread might helpbut. Maybe stuck in a mountain choke point so adventurers speed run across it to get through mountains would be good. My take on this as the least of the series despite being fattest is pretty common. Its still good just bit less fascinating than previous volumes. Many say the 5th ed versions are clunky and don't work with rest system for a megadungeon resource horror game. Id still like to see some more detailed hexcrawl for the city or that maybe a huge pointcrawl.
Gunderholfen (Book)
Art 💖💖💣💣- amateurish old-school charm
Maps 💖💖💣💣 - clear and simple
Layout 💖💖💣💣- basic with lots of space, old man eyes friendly
Story💖💖💖💣- nice backstory, setting and city
Writing 💖💖💖💣- clear, weirder than most here + other adventures complete
Information design 💖💖💣💣- everything is easy to find
Salvage 💖💖💖💣 - the city encounter tables (can get as a pdf) are great
Overall Score 💖💖💖💣 - id run this and played some solo well
Not as pretty as other volumes and looks simple but its usable and more weird tales dungeon fantasy. I get Clark Ashton Smith vibes from some of the separate adventures. Its good value currently vs initial release and a fat dungeon. I really like the setting for it's deviations from D&D cliches rather than revelling in them. It is the most Clark Ashton Smith like of all covered here. Weird undead and amphibian variants. Grisly weird diseases and curses and horrible ancient stuff. There is a vast weird dimensional space inside and the writer deals with some awesome scales. Currently at a good price.
Arden Vul vol I-V (Book)
Art 💖💖💣💣- section full page ones good but sparse and some assets are repeated often
Maps 💖💖💣💣 - pdfs better - lots complain about vol v map book
Layout 💖💖💣💣- dense and simple, overwhelming at times
Story💖💖💖💖- amazing back story and historical detail of setting especially vol IV
Writing 💖💖💖💣- can be dense but enjoyable, more than I expected
Information design 💖💖💖💣- basic layout but I was impressed how organised and you can go between books well
Salvage 💖💖💖💣 - brilliant use of lore and setting history, everything has a backstory
Overall Score 💖💖💖💣 - I'm pretty intimidated and still reading
Amazing stuff. Great history and lore and easy-to-find information. Maps a bit awkward and reviled by some but I think pdf is currently $5. I got them in this order vol 1 then 4 then 2 and 3. Vol4 is campaign lore and magic items. This is a great example of using lore well and feels more 3d and has more verisimilitude than many big adventures. If I ran It I wouldn't try to complete it. The lore is great and it doesn't matter if you don't get it all. If you want one campaign for year this is the leader. I like to change games perhaps yearly. So throughout and interconnected but not as intimidating as it sounds due to the overall design even and easy access to information. Lots of amphibians which I like. Occasionally I feel like its the readings for a university course. The information between volumes was surprisingly good once I got the hang of the size. The map book/pdf is notoriously bad - possibly get pdf and print bits as you need them. In the review pages I've seen ppl wish this element was better. Layouts are minimal but functional.
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Final Notes
Ease to run/read/prep: Stonehell
Longest to play + complete lore: Aden Vul
The most Classic: Temple of Elemental Evil
Pretty to look at books and wish you could play + interesting overall campaigns: Barrowmaze/Highfell/Caverns of Archaia/whatever is next by greg I probably will get
Most Gonzo: Gunderholfen but get expansions to make weirder
When a few books come in I will do a similar post on settings
