This is the first of a group of posts triggered by writing the DriveThruRPG Review of UK6.
So having written a "tenfootpole.org-style" review of UK6 All that Glitters... and pointed out some of it's shortcomings based on my own observations according to Bryce's reviewing principles, I think it's reasonable to make an attempt at what would improve the module as written to a "5-star" rating for me, that is if I believed a star rating or score out of 5 system was of value...
Let's look at where the module seemed to fall down in my review then:
- Lack of terse writing style beloved by the OSR community
- Large amounts of "read aloud" boxed texts
- Linear dungeons and areas without loops or multiple levels / "railroad" sections
- Various monster and opponent issues (see below)
- Lack of unique and weird items with history to interact with
As noted in the review, I believe the first two "meta" issues are related to the early writing of the author and the design sensibility of the early 1980 / UK TSR's style and on reflection they don't seem such a big deal and may present more of an opportunity than a challenge. The boxed text can largely be ignored or used as the basis of the DM's free description readily enough but the writing style negative relates particularly to the story in "Tikul's Saga" which the player's have no way of finding out in game and requires a more overall approach, scattering the clues throughout the module for the player's to deduce as they proceed as I've suggested in an earlier post.
So let's look at the other 3 issues (Maps, Monsters and Items) section by section...
UK6 essentially has 4 main maps - 2 wilderness maps (the Indicara Jungle & the Ash Mire) and 3 "dungeon" maps (the eastern Terabar complex, the western Windgate section of the passages, and the final encounter area at the Temple of Aumata-Perion). The Atem Shrine complex, Giant's lair and Hek'Islett camp all have small maps but let's concentrate on the main areas. The extended combined map implies a third wilderness section involving the treacherous passes through the seismically deformed Hadarna Mountains (the Hellfurnaces of Oerth) and I think developing this with evidence of surface structures above the Maintenance Stations would be interesting to realise.
Overall the major issue is that the adventure is structured as a "hidden" railroad, despite the inclusion of wilderness areas suggesting a "sandbox" play element, and even the "dungeon" sections are very linear except for the second zone of the Temple area, which if setup correctly and spiced with random encounters could provide a memorable running melee involving multiple factions through the circular corridors around the main shrine. Although the physical layout of the maps is an aspect that could be further improved, some of this interacts with the monster section - particularly the need for improvement (or existence) of random encounters designed with immediate actions in the descriptions.
1. The Indicara. This is perhaps the worst offender as discussed earlier - there is no significant description beyond the assumed path along the river to the magic mouth. This section needs some additional encounter areas preferably involving sub-factions of the Atem, evidence of prior expeditions, a revised random encounter table, fleshing out of the direct route through the dense jungle, detailing of the northern path around Mt Gegesti, and.some discussion of the ruins of Terabar and the volcano itself.
Overall the major issue is that the adventure is structured as a "hidden" railroad, despite the inclusion of wilderness areas suggesting a "sandbox" play element, and even the "dungeon" sections are very linear except for the second zone of the Temple area, which if setup correctly and spiced with random encounters could provide a memorable running melee involving multiple factions through the circular corridors around the main shrine. Although the physical layout of the maps is an aspect that could be further improved, some of this interacts with the monster section - particularly the need for improvement (or existence) of random encounters designed with immediate actions in the descriptions.
Suggested Fixes:
1. The Indicara. This is perhaps the worst offender as discussed earlier - there is no significant description beyond the assumed path along the river to the magic mouth. This section needs some additional encounter areas preferably involving sub-factions of the Atem, evidence of prior expeditions, a revised random encounter table, fleshing out of the direct route through the dense jungle, detailing of the northern path around Mt Gegesti, and.some discussion of the ruins of Terabar and the volcano itself.
Fortunately, there's a wealth of material from the 5E product Tomb of Annihilation that can be mined for ideas about jungle travel and survival...
2. The Wind Walkers Passages. I'm less troubled by this section, but for me, the western end contains untapped potential in the form of Maintenance Station I, accessible if the part walks eastwards from the Windgate Terminus as the pentangular wards only block travel further east *beyond* this westernmost station. Looking at the wilderness map, if the layout of the station is similar to it's eastern counterpart (Maintenance Station VIII), there should also be *another* exit from the depths opening out on the eastern cliff face above the Windgate exit to the Ash Mire (area A1) detailed in the module as written.
Given that the party has entered the tunnels from a similar station, it's possible they would consider exploring the corresponding area for another potential exit when faced with the unexpectedly bleak reality of the Ash Mire.
This opens up the possibility of a surface component to the section and an alternate service trail back to the jungle, created to assist communication with the maintenance crews stationed at intervals throughout the mountains.
3. The Ash Mire. Like the jungle before it, this wilderness section isn't a sandbox, but it's "railroading" is more event based (encounter with Aratek Fezatl, ambush attempt at the Hek'Islett camp, planning the expedition to the Temple). It still leads to a defined goal however.
So I'd add another rival Hek tribe settlement, perhaps also attracted to the Hek camp after the use of create water by a party cleric (use the Seitch of Morning map by Dyson Logos for their camp at the rock outcrop off to the southwest in the deep ash section). The dilapidated camp of the now decimated and beggarly Hek'Ilj tribe and one or both of the two ready to use Dyson Logos maps for other ruins include the Desert Temple of the Order of Iron and the Desert Tomb would also make interesting locations to add to this eastern are of the Sea of Dust.
Taking inspiration from Gygax's Sea of Death novel (published 1987), the party could encounter the tip of a ruined tower poking through the ash, like the spire accessed by Gord and Leda in the novel, it's jagged roofline near one of the other rocky fingers extending into the desert hinting at an entombed town beneath. This latter site would create another location to explore for artifacts, danger and links to the subterranean Suloise remnants and inheritor races (derro, jermlaine, skulks and su-dopplegangers from Roger E Moore's article "Legacies of the Suel Imperium" article in DRAGON magazine #241).
I think by placing a number of these additional locations (some inhabited by appropriate desert humanoids and other creatures, some seemingly abandoned), when combined with a refreshed random encounter table, could make this section worthy of a whole mini-campaign in itself!
Note: another of my favourite "old time" modules is X4 Master of the Desert Nomads, particularly the encounter with the Nagpa and it's Tabi "familiar". Although there's no direct Greyhawk equivalent of a nagpa, the small map of ruined complex in the desert with it's sinkhole and manscorpion guardian remains very evocative and it could perhaps be reworked as an ancient cursed cleric of Wee-Jas perhaps working with derro minions from below the surface...
4. The Temple (and Village) of Aumata-Perion. Of all the sections, this has the most existing complexity, particularly the second "Temple" zone (see discussion here of the map zones for this section). The only glaring omission is some more detail about the rock pillar known as the Yatish d'Ladet - I'd add a treacherous natural rock staircase access to its narrow 20 foot wide top 1000 feet above the Ash Mire, and an encounter location as a reward for persisting with the journey (perhaps while harried by airborne threats and risk of falling to a certain death). I'm thinking something linked to the Kepta religion - perhaps an abandoned summoning circle used at the time of the Rain of Colourless Fire or otherwise open air blood-soaked shrine to a Mayan sky god or an Aztec equivalent, based on the suggestion from this article linking clues in the module as written that the Kepta were Central American inspired and a possible Olman exclave on peaceful terms with the southeastern Suloise.
Continued in Part 2
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| The Less Explored Western End of the Tunnel Complex? (Maintenance Station I, excerpt from UK6 All that Glitters...) |
Given that the party has entered the tunnels from a similar station, it's possible they would consider exploring the corresponding area for another potential exit when faced with the unexpectedly bleak reality of the Ash Mire.
This opens up the possibility of a surface component to the section and an alternate service trail back to the jungle, created to assist communication with the maintenance crews stationed at intervals throughout the mountains.
3. The Ash Mire. Like the jungle before it, this wilderness section isn't a sandbox, but it's "railroading" is more event based (encounter with Aratek Fezatl, ambush attempt at the Hek'Islett camp, planning the expedition to the Temple). It still leads to a defined goal however.
So I'd add another rival Hek tribe settlement, perhaps also attracted to the Hek camp after the use of create water by a party cleric (use the Seitch of Morning map by Dyson Logos for their camp at the rock outcrop off to the southwest in the deep ash section). The dilapidated camp of the now decimated and beggarly Hek'Ilj tribe and one or both of the two ready to use Dyson Logos maps for other ruins include the Desert Temple of the Order of Iron and the Desert Tomb would also make interesting locations to add to this eastern are of the Sea of Dust.
 |
| The Sietch of Morning - a rival Hek tribe encampment? |
Taking inspiration from Gygax's Sea of Death novel (published 1987), the party could encounter the tip of a ruined tower poking through the ash, like the spire accessed by Gord and Leda in the novel, it's jagged roofline near one of the other rocky fingers extending into the desert hinting at an entombed town beneath. This latter site would create another location to explore for artifacts, danger and links to the subterranean Suloise remnants and inheritor races (derro, jermlaine, skulks and su-dopplegangers from Roger E Moore's article "Legacies of the Suel Imperium" article in DRAGON magazine #241).
I think by placing a number of these additional locations (some inhabited by appropriate desert humanoids and other creatures, some seemingly abandoned), when combined with a refreshed random encounter table, could make this section worthy of a whole mini-campaign in itself!
Note: another of my favourite "old time" modules is X4 Master of the Desert Nomads, particularly the encounter with the Nagpa and it's Tabi "familiar". Although there's no direct Greyhawk equivalent of a nagpa, the small map of ruined complex in the desert with it's sinkhole and manscorpion guardian remains very evocative and it could perhaps be reworked as an ancient cursed cleric of Wee-Jas perhaps working with derro minions from below the surface...
4. The Temple (and Village) of Aumata-Perion. Of all the sections, this has the most existing complexity, particularly the second "Temple" zone (see discussion here of the map zones for this section). The only glaring omission is some more detail about the rock pillar known as the Yatish d'Ladet - I'd add a treacherous natural rock staircase access to its narrow 20 foot wide top 1000 feet above the Ash Mire, and an encounter location as a reward for persisting with the journey (perhaps while harried by airborne threats and risk of falling to a certain death). I'm thinking something linked to the Kepta religion - perhaps an abandoned summoning circle used at the time of the Rain of Colourless Fire or otherwise open air blood-soaked shrine to a Mayan sky god or an Aztec equivalent, based on the suggestion from this article linking clues in the module as written that the Kepta were Central American inspired and a possible Olman exclave on peaceful terms with the southeastern Suloise.
Continued in Part 2
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