The Inside Scoop on Gaming

It seems as if AD&D has, over the last two or three years, been going back to it's roots in many ways, with alot less player-oriented handbooks and add-ons and alot more DM-oriented stuff like adventures (such as the Monstrous Arcana series) and rulebooks such as the various spell and magic item collections. Perhaps this is a slow "summing-up" of the first and second editions of AD&D, before we plunge into the inevitably significant changes of a third edition (which will surely appear within another two or three years, possibly sooner).

Anyway, I digress, the product I'm reviewing here is the latest (as far as I'm aware), in the TOMES series of adventures/campaigns, which started with the Rod of Seven Parts campaign, a campaign which also harked back to earlier adventures in many ways, but was basically a mixture of "Old Skool" and modern in design (ie multiple solutions and NPC interaction as well as puzzle-solving and combat).

Return to the Tomb of Horrors is in no way a continuation of the Rod of Seven Parts, although the suggested levels would mean it might fit nicely after that. Players, rather than DMs, may not want to read any more of this review, as from now on it contains spoilers.

Now, onto the details of the product itself. Firstly, what do you get for your money? In this Boxed set you get a 160 page main adventure book, a 32 page illustration book, a 16 page monster and map book, a colour printed card sheet with a pictures of a graffited wall (yeah, you read that right...) on one side and an amulet on the other, a small folded piece of paper with a journal on it, and, most importantly in some ways, a full reprint of he original Tomb of Horrors adventure. Note the word reprint, and thus no changes made. All of this stuff is well made and looks like it will stand up to some solid use, and there are no small pieces, useless cards or little bits of paper to lose. The general design of books and layout is nice, and the artwork is of a good solid standard, though perhaps not exceptional.

Next, who is the adventure for? Well, the box says levels 13-16. A quick flick through the adventure and this seemed reasonable, but on closer examination it seems that 14-18 might be more like it, if most of the adventurers want to come out of it alive. The party will definately need a priest capable of casting Negative Plane Protection, Heal, Raise Dead, and preferably Restoration and Resurrection, amongst other spells. Two priests would probably be an even better idea, and Speciality Priests without Major access to Necromancy and Healing may well be in trouble.

An 18th level Wizard with Wish may make the adventure too easy, but even that's not certain. Wizards should have access to abjuration and/or Invocation/Evocation or the're going to be in trouble too, as 90% of the adversaries are Undead. Parties will generally need quite alot of magic items to survive, especially defensive ones. Larger parties will certainly be more likely to survive (albeit with more losses), but the main method of survival, especially in the later adventures is extreme and near-total CAUTION.

Blundering, fun-loving, or inexperienced parties will be utterly wiped out, and gaming groups who dislike puzzles and traps, or enjoy heavy NPC interaction, politics and so on will have very little fun. None of the four sections are what I'd call a "Dungeon Crawl", quite, but the latter three are certainly mainly puzzle, trap and thought oriented (I think of "Dungeon Crawls" as having more monsters, treasure and randomness). The main book suggests that you may want to create a party just for this campaign, and in many ways that may be the best idea, as you are virtually certain to irrevocably lose characters to one of the seeming endless hazards.

On the other hand, by the time they reach 14-15th level, most parties are pretty hardcore, and if from the Forgotten Realms setting, are likely loaded down with magic items as well. If your players have tough characters and are willing to risk them, it will certainly put alot more tension into the adventures, but do so at your own risk.

Mention of setting brings us to the adventures themselves, the first of which is set in Greyhawk, an "Old-Skool" setting for a relatively normal and modern first adventure. The only annoyance here is that whilst this adventure could be moved to other settings, the book offers no alternate locations and that means a load of crossing out and researching for non-Greyhawk DMs like myself. The rest of the adventures could go anywhere without much(if any) modification though. The first adventure(s), Kalstand and environs, and The Black Academy are not a massive challenge for 13th+ adventurers and contain suprisingly few deathtraps.

They both take place as the lead up to the Tomb of Horrors itself. The former (Kalstand) is a tad dull but helps to get the whole thing rolling and then The Black Academy helps set the menacing and bizarre tone for the rest of the adventures (whilst being vaguely darkly humourous). It also allows the players to gain a few vital hints on how to survive and finish the campaign optimally. Now, having bought this big ol' boxed set I assumed that the reprint of Tomb of Horrors was simply a bonus, to induce nostalgia in players old enough to have played the original, and awe in younger players such as myself (I'm exactly the same age as the adventure which was published in 1978!).

It is not, however, and when you reach the Tomb of Horrors in the main adventure book it simply tells you to use the ToH reprint with a couple of additional rules (relating to the "Dark Intrusion", more on that later), and does not give any information on converting any of the monsters, spells, effects or whatever to second edition rules, which is rather poor, and most importantly it is unclear on if Acererak's Demilich form attacks them or simply acts as a key to the next adventure.

Still, it isn't a massive failng as there are very few monsters in ToH and most traps convert straight across with no modification. The players have the advantage of having a journal warning them about a couple of the most serious dangers, and possibly some older players may remember some traps/solutions.

Players who think it's all over after the ToH are in for a big shock, as the two hardest adventures come next, first, The City that Waits, a fairly long adventure of absolutely unearthly danger and difficulty, with a strong horror style (like The Black Academy, and good atmosphere, set in a cursed city on some bizarre demiplane, and faintly Call of Cthulu-like (especially the high casualty rate ;).

Finally, surviving PCs and any NPCs they've managed to drag with them reach the aptly named Fortress of Conclusion, a shorter and more straightfoward final adventure, with a suprisingly easy to defeat Acererak at the end (trust me, they've earned it). Only very clever and lucky players with good memories will get the maximum XP and best possible finish, but most will do decently, save for those who try and take Acererak on in combat, who will likely be killed.

Overall, then, RottToH is certainly worth the money for me, but is it worth the risk to your characters?

Good points: Really, Really difficult/"challenging", forces brain use, possible nostalgia, good atmosphere and general epic-ness, not simple "get help" plot (unlike most Forgotten RealmsR adventures, for instance).

Bad points: Really, Really, Really Difficult, not much NPC interaction (though there is some), not much "fair" combat after the first two adventures (if you like that sort of thing), lots of puzzles and waaay more instant deathtraps than you can imagine.

Oh, and the other bad point is that it's all a bit saving throw/ability check reliant, and thus somewhat random at times. I have to say I like it, and when my player's characters reach 14th-15th level it'll be of to the Tomb of Horrors for them, but it really isn't to everyone's taste.

Style: 4 (Classy and well done)
Substance: 4 (Meaty)

Return to the Tomb of Horrors
Author: Bruce R. Cordell Category: game Company/Publisher: TSR Cost: $29.95 Page count: 160 32 16 ISBN: 0-7869-0732-0 Capsule Review by Alex Watters on 01/25/99. Genre tags: Fantasy Horror	It seems as if AD&D has, over the last two or three years, been going back to it's roots in many ways, with alot less player-oriented handbooks and add-ons and alot more DM-oriented stuff like adventures (such as the Monstrous Arcana series) and rulebooks such as the various spell and magic item collections. Perhaps this is a slow "summing-up" of the first and second editions of AD&D, before we plunge into the inevitably significant changes of a third edition (which will surely appear within another two or three years, possibly sooner). Anyway, I digress, the product I'm reviewing here is the latest (as far as I'm aware), in the TOMES series of adventures/campaigns, which started with the Rod of Seven Parts campaign, a campaign which also harked back to earlier adventures in many ways, but was basically a mixture of "Old Skool" and modern in design (ie multiple solutions and NPC interaction as well as puzzle-solving and combat). Return to the Tomb of Horrors is in no way a continuation of the Rod of Seven Parts, although the suggested levels would mean it might fit nicely after that. Players, rather than DMs, may not want to read any more of this review, as from now on it contains spoilers. Now, onto the details of the product itself. Firstly, what do you get for your money? In this Boxed set you get a 160 page main adventure book, a 32 page illustration book, a 16 page monster and map book, a colour printed card sheet with a pictures of a graffited wall (yeah, you read that right...) on one side and an amulet on the other, a small folded piece of paper with a journal on it, and, most importantly in some ways, a full reprint of he original Tomb of Horrors adventure. Note the word reprint, and thus no changes made. All of this stuff is well made and looks like it will stand up to some solid use, and there are no small pieces, useless cards or little bits of paper to lose. The general design of books and layout is nice, and the artwork is of a good solid standard, though perhaps not exceptional. Next, who is the adventure for? Well, the box says levels 13-16. A quick flick through the adventure and this seemed reasonable, but on closer examination it seems that 14-18 might be more like it, if most of the adventurers want to come out of it alive. The party will definately need a priest capable of casting Negative Plane Protection, Heal, Raise Dead, and preferably Restoration and Resurrection, amongst other spells. Two priests would probably be an even better idea, and Speciality Priests without Major access to Necromancy and Healing may well be in trouble. An 18th level Wizard with Wish may make the adventure too easy, but even that's not certain. Wizards should have access to abjuration and/or Invocation/Evocation or the're going to be in trouble too, as 90% of the adversaries are Undead. Parties will generally need quite alot of magic items to survive, especially defensive ones. Larger parties will certainly be more likely to survive (albeit with more losses), but the main method of survival, especially in the later adventures is extreme and near-total CAUTION. Blundering, fun-loving, or inexperienced parties will be utterly wiped out, and gaming groups who dislike puzzles and traps, or enjoy heavy NPC interaction, politics and so on will have very little fun. None of the four sections are what I'd call a "Dungeon Crawl", quite, but the latter three are certainly mainly puzzle, trap and thought oriented (I think of "Dungeon Crawls" as having more monsters, treasure and randomness). The main book suggests that you may want to create a party just for this campaign, and in many ways that may be the best idea, as you are virtually certain to irrevocably lose characters to one of the seeming endless hazards. On the other hand, by the time they reach 14-15th level, most parties are pretty hardcore, and if from the Forgotten Realms setting, are likely loaded down with magic items as well. If your players have tough characters and are willing to risk them, it will certainly put alot more tension into the adventures, but do so at your own risk. Mention of setting brings us to the adventures themselves, the first of which is set in Greyhawk, an "Old-Skool" setting for a relatively normal and modern first adventure. The only annoyance here is that whilst this adventure could be moved to other settings, the book offers no alternate locations and that means a load of crossing out and researching for non-Greyhawk DMs like myself. The rest of the adventures could go anywhere without much(if any) modification though. The first adventure(s), Kalstand and environs, and The Black Academy are not a massive challenge for 13th+ adventurers and contain suprisingly few deathtraps. They both take place as the lead up to the Tomb of Horrors itself. The former (Kalstand) is a tad dull but helps to get the whole thing rolling and then The Black Academy helps set the menacing and bizarre tone for the rest of the adventures (whilst being vaguely darkly humourous). It also allows the players to gain a few vital hints on how to survive and finish the campaign optimally. Now, having bought this big ol' boxed set I assumed that the reprint of Tomb of Horrors was simply a bonus, to induce nostalgia in players old enough to have played the original, and awe in younger players such as myself (I'm exactly the same age as the adventure which was published in 1978!). It is not, however, and when you reach the Tomb of Horrors in the main adventure book it simply tells you to use the ToH reprint with a couple of additional rules (relating to the "Dark Intrusion", more on that later), and does not give any information on converting any of the monsters, spells, effects or whatever to second edition rules, which is rather poor, and most importantly it is unclear on if Acererak's Demilich form attacks them or simply acts as a key to the next adventure. Still, it isn't a massive failng as there are very few monsters in ToH and most traps convert straight across with no modification. The players have the advantage of having a journal warning them about a couple of the most serious dangers, and possibly some older players may remember some traps/solutions. Players who think it's all over after the ToH are in for a big shock, as the two hardest adventures come next, first, The City that Waits, a fairly long adventure of absolutely unearthly danger and difficulty, with a strong horror style (like The Black Academy, and good atmosphere, set in a cursed city on some bizarre demiplane, and faintly Call of Cthulu-like (especially the high casualty rate ;). Finally, surviving PCs and any NPCs they've managed to drag with them reach the aptly named Fortress of Conclusion, a shorter and more straightfoward final adventure, with a suprisingly easy to defeat Acererak at the end (trust me, they've earned it). Only very clever and lucky players with good memories will get the maximum XP and best possible finish, but most will do decently, save for those who try and take Acererak on in combat, who will likely be killed. Overall, then, RottToH* is certainly worth the money for me, but is it worth the risk to your characters?* Good points: Really, Really difficult/"challenging", forces brain use, possible nostalgia, good atmosphere and general epic-ness, not simple "get help" plot (unlike most Forgotten RealmsR adventures, for instance). Bad points: Really, Really, Really Difficult, not much NPC interaction (though there is some), not much "fair" combat after the first two adventures (if you like that sort of thing), lots of puzzles and waaay more instant deathtraps than you can imagine. Oh, and the other bad point is that it's all a bit saving throw/ability check reliant, and thus somewhat random at times. I have to say I like it, and when my player's characters reach 14th-15th level it'll be of to the Tomb of Horrors for them, but it really isn't to everyone's taste. Style: 4 (Classy and well done) Substance: 4 (Meaty)