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NeMoren's Vault is the first product from Fiery Dragon Productions, a d20 publisher out of Toronto, Canada. Author James Bell goes back to the dungeon to showcase the possibilities this sub-genre still holds. Before you threaten to run yourself through with your +7 Holy Avenger, know ye this. Unlike the recent Wizards of the Coast delves into dungeon designs (Dungeon of Death, Return to Keep on the Borderlands, et al), NeMorens Vault is actually good. Indeed, it's excellent!

"The last of his line Baron Paytro NeMoren has left his dark past sealed for decades in his family's underground vault. Now, three years after his death, a group of stalwart adventurers has gathered according to the baron's final wishes. At long last, the seal will be broken and the secrets of the vault will be revealed. Can some sins be forgiven? Can death stop the thirst for revenge? Find out when you enter NeMoren's Vault".

I can't go too much further into the plot, as the story is meant to slowly unfold and to bring up any of it's interesting twists or turns is sure to spoil the air of mystery that surrounds the quest. Needless to say, there is a great evil at work, one which the former Baron unwittingly unleashed upon his lands. Under Bell's handling, the plot and subplots tie together beautifully, a rare example of a dungeon adventure with a credible story.

Bell took great care in making the dungeon as believable as possible, and it is thoroughly convincing. He certainly did not sleepwalk through his paces, as authors of "dungeon crawls" are wont to do. Infact, he does some new and interesting things, including an innovative campaign quick-start (eliminating the tired "our characters all meet in a tavern after being hired by a mysterious mage" thing); several well conceived traps and puzzles; and makes use of traditional monsters in a refreshing manner. Best of all, all of the creatures inhabiting the vaults make sense: undead as befits crypts; vermin that has found it's way in; and the hobgoblins inhabiting the connected cave networks. It proves to be a fine adventure, ably blending mystery, dungeon-exploring, "hack-fest" action, and a strong story.

Despite this being the inaugural release for Fiery Dragon Productions, the production quality--from the layout to the cartography-- is excellent. The interior artwork by Todd Secord is simply outstanding! Beyond this are all are the numerous "extras" that show Fiery Dragon Productions wants to earn our business. There is a sheet of gridpaper provided for tactical applications (handy to prove to those whinny players that their characters were infact within range of that dragons breath weapon); cardstock cutouts detailing both monsters and sample pc's; 6 handouts, which are a largely forgotten asset in todays rpg industry but much loved by players; and several new magic items.

In the end, James Bell and Fiery Dragon Productions have produced an outstanding D+D adventure which almost single-handedly has restored my long-lost passion for the game. The fireworks (deadly traps, final show-down with a sinister monsters, combat against hordes of evil victims-in-waiting, and so forth) that make NeMoren's Vault such a blast appear in every fantasy dungeon crawl, but Bell has reinvigorated them for a new generation of gamers. It is hard not to get dragged into the adrenaline rush that he has created.

Style: 5 (Excellent!)
Substance: 5 (Excellent!)

NeMoren's Vault
Author: James Bell Category: game Company/Publisher: Fiery Dragon Productions Line: D20 Cost: $9.99 Page count: 36 SKU: FDP 1000 Playtest Review by Andrew HInd on 11/08/00. Genre tags: Fantasy	NeMoren's Vault is the first product from Fiery Dragon Productions, a d20 publisher out of Toronto, Canada. Author James Bell goes back to the dungeon to showcase the possibilities this sub-genre still holds. Before you threaten to run yourself through with your +7 Holy Avenger, know ye this. Unlike the recent Wizards of the Coast delves into dungeon designs (Dungeon of Death, Return to Keep on the Borderlands, et al), NeMorens Vault is actually good. Indeed, it's excellent! "The last of his line Baron Paytro NeMoren has left his dark past sealed for decades in his family's underground vault. Now, three years after his death, a group of stalwart adventurers has gathered according to the baron's final wishes. At long last, the seal will be broken and the secrets of the vault will be revealed. Can some sins be forgiven? Can death stop the thirst for revenge? Find out when you enter NeMoren's Vault". I can't go too much further into the plot, as the story is meant to slowly unfold and to bring up any of it's interesting twists or turns is sure to spoil the air of mystery that surrounds the quest. Needless to say, there is a great evil at work, one which the former Baron unwittingly unleashed upon his lands. Under Bell's handling, the plot and subplots tie together beautifully, a rare example of a dungeon adventure with a credible story. Bell took great care in making the dungeon as believable as possible, and it is thoroughly convincing. He certainly did not sleepwalk through his paces, as authors of "dungeon crawls" are wont to do. Infact, he does some new and interesting things, including an innovative campaign quick-start (eliminating the tired "our characters all meet in a tavern after being hired by a mysterious mage" thing); several well conceived traps and puzzles; and makes use of traditional monsters in a refreshing manner. Best of all, all of the creatures inhabiting the vaults make sense: undead as befits crypts; vermin that has found it's way in; and the hobgoblins inhabiting the connected cave networks. It proves to be a fine adventure, ably blending mystery, dungeon-exploring, "hack-fest" action, and a strong story. Despite this being the inaugural release for Fiery Dragon Productions, the production quality--from the layout to the cartography-- is excellent. The interior artwork by Todd Secord is simply outstanding! Beyond this are all are the numerous "extras" that show Fiery Dragon Productions wants to earn our business. There is a sheet of gridpaper provided for tactical applications (handy to prove to those whinny players that their characters were infact within range of that dragons breath weapon); cardstock cutouts detailing both monsters and sample pc's; 6 handouts, which are a largely forgotten asset in todays rpg industry but much loved by players; and several new magic items. In the end, James Bell and Fiery Dragon Productions have produced an outstanding D+D adventure which almost single-handedly has restored my long-lost passion for the game. The fireworks (deadly traps, final show-down with a sinister monsters, combat against hordes of evil victims-in-waiting, and so forth) that make NeMoren's Vault such a blast appear in every fantasy dungeon crawl, but Bell has reinvigorated them for a new generation of gamers. It is hard not to get dragged into the adrenaline rush that he has created. Style: 5 (Excellent!) Substance: 5 (Excellent!)