The Inside Scoop on Gaming

The default Dungeons and Dragons eperience does its best to emulate the works of J.R.R. Tolkien, Robert E. Howard, or Michael Moorcock (amongst others in the field); the new edition does a very good job of this, but that's not the whole of fantasy gaming. Through the first in Green Ronin's Freeport line, Death in Freeport, Mr. Pramas demonstrates that the new edition is able to handle different takes on the fantasy gaming experience.

Death in Freeport is, at its heart, a dark fantasy adventure that involves political dealings, ancient horrors, hidden histories, and the solving of mysteries. As such, there's a bias towards those PCs who are skilled in investigation, interaction (politics), and scholarly pursuits. As this is a city-based adventure, this adventure also favors PCs who can operate within the usual constraints that a city places upon arms and armor. Yes, there are combat scenes so the PCs will need some skill at arms, but a savvy group can make the most out of limited ability here.

The adventure starts with the PCs arriving in Freeport. After the opening action scene--a fight with a press gang--they meet the patron behind the adventure, a priest named Brother Egil. He hires the PCs to find a missing member of his clerical order, provides them with enough information to begin investigating, and sends them on their way. Their investigations lead them to a dangerous Cthulhu-style cult called "The Brotherhood of the Yellow Sign"; they combat the cult in an attempt to rescue the missing cleric and uncover a threat to the city-state's existance. Upon the return of the cleric, this module ends.

So far, this is pretty standard stuff. That isn't to say that this is bad; some amount of generic content is necessary because Death in Freeport is intended for use in anyone's campaign. It isn't the content in itself that makes this module stand out; what makes it so good is entirely in the execution. The module uses a two-column style to good effect. Each section begins with a header in bold type, a different font, and a slightly larger size. If the header begins a new chapter, then there is an old-style summary of what goes down in that chapter in italics. After the header there is a plain-text summary of the circumstances, and some alternate takes that are likely to occur. If the section details an encounter, there is read-aloud text within a shaded box, necessary statistics (including the default Encounter Level) for the NPCs, and data regarding their actions. For informative encounters, what the NPCs know (or what the PCs are able to find) is detailed. At all times, the presentation is crisp, clean, clear, and without ambiguity.

Let say that again for emphasis: "At all times, the presentation is crisp, clean, clear, and without ambiguity."

While I do like the mix of horror, swashbuckling, a Brother Cadfael type of mystery, and conspiratorial dealings what sold me on Death in Freeport was how Mr. Pramas executed this particular synthesis of concepts. He made what could've been a lackluster amalgam of genre conventions into a first-rate adventure that balanced action, intrigue, and mystery in a most playable fashion. This cannot be overestimated or overemphasized; it is the execution that matters most.

As for the presentation, I found that the slim quantity of artwork was more than sufficient because the pieces that were there complimented the text very well and did much more than fill the gaps in the mind that the text could not by virtue of space limitations. Once again, this module proved to me that well-employed artwork can take something so small as a 32 page module and fill it with more style and substance than a 500+ page rulebook (such as The World of Synnibarr).

That's not to say that this is perfect. The one complaint I have, and the only one that--in my opinion--can truly impact upon the work is the linear feel. Within a given segment, the PCs may or may not have much room to operate as they will, but in the main the adventure is a steady progression from A to B and so on. I accept this because this is a module intended for use in any fantasy game, so I advise those who use it to take the time to look it over first. You folks know your gamers; Mr. Pramas does not. Adapt as needed to be certain that the fit is seamless. Once the GM is familiar with the module's content, working around the linear feel during gameplay should not be a problem.

In conclusion, I say that this module--like Atlas' Penumbra line of D20 products--is well worth consideration for folks who want something other than the default D&D experience, and that want something with more of a dark edge to it. I'll watch this line to see if what I saw here remains in later products. Bradford C. Walker

Death in Freeport
Item type: RPG Product Name: Death in Freeport Author: Chris Pramas Company/Publisher: Green Ronin Publishing Line: Freeport SKU: GRR1002 Cost: $7.99 (US) Page count: 32 pages ISBN: 0-9701048-0-4 Genres: Ratings: Style: 4 (Classy and well done) Substance: 3 (Average) Review type: Capsule Review Genre tags:	The default Dungeons and Dragons eperience does its best to emulate the works of J.R.R. Tolkien, Robert E. Howard, or Michael Moorcock (amongst others in the field); the new edition does a very good job of this, but that's not the whole of fantasy gaming. Through the first in Green Ronin's Freeport line, Death in Freeport, Mr. Pramas demonstrates that the new edition is able to handle different takes on the fantasy gaming experience. Death in Freeport is, at its heart, a dark fantasy adventure that involves political dealings, ancient horrors, hidden histories, and the solving of mysteries. As such, there's a bias towards those PCs who are skilled in investigation, interaction (politics), and scholarly pursuits. As this is a city-based adventure, this adventure also favors PCs who can operate within the usual constraints that a city places upon arms and armor. Yes, there are combat scenes so the PCs will need some skill at arms, but a savvy group can make the most out of limited ability here. The adventure starts with the PCs arriving in Freeport. After the opening action scene--a fight with a press gang--they meet the patron behind the adventure, a priest named Brother Egil. He hires the PCs to find a missing member of his clerical order, provides them with enough information to begin investigating, and sends them on their way. Their investigations lead them to a dangerous Cthulhu-style cult called "The Brotherhood of the Yellow Sign"; they combat the cult in an attempt to rescue the missing cleric and uncover a threat to the city-state's existance. Upon the return of the cleric, this module ends. So far, this is pretty standard stuff. That isn't to say that this is bad; some amount of generic content is necessary because Death in Freeport is intended for use in anyone's campaign. It isn't the content in itself that makes this module stand out; what makes it so good is entirely in the execution. The module uses a two-column style to good effect. Each section begins with a header in bold type, a different font, and a slightly larger size. If the header begins a new chapter, then there is an old-style summary of what goes down in that chapter in italics. After the header there is a plain-text summary of the circumstances, and some alternate takes that are likely to occur. If the section details an encounter, there is read-aloud text within a shaded box, necessary statistics (including the default Encounter Level) for the NPCs, and data regarding their actions. For informative encounters, what the NPCs know (or what the PCs are able to find) is detailed. At all times, the presentation is crisp, clean, clear, and without ambiguity. Let say that again for emphasis: "At all times, the presentation is crisp, clean, clear, and without ambiguity." While I do like the mix of horror, swashbuckling, a Brother Cadfael type of mystery, and conspiratorial dealings what sold me on Death in Freeport was how Mr. Pramas executed this particular synthesis of concepts. He made what could've been a lackluster amalgam of genre conventions into a first-rate adventure that balanced action, intrigue, and mystery in a most playable fashion. This cannot be overestimated or overemphasized; it is the execution that matters most. As for the presentation, I found that the slim quantity of artwork was more than sufficient because the pieces that were there complimented the text very well and did much more than fill the gaps in the mind that the text could not by virtue of space limitations. Once again, this module proved to me that well-employed artwork can take something so small as a 32 page module and fill it with more style and substance than a 500+ page rulebook (such as The World of Synnibarr). That's not to say that this is perfect. The one complaint I have, and the only one that--in my opinion--can truly impact upon the work is the linear feel. Within a given segment, the PCs may or may not have much room to operate as they will, but in the main the adventure is a steady progression from A to B and so on. I accept this because this is a module intended for use in any fantasy game, so I advise those who use it to take the time to look it over first. You folks know your gamers; Mr. Pramas does not. Adapt as needed to be certain that the fit is seamless. Once the GM is familiar with the module's content, working around the linear feel during gameplay should not be a problem. In conclusion, I say that this module--like Atlas' Penumbra line of D20 products--is well worth consideration for folks who want something other than the default D&D experience, and that want something with more of a dark edge to it. I'll watch this line to see if what I saw here remains in later products. Bradford C. Walker