FantasyFlight Legends & Lairs Adventures: The Hidden Vault andDarkwood's Secret
We have already seen a few of AEG's Adventure KeepD20 System mini-modules hit the shelves. This month Fantasy Flight Games' mini-adventures cast in the same vein, their Legends & Lairsinstant adventures. Eight such adventures were released this month, andeight more are due out in April. I'll take a look at the first two. Coincidentally, one is by a name who you RPGnet denizens should be familiar with...
General Comments: Fantasy Flight's Legends& Lairs adventures
(standard blurb)
The Legends & Lairs adventures are similarin format to AEG's Adventure Boosters. They are small, cheap adventuresfor the D20 System, primarily targeted at D&D 3e players.The format is a single booklet, 4.25" x 11" (the size of standard US 8.5x11paper folded in half lengthwise.) There are 16 interior pages (i.e., four8.5x11 sheets), staple bound to the cover. Legends & Lairs adventures are a bit pricier than AEG Adventure Boosters, at $3.95 US each.
The covers of the Legends & Lairs adventures are attractive, with a "metal bound book" motif and a handsome illustration, doubtlessly from the Diskwars game. As with AEG Adventure Boosters,the back cover contains a bit of exposition, which is often the introduction to the adventure. The inside front cover has an introductory "how to use this" note and an ad for other Legends & Lairs adventures. The last page contains a blurb about who Fantasy Flight Games is and legalistic stuff. The inside back cover contains a copy of the Open Game License, obligatory for D20 System products.
Internally, the product is arranged similar to the AEGAdventure Boosters. The adventures are set in the world of the Diskwarsgame but by changing names it can fit the typical D&D campaign. The maps are of much higher quality than AEG's maps, or for that matter, than most D20 System adventures: they are clearly illustrated with a professional look and an easily readable simple key. The adventures also typically include a new creature and a new magic item, but some deviate from this formula.
Contrasted with the Adventure Boosters, it appears that the adventures are generally more flexible and original, in addition to having nicer maps and covers. However, This may not be a good value if you consider that you are paying nearly $1 US per page. Considering that for a few dollars more you could pick up an issue of Dungeon and have many times the material, perhaps Fantasy Flight Games' pricing/quality approach is somewhat ill considered. Overall, they aren't quite the value that AEG's Adventure Boosters are, you should probably spend a little more time seeing how good the adventure within rates before you buy than you would with the AEG Adventure Boosters. However, some of these adventuresare very good and worth picking up.
The Hidden Vault: A Look Inside (Spoilers)
The Hidden Vault is designed for 4-6 characters of levels5-7.
In The Hidden Vault, the players are asked to investigate a dwarven mine on the edge of a badlands region which has not been heard from in some time. Two dwarven parties have been sent in to investigate and have disappeared. It is now up to the players to unravel the mystery.
It turns out that the mind has been taken over by a hive mind insectoid creature called the R'karg. It is up to the players to battle their way past the creatures and defeat their hive-mother.
The map is particularly attractive. It is a multi-level perspective view of the mine.
The Hidden Vault: Summary
The Hidden Vault is a straightforward investigation /recovery / dungeon bash type adventure. Dealing with the R'karg can bean interesting experience, as they are more intelligent and more powerful deeper in the mine, closer to the R'karg mother. However, combat remains the primary means of challenge.
The map is a nice touch and may be worth saving even if you don't get much out of the "battle" scenario.
The R'karg might have made an interesting addition tothe DM's monster file. However, the creature's statistics are missing some key points. For example, its stinger is mentioned, but the precise effects of the poison and the save DC of such are nowhere to be found. Except for the map, the adventure is a little shoddy.
The Hidden Vault Ratings:
Idea content: 2
Ready to use game content: 3 (nice map, botched creature)
Value for money: 2
RPGnet Substance rating: 2
RPGnet Style rating: 4
Darkwoods' Secret:A Look Inside (Spoilers)
Darkwoods' Secret is designedfor 4-6 characters of levels 5-7... or so we are told (more on that ina sec...)
Darkwoods' Secret has a fair bit of backstory for an adventure of this size. The local elven kingdom, after having their collective butts whupped by some dark fairies for some time, came to an agreement with them that said that the elves would cease their hostilities and not enter the Darkwood if the dark fairies would stop expanding their corrupting influence. Well, some fell creatures from the Darkwood are at it again. The elves have to send in someone to investigate why the dark fairies have seemingly broken the pact. They dare not enter to investigate themselves, lest they break the pact.
It turns out that the dark fairies have not broken the pact. The elven leader does not fess up that he and his elder brother foolishly broke the pact by treading into the Darkwood. The elder brother gave the fairies a shard of his soul to make amends. However, this drove him mad. He remains in the darkwood and it is he who is the source of the problems, not the dark faeries.
It is up to the players to make their way through the Darkwood and negotioate very carefully with the dark fairies andfind out what is going on. Then they must seek out the crazed elf and find a way to put a stop to the problems. How this pans out can lead the adventure(and indeed, the campaign) a variety of directions.
Darkwoods' Secret:Summary
This is a nice little adventure. It has a good backstory, and both some roleplaying and combat challenges. In addition, it is very open-ended, allowing the DM to expand on it if the consequences of the PCs actions lead to conflict with the Dark Fairies.
The new creature in this book are the blood spider and the dark fairy. The latter is an interesting creature, but be careful. It may be a titch overpowering for the characters. Though it is only a 2 HD creature, they have the ability to use the chain lightning spell asa spell-like ability twice per day. And there is the very real possibility that the PCs will come into conflict with not one, but many of these creatures. I think that either the fairies should be toned down, or the players given some warning of what they are up against. Otherwise, any non-munchkin party of characters of the prescribed levels will be toast.
Darkwood's Secret Ratings:
Idea content: 4
Ready to use game content: 3 (very good except for thefairy glitch -- ow!)
Value for money: 3
RPGnet Substance rating: 4
RPGnet Style rating: 4
How I rate D20 System adventures
(standard blurb)
As far as I am concerned, canned adventures provide two primary points of value: ideas (adventure premises, interesting challenges, etc.) and ready to run game material (maps, useful and properly done encounter statistics, new creatures and items). The obvious third criteria is overall value for money, which includes page count for a given cost and use of space.
I use these three factors to holistically determine what"substance" rating I'll give the item on RPGnet. This is separate from the style consideration, which I use as stated on RPGnet.
Alan D. Kohler
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