When we first arrived in the independant seaside city-state of Freeport--home of pirates, privateers, and less-than-moral merchants of a more mundane sort--we saw the evil hiding within the bad, and it felt much like a session of
Call of Cthulhu. Later, we became enmeshed in the local politics that ran the city-state and discovered the connections between the bad and the evil of Freeport ran all the way to the top.
Now, with Madness In Freeport, the PCs finally can right the wrongs that they've previously encountered. Now that they know what the plans of their foes--the Brotherhood of the Yellow Sign--intend for Freeport, and that their foes know of them, the PCs must contend directly with the Brotherhood and its leader. If they fail, then the city-state is doomed. If the succeed, then the city-state survives- for now. Again, the feel of Call of Cthulhu remains.
The production values seen in the first two modules return here, with simple layouts that don't waste space or ink on useless frills, allow the GM to follow the text with ease and to reference elements just as easily. The maps are in their appropriate places, and they are both beautiful and functional. The same is true of the artwork, which is still black-and-white. The full stat blocks are in the back, and the new monster variants are mean; the undead shadow animals and serpent folk, while not true shadows, are no less dangerous to unwary PCs. A cleric or paladin is necessary to survive.
The adventure begins with the PCs receiving invitations to a grand ball at the Sea Lord's palace, where they meet the whole of the ruling body of Freeport: The Captain's Council. They learn that the Council is split between Sea Lord Milton Drac and Lady Elise over who will fill the vacancy in the Council that the PCs previously effected. (At the GM's option, he may also introduce other intrigues.) Drac sets the PCs up for a crime that they'd like to commit, but the trap is far too easy to see through--in the opening act,it should be so--and the PCs ought to avoid it with ease. Sometime later, a crazed profit of a dead god barges in to utter a dire warning about the Brotherhood. This leads to Act Two.
The PCs, after getting some helpful clues, journey to Black Dog's Caves to retrieve an ancient artifact of a dead civilization that holds the key to defeating the Brotherhood's plans for Freeport. If they're careful, the PCs get through the old pirate's hideout none the worse for wear and they find the secret entrance to the ruined temple to the dead god mentioned above. Once inside, it's time for the party cleric or paladin to shine because there's plenty of undead to deal with. They assemble the pieces needed to get the artifact, pay for it in blood--Constitution points--and return to Freeport with no time to spare.
Act Three is the desperate climax as they break into the lighthouse (again) known as "Milton's Folly" and fight off the Brotherhood in a race against time. At the end, they fight off the leadership of the Brotherhood- which includes some that ought to surprise the players as well as their PCs. If they succeed, they can stop the Brotherhood's device from fulfilling the designs of their Cthulhu-like god; if they fail, they won't be around to suffer the consequences of their actions anyway- suffice to say that it's very bad, and very appropriate to the established feel of the series.
When it's over, the PCs aren't likely to receive a hero's reward if they become tied to the deaths of their foes. Freeport's surviving leadership copes with the compounded politcal crisis, leaving the PCs with plenty of opportunities to flee to safety or take a chance at bettering their position. The hooks at the end cover only the most obvious of the loose ends; canny GMs will certainly find more.
The module states that this is meant for a group of four PCs of 4th to 6th level. Given the encounters in the second and third acts, that makes the opposition dangerous at every turn. The PCs should act with caution and forethought or they will get slaughtered; given that this is a Cthulhu-inspired setting, this isn't a bad thing. The PCs ought to get their hands on the treasures included because they will need them to stay in one piece and have a chance against the opposition at the end of the adventure. As said above, a cleric or paladin is a must for the middle section. When it's over, everyone should feel both relieved and gratified that they accomplished this task; in my opinion, this series is on its way to becoming a classic. Well done, and well-ended.
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