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Dark Awakenings: Shadowland is the second in an ambitious series of D20 fantasy adventure modules published by Auran, an Australian company with a goodly amount of courage and vision, for use with Dungeons & Dragons, Third Edition. This module is the sequel to Dark Awakenings: Guardian, and is obviously meant to be used that way. I am unable to do so, as this was a complementary copy sent to me by Osseum Entertainment; I don’t have Guardian, so this review is more of my take on it as a stand-alone adventure. That said, I must state up front that I am impressed with what I saw. From the get-go, I knew that, even if this module turned out to be garbage, this module would attract the attention of folks who care for innovation in gaming products. This is especially so with regard to useful innovation.

Dark Awakenings: Shadowland is ambitious because it attempts to incorporate audio-visual components to the text and artwork of the module. Auran took five scenes in the module and made interactive 3D scenes out of them. Each scene has two options that account for PC decisions, and each scene may be used with either a hex or a grid map overlay. The audio cues may be silenced, but I think that it’s neat enough to leave on for all but very lengthy uses. These scenes are meant to illustrate in detail a few key points in the module’s plot; to that end, I find that they are quite effective. However, the fact that the DM needs to have a computer on hand to make use of this digital enhancement truly detracts from the utility of the rendered scenes. The other thing that did nothing for me was that the scenes resembled unfinished stages in a first-person shooter, complete with clipping turned off; it’s aesthetic, and thus a matter of taste, but I prefer that such things be up to the caliber of the better first-person shooters.

Ultimately, these bells and whistles are just that: extras. What matters is the module’s gaming content, both in presentation and in playability. In this respect Dark Awakenings: Shadowland is a respectable product, but not one that I would choose instead of the stuff I see out of Necromancer Games or Wizards of the Coast. The reason is, ironically, due to a distinct feeling that the scenario at hand is better used for high-powered (even epic-level) characters and not the 3rd-4th level PCs that the front and back cover call for. This became clear to me during the playtest.

Speaking of which: once more, I used the D&D Iconics for this test. Again I used Jozan the Human Cleric, Tordek the Dwarf Fighter, Lidda the Halfling Rogue and Mialee the Elf Wizard. All characters begin with stats and gear for 3rd level characters of their class; this would prove to be interesting, and not in the usual senses (either good or bad). When possible, characters did Take 10 or Take 20. I read the account of what went down in Guardian beforehand, and then began play with the PCs ready to go to Shadowland. This worked well enough. The PCs arrived with just enough information to allow them to get going; this included looking for a ghostly boat and taking passage aboard it to and from the mortal world. Lidda and Jozan talked to the lady—Wynsar—while Mialee listened intently; this adventure would be unduly hard on the elf wizardess, as Shadowland is meant to be a trap for all of elf blood. This allowed me to dump relevant information to the group, information that paid off handsomely as they went.

Okay, most of this adventure wasn’t much more than eerie scenery and dangerous illusions early on. Mialee lucked out, thanks to the others’ help, and saw things as they were; having a good Will Save bonus helped a great deal as well. Knowing that this place is filled with dangerous illusions, the encounter early on at the Cavern of the Eye of Shadows was too good of a break; Jozan guessed that the Eye had something to do with the illusions, so the group decided to snatch it. Tordek did the deed, passing it to Lidda who ran with it out of the cavern; Tordek endured one round of magical retaliation for his efforts, but it was nothing that the group couldn’t patch up quick. Jozan buried it in the beachhead.

Now they progressed further, and able to see things as they are, they moved forward boldly. Most of the time is glossed over with checks to deal with oppressive local environments, but there are a few encounters; the PCs did well enough, but it was all against undead so far and thus it was better for Jozan and Tordek than anyone else. They got to the Grimorden’s keep, fried the ooze that guarded the door, freed Aedrina (as the result of a Knowledge (arcana) check and a well-used searing light spell) and took down the Bean Sidhe when they grabbed the demon’s crown. Then they explained, as the lot of them ran for their lives, that what bound all elves in Shadowland no longer existed; in the end, they thwapped the elf woman over the head and took her unconscious form with them as they fled. They managed to get away without incident and return to Guardian.

Now, this playtest involved people who’ve been at it for decades; newbies wouldn’t twig to things this fast. There was also some luck involved. That said, this adventure wasn’t a waste of time. It’s got the Average rating for substance because, quite frankly, this felt too much like a high-powered scenario that was retooled for low-level parties. I’d like to see a version of this module for 10th-12th PCs and the NPCs retooled at CR 18-23; this is one of the most Tolkien-like scenarios that I’ve seen in years, and I’m talking The Silmarillion here. I would prefer that it was played at that level of power, and not at this one. It’s a personal thing, but it bothers me nonetheless.

In conclusion, I think that Dark Awakenings: Shadowland is a good choice for the experimental types out there. For the rest of us, it's far better used as an example of world-building than any other use. (Oh, and I truly dig the world-building here; great job folks!) The use of D20 terms is a bit loose, but the OGC marking is primo and the attention to the license notices is good to see; I do hope that Auran's future products exhibit the potential that I see here in Dark Awakenings: Shadowland.

Dark Awakenings: Shadowland
Dark Awakenings: Shadowland Playtest Review by Bradford C. Walker on 18/06/02 Style: 5 (Excellent!) Substance: 3 (Average) Ambitious, innovative and worthy of study but the content falls short of being truly great. Product: Dark Awakenings: Shadowland Author: Keith Done Category: RPG Company/Publisher: Auran Games Line: Auran D20 Adventures Cost: $19.95 (US) Page count: 56 pages Year published: 2002 ISBN: 0-9580141-1-6 SKU: AUG1002 Comp copy?: yes Playtest Review by Bradford C. Walker on 18/06/02 Genre tags: Fantasy	Dark Awakenings: Shadowland is the second in an ambitious series of D20 fantasy adventure modules published by Auran, an Australian company with a goodly amount of courage and vision, for use with Dungeons & Dragons, Third Edition. This module is the sequel to Dark Awakenings: Guardian, and is obviously meant to be used that way. I am unable to do so, as this was a complementary copy sent to me by Osseum Entertainment; I don’t have Guardian, so this review is more of my take on it as a stand-alone adventure. That said, I must state up front that I am impressed with what I saw. From the get-go, I knew that, even if this module turned out to be garbage, this module would attract the attention of folks who care for innovation in gaming products. This is especially so with regard to useful innovation. Dark Awakenings: Shadowland is ambitious because it attempts to incorporate audio-visual components to the text and artwork of the module. Auran took five scenes in the module and made interactive 3D scenes out of them. Each scene has two options that account for PC decisions, and each scene may be used with either a hex or a grid map overlay. The audio cues may be silenced, but I think that it’s neat enough to leave on for all but very lengthy uses. These scenes are meant to illustrate in detail a few key points in the module’s plot; to that end, I find that they are quite effective. However, the fact that the DM needs to have a computer on hand to make use of this digital enhancement truly detracts from the utility of the rendered scenes. The other thing that did nothing for me was that the scenes resembled unfinished stages in a first-person shooter, complete with clipping turned off; it’s aesthetic, and thus a matter of taste, but I prefer that such things be up to the caliber of the better first-person shooters. Ultimately, these bells and whistles are just that: extras. What matters is the module’s gaming content, both in presentation and in playability. In this respect Dark Awakenings: Shadowland is a respectable product, but not one that I would choose instead of the stuff I see out of Necromancer Games or Wizards of the Coast. The reason is, ironically, due to a distinct feeling that the scenario at hand is better used for high-powered (even epic-level) characters and not the 3rd-4th level PCs that the front and back cover call for. This became clear to me during the playtest. Speaking of which: once more, I used the D&D Iconics for this test. Again I used Jozan the Human Cleric, Tordek the Dwarf Fighter, Lidda the Halfling Rogue and Mialee the Elf Wizard. All characters begin with stats and gear for 3rd level characters of their class; this would prove to be interesting, and not in the usual senses (either good or bad). When possible, characters did Take 10 or Take 20. I read the account of what went down in Guardian beforehand, and then began play with the PCs ready to go to Shadowland. This worked well enough. The PCs arrived with just enough information to allow them to get going; this included looking for a ghostly boat and taking passage aboard it to and from the mortal world. Lidda and Jozan talked to the lady—Wynsar—while Mialee listened intently; this adventure would be unduly hard on the elf wizardess, as Shadowland is meant to be a trap for all of elf blood. This allowed me to dump relevant information to the group, information that paid off handsomely as they went. Okay, most of this adventure wasn’t much more than eerie scenery and dangerous illusions early on. Mialee lucked out, thanks to the others’ help, and saw things as they were; having a good Will Save bonus helped a great deal as well. Knowing that this place is filled with dangerous illusions, the encounter early on at the Cavern of the Eye of Shadows was too good of a break; Jozan guessed that the Eye had something to do with the illusions, so the group decided to snatch it. Tordek did the deed, passing it to Lidda who ran with it out of the cavern; Tordek endured one round of magical retaliation for his efforts, but it was nothing that the group couldn’t patch up quick. Jozan buried it in the beachhead. Now they progressed further, and able to see things as they are, they moved forward boldly. Most of the time is glossed over with checks to deal with oppressive local environments, but there are a few encounters; the PCs did well enough, but it was all against undead so far and thus it was better for Jozan and Tordek than anyone else. They got to the Grimorden’s keep, fried the ooze that guarded the door, freed Aedrina (as the result of a Knowledge (arcana) check and a well-used searing light spell) and took down the Bean Sidhe when they grabbed the demon’s crown. Then they explained, as the lot of them ran for their lives, that what bound all elves in Shadowland no longer existed; in the end, they thwapped the elf woman over the head and took her unconscious form with them as they fled. They managed to get away without incident and return to Guardian. Now, this playtest involved people who’ve been at it for decades; newbies wouldn’t twig to things this fast. There was also some luck involved. That said, this adventure wasn’t a waste of time. It’s got the Average rating for substance because, quite frankly, this felt too much like a high-powered scenario that was retooled for low-level parties. I’d like to see a version of this module for 10th-12th PCs and the NPCs retooled at CR 18-23; this is one of the most Tolkien-like scenarios that I’ve seen in years, and I’m talking The Silmarillion here. I would prefer that it was played at that level of power, and not at this one. It’s a personal thing, but it bothers me nonetheless. In conclusion, I think that Dark Awakenings: Shadowland is a good choice for the experimental types out there. For the rest of us, it's far better used as an example of world-building than any other use. (Oh, and I truly dig the world-building here; great job folks!) The use of D20 terms is a bit loose, but the OGC marking is primo and the attention to the license notices is good to see; I do hope that Auran's future products exhibit the potential that I see here in Dark Awakenings: Shadowland.