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The opinions in this review are from a Dungeon Master's perspective, as I have intently read the material in question. I have not run this mega-module, and for reasons discussed in this review, do not intend to ever run this scenario for my group.

On the surface, all looks well. "Necropolis" is a thick, hardcover module/sourcebook by the legendary Gary Gygax. A good portion of this book is spent detailing the gods of the Khemitan pantheon, new spells, new clerical domains, new magic items, a sizable stable of new desert beasties, maps of the region, and more.

The art work is, for the most part, good. The binding is sturdy. The text of the module is fairly neat with only a few typos, even though Gygax's syntax is not always the most appropriate.

The problem my group and I have with this module is that it is not enjoyable for our playing style. The traps are placed illogically; they are random and deadly. The encounter style is overly heavy-handed and railroads the party into dire circumstances. So much of the scenario is written to amuse the DM and belittle the players. I could see this scenario angering my playing group and cause many people to walk out.

Spoilers - - - - - - - During the Tomb of Rahotep there are several occassions where the characters get lost in laybrinths or illusionary halls; the gaming sessions covering this exploration will be boring, tedious, and pointless as it does nothing to forward the quest, only to get on the players' nerves (as Gygax states in the module text). I don't know about you guys, but I play for fun, not to bug my players.

There is also the obligatory greeting from a demon lord, now old hat in Necromancer Games modules, who simply appears out of thin air and begins attacking the heroes. This demon lord, Alidnach, is a foe well beyond the skills of the party. However, to quote the module, he fights a "sham battle." This encounter is placed just to keep the characters from gaining some particular items. My question to the writers of this adventure is why not do something else besides have a demon lord appear, whether it be a challenging but significant (not a "sham") battle or other plot device? Using a demon lord like this is cheap, and it lessens the experience for everyone.

The Curses of Rahotep are ridiculous. A character striken with such an affliction will automatically leap into a designated room full of enemies or deliberately pull a lever to bring the ceiling down on his head. Basically, the player loses control of his character just so the DM can make him do something stupid that will kill him. Something such like magical diseases that slowly rot the body would be much more appropriate, but Gygax seems to take sadist pleasure in ridiculing the players.

- - - - - - - - - Spoilers end.

The basic summary of this review is that the module is not fun for my group's gaming style. It too often takes decisions out of the hands of the party, by either charming the characters to do lethally stupid things, by placing illogical, random, and deadly traps everywhere, or by giving only a single option of solving a puzzle. THIS (take note Mr. Gygax and spawns of Orcus) does not make for an epic adventure. It is gargantuan frustration for the players and a power trip for the DM and module writers. D&D is a game of heroes, and heroes are made by using their strength and wits, which the DM takes control of in this module. Any success the heroes have is by virtue of dumb luck.

This is not the way it's supposed to be. This is not the game I love. This is not D&D.

Sincerely, Ryan Henry

Necropolis
Necropolis Playtest Review by Ryan Henry on 04/11/02 Style: 4 (Classy and well done) Substance: 2 (Sparse) "Necropolis" will send boneheads crying home to mummy. Product: Necropolis Author: Gary Gygax, et al Category: RPG Company/Publisher: Necromancer Games Line: Dungeons and Dragons Cost: 29.95 Page count: 288 Year published: 2002 ISBN: 1-58846-116-5 SKU: WW8390 Comp copy?: no Playtest Review by Ryan Henry on 04/11/02 Genre tags: Fantasy Historical Horror	The opinions in this review are from a Dungeon Master's perspective, as I have intently read the material in question. I have not run this mega-module, and for reasons discussed in this review, do not intend to ever run this scenario for my group. On the surface, all looks well. "Necropolis" is a thick, hardcover module/sourcebook by the legendary Gary Gygax. A good portion of this book is spent detailing the gods of the Khemitan pantheon, new spells, new clerical domains, new magic items, a sizable stable of new desert beasties, maps of the region, and more. The art work is, for the most part, good. The binding is sturdy. The text of the module is fairly neat with only a few typos, even though Gygax's syntax is not always the most appropriate. The problem my group and I have with this module is that it is not enjoyable for our playing style. The traps are placed illogically; they are random and deadly. The encounter style is overly heavy-handed and railroads the party into dire circumstances. So much of the scenario is written to amuse the DM and belittle the players. I could see this scenario angering my playing group and cause many people to walk out. Spoilers - - - - - - - During the Tomb of Rahotep there are several occassions where the characters get lost in laybrinths or illusionary halls; the gaming sessions covering this exploration will be boring, tedious, and pointless as it does nothing to forward the quest, only to get on the players' nerves (as Gygax states in the module text). I don't know about you guys, but I play for fun, not to bug my players. There is also the obligatory greeting from a demon lord, now old hat in Necromancer Games modules, who simply appears out of thin air and begins attacking the heroes. This demon lord, Alidnach, is a foe well beyond the skills of the party. However, to quote the module, he fights a "sham battle." This encounter is placed just to keep the characters from gaining some particular items. My question to the writers of this adventure is why not do something else besides have a demon lord appear, whether it be a challenging but significant (not a "sham") battle or other plot device? Using a demon lord like this is cheap, and it lessens the experience for everyone. The Curses of Rahotep are ridiculous. A character striken with such an affliction will automatically leap into a designated room full of enemies or deliberately pull a lever to bring the ceiling down on his head. Basically, the player loses control of his character just so the DM can make him do something stupid that will kill him. Something such like magical diseases that slowly rot the body would be much more appropriate, but Gygax seems to take sadist pleasure in ridiculing the players. - - - - - - - - - Spoilers end. The basic summary of this review is that the module is not fun for my group's gaming style. It too often takes decisions out of the hands of the party, by either charming the characters to do lethally stupid things, by placing illogical, random, and deadly traps everywhere, or by giving only a single option of solving a puzzle. THIS (take note Mr. Gygax and spawns of Orcus) does not make for an epic adventure. It is gargantuan frustration for the players and a power trip for the DM and module writers. D&D is a game of heroes, and heroes are made by using their strength and wits, which the DM takes control of in this module. Any success the heroes have is by virtue of dumb luck. This is not the way it's supposed to be. This is not the game I love. This is not D&D. Sincerely, Ryan Henry