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Dungeon #128 is a 106 page issue without an ad chunk. I suspect it was dropped this time to make room for other stuff (maybe just more full-page ads). There are 3 adventure scenarios, a backdrop of the Free City, and more columns and articles. The cover is a depiction of some action in the Free City arena. The picture preceding the AP scenario probably would have made a better cover, but features a serious spoiler.
Scenarios
"Shut-In"
F. Wesley Schneider & James L. Sutter
page 18-29
Age of Worms Adventure Path
"The Champion's Belt"
Tito Leati
page 30-63
Backdrop: "The Free City"
Richard Pett
page 64-69
Vampires of Waterdeep: Part Three
"The Fireplace Level"
Eric L. Boyd
page 70-93
"Shut-In"
The initial hook for "Shut-in" is pretty straightforward: the PCs agree to bodyguard an elderly widow and her daughter (either for money or as a favor), after a series of nobles are murdered. While protecting the newly widowed matron, events begin to unravel.
This scenario is essentially investigative horror, with a secret antagonist that really is creepy. The personalities of the house are well written (as one would expect in a scenario if this sort). There is no dungeon; the action occurs within the widow's decaying manse for the most part. Further elaboration risks spoilers, but this is my favorite low level scenario to appear in Dungeon Magazine in quite some time.
"The Champion's Belt"
The Champion's Games arrive in the Free City, along with a more sinister force, and something incubates in the arena's depths. The PCs are given the opportunity to fight a series of battles in the Games for the Championship, but are not required to, in the course of an investigation.
The main arena encounter areas are the Arena itself, the Understructure, and the Caverns. The way the scenario progresses is reminiscent of pulp action movies, and fits the tone of Sharn particularly well. Despite that, and the fact that the scenario features a dungeon, there is a lot of freedom for the PCs. Their actions determine how a chain of events unfolds, potentially including a massive surprise in the middle of the arena. The "dungeon" itself is interesting too...unconventional in its concept, and featuring a red herring or two.
The bouts themselves feature an array of interesting warbands, and could easily be used outside of this particular scenario for whatever purposes you might have. The third edition return of a first edition juggernaut marks the penultimate bout of the games. Regardless of where its set, this is a strong, fun scenario. The characters are interesting with realistic motivations, the encounters are exciting, and the structure permits the PCs to shape their own story. This is scenario vies with Encounter at Blackwall Keep for my favorite in the AP overall. "The Free City" This article is a description of the urban area surrounding the arena in the Champion's Belt. Notes are included on adapting this locale to Sharn, Waterdeep, or Greyhawk. Some minor intrigues are offered, and solid effort is made to make the NPCs here an interesting cast of characters. "The Fireplace Level" The thread of the Vampires of Waterdeep arc hasn't especially impressed me to this point. It concludes stronger than I expected though, because of the quality of the encounters and interesting setting, with "the Fireplace Level". This scenario does not feature the depth of varied encounters that the previous installment in the arc had. The emphasis here is squarely upon the primary antagonist of the arc. There is a bit of "dressing" preceding his arrival, but this is fairly minor overall. The dungeon is especially interesting in its dual nature. Additional complexity in the scenario is also possible in the form of an inter-house conflict. My favorite opponent in the scenario is one of the secondary characters. He is the most interesting permutation of vampirism in the arc, adapted for a non-terrestrial setting. While this is a solid conclusion to the arc, its not as interesting as the previous installment was, and not as adaptable either. This scenario is definitely best suited for concluding the VoW Arc, and playing out machinations intercity politics in Waterdeep.
THE OTHER STUFF Cook's "Winging it: the Basics" discusses dealing with your players making an unexpected campaign decisions. Cook's general approach is not one I use or particularly like: tricking the players into thinking you hadn't anticipated it. Its not that I have something against lying to players in game. Indeed, keeping a poker face and having your NPCs lie convincingly to players is a critical part of being a good DM. And I am sure I am not the only one who has had to roleplay with myself in front of players in what is a really rather pathetic instance of trying to maintain the illusion of a fully realized world. My approach is just different. I do a lot of prep; I typically have 2 or 3 scenarios prepped before each session. I tell my players they can what they want, but if they want to go on some major diversion (say...to another nation) they should let me know ahead of time so I can prep. The Curve Ball discussion presents an especially good tactic. Its one I have never used (or heard of), and am glad to have read about it. It will definitely be something I use of in the future.
"Wet Your Whistle" offers four interesting taverns for game use. Some descriptions focus on their proprietors, others on the visitors and internal "ambience". No maps are included, but usually the hardest part of building a good location is in the characters and background, not the physical location. So some work will be required to use these in your campaign, but its still very useful material. "Express Travel" discusses the varied means of rapid travel. It is essentially a catalogue of the fastest ways of getting from place to place. I suppose having a compiled list might save a bit of time and be useful. The last page is a beautiful map by Chris West, entitled "Sewer Stronghold of the Thieves' Guild". CONCLUSION This issue of Dungeon is very strong, both in the individual scenarios and overall. All three scenarios are open ended, allowing exploration, and allowing the PCs to determine how the storyline develops, and feature strong material and design. This issue also has a strong setting component, with both the Free City article and taverns article. The cartography and art are solid, though I didn't like the cover art as much as some of the past covers. The content in this issue is the best since I started reviewing the Adventure Path.
