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Reviewed by Jason Brennan
Reviewer’s Notes: This review is of the 2010 reprint of the 5th edition version of Calebais and as such the extensive errata that characterized the first-printing has been fixed. Additionally, after several failed attempts at writing useful, but completely spoiler-free reviews, I have concluded that it is impossible to do so with canned-adventure products. Nevertheless, I shall endeavour to preserve as much mystery as possible in this humble review.
“Delve into a Dungeon Done Right”
"Calebais: The Broken Covenant" is available as both a 96 page softcover book and as a PDF from E23. The cover is technically full-colour, but is composed primarily of washout-looking greys and browns making this aspect less obvious than it might be. The interior features two columns of text with black and white illustrations which are occasionally blurry, but generally superior to the artwork found in previous editions of this supplement.
Written by legendary Game-Designers Jonathan Tweet and Mark Rein-Hagen and lovingly adapted to 5E by the inestimable Erik Dahl, the original version of this adventure was widely considered to be a classic adventure. I was only 7 years old when the 1st edition of Calebais was first published back in 1988 so many of its innovative features are largely lost on me, but the 2nd edition version of the module served as my introduction to Ars Magica and as such, it has been a significant influence on my gaming tastes.
BCoC is also the only game in town as far as 5th edition Ars Magica modules are concerned. To be sure, Ancient Magic, Tales of Mythic Europe and the upcoming Legends of Hermes all offer exciting scenarios, but these are, by necessity, not as complete as what's presented in this product. So while I’ll concede that nostalgia may have coloured my opinion of this item a bit, there’s no ready frame of reference I can objectively compare it against.
Introduction – The Covenant of Calebais: Although somewhat pretentious in places, the introduction to this book is well-done, providing a solid overview of the adventure and the NPC characters that inhabit it. Also included is advice on modifying Calebais so that it can be run in tribunals other than Provencal.
For readers unfamiliar with “The Broken Covenant”, some explanation may be in order: Calebais was once home to a thriving hermetic covenant and to the legendary Bell of Ibyn which had been enchanted to sound in response to any threats to the covenant. Fifty years ago (1170 AD), however, the covenant was mysteriously destroyed. Since that time, countless magi have sought to recover Calebais’ legendary riches, but none could unravel the intricate web of illusions which still cloaks the crumbling ruins of the broken covenant of Calebais.
Chapter One – The Mystery of Calebais: This chapter provides advice for introducing the story-hook (a fragment of a letter written by one of the covenant’s magi) and details a number of encounters the PCs might encounter during their journey to Calebais.
The expedition to Calebais itself can be presented in a fairly straightforward manner, but I felt that the aforementioned side-plots added some increased depth to the story if the players and SG so desired. My only real concern with this chapter was that the rather unorthodox riddle required to pierce “The Veil” might prove too challenging, but this turned out not to be the case – in any event, the authors have included some alternate strategies for overcoming the enchantment in the event that the players are flummoxed.
Chapter Two – The Ruins of Calebais: Calebais was originally constructed as an inverted tower, which is to say it consists of multiple subterranean levels (much like a trope dungeon) descending into the earth by a series of staircases. Those seeking to uncover the secrets of the broken covenant must navigate all nine floors while avoiding both the restless ghosts of the covenant’s former inhabitants and the primitive, ferret-like, hrools that now make their home amidst the dilapidated ruins.
Due to the covenant’s structure, the adventurers are forced to proceed through the levels in a sequential fashion, but adventure itself is non-linear and will likely require several sessions multiple trips to and from the ruins if the players are determined to ferret out all of the secrets Calebais holds (no pun intended).
Chapter Three – The Legacy of Calebais: Upon overcoming the threats of the Broken Covenant and uncovering the treasures, many players will (understandably) believe that the adventure is over. Unfortunately, Calebais’ primary treasure, the Bell of Ibyn, is damaged and none of the ghosts know how it works. Therefore, the final Act, requires the players to find someone who had witnessed its use – depending upon how thorough their exploration of the covenant was, this could prove to be quite a challenge.
Appendix – Awakened Animals: This appendix deals with intricacies of using awakened animals (like the hrools of Calebais) in your sagas. Our troupe didn’t test the rules for creating awakened animals given here, but they look virtually identical to the “Awakening” Mystery described in HoH: MC which we found quite satisfactory. The ramifications of the widespread employment of animulae in place of human grogs are interesting, however.
Good: Calebais is a well-crafted dungeon-crawl, capable of accommodating a wide-range of play-styles though a mix of combat and diplomacy will likely be required. Similarly, the adventure is set up in such a way that raw magical power is not sufficient, by itself, to overcome the various challenges that the players will face in Calebais.
Bad: Calebais is over twenty years old and shows its age a bit. While still a solid adventure, the march of time has eroded many of the innovations that made the original a classic. Indeed, younger gamers may well perceive this adventure as being somewhat clichéd and derivative.
Conclusion: While I do have doubts concerning Calebais’ suitability as an Introduction to Ars Magica, this adventure does do an admirable job in showing what an Ars Magica adventure ought to look like and if you’ve never played through the scenario before it’s definitely worth picking up.
Style: *** Substance: ****
