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Review Summary: This is an excellent module that demands to be played, especially as the first step of a major campaign. I can't see any kind of role-player who will be dissatisfied by this gem.
What you get: For your USD9.95 you get a soft cover 32-page d20 adventure for 1st to 3rd level characters, authored by Chuck McGrew and published by Scarab Games. The fonts used are small (probably '11'') and the size of margins is pretty much OK. The major maps can be found on the inside covers and are of fair quality, with other minor maps found inside the product. The artwork although sparse is more than fair and blends nicely with the feel of the adventure. Everything is not as it appears to be, and the grim artwork makes sure the GM gets the feel right.
The story: Although I am not going to give the plot of the adventure away, some details will be presented, both here and in the 'strong points' and 'weak points' sections.
The north is a dangerous place. Although the odd caravan failed to return, nowdays no caravan travels to the north. The secluded Brotherhood of Prophesy, a monastery inside the forest, sends a distress call to the town of Tageth. The border troops sent to assist never return. Fearing that orcs and goblins overtook the monastery, the Lord sends his best troops to investigate. Again, they fail to return. Now no more troops can be spared to the north, as an invasion from the east is expected. This is where the adventurers come in.
The strong points: 'Brotherhood' is a non-linear, location-based adventure that to my eyes appears more like a mini-campaign or the beginning of a campaign. The places offered are many and diverse. Five additional side quests are described, something that enhances the feel of 'Brotherhood' being something 'big'. At no point will the characters be driven by the GM. Instead, it is quite possible for them to miss a place or two.
Chaos does not accompany diversity and quantity though. This is one of the most logically constructed adventures I have ever seen. The alphanumerical system used to connect the maps to the text is excellent. The text itself is very clearly structured, even the 'lines' of the NPC's follow immediately after their description.
The descriptions are very good. The Grafter, the new monster presented by 'Brotherhood' is a very dark conception and blends naturally with the story. The idea of a monastery with incestuous monks and their retarded offspring almost touches medieval realism. The city is the template of how an adventure-oriented small city should be. The woods, a well used locale indeed, manage to be scary without being redundant. Some of the side quests might appear simplistic at first, but they are not, especially if the GM takes the full potential out of the story. I was very pleasantly surprised by the care that was taken even in the minor details, like Hellus, the town's 'official' drunk; a fantastic idea beautifully implemented.
'Brotherhood' also keeps its promise of being fully adaptable to your game world. The scale of the map appears big, true, but it is not that big in the end. And if one doesn't like orcs and goblins or if they just don't suit him, they can be easily substituted for a rival Lord, another feud, bandits etc.
The weak points: 'Brotherhood' reaches perfection without its minor problems ruining a well-made effort. I spotted two typos in the text, one of them in a name (it was spelled differently within the same paragraph). This is obviously not important but it is really a pity for such a quality product.
At no point in the module is the size of Tageth announced to the GM in numbers. I appreciate the margin left to the GM to make his own arrangements, but some guiding is helpful. The same goes for the actual size of the portal of the monastery, the only way of it communicating with the outer world. It is destroyed before the characters interact with it, but still.
My two major complaints are the mirror and area A6. The way the monastery contacts the rest of the world is a large metal mirror situated at the top of its tower. The signals sent usually warn of dangers with written prophecies (hence the title), which the religious authorities of the town come to pick up from the monastery. That is, the mirror is just the way of signalling the authorities to come. The trek itself is two days or so. My point: what if there is no sun and the danger is imminent? Or even worse, what if a spellcaster blocks the sun to prevent them from signalling? The mirror is non-magical, so should they just wait? And then wait for another four days until the town actually receives the message? Of course, 'prophesy' in the sense of the module means something medium or even long-termed but still I have my doubts. It also appears simplistic that after a thousand years of the monastery the monks use the mirror only to signal 'come and pick' and haven't devised a more elaborate way of communicating with the town (that is, a Morse-like system). Not to mention that the monastery is a good 41 miles (approximately 61 kilometres) from Tageth. How large is this mirror anyway and how can it be seen from such a distance?
In A6 the adventurers find the remains of a giant flying mammal that was shot down by a ballista from the monastery. No problem with that and the description is very good indeed, but this area is 13 miles (20 kilometres) away from the monastery. Either this ballista is impossibly strong or the creature was hit nearer the monastery and flew away to save its skin. But then why did it crash and not land safely down to simply expire? Bad use of dramatic effect I guess... I am nit-picking, but the more the story promises the more I tend to expect.
Conclusion: Scarab Games made an excellent entrance to the d20 system with this adventure. It took a well-known type of story (mystery, fear of the unknown, military espionage and ground scouting) and gave it all kinds of unpredictable twists that only heroes can sort out. Characters who just wait for things to happen will find themselves in an awful situation, the story demands from the characters to be proactive and ingenious. A potent GM will turn 'Brotherhood' into a grim horror-driven adventure with heroic elements. My hope is not only for Scarab to continue publishing modules like this, but to continue on the story it created with 'Brotherhood'. This is only the beginning of an epic.
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The 2012 re-examination: Excellent, a must have. So good in fact that I am actively using many of its elements on my current campaign which is neither d20 nor does it go the same way 'Brotherhood' does.
