Review of Death in Freeport

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The first d20 System adventure, Death in Freeport has been rightly chosen the best in the recently held Origins Awards. From an opening scene fit for a Hong Kong action movie, through an increasingly involved plotline with well-placed clues, this mystery for 1st-level characters delivers fast-paced excitement while promising more Freeport fun to come.

The author, Chris Pramas, is no stranger to the action genre, having penned the excellent free RPG Dragon Fist, and it shows in Death in Freeport. Although primarily a mystery story, the plot is carefully sprinkled with enough fight scenes to keep the hack-'n'-slashers happy. There are also a couple opportunities for the characters to discover that they aren't quite as tough as they thought they were--a little DM maneuvering may be required to keep the characters alive and willing to continue their investigations.

The book is beautifully executed, from the excellent Brom cover featuring a meaty skeleton warrior to the easy to read and navigate layout to the gorgeous maps. Some of the interior art looks hastily drawn, but then it probably was--Green Ronin must have cranked this book out to release it at last year's Gen Con, the same time as the Player's Handbook.

If you're a d20 System game master and you haven't bought this module, get thee to thy local game store and pick it up, or buy it (almost) straight from the source at Wizard's Attic. If your players have higher level characters, this module would provide a great break--there are even sample first-level characters provided in the back (with beautiful character sketches, to boot!).

All in all, Death in Freeport is a rare thing--a first-level adventure that is fun and engaging, and leaves you begging for more.