Edit this Review | Unlink This Review from Tales from the Infinite Staircase

Goto [ Index ]

Tales from the Infinite Staircase is a supplement for AD&D's Planescape setting. This book contains information on the Infinite Staircase and 8 adventures that can be run together or be used individually. This supplement can easily give your Planescape campaign a new feel or give easy access to other planes, for conventional campaigns.

The Infinite Staircase connects to all planes in which the inhabitants are creative. Although there is no top to the staircase, there is a bottom. It is in the Palace of Selune, in the realm of the Gates of the Moon. The Lillendi, who live there, are the caretakers of the staircase. Of course the staircase holds more then just travelers. The Planewalker's guild has taken up residence on the staircase itself.

The staircase is not a single endless flight of stairs, but a series of landings that are connected together by several different stairways. You may see travelers on stairs that are not following the same orientation as the staircase you are on. They could be going straight up, on the side, or even walking on the underside of the stairs you are standing on. What the stairs are made of, is not consistent. At each landing is a portal of some sort that will lead to another plane. Plane travelers can get an idea of where a portal may lead to by how it looks. If that isn't enough of a hint they can always look before entering a portal.

The first adventure takes place on the staircase itself. The PC's are looking for Oriam Trascalia. He has gotten into trouble and the PC's have to deal with an evil being who has converted part of the staircase into a lair. After they rescue Oriam, they are contacted by the Lillendi, who want them to look into something strange that is happening on some of the planes. This leads the PC's to the other 7 adventures. The PC's have the option of completing the other 7 adventures in any order.

I found most of the adventures to be good, but I would advise any GM to read the adventures completely, before trying to run any of them. I found that were some time problems in a few of the adventures. Also the PC's will need certain skills to complete some portions of the adventures. I had a good impression of the adventures, as a whole, until I came to the most important adventure of the 7. Any GM running all of the adventures, will need to work on Tale 7, ahead of time. It is full of faulty logic and time discrepancies, but it is worth the effort, to complete all of the adventures.

No other source materials are needed to run any of the adventures. All of the information needed to link the adventures together, in any order, is provided. It is possible to eliminate some of the adventures, that you don't want to run.

The artwork is good, but a better job could have been done on some of the maps. I didn't have any problems reading the text and I found it well organized. More information on the staircase itself could have been included. The suggestion on how to use the adventures individually and how to make adjustments for higher or lower PC's is helpful.

Style: 4 (Classy and well done)
Substance: 3 (Average)