grodog's review: Cairn of the Skeleton KingTitle: Cairn of the Skeleton King Cairn of the Skeleton King is Pied Piper Publishing’s first print product; it’s an adventure module for mid-level PCs (in first edition terms, a party of at least 6 PCs from 4th to 7th level). Fans of the old TSR publishing format will instantly recognize the look and feel of the module, and 3.x fans who like the look of Goodman Games products will also be on familiar turf. The author, Rob Kuntz, is best-known for his inaugural participation in Gary Gygax’s Greyhawk Campaign from which the entire Dungeons & Dragons game grew, and for later co-DMing the same. Kuntz’s most recent works have been the publication and expansion of Maure Castle in Dungeon Magazine (issues 112, 124, and the upcoming 139). The book’s production values are quite good: Jim Holloway’s striking cover image sets the tone for the entire adventure, and features three PCs battling the module’s titular Skeleton King---and they’re not faring well. Gamers who only recognize Jim Holloway’s artwork from the seminal Paranoia rpg may be surprised to note the versatility and realism evident in his images of undead skeletons and ghools (Kuntz’s Clark-Ashton-Smith-inspired twist on the popular AD&D ghoul). The back-cover image features a scene from the next PPP module, Tower of Blood, which certainly looks promising based on the art alone. Holloway contributed 12 of the 13 interior pieces; Jason Braun’s Barrow Wight is reminiscent of early White Dwarf or Games Workshop Call of Cthulhu illustrations, with that gritty edge that the Brits brought to their best work. Lorne Marshall’s maps are cleanly-rendered in the classic TSR blue monochrome style; they are complete with a scale, directional compass, and map legend, and are the prefect compliment to the exterior artwork. The cover is not attached to the module, so that the DM can easily refer to it while reading or use it as a screen during play. While the module’s production values are good, there are some typos, and a few other minor errors in the text. I found a few areas where the map could be added to based on the encounter text, and the legend could afford some expansion. While the font chosen is reminiscent of TSR’s use of a Avant Garde/Century Gothic, it is a little larger than I would prefer. In a couple of places early in the book, the two-column layout could have been tweaked to flow the text more cleanly. There’s also a ten-page section without any artwork from pages 26 to 36; this stuck out to me, given that the module has a good amount of art in it. These are, however, quite obviously nits that I’m picking, and certainly do not detract from the otherwise-excellent appearance of this product. Kuntz employs his Creations Unlimited (“CU”) system mechanics in Cairn of the Skeleton King; he used this in his Creations Unlimited publications in the late 1980s, and the stats are reminiscent of the Judges Guild and Role Aids lines of generic AD&D adventures. They convert easily to AD&D first- or second edition stats or, with slightly more work, to d20/3.x D&D stats. The CU stats are explained on the second and third pages of the module. Cairn of the Skeleton King was produced as a fan-driven effort; Pied Piper Publishing printed copies after pre-orders were accepted. The sponsors of the adventure are listed as Friends of Pied Piper Publishing on the obverse of the title page. The initial printing was limited to an edition of 500 signed and numbered copies; once the limited edition has sold out, additional printings may follow if demand warrants it. To order a copy of Cairn of the Skeleton King, see the URL in the heading of the review. Onto the meat of the module---the adventures within!
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The premise for the adventure is a double-ruse: the Skeleton King (himself a former king before his undead status was conferred by an evil necromancer) contacts the local lord of the realm, seeking release from his condition, or else he’ll send an undead horde into the world. The local rulers hire the outlander PCs to accomplish this deed, but fail to mention anything about the Skeleton King’s plight. Thus, they dupe the PCs, who may well end up allies of the Skeleton King, whose desire to end his undead existence requires the PCs to kill the necromancer who animated him. Once the PCs have killed the necromancer (who resides on this level), however, they must still defeat the Skeleton King; while he truly seeks a glorious death in combat, he doesn’t pull his punches much while battling his saviors---he’s still a king, after all. The Cairn level consists of 30 encounters spread throughout a single dungeon level. Three sections of the level are separated by secret doors or potentially by traps, while a fourth hidden path leads to the Warren of the Ghools. (This path can be discounted completely if the Cairn level is being played independently). The monster threats throughout the module focus on undead, in particular the vicious minions of the necromancer and those still loyal to the Skeleton King. If the players lack a cleric or paladin who can turn undead, they will fare the worse in this module…. Several fun traps and tricks are interspersed throughout the level, and they often combine with or turn into monster threats based on the PCs’ actions and reactions to the tricks and traps. The Warren of the Ghools consists of 24 encounters within a single dungeon level, however, in the tradition of the original Castle Greyhawk levels from days of yore, numerous entrances and exits from the Ghool Warren potentially link PCs to other adventuring locations not detailed in this module. Some are slated to be future publications from Pied Piper Publishing (although they are not sequels, per se), and all can certainly be created by the Dungeon Master if so desired. Tower of Blood, the next product to be published by Pied Piper, is accessible from one of these adits. As a result of this level’s “expandableness”---while it is complete in and of itself---the Warren feels somewhat less independent than the level above. Numerous references are made to the cult of Hades/Orcus and the monks at the Monastery of Evil and the Underworld environment within which the Warren is situated, for example. While these can be safely ignored for play within the scope of this adventure, they do present the Warren as part of a greater context, and DMs wanting to explore some of these options may choose to wait to run this adventure until after the other modules are published, or they will have to detail these regions themselves. (Ignoring the Warren level while running the Cairn level is quite easy to do, since they only connect by a secret door). I personally find these kinds of expansion points to an adventure evocative and inspiring, but I know that some DMs prefer their modules to be more self-contained (even when they remain tightly modular). The encounters themselves are at least as challenging as those in the Cairn level, if not more so: if the PCs misstep in one section of the Warrens, they may quickly face well over 100 ghools in combat! The tricks and traps are equal to those in the Cairn level, and help to supplement what is likely a very combat-intensive level. Unlike in the Cairn, level, however, the ghools are generally hostile and attack first, so opportunities for skillful diplomacy are likely to be limited to captured PCs begging for their lives! Overall, I rate the Cairn of the Skeleton King an 8 out of 10. It is an excellent product, well-worth picking up, and easy to integrate into a campaign. Independently, the play value for Cairn level rates an 8.5, while the Warren of the Ghools rates a 7.5, and the excellent art and production values help to support the Cairn of the Skeleton King’s high rating. Return to grodog's Game Reviews. Return to grodog's Gaming Page. Return to Imrryr. |