With Mlle Nguyễn safely out of Vĩnh Long, the party now needs to find their own place to lay low until the heat from their scam dies down. Capitaine d'Artagnan of L'Eau Noire mentions that there's *another* village that has mysteriously broken off all outside contact.
Zakalwe says the party has had its fill of mysterious villages, so d'Artagnan adds that there's a Keep on the Borderlands, specifically the Central Highlands, that's looking for adventurers. The PCs briefly consider becoming pirates before heading off to the Keep.
This is probably the most played D&D module of all time (it was included in the 1979–1982 editions of the Basic Set), written by the co-creator of Dungeons & Dragons, Gary Gygax. Those reasons alone warrant B2's inclusion in this campaign's survey of classic Olde School Dungeons & Dragons adventures.
In addition, B2 provides some basic guidance for new Dungeon Masters, albeit very Gygaxian and promoting a specific play style, that's mostly okay. However, as a teaching tool, I think Keep on the Borderlands suffers in comparison to the excellent Mentzer Red Box solo adventure.
Better is the module's open sandbox design and evocative setting, a lonely bastion at the edge of civilization and surrounded by hostile natives. However, the Law versus Chaos thing is really only apropos for a certain flavor of High Fantasy, much less for Swords & Sorcery, so I have instead reskinned Keep on the Borderlands to be a retelling of one of the greatest Westerns of all time, Fort Apache (1948):
Directed by John Ford and starring John Wayne and Henry Fonda, Fort Apache is an excellent film for many reasons, but the particular reason I wanted to show this movie some love is because it was one of the first to present an authentic and sympathetic view of Native Americans.
"Keep", of course, is a medieval term, which I use for convenience, but Fort Champa is actually a Roman style fort:
Turns out Colonel Thứ năm was once General Thứ năm but got demoted after a battlefield disaster and sent to the Borderlands. Thứ năm is itching to get back to the front lines and, to do so, wants to win glory by violently suppressing a Cham uprising. Thus, he's been taking oppressive approach of Gouverneur Trần (陳) to the extreme to encourage the Cham to revolt. Quietly aiding the Colonel for a profit is Messr Dimon, a sketchy but wealthy local Roman expat businessman:
Zakalwe says the party has had its fill of mysterious villages, so d'Artagnan adds that there's a Keep on the Borderlands, specifically the Central Highlands, that's looking for adventurers. The PCs briefly consider becoming pirates before heading off to the Keep.
This takes us to our next classic Olde School Dungeons & Dragons adventure, B2 The Keep on the Borderlands:
This is probably the most played D&D module of all time (it was included in the 1979–1982 editions of the Basic Set), written by the co-creator of Dungeons & Dragons, Gary Gygax. Those reasons alone warrant B2's inclusion in this campaign's survey of classic Olde School Dungeons & Dragons adventures.
In addition, B2 provides some basic guidance for new Dungeon Masters, albeit very Gygaxian and promoting a specific play style, that's mostly okay. However, as a teaching tool, I think Keep on the Borderlands suffers in comparison to the excellent Mentzer Red Box solo adventure.
Better is the module's open sandbox design and evocative setting, a lonely bastion at the edge of civilization and surrounded by hostile natives. However, the Law versus Chaos thing is really only apropos for a certain flavor of High Fantasy, much less for Swords & Sorcery, so I have instead reskinned Keep on the Borderlands to be a retelling of one of the greatest Westerns of all time, Fort Apache (1948):
Directed by John Ford and starring John Wayne and Henry Fonda, Fort Apache is an excellent film for many reasons, but the particular reason I wanted to show this movie some love is because it was one of the first to present an authentic and sympathetic view of Native Americans.
"Keep", of course, is a medieval term, which I use for convenience, but Fort Champa is actually a Roman style fort:
At the Keep, the PCs meet Captain Đào (陶), son of Gouverneur Đào of the Mekong Delta province. The young captain, who's spent his tour in the Central Highlands learning the ways and customs of the Cham, was slated to take over when the last commander retired. However, Colonel Thứ năm, a relative of the Emperor, assumed command of the Keep instead.
Turns out Colonel Thứ năm was once General Thứ năm but got demoted after a battlefield disaster and sent to the Borderlands. Thứ năm is itching to get back to the front lines and, to do so, wants to win glory by violently suppressing a Cham uprising. Thus, he's been taking oppressive approach of Gouverneur Trần (陳) to the extreme to encourage the Cham to revolt. Quietly aiding the Colonel for a profit is Messr Dimon, a sketchy but wealthy local Roman expat businessman:
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