Top Ten AD&D modules of all time

Seems that people like it around these parts when I write up Top 10 lists (or at least they generate lots of commentary cyber-fights)... So with that in mind I am going to list my Top 10 favorite D&D/AD&D modules of all time. As that suggests that means I am leaving out any editions later than 2nd.

And unlike what some have presented on Dragonsfoot, no I do not consider a module as only those that were "stand alone products, not anything that appeared in a magazine!"

To me, that is entirely arbitrary and a module/adventure in terms of nomenclature is interchangeable. Module =adventure, adventure= module.

Willmark's Top Ten

1. UK4 - When a Star Falls
2. The Tomb of Horrors 
3. Return to the Tomb of Horrors
4. Threshold of Evil - Dungeon #10
5. Iron Orb of the Druegar - Dungeon #43
6. G1-3 Against the Giants - a bit of a cheat choice here because I get to pick three modules all in one.
7. UK2 - The Sentinel
8. UK3 - The Gauntlet
9. T1 - The Village of Hommlet
10. I2 - Tomb of the Lizard King

Discuss away as to why I am wrong (even though I know I am not).

Review of the Boot Hill Module BH3- Bullets and Ballots

BH3- Bullets and Ballots

The next Boot Hill module up for review is BH3- Bullets and Ballots. This should come as no surprise if you have been reading the blog here, and you have been reading correct? Unlike the first two modules BH3 is kinda of like a mini-campaign all in one module (but no where near what is presented in BH4- Burned Brush Wells and BH5- Range War). Bullets and Ballots takes the players on a very different ride then either of the first two modules and on a different path then almost any other module: the players take part in an election and possibily effect the outcome. I'm hard pressed to think of any other module that tackles this subject matter, let alone in the early 1980s.

Written by David James Ritchie expands on content from the box set, namely taking place in Promise City as it expands the map of the city presented. The events in Bullets and Ballots takes place shortly after the events in Tombstone to the west (i.e. the fateful Battle of the OK Corral).  BH3- Bullets and Ballots is a standard length module at 32 pages and does manage to pack into quite a bit of information into it. The expansion of Promise City means that the GM has a lot of work done for him in terms of a home base assuming the PCs decide to make the place as such.

The premise is that Promise City is as lawless as a place as one might find in Cochise County Arizona. Infamous/famous luminaries who might be found around its environs include Johnny Behan, Billy Breakenride, Ike Clanton, "Buckskin Frank" Leslie and others. As noted there are 300 individual NPCs coveed in the book further rounding out the cast of characters.

The Law and Order faction (the law abiding townsfolk) have had enough and are attempting to clean up the town. The Cowboys will have none of it. Add to this there is an election coming soon and both sides are trying to make sure they win it whatever the cost. The stakes are high as the elections are for mayor, city council, and town marshal.

The events of the module take place over a 12-week period and there is plenty to keep the PCs busy. First off they might run for an office or get behind one of the factions vying of an office. Each week public sentiment shifts based on activities related to the campaign as well as the seedier side of things should people start to be killed as as result of the campaign. There is also options for funneling money into the race (things haven't changed in over a 100 years now have they?), spreading rumors, running broadsheets and making speeches. There is even provisions for the current administration, the Civic Association to use their pull to hinder the Cowboys. Lastly there is also rules for the situation going to Hell in a hand basket. Should enough candidates be murdered the Army will eventually be sent by the Governor or at the very least Arizona Rangers will be sent to investigate/establish law and order. 

When it is all said and done the Election will take place and the actions of the PCs along with the NPCs shift public sentiment enough to determine the outcome. The great thing about this is there is no predefined outcome: the results could conceivably be different each time one plays it.

The last few pages of the module and like the other products in the line that proceed it, there are 7 scenarios that can be used as part of the module or as standalone. I do like the nods here to great Westerns giving them titles that include "Hang 'em High" and "Once upon a Time in the West".

The Art: some of the art in the module I like, some I don't. This module more so then the ones before it suffers from more in-jokes. The art and the in-jokes are a bit much throughout. While I like irreverent humor as much as the next person it leaves a lot to be desired. An example is: "Zebadiah Cook" on page 16? The art looks to be Jim Holloway. Normally I like his slightly comical stuff, even in D&D but for some reason it doesn't work in this module. The front cover has the same tooled leather look, but the picture from what I understand were based on TSR staffers Jim Roslof, Jeff Easely, Jim Holloway and Larry Elmore. I'm fine with in-jokes, but the piece for some reason doesn't resonate with me. In fact I like the module inspite of the cover, not because of it (sorta of like the opposite of N2- The Forst Oracle- I like the cover the "module" is horrific). The back cover depicting Mongo Baily is likewise trying to inspire laughs and only makes me grimace instead.

Much like the first two modules in the Boot Hill series (BH1 and BH2), BH3 is a different premise altogether. The more I get into reading each one, it's clear more then ever that the series was really a rudderless ship. Either there was no one directing it along or support happened in fits and spurts as the time arose to allocate some resources to it. I think it was probably both given all creative, or nearly so energies were being poured into D&D and AD&D.

Despite the criticisms of it, I like BH3, but one needs to everyone playing it in the right mood for some intrigue. That's not to say it can't work, just its a departure from shootouts, which I imagine at some point is probably a nice change of pace in the realm of Boot Hill gaming.

Solid 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Hurled into Eternity- Update #2

Hurled into Eternity moves out of Alpha to Beta
So for while now I've been working away on my very first RPG, and its nearing an important milestone: the end of the Alpha phase of the rules. I'm fairly confident that the rules are sound and well put together. The next step is to see about cleaning up the text as well as editing the overall effort.

For those not in the know, I created the initial rules for my game as part of a traditional fantasy game that I was to call Quest. Quest underwent numerous revisions over the years and sat dormant for even longer cycles (as I alluded to in my last post regarding this.

So here is what I expect to be the last version of Alpha as the rules now move to Beta.

If there are any folks brave enough to volunteer their time for editing please let me know.

:et it Beagle Media's first game - Hurled into Eternity

Time for a micro blog update.

Since June I've been toiling away most nights in my man cave working on my first RPG. But, the story of the RPG in question: Hurled into Eternity goes farther back then June of 2012; in fact it goes back to 1995/96. Hurled into Eternity got its start as a traditional fantasy RPG back then. I wrote the game in an on and off again fashion for years, never quite finishing Quest (as the game is called).

This year my interest in westerns was reawakened and I started to write a Boot Hill module. It quickly became apparent there are far too many holes in the 1st and 2nd editions of Boot Hill, and 3rd is a different animal altogether. So in June I started to consider writing my own game. Looking about, the western genre isn't too crowded so I went for it. Fortunately for me however I was able to reuse a ton from my unreleased game.

As of right now the game is available in its Alpha state. The rules are there, a bit rough and not edited by my editor yet, but playable.

If you are interested let me know and I can direct you to the rules. Owing to its fantasy roots I might back-port the game to Quest. They certainly worked the other way around. So in a sense I've got a game that can go from ancient times to 1920s tech fairly easily.

I'd just like to be able to go back to my 1995 self and tell me that what I was working on would first be released as a western, I probably wouldn't have believed it.

Western City Role Playing Game

 

Western City RPG – A Dusty Gem Worth Discovering

Continuing my read-through of lesser-known Western RPGs and modules, today I’m taking a look at Western City, designed by Jörg Dunne and first published in Europe back in 2006.

Before we get into it: this is an overview, not a rules deep dive.

might be a rules-light system on the surface, but it’s got enough nuance that a full breakdown would go well beyond a standard review. Just know: it’s lean, but not shallow.

How I Got It

I came into possession of Western City thanks to a good friend who scored a lot of games off eBay. He handed it to me with a shrug and said, “I’m probably never going to read this.” Challenge accepted.

It sat on my desk for a few days until I cracked it open — and then finished it in one go. That’s not too hard, since it clocks in at a digest-sized 92 pages with a clean layout and a manageable word count per page.

Presentation & Style

Let’s start with the aesthetics. Western City immediately gets a nod for its sharp cover design and internal art by Kathy Schad, which has a distinctive and appealing style — somewhat reminiscent of early Elmore, which is a plus in my book (despite what the grognards say).

The period photos, bullet-hole textures, and playing card visuals throughout reinforce the Western tone well. This isn’t the dry grit of Boot Hill — this feels more stylized, more cinematic.

Unfortunately, the translation (in my January 2008 first printing) leaves a lot to be desired. There are numerous awkward phrases and reversed quotation marks. It’s readable, but janky — a shame, because the presentation otherwise really works.

The Game Itself

Let’s clear one thing up: Western City isn’t a Western RPG in the vein of Boot Hill, Deadlands, or even Sidewinder. Instead, it’s designed for collaborative storytelling, player-driven scenes, and a gamemasterless structure. It leans more “story game” than “simulation.” Think improv theater with poker chips.

Here’s all you need to play:

• One d8
• A deck of playing cards
• Poker chips
• A dollar bill (!)

That’s it. And just to make it more impressive: it was written in 72 hours for a game design contest. If that’s true? Hats off.

Character Creation

Characters are built around three core stats:

• Body (Clubs)
• Mind (Diamonds)
• Charisma (Spades)

Players distribute points between 1–5 across these. Everyone gets 8 “Hearts”, which serve as your hit points (shades of Legend of Zelda, maybe?). No rolling — just assign points and move on.

Skills range 1–5 and are resolved with a d6. You get a pool of points to spread as you like, with difficulty based on what you’re trying to do.

From there, you assign background details, Hubris (a character flaw), and — most importantly — you create an Extra and a Foe. These characters serve as part of the supporting cast for other players’ stories. Once all players have built theirs, you use poker chips to bid and assign Extras and Foes. It’s a brilliant mechanic — ensuring everyone’s story is already entangled with everyone else’s. You’re building a shared narrative web from the jump.

Later in play, you can also introduce spontaneous Extras as needed, which keeps the story flexible and reactive.

How the Game Flows

Time is divided into three parts per day:

• Dawn
• Noon
• Dusk

Events or “Scenes” happen during those time blocks. Each player proposes a scene where their character is the star. Other players take the roles of Extras or Foes — so no one is ever just watching. Even if your character’s not in the spotlight, you’re still part of the action.

Scenes are bid on and ordered collaboratively, though if there’s strong disagreement, there’s a rule called “Not In My Town” that lets a player force a scene through. It’s all very improv-heavy — and cleverly set up to prevent players from just sitting on the sidelines.

High Noon, naturally, is where the big confrontation is most likely to take place — though it’s not locked in.

Mechanics & Design Choices

Combat, wounds, resolution — all are simple and snappy. The suits from the playing cards play a subtle mechanical role in tests and effects. It’s clever without being clunky.

One downside? Characters can’t die unless the player wants them to. For me, that’s a head-scratcher. I’m not saying every RPG has to be meat-grinder mode, but the lack of stakes takes the wind out of high tension moments. Then again, this is designed for narrative control, not tactical risk.

Optional Magic

There is an optional magic system, and it follows the same rules-light approach as the rest of the book. Personally, I’m a fan of gritty realism in Westerns, so I’d likely skip it — but if you want to inject a bit of Weird West flavor, it’s there.

Equipment? Monsters? Nope.

There are no gear lists or bestiaries. The assumption is: if it exists in a Western, it exists here. That’s either liberating or annoying depending on your comfort level with improv.

Leveling Up

No XP tables here. Players vote on experience awards based on scenes and performance — another narrative-heavy design choice that fits the game’s structure, even if it leans more “actor” than “gamer.”

Final Thoughts

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

There’s a lot to admire in Western City. The system is elegant, unique, and impressively efficient. It leans hard into collaborative, character-driven roleplay — and if you’re the type who loves improv, narrative arcs, and shared storytelling, it’s probably a 4-star (or higher) game.

But for me? I’m a role-player, not an actor. I like some structure. I like GMs. I like death being on the table. Western City is a beautifully crafted storytelling machine — but it’s not what I reach for on game night.

Still, it’s inventive, inspiring, and absolutely worth a read — especially if you’re looking to stretch beyond traditional RPG formats.

Review of the Boot Hill Module BH2- Lost Conquistador Mine

BH2- Lost Conquistador Mine as the title would suggest is the second Boot Hill module in the series for the miniatures/role-playing western game from TSR. BH2 was written by David Cook and Tom Moldvay, which is pretty cool when you think about that for a minute: respectively the principal designer for 2nd Edition Advanced Dungeons and Dragons and the editor of the Moldvay version of Dungeons and Dragons Basic working together on the same module. 

As noted on the frontispiece of the adventure was originally written as a tournament module, in this case taking place at GenCon XIII (circa 1980). Two years latter it would be resurrected as a production module. I can't say this is a bad thing, but like its Dungeons and Dragons cousins (A1-A4, which are also tournament modules) it shows signs of its origins. I've talked about it here and elsewhere on the web. I don't think these are necessarily bad ideas, just that they show their weaknesses as to what they were originally designed for. Now I could be way off on this as Boot Hill BH2 has nothing noted in terms of scoring like the A series.

To start off the review I like the graphic design. Like BH1. Lost Conquistador Mine really captures the mood of an Old West RPG. The hand tooled leather look is evocative of a leather riding saddle of boots. The module is the standard 32 pages for most TSR products at the time. The art inside is likewise good with Jeff Easley, Jim Holloway and Bill Willingham providing the majority of it by the looks.

Diving in, the introduction section is long and works under the assumption that the referee is a rookie which is not a bad thing. Next up it offers the time frame of the module as 1868, so not all weaponry is available yet. This is a nice twist in my opinion as there are some limits to note. But, before one goes any further, like BH1 there are gaps in the Boot Hill rules edifice to fill first. In this case rules for vigilantes, NPC reactions, crime and punishment, outdoor travel, dangerous animals, night fighting, telescopic sights and bronc busting. Wow that's a lot. As I previously states in my review of BH1, one could take all the extra rules in the first three Boot Hill modules and have a fairly hefty document that fills in the gaps of the ruleset. Sorry to sound like a broken record, I think the rules for 1s/2nd Edition Boot Hill are great, but definitely needed more work as an RPG.

The next part deals with the small town of Dead Mule, its buildings and inhabitants. Like BH1 there are a number of smaller events that can happen prior to getting onto the main portion of the module, namely the the Lost Conquistador Mine. In addition there is a separate key for the buildings themselves. The main hook of the adventure starts out is variation of the "a man walks into a bar handing out a mission." In this case the man is an old prospector named Dutch Jack who expires willing the PCs his belongings including a map to the Lost Mine. In way this is a also a variation of the main driver of "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" where the confederate soldier dies directly sending Blondie and Tuco on the quest for the Confederate gold. From there it's off to the outdoor/overland travel to the mine. The map is a bit of a puzzle to figure out and helps bulk out the module.

The niggling part of the outdoor sections are that they seem disjointed in the keyed encounters once the PCs are on the way to the mine. I'm not sure if this is the fault of the module or the genre in general. In the case of BH2 most of them really have nothing to do with each other. If trying to mirror a genre like a western there needs to be more consistency. Most things in a western relate to one another in some manner. This can be done poorly and it can be done in an amazing manner like the D&D Basic module O2- Blade of Vengeance. O2 does a great job because the events build on one another leading to the climax of the module. I wonder if Wild West modules patterned off of O2 would likewise be well received. The issue here is that there are Wilderness encounters that are more or less in fixed spot and then Wilderness scenarios in the manner of the town descriptions and town scenarios. I'm of a mixed mind on this as it some respects its good, but in others it could be confusing. As I reread it, the jury is still out for me.

Finally the group makes it to the eponymous mine they are confronted with a series of short caves in the overall mine proper. I wont ruin the surprise for someone who has not read this beforebt this section does not fill up much of the module. And low and behold as if the reader cant guess, yes there is gold in this module, in the "room at the end."

In the end I like BH2, but I can't give it more the 3.5 out of 5 stars. There is nothing bad about the module per say, but the Lost Conquistador Mine is but a small part of it and really series of really small caves rather then a mine. This is about as close as one gets to a "dungeon-crawl" in the TSR line of Boot Hill modules barring BH5 Range War! which I have yet to procure. Like BH1 its a good module for beginners, that's both the referee and the players. I think it also speaks to a criticism I have heard before: the designers were really unsure of what to do with the genre when you can't just sent the PCs to the local monster hotel. It also shows in the case that if the final destination of a module is a cave or dungeon-like setting you really have to think it out: you can only rely on mountain lions and bears so many times in the Old West and BH2 has both.

In the end I  recommend BH2 and if part of the "Promise City" campaign Dead Mule fits in well in the vicinity. It has some nuggets, but just like a gold mine you have to exert some muscle to get the reward.

As an aside I've been very fortunate on eBay getting my modules and paying between $5-10 per. All have been great quality with little staple rust and few if any blemishes.

Next up is either my review of Western City RPG or BH3- Bullets and Ballots. Stay tuned pardners.

Review of the Boot Hill Module BH1- Mad Mesa

Boot Hill modules were/are something of a mixed bag in a lot of ways. This is especially true when you break down the run and consider that BH1-BH5 covered two different editions over the span of 1981-1984. Now granted the structural differences between 1st and 2nd are minor, but a point none-the-less. Five modules in the span of three years, with one being a Gen Con tournament module (BH2) is not a great track record. Of course D&;D was taking off big time for TSR at the time so they rightly focused their attentions on their breadwinner; can't fault them for that.

As covered here, Boot Hill is one Hell of a game and was one of the very first RPGs written in any genre and was written by Brian Blume and Gary Gygax.  So back to the basics: 5 modules and before I get to far, I will be reviewing all of them: BH1- Mad Mesa: Mad Mesa (BH1), Lost Conquistador Mine (BH2), Ballots and Bullets (BH3), Burned Bush Wells (BH4) and Range War! (BH5). Right now I have 1-3 and just finished reading through BH3.

First off I'm a big fan of the graphical presentation of the first three modules echoing quite capably the look of tooled leather. Plus my favorite old school artist of TSR's heyday has drawn the cover: Bill Willingham! Anytime you have him and two-gun shooting its going to be good. There is also a number of his pieces throughout, that's even better. Everything about the look of the module says Old West; so mission accomplished. Another plus is the early covers look very much like the awesome Time-Life Series "The Old West". (Speaking of which I was just able to complete that entire series in one fell swoop! Woot!) Surprisingly, I like even the Jeff Dee stuff and a Erol Otus drawing here and there. For Dee his range of motion is excellent, his figures show movement well. I like his stuff better here then in D&D. The inside cover has a map of the town of Mad Mesa and the back cover a fanciful Mesa Gazette.

So onto BH1 itself. BH1 is a collaboration between Jerry Epperson and Tom Moldvay (of the Basic box sets fame). Mad Mesa is 32 pages which is pretty much standard length for a RPG module. Like some of the products that TSR was churning out at the time, Mad Mesa includes a section (and a rather large one) for solo play via the "choose your own adventure" rules. But, even before that it adds (like all Boot Hill products do) some additional rules. This can't be understated enough: as written the 1st and 2nd edition Boot Hill rules are so sparse it's not even funny, I mean the holes are large enough to drive a steam locomotive through. Mad Mesa fleshes out the sections for law and order and NPC reactions nicely in this regard. One could take the Boot Hill modules and create a supplement in order to flesh out the missing sections to the game and call it part II to Boot Hill! It's no wonder that 3rd edition Boot Hill is a much more complete system, its not that hard too do.

The starting premise for the solo play is pretty straight forward. The PC is riding, it's getting dark, and he needs a place to spend the night. Shots ring out then die off.   From there its picking numbered entries until you reach the end and successfully complete the tale.The entries are going to mean that play happens fairly quickly. The main purpose is to get a sense of how Boot Hill plays as system and allow the referee (they were called GM's yet) a chance to ply his trade without any plays in order to get a firm grasp of the game.

The multi-play section borrows from the solo section. It relies on the main NPC catalyst  "Uncle Zeke" being related to one of the PCs to get things moving. This in itself is not bad, because in Westerns RPGs, interactions with NPCs really, really matter, more so then fantasy RPGs. Why is that so?  It becomes apparent in terms of Boot Hill and western modules in general in how they divert from a traditional dungeon crawl RPG. Westerns are not so much location (a wizard's tower, a dungeon, a cave with monsters is to traditional fare) as they are character interaction driven. Westerns are not reliant on humans in funny suits ("monsters") for the ease of the variety they provide.  What BH1 does is give the referee a bare bones plot to go from and then adds encounters to use to further round out the expeirence. In a way being a referee in Boot Hill seems a tougher order of magnitude then being a Dungeon Master in Dungeons and Dragons.

The 5 1/4 pages that comprise the multi-play section are good in my opinion as again the referee is going to need to a fast thinker. Most have some way to connect to each other and almost all of them have a tie into the solo play section. The Kane-Russell Cattle War could go on for months/years of game time. Of course many of these hooks could lead into nothing more then excuses to fling TNT and blaze away with six guns, nothing wrong with that by my estimation.

I've only recently  have really gotten into the Western RPg scene, but using Mad Mesa would work quite well as a Village of Homlet or a Keep on the Borderlands type module for those not up to speed with the game itself. The great part is that its a town keeps the main focus small in terms of scope although the cast of NPCs can be sprawling. Later the referee can broaden the appeal and scope as the players and their characters become more established.

If I were to use BH1, I'd probably set it in a more "mythical" Old West rather then the actual historical Old West. That is not to say a Weird West however. I think that is one area where modern western RPGs fail is they fall back to "six guns and sorcery" because its difficult to structure adventures that aren't a typical dungeon crawl and are more ropleplay driven.

Out of 5 stars I give it 3.5 as there are no real flaws with it, but no really deep hooks to make it stand out. It relies (as does the Boot Hill rules) on the talents of the referee to bring it to fruition. The closest comparison for Boot Hill is at its heart more akin to Chainmail then it is to D&D. In summary: I like it, it looks good and is an  useful module in my estimation but not a barn burner.

I should add my next review might be the Western City RPG before  BH2- Lost Conquistador Mine as I've also been reading through the Western RPG from Mongoose Publishing/Redbrick which I received as a gift. It's a pretty neat system but not one I'm sure I'd use; more on that at a later point.
How about the folks out there? Anyone actually play this? better yet "back in the day?"