NOTE: Way back in 2011 I reviewed the entire Slavers series on Dragonsfoot. As I now improve my blog, I'm moving all my content from around the web to here. This is the second review in the A Series for AD&D.
A4 - In the Dungeons of the Slave Lords
By Lawrence Schick
An adventure for characters levels 4-7
Closing out the A-series is A4- In the Dungeons of the Slave Lords, written by Lawrence Schick. Like its predecessor, it comes in at 28 pages and sports a fantastic cover by Erol Otis.
Like the previous three modules, A4 is written by yet another author. Looking through the credits for the entire series, you see many of the same names, but everyone seems to have traded roles from one module to the next. Coupled with the fact that these adventures all began life as tournament modules, it helps explain why the series sometimes feels less cohesive than it could have been. That is not to say I enjoy it any less, but I do think it accounts for some of the inconsistencies.
After harrying the Slave Lords' operations throughout A1, A2, and A3, the player characters finally reach the moment of truth. Or rather, that moment has already passed. Stripped of their equipment, deprived of most of their spells, and dumped into the Slave Lords' dungeon, they now have to survive with little more than their wits. Even today that is a memorable opening. At the time, it had to be one of the most original adventure hooks TSR had published. The only comparable shock opener that comes to mind is Vecna Lives!
So there you are. No weapons. No armor. No light. Nothing except a spell scroll that you cannot immediately use because you cannot even read it.
Schick does a good job explaining how to run this unusual situation and how the lack of equipment should affect the players. Mapping becomes almost impossible, which fortunately is not a major issue since the dungeon itself is fairly compact. Because the module predates the Survival Guides and nonweapon proficiencies, some of the mechanics require a bit of hand waving. Running it with later AD&D rules smooths over a few rough edges, but also makes parts of the escape a little easier than originally intended.
Fortunately, the dungeon is littered with odds and ends that resourceful players can turn into makeshift equipment. Rusty daggers, bone clubs, and other scraps are hardly impressive, but they are better than bare hands.
The darkness itself creates an interesting challenge for the Dungeon Master. Without being able to rely on the players seeing a map, the DM has to carefully describe every turn, intersection, and direction of travel. It demands more attention than a typical dungeon.
One part I have never bought, however, is the explanation regarding infravision. According to the text, every part of the dungeon and every inhabitant is effectively the same temperature.
Riiiiight....
The dungeon inhabitants are varied enough to keep things interesting. There is a struggling kobold tribe, an unusually weak will-o-wisp, giant crayfish, giant crabs, cave fishers, and a peaceful colony of myconids who seem content to sit around singing "Kumbayah" in their fungus forest.
The kobolds deserve special mention. They are not much of a threat, but they add something often missing from early TSR dungeons, namely a sense of ecology. They have clearly been driven deeper underground and are slowly dying out, making the dungeon feel like a living place rather than simply a collection of monsters waiting in rooms.
Exactly which route the party takes through the dungeon depends largely on how they solve a handful of obstacles.
Area 19 is probably the easiest escape route, although getting there requires crossing the infamous twenty-foot chasm in Area 18. Players can either attempt a dangerous climb two hundred feet down and back up again or, as my group did years ago, steal the bridge from Area 8 after dealing with the giant ants.
Area 21 is probably the next best option, though the cave fishers make escaping that way a nerve-racking proposition. Three cave fishers firing at lightly equipped characters is no joke.
Area 10 is probably the hardest route since it requires an underwater swim. If memory serves, the expanded map in A1-4: Scourge of the Slave Lords makes this section much easier to understand.
Regardless of which exit the players choose, they emerge onto the island about halfway between the volcano and the docks. The underwater route places them closest to the harbor if they follow the shoreline.
Once outside, most groups will naturally head for the docks.
If they escaped through Area 19, they will almost certainly encounter the looters marked as Area D on the island map. Those uniforms can prove surprisingly useful later, at least they certainly did when my group played through the adventure years ago.
Running into the giant goats could be entertaining. The fire lizard is considerably less so. As for the giant snapping turtle in Area B, I would rather admire it from a distance than experience its 3 to 18 point bite firsthand.
Notes
For my money, A4 has the best artwork in the entire series, with only A3 coming close. The combination of Erol Otis and Jim Roslof is pure old-school TSR gold.
Being a lifelong James Bond fan, I also cannot help thinking this entire setup violates the Evil Overlord List. If you really want to eliminate your enemies, there are much faster and more efficient ways than stripping them naked and tossing them into a dungeon full of monsters.
One oddity I noticed concerns the dungeon map. Two locations are marked "See Detail Map," but unless my secondhand copy is missing a page, those detail maps simply do not exist. It is hardly a major issue, but it is another small inconsistency. EDIT: I believe there is errata for it somewhere or it was fixed in the Super Module A1-4.
Strengths
The adventure's greatest strength is its premise. Taking everything away from the players forces them to rely on ingenuity rather than equipment. Even experienced groups suddenly become cautious because every rusty dagger suddenly matters.
Another overlooked strength is the Slave Lords themselves. Between A3 and A4, we are introduced to a full roster of memorable villains. More importantly, the series provides enough background material to use the Slave Lords as recurring campaign antagonists rather than one-shot villains.
Suderham also deserves another mention. Despite my criticisms of A3, I still think it has the potential to become an outstanding campaign city. In fact, I have seriously considered making it the centerpiece of a future Castles & Crusades campaign, albeit with a larger map.
Among the dungeon encounters, my favorites are Areas 17 and 21. Any module featuring a roper immediately earns points from me, and placing one at the junction of two tunnels creates an excellent choke point. The Cave of Bats is another standout encounter, helped considerably by the fantastic illustration on page one.
My favorite section of the module, however, comes after the dungeon.
 |
| Suderham in flames! |
The real magic begins once the volcano erupts and the island descends into complete chaos. Lava, poison gas, magmen, terrified refugees, and panicked mobs all combine to create a wonderfully desperate atmosphere. The docks, in particular, capture the feeling perfectly. Looking over the illustrations while reading those pages gives a genuine sense that everything is collapsing around the players.
The Water Dragon is another excellent touch. The surviving Slave Lords are wounded, hurriedly preparing to flee, and trying to salvage what remains of their operation. It feels desperate, chaotic, and entirely believable.
One amusing thought always crosses my mind, though.
The players finally reclaim their equipment, defeat the Slave Lords, seize the galley, and celebrate their escape.
Then the Dungeon Master asks one simple question.
"So...uhhhh...who knows how to sail a galley?"
Cue the sound of crickets...
Weaknesses
The biggest weakness is also one inherited from A3.
For the adventure to function exactly as written, the entire party must be captured at the end of A3. I have never been particularly fond of the explanation that Mordrammo conveniently resurrects dead player characters simply so the adventure can continue. Personally, I would rather introduce replacement characters in the dungeon itself than rely on that amount of narrative hand waving.
Then there is the back cover.
What on earth is that vampire doing there?
I have read this module numerous times and still cannot connect that illustration to anything inside. Since it is by Bill Willingham, I am willing to forgive it, but it remains a mystery.
And while we are discussing the cover...
Pink?
Really?
The largest issue, however, is the inconsistency between A3 and A4 regarding the Slave Lords themselves.
In A3, we are presented with five Slave Lords while repeatedly being told Suderham is the City of the Nine.
Fast forward to A4, where we are informed that six Slave Lords survived the earthquake.
Unless my math has gotten considerably worse over the years, five plus six equals eleven.
So what happened?
Did the Slave Lords practice hot-bunking like sailors? Did some have to stand during meetings because there were only nine thrones? Were there emergency promotions after the events of A3?
More likely, it was simply an editing oversight.
It is hardly a deal breaker, but once you notice it, you cannot help smiling every time you reread the series.
Closing Thoughts
As written, A4 is an excellent adventure built around one of the most original premises TSR ever produced. By taking away the party's equipment, the module forces players to rely on their own ingenuity instead of simply reaching for another magic item.
Once they finally escape the dungeon, the adventure never really lets up. The race across an island collapsing into volcanic chaos provides a fitting conclusion to the series and keeps the pressure on right to the end.
My only real reservation lies in the transition from A3 into A4, which requires a fair amount of Dungeon Master intervention for the setup to work smoothly.
Even so, I highly recommend A4.
Run your players through it. If they are willing to embrace the challenge rather than complain about losing their equipment, they are likely to remember it for years.
I'd be interested to hear your thoughts on it.
NOTE: the original review on Dragonsfoot can be found here.
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