I was very interested in this module for two reasons. Firstly, it seemed like a cry back to the Keep on the Borderlands both in scope and scenario. There's room for more modules like Gygax's classic, and having a good free one to direct new DMs towards would have been wonderful. Secondly, I have my own AD&D 1e game and although I am determined to make use of old notes, the dungeon I have on paper is really more suitable for PCs around 6th level. Cold Drake Canyon looked like a possible time-saver.
That initial enthusiasm didn't survive the first read through, although mostly that's for stylistic reasons. My little outburst was directed more or less directly at Pinnell, who saw fit to tell the reader twenty times in twelve pages that they were free to make changes. I don't really care for other authors who belabour the point, but this takes the cake! However, as I realise that these notes are well-intentioned and no doubt stem from a healthy streak of humility, I will set that aside and try to review the module's content objectively.
Cold Drake Canyon comes in at a total of seventeen pages: the cover, twelve pages of mixed text and small maps, and a four page map of a dwarven stronghold. The stronghold map is excellent! It's clean and easy to read, my main concerns for presentation. Better yet, the structure of the site should present some modest mapping challenges while still giving multiple navigation routes. Unfortunately the main wilderness map isn't of the same high quality - it could have done with being higher resolution, even if this required giving it a full page in the module - but is still legible and useful, especially with the extra small detail maps that show the key locations. Pinnell has also provided location maps describing the West Keep and its major buildings, some of which have slightly lower resolution than I'd prefer.
Despite the excellence of the module's maps, I can't help feeling that Cold Drake Canyon has fallen short of Pinnell's ambitions. The background provided focuses on the trading relationships between the human domain (represented by West Keep) and the dwarven hold of Silverstone. However, the reader is told:
Needless to say, this isn't entirely satisfactory. There are classic modules, such as the Lost City, that leave the DM with the task of fleshing out a story and with some tools for turning a presented adventure into a campaign. Cold Drake Canyon doesn't do this. The obvious direction of the adventure is towards Silverstone and the DM has been provided with a map (one of the module elements Pinnell stresses is purely optional) but next to nothing else. Pinnell doesn't even clearly say what he thought happened to the hold, the idea that presumably guided his design of the scenario.Much of the history of the canyon revolves around this colony of dwarves, their mining activities, their withdrawal from the surface world, and contact with humans. It is a rich and extensive history that cannot be fully developed by me; you, the DM, will be running this mini-setting, and will need to create the bulk of it.
On the other hand, West Keep is fairly well-detailed. There's no precise listing of treasure in the Keep - a pity, because it would otherwise be possible to use this site as the main adventure location without any more work - but the solid maps and NPCs descriptions are mostly useful. The list of rumours and notes as to where the party might come into contact with these stories are a good idea, and even if the DM decides to depart from Pinnell's hints for what might have happened to Silverstone the rumours are all things that could be believed. There is an irksome suggestion that the level of the keep's guards is dependant upon the level of the party - what sense does this make? - but it's easily overlooked. Also on the level of taste is the NPC "Auntie T", a character that Pinnell seems convinced will be highly entertaining to play groups. In fact, he goes so far as to recommend drawing up an entirely new character class just for this character - although no such class is included in Cold Drake Canyon.
The balance of the module is descriptions of different canyon locations. Some, such as the road and ferry crossing leading to West Keep are serviceable. (Although I do wonder how the ferryman and his assistant have survived that encounter table through their careers!) Two are particularly good: area 9 presents a change of pace, while area 12 shows that Pinnell can execute the "I left this bit unfinished" with aplomb. Sadly, the other locations are a mix of the short-comings already detailed. They generally lack background, come with too little detail to run without further preparation, and sometimes recommend making the ecology of the canyon dependant upon the party level. These locations are also no substitute for the missing "main site" of the adventure.
I have mixed feelings summing up on Cold Drake Canyon. It is a disappointment, and the presence of some good components lends the impression of an unfinished work. Although Pinnell has said that this is not really an "adventure module" but some other thing - a "skeleton" on which a DM can establish the flesh of their campaign - the author also claims that Cold Drake Canyon is fit for bringing characters from 1st to somewhere between 5th and 8th level. It is not fit for this purpose without considerable work on the part of the DM. Accordingly, my rating is 1/5. That said, the module contains some good individual components and these could be used for a campaign.
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