[Edit -6/9/2014] It appears that the adventure will only be inspired by B10 Night's Dark Terror and not actually include it. The actual adventure is Lost Mine of Phandelver. I didn't double check the information before I started writing and went off what I thought I heard rather than what was actually said. My apologies for misleading anyone.
Over the weekend it was announced that the module being used with the new edition's Starter Set is B10 Night's Dark Terror (which you can currently get for $4.99 in pdf). As an introductory adventure to showcase the new edition it's a good choice. The module takes place in a wilderness setting and is a great way to teach Dungeon Masters how to run one of the more difficult aspects of the game: wilderness encounters. Additionally, in the original module there were new charts for simulating weather conditions, new monsters, and 18 different adventure locations to explore which provided a vast array of opportunities for adventures that didn't occur in a 10 X 10 room with a single orc guarding a chest filled with rags and hate.
I never had the opportunity to play the original module when it was released but I did happen to find a copy a few years ago in a bargain bin at a local used bookstore, and looking through the adventure today I find myself intrigued by the idea of using this module for the new edition. There is a lot of potential for this module to provide my group with a far reaching and ever expanding arena to explore without locking them into a dungeon where their options are limited.
Without a doubt there will be changes made between the original edition and the one appearing in the Starter Set. Naturally the rules will be modified to reflect the differences in between the editions, but we can also expect the setting of the module to change. The original took place in Mystara, which given the current emphasis on the Forgotten Realms will almost certainly no longer be the case. But will that be the end of the changes for this module? Will Wizards expand their changes and alter more events within to reflect their Tyranny of the Dragons storyline? If they did would you even notice?
You may want to go double check, but what I recall reading was that the module for the Starter Set is "inspired" by Night's Dark Terror. I would totally imagine a complete rewrite, using some of the cool aspects of that module, like wilderness encounters and various plot hooks. I've read the module before, quite some time ago, and it is definitely a really good adventure, very well written.
ReplyDeleteDamn it. I hate when that happens. :(
DeleteIt's all good brother! :)
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DeleteI know nothing about this (and little to nothing about the 5th Edition stuff in general), but I have to agree with Jim. It would seem REALLY odd to me to include a previously released module of no particular grandeur in your new 'Sorry-We-Made-4th-Edition' game.
ReplyDeleteIt would be something new, with perhaps a homage to the old module to show that, "Hey, we didn't forget you fans of the old crap. Look, we care enough to make an obscure adventure reference."
Yeah, I misunderstood Mike during the Q&A. He was pretty clear that it was only inspired by Night's Dark Terror. I made a mistake.
DeleteThat's just it Barking Alien, this is one of the better old school modules out there. It has a good story behind it, and it really does a good job of keeping everyone interested. That's one of the reasons why a lot of people are excited about the starter set adventure being inspired by it. They made a good choice, says a fan of the old crap who got the obscure adventure reference. ;)
Delete^^ Winner!
DeleteGoing to have to take your word for it fellows. Never even heard of this one (the B series went to 10?).
DeleteIf I had to venture a guess, I'd assume this came out well after I stopped playing D&D regularly. Thing is, I don't recall anyone bringing it up during our nostalgic rants about the old days.
What was the gist? What made it cool?
I actually think it went to twelve. I never played the B series. :[
DeleteMy memory is very hazy, because it's been quite a long time, but the majority of the module were wilderness encounters spread out over a huge area, and the vast majority of them were all tied into the Iron Ring society of bad guys. A city to explore, some dungeons, and a ton of new monsters. It's just very, very well done, and though you can argue it's not a sandbox, it has a very sandbox feel because of massive area involved. Even though you don't play D&D, you could pick it up and adapt it to the fantasy system of your choice fairly easily I believe.
DeleteNo harm, no foul. It sounded cool enough. :)
ReplyDelete--Dither
Thanks Dither!
DeleteI had never heard of The Hunger Games when I saw the first trailers. I remember talking excitedly with my wife, "it looks like Battle Royale With Vampires! Decadent vampire society forces human cattle to fight for the privilege of being Embraced! Vampires are able to maintain their numbers while ensuring that each new vampire sees humans as beneath them! And they can explore vampire politics and!"
DeleteAnd then my wife calmly explained the reality that what I had just described was far more interesting than the actual book. xD
--Dither
That's exactly how my wife described Twilight to me. You can imagine why I didn't talk to her for the rest of the night after we went to watch it.
DeleteYou know, I knew what I was getting into when I went to see the first Twilight film, and I kind of laughed my way through the pain. But it was bad enough in the right kind of way that it was funny.
DeleteBut the second one -- it was so boring I swear I had a stroke or something. I couldn't remember anything that happened for more than a couple minutes at a time, and I tasted bile. I couldn't even laugh at Twilight 2.
I think of it like my own "T2," 'cause my world ended a little.
--Dither
Best Comment EVAR!
DeleteYou're worth it. ;)
Delete--Dither