Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh

Advanced Dungeons and Dragons Module #U1

by Dave J. Browne, Don Turnbull

In The Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh, the PCs investigate an abandoned mansion on a cliff, where mysterious lights have been seen recently. 32-page booklet and cover with fold-out map.

This printing is distinguished by the ISBN only on the back cover.

Genres: Role Playing Games, Fantasy, Dungeons and Dragons, Gaming, Games, Fiction

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1980

Reviews

[Jason Koivu · Rating 4 out of 5]

*** YO! THERE'S SPOILERS ALL UP IN THIS HIZZY! ***

The Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh has Scooby Doo stank all over it!

The title alone is killer, but it's this adventure's setting that puts it over the top: a desolate and abandoned evil alchemist's mansion sitting on a cliff overlooking the sea, where mysterious lights and ghostly hauntings have kept the locals away. Who's behind the hauntings? And would he have gotten away with it if it weren't for those meddling kids?!



The Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh was a gaming accessory for Dungeons & Dragons meant for novice players with entry level characters. As such, the amount of danger here is relatively low. Centipedes and rats don't exactly stir up one's blood. However, in D&D a handful of burrowing grubs or a nest of giant ants could spell doom for a group of inexperienced players controlling weak characters.

Little pitfalls and secrets to unearth play just as much a role in this one. It was definitely big on atmosphere, and a creative and colorful Dungeon Master (game referee) willing and able to play up the spooky aspects, and play it to the hilt, could do wonders with The Sinister Secret....

Just like when Scooby and the gang come to the end of each episode and discover the truth behind the mystery, here too the action picks up as the haunted house facade is unveiled, the baddies are unmasked and it turns out it was all just a front for a smuggling operation!

Once the mystery is solved, the game goes into a part two of sorts in which the group is tasked with raiding a pirate ship. The adventure becomes more fantastical at this point, with a little dragon and an aquatic elf popping up, two creatures who may or may not help the players, it just depends on how the players interact with them. I always liked when these adventures included potential allies. Nothing was more boring than hacking and slashing your way through sword fodder from beginning to end. Allies and newly-met strangers brought in another dimension to the game that made it seem more life-like.

As a game Sinister Secret was so-so. I'll give it 3.5 stars. It gets extra credit for its colorful details. The maps and illustrations that came with it are great! And as a whole it made an okay start for a D&D campaign. Even better though, this was the beginning of a series that similarly had to do with seaside adventures where water was an important element, a rare thing in a world mostly lived in the underground lairs of ghoulish beasties.

[Ken · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice introductory module. There's a lot to like here; the creepy house is fun to explore, unmasking criminals is always fun, and executing a hostile takeover of a smuggling ship is very suspenseful and really engages the players to work as a team. There are, however, several huge plot holes. Number one, the module makes no mention of how the smuggled goods are making their way to the merchant who profits by them. Nor does it mention where these goods get sold. Conceivably, the party should be able to untangle the chain beginning at the merchant's end and follow it back to the house. The town council asks the party to look into the seaside operation, but doesn't think to investigate its own markets! Number two, the whole weapon-running operation for the lizardmen ... what? Lizardman are better in combat using their natural claw/claw/bite routine than using weapons. So the whole backstory doesn't really work. Last, not a plothole, but I'll mention that the mysterious alchemist came to his end because of ... a heart attack? Kind of cries out for a more 'sinister secret', don't you think?

[Stephen Simpson · Rating 5 out of 5]

It very much has a Scooby Doo flavor to it, but this is has long been my favorite entry-level module. There are some very typical 1st edition quirks (things hidden in places no sane person would check, a few things that are arguably unfairly dangerous for a 1st level party, etc.), but those can be changed and the basic story is very solid.

[Ross Kitson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can remember U1 from back in the 80s when our group often played typical dungeon modules like White Plume Mountain or Keep on the Borderlands and we had a go at this atypical adventure. As a teen I found it slow but stylish: it felt more like an adventure for a historical RPG rather than the usual heroic fantasy of AD&D.
I ran it decades later for my kids (and indeed went onto U2 and U3) and appreciated it's design more. Though Level 1-3 it's not a good beginner module as it takes definite skill to DM and engaged perhaps more experienced players. There's a fair chunk of text about the two parts of the module, tips on running it, and lots to promote the realism and tactics of the smugglers.
The premise of the module is an investigation of a seemingly haunted house near a fishing village which is discovered to be the base for smugglers. The second half is a raid on a ship. It's all very atmospheric and very well written, with careful thought behind it, which characterised many of the UK modules that were to follow.
Definitely one of the best of its time, with a good story-based adventure that allowed some wiggle room how players could go through it. Not dissimilar to Pharoah in marking that transition from modules that described settings with little story to story driven adventures (classically like Ravenloft, and Dragonlance).

[Dru · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my "go to" first adventure for every gaming group I've run since this module was published. Without a doubt just the RIGHT mix of problem solving and bad-guy fighting. Highly recommended!

[Juho Pohjalainen · Rating 4 out of 5]

As many have already pointed out, this one's basically Scooby Doo in D&D. But there's one key difference here: all the monsters and ghosts and curses, all of that stuff, actually exists in the world. It's probably what the player characters have been led to expect coming in. So it being just a bunch of regular old smugglers is a funny twist - and works even better in-universe because all the townsfolk probably also knew to take it seriously.

It's not the best or the most memorable of the lot but it has withstood the test of time pretty well, and the meta-twist helps too. I'd run this for a party of literal children daring each other to go explore the spooky house.

[Joel Jenkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

This adventure module was published in 1981, a bit after my initial introduction to Dungeons and Dragons and so it flew under my radar, whereas the Gary Gygax Giant and Drow modules were the standards. This is a combined haunted house/sea smugglers adventure and looks as though it could be a lot of fun to play even if it lacks some of the verve (or perhaps nostalgia) of the Gygax modules.

[Matthew RC · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve never run or played this one. Looks like it might be a fun little module for a group of brand new pc’s. Definitely different than the average dungeon crawl. Has a “meddling kids” kind of feel to it.

[Mouse · Rating 3 out of 5]

By itself not one of the better 1st ed modules, definitely sort of forgettable, other than the title which seems to flow off the tongue.

I recently used it along with the 5e module Ghosts of Saltmarsh. It’s amazing how chintzy and stingy some of the 5e adventures are, they just don’t like giving out much. So I used this old module to help add a little flavor and loot to my 5e Saltmarsh game.
Saltmarsh is a great game setting and using this along with the DMG II (3rd ed) gives it a lot more oomph.

[Marc Manley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this as a kid.

[Dru · Rating 5 out of 5]

Probably THE best intro module ever made. It is my "go-to" module for starting any new campaign, provided players haven't already seen it.