In the Dungeons of the Slave Lords

Advanced Dungeons and Dragons Module #A4

by Schick

Game book

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

28 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1981

Reviews

[Louis Norton · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting concept for this tournament module, in which the players start with essentially no equipment or spells and have to scrounge in the dark to survive. Several options for escaping the labyrinth exist and a careful, smart party might make it out with most members alive. However, it is hard to see how they could survive some of the "outdoor" encounters and escape successfully all the way out of the module. Still, it is better than its predecessors in concept and would make an interesting challenge module.

[Kevin · Rating 3 out of 5]

reading these old modules is a trip

[Ken · Rating 4 out of 5]

Do you remember the Star Trek episode where Kirk is alone and unarmed on a planet and has to collect the ingredients for gunpowder to defeat the alien? This adventure reminds me of that, where the party starts almost naked, in the dark, and has to navigate an underworld labyrinth and acquire weapons, spells, light, and other useful items to make their escape. Then they have to come up with a way off a burning island, and maybe, just maybe, get their revenge on the Slave Lords once and for all. I'll be running it for the first time in a little under two weeks, and I can't wait! The one problem I foresee is that it can be quite lethal in places, so I'll have to have extra characters ready to hand out.

[Ross Kitson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The final module in the A (Aerie) series is one of the best. As with the prior 3 modules this was derived from Tournament play, specifically the final part for those teams who won the semi-final of A3.
The players begin as prisoners dumped in a cave system with no equipment, armour, or clothes and a slightly contrived but fun depletion of spells for clerics and magic users. All is not lost as their spy friend from A3 has managed to throw them down a few scrolls (which they can't read initially as it's pitch black). They then have a race against time (volcano erupting) to escape from the caves.
What I liked was the concept of stripping away all the PCs kit and making them rely on ability and intellect. I liked the rules detail for darkness and going underwater, and how threats were suddenly different stripped of equipment. The idea of kobolds being dangerous when you only have a sand cosh or lump of stalactite to wield!
Despite its 'railroad' start the module is more free form than others in the series. There are three routes out and when on the surface an island in chaotic meltdown. The main goal is then to escape the island, the preferred way (for dramatic purpose) being a dockside dustoff with the surviving slave lords. There's some help, and likely chance to re-equip with at least some armour, weapons, and support spells, before that.
Despite some silliness (not uncommon in early DnD modules) I felt this to be a good adventure, if somewhat shorter gameplay wise than the predecessors. Wouldn't suit every set of players but I think most would enjoy.

[Chris Sudall · Rating 3 out of 5]

Probably the best in the series. Some interesting monsters introduced, namely Myconids and Cave Fishers. It's a small and pretty limited region in the dungeon but quite fun. The final part of escaping is a bit wooly and not really interesting.
Overall it's been a vaguely interesting read, but I don't think I would play this series if I still played D&D.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun quadrology of dungeons and adventures.

[Todd · Rating 3 out of 5]

The same reason that this module gets praised -- taking away all the party's gear, spells, etc and forcing them to escape using only their wits -- is exactly why I'm not excited about this module. It's a gimmick that punishes players that worked hard for that gear. Magic Users in particular get screwed, as they have no spells memorized, and (due to the nature of the class) are the weakest and most fragile in the party.

The fact that they have a time table to escape (due to then island's volcano erupting etc etc) is good to keep the party moving at a good clip, but again that is using an external mechanism to motivate the party vice relying on the players to know what they need to do on their own.

Meh.

[David Winston · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good adventure!

[Jeremy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Classic tournament adventure from the early to mid first edition era.
The module assumes a party size that was more common in that era (6-8 plus retainers/hirelings) though.