The Keep on the Borderlands, Caves of Chaos

[Blood axe]

Greetings fellow adventurers,

If you are an old time RPG veteran, you know about or have played this adventure. Id like to hear about your experiences & opinion. I was actually working on an updated version for LL, with a few changes & a bit more details. But someone seems to have beaten me to it. Ive discovered "The Shadowed Keep on the Borderlands". I think even Hackmaster has a version.


Thanks!

[Scalydemon]

It was one of my 1st experiences with D&D back when I was a young whipper snapper. It seemed awesome and expansive back then and I had alot of fun with it as a player.

I have never actually DMed it, but while it has alot of cool ideas and areas, it is a bit of a 'monster factory'. If you were looking to 'improve' or modify it that might be something worth trying to fix, is having the mix of monsters fit together and have some sort of reason for being there

[Blood axe]

Its very basic, lacking in detail.
Like :
Guardroom
4 Kobolds with spears,etc,etc.

Not much flavor. Great for "back in the day", but can use some improving to be brought up to todays standards.

[Black Wyvern]

I have been working on getting ready to run this adventure for a group of twenty somethings that had never heard of it. I actually decided to break up the caves and plant them all over the map rather than run them all together, as much for survivability as for reality. I have posted the maps I did this with in the mapmaking forum here. I have not yet had the opportunity to run it yet, with my current configuration.

I think the lack of flavor is awesome when running B2. A DM is left to add flavor. It is a great sandbox. You can either let your characters explore it or throw out hooks. I use a lot of rescue missions, when running it. B2 is great for that, plus it sets them up to charge in and rescue the "girl" later on. I unfortunately have only run it, never played.

This is by far my favorite module, but you have to get kids to play to find someone that isn't familiar, and 5th editions playtest has ruined that.

[Blood axe]

I add details to the rooms & encounters. Guards playing dice or drinking, etc. I have the different tribes in the caves feuding & stealing from each other. They are the Caves of Chaos.....

[Black Wyvern]

They are the Caves of Chaos, but many a group has proved they are the caves of tpk as well. I left a few of the cave near each other, the connected ones. I am not sure how it is going to go, it may not feel like B2, we will see. Looks like it is going to be a couple months before I get the chance to run it.

I think there are about as many reimaginings of KotB as there are retro-clones, but don't let that stop you Blood axe. It is an awesome module and deserves lots of love. I can't wait to see what you come up with.

[Blood axe]

Thanks! I dont plan any huge changes. I just think its sad that new players dont have any experience with this old classic.

[greyarea]

They are the Caves of Chaos, but many a group has proved they are the caves of tpk as well.

I'm pretty sure B2 was the first module I ever played and was part of my introduction to DnD. Great stuff.

I'm not sure it needs updating, any DM worth his salt can add flavor, but I also don't think updating it would hurt.

I do think that if you're going to update the module, as a whole, there are a lot of areas that can be improved upon beyond the actual Caves of Chaos.

[Blood axe]

Well I am open to suggestions. Its especially helpful if you have a copy & have experience with the adventure.

[austrodavicus]

This is my sentimental all-time favourite module, being the first module I ever owned and played (came with my Holmes rulebook). Personally I love the brevity of the module and for me it is the ideal against which I measure all other modules. It is written in such a way that any DM can make it his own thing. I would see any beefing up of the descriptive text as detracting from one of the strengths of this module. Rather than fluffing it up with extra detail, I think the addition of some random tables (dungeon dressing, etc.), along with some newbie DM advice to make the adventure sing (rather than just be a hack'n'slash) would be all that is required to "improve" the module.