Notes on playing b2 keep on the borderlands blogger. Jan 26, 2014 b2 keep on the borderlands is likely the adventure that most home brewed adventures aspired to be in the 1980s and certainly still informs many of the modules written today. A podcast about not playing rpgs, where amazing things may or may not happen. B2 the keep on the borderlands the neverwinter vault. I changed up a few details in the module to make it more of a conspiracy and leadup to an invasion of the keep by the creatures of chaos being staged at the caves. Having escaped the goblin lair, our heroes arrive at the keep on the borderlands. The main dungeon is the keep, a welldetailed, sitebased adventure. First of all, i would need to ask the guard to open the main gate so that i could enter or leave the keep, which makes sense ofc, however my character didnt shout at the guard outside when i wanted to leave the keep. Asthetically pleasing, balanced and well thought out. B2 the keep on the borderlands basic this module includes a cover folder with maps and a. Keep on the borderlands is the sixth of the greyhawk classics novels. If you are using a modern operating system like windows 7 or 8, it is best to avoid installing to the program files directory, as those operating systems may not allow unrestricted access there. Starting with 3e it became really hard to use old content, because the style of play had really changed from many small encounters to several meatier choreographed adventures.
Designed to be easily inserted into a gms home campaign, shadowed keep on the borderlands is an excellent starting locale to test the mettle of neophyte adventurers. Keep on the borderlands adaptation ive played thus far. Shadowed keep on the borderlands is a pathfinder roleplaying game compatible adventure for four 1st. Factions in the dungeon february 11th, 2011 in rerunning the megadungeon i talked about how to keep a dungeon complex fresh by restocking the room key and using wandering monster tables as a form of lowtech procedural content generation. Hackmaster b2 little keep on the borderlands dungeons. I just recently finished running the keep on the borderlands. Ive played it once but i have not run it and after talking to some of my group ive been feeling like i should give it another chance. The default location as defined by the keep on the borderlands is c. The keep on the borderlands went out of print in the early 1980s, but has been reprinted two times.
The keep on the borderlands rpg item boardgamegeek. This b2 the keep on the borderlands conversion guide allows dms to run. Return to the keep on the borderlands is a remake of b2. Better chance if he is on the road but obviously easier to spot. It has been specially designed for use by beginning dungeon masters so that they may begin play with a minimum of preparations. Adapting classic adventures like keep on the borderlands to. It was included in several printings 19791982 of the basic set, but was also available for sale separately. The keep on the borderlands by gary gygax goodreads. Perhaps the most common question asked by a beginning dungeon master is, what do i do to run a game. Pretty much gonna run it as is with my usual tweaking. A novelized version of the adventure was published in 1999 like the one for tomb of horrors, it sucks a bagfull of dicks. One of my favorite campaigns that is still running today is one thats based on this module, the game log and incharacter playbyposts can be seen here. Click download or read online button to get keep on the borderlands book now. I know that the chaos scar was considered a spiritual successor, but im interested to see if anybody ever did 4e maps and.
The keep on the borderlands, including what he feels it does right and what it does not. Gary gygax created a little bit of genius with this adventure and it continues to hold up and far surpass the stuff produced today. One thing struck me as out of character with the adventure. Shadowed keep on the borderlands campaign guide if all goes well, the party will investigate the massacre of a merchants party, explore an abandoned keep and delve into a dwarven hall. To get to the keep, speak to kregan the gatekeeper, who is in both korthos village heroic only. The premise was for player characters to arrive at a keep that would serve as their base as they investigated sprawling caverns in the nearby hills. This adventure pack comes in both a heroic level 12 variant and an epic level 2122 variant. Im running b2 right now using the holmes rules weve got a thread in. Shadowed keep on the borderlands is designed for the medium advancement track. Nov 30, 2015 managing to keep to my monday release time table somewhat. Shadowed keep on the borderlands free version raging. Keep on the borderlands download ebook pdf, epub, tuebl. An entire generation of gamers traversed the foul caves of. Necro my notes on running the keep on the borderlands.
The free version of shadowed keep on the borderlands presents the donjon of ruin portion of the adventure along with the full adventure background, introduction, hooks, relevant handouts, illustrations and so on. Return the keep on the borderlands for 2nd edition keep on the borderlands. This site is like a library, use search box in the widget to get ebook that you want. Overall i found the module more satisfying, although theres plenty of.
Has anyone done or seen a 4e conversion of the b2 keep on the borderlands module, especially the caves of chaos area. A season of serpents chapters 15 4e at restwell keep, youve heard that fortune and glory await those bold enough to brave the dangers of the chaos sc. Running keep on the borderlands with dcc i want to run keep on the borderlands with dcc and was wondering if anyone had any tips on doing so. I have decided to start with keep on the borderlands because out of every module i have ever played in or run this i the one that i always think of first when i think of old school gaming. I dont want to use basic dnd because i dont have a physical copy of that book, but i have one for dcc. And, if return to the keep on the borderlands had a light touch of greyhawk, the novel had none at all despite the branding. It was written by gary gygax and illustrated with cover art by jim roslof and interior illustrations by erol otus. The fifth episode in the shattered empire campaign. The successful party will have the option of picking an additional adventure if they choose to.
Gonna have the group make their own map of the caves. I was thinking about how to set it more deeply into mystara, for using it as a standalone adventure for my group, but also for the fun of it. I know that the chaos scar was considered a spiritual successor, but im interested to see if anybody ever did 4e maps and monster conversions for the original caves area. Tips for running encounters appear throughout the text to assist beginning dms. Sep 15, 20 i ran keep on the borderlands at oshcon last year and had an absolutely wonderful time of it. Bold adventurers from the realm set off to the borderlands to seek their fortune. It is similar in format and tone to the others in the series, where the author crafts a. Overall i found the module more satisfying, although theres plenty of caves of chaos waiting for the next session. In the caves of chaos there is an encounter in area 57 called the hall of undead. Return to the keep on the borderlands 2e wizards of. The keep on the borderlands and its installation utility.
It was not terrible, however, and had a few moments and ideas i appreciated. The borderlands await bold heroes with challenges, old and new. Were having a blast so far, but parsing the old scanned map was very difficult for me. First of all, i would need to ask the guard to open the main gate so that i could enter or leave the keep, which makes sense ofc, however my character didnt shout at the guard outside when i wanted to leave the keep, so. I think the keep is a great home base for a party to mature. Dungeon module b2 the keep on the borderlands by gary gygax introductory module for character levels b2 9034 this module includes a cover folder with maps and a complete description booklet to form a readymade scenario for. I plan to run a version of keep on the borderlands at the enworld chicago gameday on february 27th. The adventure consisted of a detailed keep, to be used as a base, and a cave complex known as the caves of chaos.
B2 keep on the borderlands is likely the adventure that most home brewed adventures aspired to be in the 1980s and certainly still informs many of the modules written today. In the caves of chaos there is an encounter in area 57 called the hall of undead warriors. My keep, fort kyntosh sits on an island where the shingas river flows into the ohoyo river outside of the town of shingas. In his latest greatest post over at lotfp, raggi does a brief analysis of the old tsr adventure module b2. B2 went through nine printings in its original form, and there are material differences between the first three printings and subsequent editions. Looking for 4e keep on the borderlandscaves of chaos. So far, my conversion is coming along well especially considering i cant find my copy of the original module and had to use a fantasy hero pdf. Dungeon magazine ranked it 7th in 2004, but its a contender for most nostalgic.
If you were to liven up or change the keep on the borderlands, how. B2 the keep on the borderlands was included in the 19791982 editions of the basic set. The keep on the borderlands odds are, your first tabletop roleplay encounter was dungeons and dragons, keep on the borderlands so is it the best module ever. Keep on the borderlands is a conversion of paper and pencil module written by gary gygax, first published by tsr in 1979.
Ive played it once but i have not run it and after talking to some of my group ive been feeling like i. In it, player characters are based at a keep and investigate a nearby series of caves that are filled with a variety of monsters. The original keep on the borderlands kotb was a straight dungeon crawl with essentially zero plot, atmosphere, or character development. The return to the keep on the borderlands 1999 is notorious in. Professor dungeonmaster demonstrates how to run a sandbox. Aug 11, 2011 for those who missed it, james raggi is a genius. This b2 the keep on the borderlands conversion guide allows dms to run the original module with 5th edition rules. Then i have found that already exist a lot of material on. So far, my conversion is coming along well especially considering i cant find my copy of the original module and had to use a fantasy hero pdf and a 3e conversion document. A season of serpents for 4th edition what i do not like about keep on the borderlands.
An overview of the keep the keep garrison approaching the keep running the gauntlet. Dungeon module b2, the keep on the borderlands ftp directory. Keep on the borderlands will offer a new experience for players adventuring at the lower levels of the game. Once you install either the keep on the borderlands mod or the circle of eight modpack, this will convert the temple of elemental evil computer game to a module.
There is just something about this module that gives me a happy gaming buzz whenever i look at it and i know many other gamers feel the same way. Return to the keep on the borderlands 2e wizards of the coast. Adapting classic adventures like keep on the borderlands. Hackmaster b2 little keep on the borderlands free download as pdf file. Published in 1999, return to the keep on the borderlands was released at time when tsr was still tsr, but had by that time been owned by wizards of the coast for two years.
I bought a pdf copy recently and read through it for the nostalgia value. The structure of the adventure as a series of separate caves allows segmented playing sessions for beginners. The sixth was keep on the borderlands 2001, but it came out two years after this adventure and was more closely linked to the original adventure than to this revision. Return to the keep on the borderlands 2e first published in 1981, b2, the keep on.
Spicing up the keep on the borderlands dragonsfoot. I have a conversion already but im only gonna use it as a suggestion. If you have installed patch 3 already or if your game comes prepatched with atari patch 3, dont worry. As the party gets more experience, they can take on the slaver campaign. The total print run for b2 is easily in excess of a million and a half units looking back by ryan dancey in the story of tsr, 1999 pg 27. It is not a great module, it has no real quest in it, and if it is to be run properly, the dungeon master. Digitally restored scans of both b1 and b2, including multiple printings of b2. The thieves of fortress badabaskor cover by robert bledsaw jr, judges guild, 1978, 3rd print 1980 like the evil counterpart to the keep on the borderlands, badabaskor is a bandit run fortified village with a 5 level dungeon that escalates quickly. This explains the detailed key of the keep, front and center to the module. The structure of the adventure as a series of separate caves. Basic fantasy roleplaying game free pdf or at cost for print editions. Keep on the borderlands is to oldschool gamers as casablanca is to movie fans or of mice and men is to american lit majors. You are indeed members of that exceptional class, adventurers who have journeyed to the keep on the borderlands in search of. As much as b2 little keep on the borderlands is based upon b2 keep on the borderlands, the adventure it feels like it draws from more heavily is return to the keep on the borderlands, primarily because of the detailed and named npcs at the keep and because of the stronger story threads that run throughout b2 little keep on the borderlands.
Ive been a dm for a long time so its not like im new. It is possible to read through the rules and become. The project on the borderlands is an effort to do just that. Review of return to the keep on the borderlands rpgnet. Update 44 is expected to debut ddos newest classic pack. She also bought each family member a lead miniature to represent our character, mine was a dwarf paladin named dwarrendale. Confidential information of wizards of the coast llc. To get to the keep, speak to kregan the gatekeeper, who is in both korthos village heroic only and the eberron hall of heroes. The only additional feature atari patch 3 contains is a fix for the infamous directx 9.
You then run tfex the front endx, and now you have the option to activate either the keep on the borderlands mod, the circle of eight modpack, or the original the temple of. Shadowed keep on the borderlands open gaming store. B2 the keep on the borderlands basic wizards of the coast. Mar 27, 2016 as the dwarf gets closer to the keep, he rolls to see if the troops come out and rescue him. Although the keep on the borderlands 1981 version is rated in the list of the top one hundred dungeons and dragons modules of all time, i rate it at number one. Review of return to the keep on the borderlands rpgnet rpg. Keep on the borderlands nwn2 edition the neverwinter.