Review of "Places of Mystery IV: Highroad":

    Highroad is typical of the other "Places of Mystery" supplements in the series, which all describe a setting in detail and leave the monster/treasure placement up to the DM.  Highroad keeps to the general plan by having ten places, all outdoors on roadways, described in detail following a pattern.  First, every area is described several different ways, each about a paragraph or more long.  There is "The Approach", which describes the area as the group/character comes upon it; "Rapid Glance", which is meant to tell the viewer what items of interest are readily visible; "Detailed Look", which is a more careful inspection of the area presumably as the characters have approached it closely; "Brief Search" if the characters happen to rapidly check out the area without much effort; "Thorough Examination" which is a longer and more exacting search that reveals all hidden or trapped items or areas; and "Hints for Play" which gives various ideas and sometimes backstory of the area so as to give the DM ideas for play in his own campaign.
    As usual with Companions items, the writing standards are superb even though each area has a different author, and only one is by Peter Rice (one of the mainstays and creators) although Wm. John Wheeler did edit the collection so presumably he might have touched up one or two offereings to bring them in line with the "Companions" way of writing things.  Some of the descriptions are only a page long; others are 3-4 pages long, and all have maps although most are crudely drawn and of low quality.  However, I found the handdrawn maps really were quite evocative of the material (reminded me of Judges Guild type stuff) and the maps for "Hobgoblin Burial Ground" (IMO the most interesting site) are just perfect in setting the mood for the encounter. It must be noted also that like all Companions items the writing type can cause eyestrain, it was their habit to cram as much as possible into the pages so the type was typically small and filled the entire page!
  Just to stress again, all the encounters are given without monsters or treasures, which is actually a very good idea as the area can be used as a backdrop to whatever way the DM wants the encounter to go.  Some DM's might be put off by such an approach as not enough of the work is done for them; however, I found the descriptions interesting enough by themselves and immediately thought of several adventure type ideas evoked by the settings.
    The encounter areas are "Byway Crossroads", "The Woodland Stream", "The Drawbridge", "Hobgoblin Burial Ground", "Doan'ts Crossing", "Sacred Soil of the Sprites", "Sentinel Elms", "Grunder's Gorge", "Geyser Pass", and "Volcrax's Toll".  Of these, I thought that Byway Crossroads, Hobgoblin Burial Ground, Doan'ts Crossing, Sentinel Elms and Volcrax's Toll were the most evocative, with Doan'ts Cross, Sentinel Elms and Volcrax's Toll being one gaming session encounters of particular interest even without adding any opponents (although the addition of any one creature would add greatly to the settings of these three or any of the above, making it a complete mini-adventure).  Doan'ts Crossing is an eerie, abandoned river crossing complete with ferry, and a secret that has lain undiscovered for years....this one is good if the backstory (included) is known first, having the characters investigate the area after hearing the tales of hidden treasure, and perhaps placing an encounter with a group of treasure hunting bandits or the undead spirit of the late ferryman.  Sentinel Elms reminded me of the sort of writing Ed Greenwood or Gary Gygax did when they were really "on"; just a short description of a interesting place (this one a flagstone path between two elms with many hidden secrets) with lots of hooks (written by The Companions own Peter Rice); Hobgoblin Burial Ground is just that, intricately described,  with lots of spooky atmosphere.  The encounter would be interesting enough without any opposition, although it's almost expected that something has to come to life during the trek through here to attack the party! Volcrax's Toll is a very evocative looking encounter area (pictured on the cover) of a massive bridge/dam and the ominous warning of toll to be paid; DM's are left to decide if characters can pay or not without reprisal from some elemental, spirit or monster.
   All in all, the publication is quite good, but nowadays not really a spectacular product. With the gigantic glut of 3rd edition products running along the same lines (off the top of my head, the "Locales" series and the "En Route" series springs to mind and I don't even play 3rd ed), this can be seen by a lot of gamers as quaint at best and not detailed enough to be useful at worst.  When it was released in 1984, there weren't many of these sort of products and it might well have been quite a bit more useful.  Still probably worth seeking out for the Companions completist, you won't be disappointed and you might get a good idea or two from the site descriptions for use in your own campaign.

Mike B.

I really like these reviews, Mike.  Thanks  

Mark  

Shane wrote:Does anyone know where in Mystara's oceans that Islandia was going to be placed before BX1 was canceled? If not, does anyone have William John Wheeler's email address? I hope to ask him some questions and post his answers on the Mystara Message Board.

Shane

There was an Acaeum member awhile back who actually played in the original Islandia campaign, I talked to him about it a few years ago....I don't remember who it was.  Maybe he will speak up...? He might know.

Mike B.

Lance, thanks for your response. I'm thinking up some questions, and plan to get back to you soon.

They guy I talked to from the Forum about Islandia stuff is Dean2918....you could send him a PM, I believe he is the one who played in some of the early Islandia campaigns run by Wheeler.

Mike B.

Shane wrote:Lance, being that you were one of the players in the original Islandia campaign, I'm curious:

What PC or PCs did you play?

Did your adventuring party have a name?

How large a gaming group was there for the Islandia campaign?

Were any of your characters incorporated into the official Companions Islandia products?

Did you officially contribute to any of the Companions products?

Have you done any work in the RPG industry?

Were there any adventures that took place in the wider world or planes beyond Islandia?

In the home campaign, was Islandia placed on one of the established RPG  settings such as Oerth, or was it pretty much entirely home-brew?

Did you or the group ever roleplay in the Known World of Mystara setting?

Was Islandia really a fantasy analogue of the Appalachian Mountains, but surrounded by water?

Are there any especially fond events you remember from the campaign?

Shane

P.S. I sent a private message containing some additional questions that I'd like John to respond to if possible. If you'd like to chime in on any of those questions, that'd be great too.

Hi Shane,

I did not realize you posted this message in addition to the message you pm'ed to me. I will try and answer as best as I can remember (in a subsequent posting).

Lance

Neat! Thanks Lance for your response. Do you mind if I post this interview over on the Mystara Message Board's "BX1: Islandia" thread, and see if anyone there has any additional questions they'd like to ask you?

Shane

Lance, here's the BX1 thread where I posted your responses: The Wizards Community

I thought of another question:

What years were you an active player in the Islandia campaign?

Shane

Thanks Lance, I added that piece to the Islandia Q&A. Any other anecdotes that come to mind are welcome. I plan to include all this on an Islandia page at the official Mystara Vaults website.

Shane