This week, I received an email that contained a review of Black Blade Publishing's release of First Edition Dungeon Crawls: The Secret of Smuggler's Cove. The review was written by Alphonso Warden, a modern-day RPG author and self-described grognard.  Alphonso has several OSRIC adventures published (by both Expeditious Retreat Press and Brave Hafling Publications) and is a fan of the early editions of D&D.

Alphonso has no formal affiliation with Black Blade Publishing at the present time, and the review was unsolicited, though I did provide him with a copy of the adventure at no cost.  He has granted permission for the posting of this review as I see fit.

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Jon Hershberger
Black Blade Publishing
June 23, 2009

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Review of 1st Edition Dungeon Crawl: The Secret of Smuggler's Cove published by Black Blade Publishing:

I. Production Values:

I don't know about the rest of you, but the aesthetics of the classic 1st Editon modules and supplements were what originally drew me to role-playing games. The artwork at the time was a wonderful blend of that appearing in 1960's comic books and the pulp magazines of the 1920-30's. I am pleased to report that the artwork in The Secret of Smuggler's Cove is no different. The font chosen and the monochrome cover illustration is very similar to that of the modules produced by a certain RPG company we all knew and loved in the late seventies/early eighties. And then there is the interior artwork, which is crisp, vivid, and of a nice size. One particular interior image is especially impressive, being as it spills onto two pages of the module and is surrounded by text on the outside edges of both pages. The rest of the artwork is equally impressive, ranging from quarter-page to half-page sizes. Most importantly, each piece of artwork is drawn specifically from the module and can serve as effective handouts the gamemaster can show his players to set the scene.

The typesetting and manufacture of the module simply blew me away. Physically, the module appears to have been printed by a traditional off-set printer on high quality printing plates. The text and illustrations are extremely crisp and not the least bit pixellated. And then there are the magnificent dual cardstock covers that are not attached to the booklet in the classic style. The front cover is laminated on one side to increase its durability and is composed of heavy cardstock like the modules we loved from the late 1970's/early 1980's. Better yet, all of the maps from the module are printed on the inner side of the outer cover and on both sides of the inner cover, and in classic blue ink no less by noted old school cartographer Andreas Claren. Also, the paper chosen for the booklet is very very thick and is sure to stand up to years of abuse.

II.1st Edition Conversion:

I must say that I am heartily pleased that the module's conversion from 3.5 D&D/d20 gaming mechanics to that of 1st Edition is virtually perfect. I was especially pleased that the converter chose to adopt the classic parenthetical style of statistic blocks in which such are inserted directly into the running text of the encounter and not at the end as is in vogue today. Such an approach brings a smile to this old grognard who was playing during the RPG Golden Age. The statistical detail itself is equal to that appearing in the 1st Edition adventure modules produced in the early 1980's. In other words, special attacks and defenses are not explained in detail, with only the primary attacks, armor class, hit dice/level, hit points, and movement rate, etc. listed, which is how I prefer my gaming mechanics. I was also pleased that the leader-type NPCs and monsters in the adventure were often times more powerful than normal, with increased hit dice/level, damage potential, etc. I know some purists will say that such is not in keeping with the 1st Edition rules and is more in league with 3.5 Edition rules in which monster advancement is the norm. Personally, I feel that this perception is false, for many of the classic adventures produced in the seventies and early eighties often featured upgraded/modified common monsters, even those designed by the legendary Gary Gygax.  

I am heartily impressed that I failed to notice any major conversion mistakes in the module. About the only thing that comes to mind is that one of the monsters appearing in the adventure, green slime, deals Constitution ability damage. I am assuming that such is a carryover from the 3.5 version of the adventure, but being as I am not overly familiar with such I can't say for sure. Of course, in 1st Edition a green slime attacks by coating its victim in slime and transforming him or her into one of its brethren.

The only other thing I noted was that some non-combat oriented challenges were not given definite resolution mechanics. For example, in a few places in the adventure the author indicates that PCs making noise might alert the monsters in the surrounding room to their presence. However, no specific percentage chance or ability check is mentioned to indicate such. In the defense of the converter, however, I must mention that the 1st Edition rules do not provide rules for such challenges either. Perhaps the converter chose to honor this 1st Edition tradition by allowing the gamemaster to employ whatever task resolution mechanic is common in his or her campaign.

The only other conversion mistake I noticed was that one of the minor monsters is not statted out, with only its hit points being listed. Being as the monster is simply a large scorpion, a common monster listed in various 1st Edition creature collections, I don't see this as much of an issue.

III. Storyline/Gaming Content:

Let me say that the storyline of the adventure is extremely engaging. It has a nice piratical theme to it which is quite reminiscent of the weird nautical yarns of the late 19th century/early 20th century. Specifically, the themes in the adventure reminded me of the writings of the legendary William Hope Hodgeson, a personal favorite. Like in Hodgeson's stories, the adventure module is rife with spectral undead and elder ichthoid horrors from the briny deep. Very atmospheric. The adventure also reminds me of a series of 1st Edition piratical adventures produced in the United Kindgom in the early eighties, specifically the first and second modules in the 3-part series. Fortunately, however, the author of The Secret of Smuggler's Cove chose not to adopt a Scooby Doo approach like the designers of the aforementioned series in which all of the ghosts and monsters are merely humans in disguise playing pranks. In The Secret of Smuggler's Cove, the demons, undead, and terrors from the deep are all too real and the module is better for it.

Being as I don't want to give away the plot of the adventure in my review, spoiling the module for both gamemasters wishing to run it and players desiring their gamemasters to run them through it, I will only vaguely describe the major themes present. The adventure basically revolves around the PCs trying to stop a band of pirate smugglers that have been plaguing a coastal village. As the module developes, the PCs learn that the pirates are aligned, albeit shakily, with an ages-old evil. The adventure itself consists of a series of mini-dungeons. The PCs during the course of the adventure are given a chance to investigate a ruined lighthouse suspected of being haunted, to explore the crumbling manor house alongside it, and to make their descent into the sea cave network running beneath the coastal village. All of the maps and the encounters they are keyed to are very atmospheric and logical, making gamemastering the adventure a smooth, stress-free affair.

IV. Overall Impressions:

I must say that were I to rate this module on a scale of 1-10, I would give it a 9.5. The only reason I wouldn't give it a perfect score is that I would have preferred some additional detail with regard to non-combat task resolution. The adventure reads, plays, and looks just like the classic 1st Edition adventures we all grew up on. I feel that this module is truly a return to the glory days of gaming, and I eagerly look forward to future releases by Black Blade Publishing.

Reviewed by Alphonso Warden

serleran wrote:It's funny. Isn't this the same DCC that was first converted to C&C? Must be something about that one... makes people 'feel' old school or something.

Aye

ShaneG.

Badmike wrote:
The feel, setting and plot is very reminiscent of the classic U1 Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh (with slight strains of U2 thrown in the mix).  However, rather than being just a take-off or re-hash it is quite original in several ways. It was no surprise to find out from TacoJon at the NTRPG Con that author Chris Doyle is a big fan of 1E and old school dungeons.

Mike B.

I read the module within days of the convention and I thought it was excellent. Read like any 1e module. Too much like a particular 1e module to be honest...

I have to say I thought I was reading a "revised" version of U1. Mike is being very politically correct in using the word reminiscent to describe the module. More like damn near exact copy comes to mind for me. When I first started reading the thing, I actually started to flip through the book to find some sort of credit page for U1.

Now I am not trying to slight the module in the least. Black Blade did an awesome job with it. Production, Art and Cartography are awesome. Taco and Gro deserve a great deal of credit. I can say the module was worth every dime. Buy one!

smarmy1 wrote:Many thanks to TacoJon for the copies of The Secret of Smuggler's Cover.  I am thoroughly enjoying the old school feel and am looking forward to future modules.

So what's the next release?  Any previews or special GenCon releases?

Thanks for the order and the kudos, Ryan.  I hadn't ever read the U series, but I had the opportunity to play through U1 with a group of old friends a couple of years ago and had a blast with it.  Smuggler's hit on a lot of those same themes and the conversion worked pretty well as there weren't very many odd-ball 3.x race/class combos to deal with.  

The next release is DCC #32 The Golden Palace of Zahadran.  It's a high level adventure (levels 14-16) with heavy desert and middle-eastern themes.  I don't have any previews yet, alas, but work is already underay.

Release date is still in flux, thought we might (say again, might) have it for Gen Con 09.  I've been pretty bogged down with order fulfillment on the first release until this past week, so we're in the hole a bit for making Gen Con.  But we'll see how the next few days go.

Jon

The author above has a blind spot caused by 3rd Edition thinking.

In AD&D, there was no need to explain why a monster was tougher or had a certain power.  Only in 3rd Edition is everything required to have an explanation or some sort of equation to support it.  

In AD&D you can mess with any facet of the game you want to without tearing down some other part of the rules.  Not so in 3rd Edition, where the players will actually argue with the DM about whether or not a certain monster is "legal," and they would be right.  

For instance, in the sewers under Verbosh, by Judges Guild, there is a 26 hit point giant rat lurking about.  The explanation for this monster rat might be a typo involving a a missing comma, but it doesn't matter.  Our DM had this beastie break down a door to get at us and there was no time for whining.

The idea that the author needs an "explanation" for why NPC's can do this or that...or why a monster does this or that damage...or why it has extra hit dice or whatever.......that is 3rd Edition thinking.

FormCritic wrote:The author above has a blind spot caused by 3rd Edition thinking.

In AD&D, there was no need to explain why a monster was tougher or had a certain power.  Only in 3rd Edition is everything required to have an explanation or some sort of equation to support it.  

In AD&D you can mess with any facet of the game you want to without tearing down some other part of the rules.  Not so in 3rd Edition, where the players will actually argue with the DM about whether or not a certain monster is "legal," and they would be right.  

For instance, in the sewers under Verbosh, by Judges Guild, there is a 26 hit point giant rat lurking about.  The explanation for this monster rat might be a typo involving a a missing comma, but it doesn't matter.  Our DM had this beastie break down a door to get at us and there was no time for whining.

The idea that the author needs an "explanation" for why NPC's can do this or that...or why a monster does this or that damage...or why it has extra hit dice or whatever.......that is 3rd Edition thinking.

Exactly what I thought after reading the review, Mark.  Geez, kids nowadays..want everything explained out in power point presentations...sheesh.  What is wrong with adventures having guidelines and suggestions in lieu of explaining everything in painstaking detail.

Mike B.

Having been playing in exTSR's Empyrea campaign -- and I can't think of what would be more 1st edition iconic than that -- I can tell you that almost none of Frank's monsters are by-the-book.  We've had zombies wrapped up like mummies (zummies?  mombies?), carrion crawlers of twice normal size, displacer beasts that don't just displace but also blink, and so on . . . .  Why?  Because Frank's the DM, and that's the way it is.

The beauty of AD&D is that the DM -- or the module designer -- can play around with anything, change things at will, all so long as it is in service to crafting an interesting story.

How many times has Tim reminded us that they aren't supposed to be "rules", they're just guidelines.

Bracton wrote: We've had zombies wrapped up like mummies (zummies?)  mombies.

I believe our British friends refer to them as Mummzies.

I havent played anything other than 1st ed, but 3.* strikes me as a good game for the 'rules lawyers' who were often referred to all those years ago when contesting how strong the wind would be when opening a dungeon corridor room!
its a game, a damn good game with 'rules' that should act as guidelines, not as gospel, I feel.. I like the sound of Mummzies, might use that!