Customer Reviews

DUNGEONS OF DESPAIR (Advanced Dungeons & Dragons)

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Dungeons of Despair is an anthology of seven scenarios written for low-level PCs and previously published in Dungeon magazine. Three of the scenarios have a strong Celtic/British Isles flavor to them and this may be a plus if they are to be used for the same group of PCs but will require some revision if the campaign culture is markedly different. Be warned that at least one of the scenarios relies heavily on Celtic lore to make the plot work.

The quality of the stories is uneven, but none of the chapters could be described as less than average. "The Moor-Tomb Map", a classic low-level treasure hunt adventure, is probably the best of the lot, but Willie Walsh's "Cauldron of Plenty" and "Caermor" by Nigel D. Findley have much to recommend. The remaining stories could use stronger development, one is really no more than a random encounter in the woods, but two of them manage to deal with unusual monsters in interesting ways and there is an excellent description of the personality and powers of the boggle.

The scenarios are all fairly short and, with the exception of "Moor-Tomb", can probably be completed in a single gaming session. Anyone that DMs for players with low-level PCs will likely find the product useful, assuming that is, that they don't have the originals lying around somewhere in a stack of old Dungeon magazines.

This book is nice to have around but its not a must for DMs. The adventure's seem meaningless and it's probably not worth getting if you have a good imagination.