Customer Reviews

Isle of the Ape (AD&D Fantasy Roleplaying, Greyhawk Adventure+Map, WG6/9153)

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3 star:		(2)
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I just finished reading Isle of the Ape yesterday. The module started off with great adventure and excitement, however by the end it kind of lost me. While I did not play the module, I did read it for background information for running similar campaigns.

What I really liked about the module was its emphasis on a wilderness setting. This is something that was rare at the time for D&D. But Gygax presented it quite well, even though it was situated on another plane. 25 years later it still holds its own. The pre-generated characters were interesting and I liked the fact that strong, powerful women were included, another rarity in circa 1985 D&D.

What I disliked was the Kawibussas. They were right out of a Tarzan B-movie. Stereotypical and not believable. Despite this I liked the general premise, so I must be the hypocrite more than anything. The random encounters were great and the idea of encountering dinosaurs was even better! But in the end the plot seemed to taper off, losing much steam as it did. Things became boring for me. I'd only marginaly reccomend this module, but others might like it more than I did.

A. Nathaniel Wallace, Jr.

I have played the game first as a player and then several times as a DM. Each time, I adjust portions of the plot/island/NPCs to keep things interesting.

The best way to play this game is for the DM to use the wilderness setting, and all its travails and opportunities, to the fullest extent. Let the PCs both fear the wild as well as learn to use it to their advantage. Done right, this can be the BEST place for DMs and PCs to hone their wilderness roleplaying skills.

I would also recommend owning a copy of the Wilderness Survival Guide for all DMs interested in truly developing Wilderness-as-the-Plot chops. It fits well with Isle of the Ape and provides DMs and Players several new ways to play the island.

As well, I see that Cam's and Wayne's World are both selling this item. I have had EXCELLENT experience with both vendors. Both are honest, and both will ship to you quickly even if you only pay the $3.99 shipping. If Hit Pointe offers the sale of this item, I would highly recommend NOT buying from them. They are not honest about the condition of their products, they will take 4 to 6 weeks to ship (if at all) and then blame you for not paying $6.99, and if they don't ship to you at all, good luck getting a refund.

If Wayne or Cam charge you a little more, its well worth it. They provide quality at a fair price, and ship it packaged well and quickly. And they also make sure to give honest descriptions about their products. Well worth the money you spend.

This is a first edition D&D module set in the world of Greyhawk. It is designed for high level PCs, features the Archmage Tenser, planar travel, the crook of Rao, a jungle setting, a few new jungle shaman type spells, and the biggest ape in any D&D module ever.

Some of the pregenerated PCs show up in the rebuilt council of eight in the second edition greyhawk module featuring Tenser's return. The crook of Rao is also used later in the setting series to turn the Greyhawk setting from apocalyptic and evilly oppresive in the _From The Ashes_ boxed set to the more standard fantasy atmosphere present in the end of the 2nd edition Greyhawk products and the current 3rd edition base setting.