Customer Reviews

The Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh (Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Module U1)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Here's the impressive introduction to the most under-appreciated Greyhawk trilogy! It's a curious stigma - some DMs of the time were highly resistant to the "encroachment" of UK sensibilities within the game. But, they were missing one of the best-scripted, adventurous, dramatic and intelligent series in AD&D! Vile things are beginning to happen in Saltmarsh - the "haunted" house that everyone has talked up to keep unwanted attention away is actually now home to a sinister presence. The untested heroes (levels 1-3) dare to prove their mettle within the ruins, but what awaits them is one of the all-time classic plot twists of Greyhawk... the "mundane" (?) secret will turn them healthily paranoid for the duration of their careers. :)

This AD & D module is for character levels 1-3. The setting is the "haunted" house that sits high on a cliff overlooking the fishing town of Saltmarsh. Ghostly happenings and mysterious lights appearing from the house have kept people away from the house for many years. But the house really isn't "haunted" - instead, it is made to APPEAR that it's haunted by smugglers who are operating from the house and have tried to scare people away (sounds kinda like a Scooby Doo mystery). This module has a good story, illustrations, and above all a steady level of dread. It's not incredibly hard to figure out the "secret" of Saltmarsh. The second part of the module has to do with seizing the smugglers' vessel. Thinking and tactfulness are essential. This adventure is one of my personal favorites from the early '80s. I won't reveal too much, I'll just say that it's a great two-part adventure through a "haunted" house and its cellar with lots of twists and turns and surprises. I think you'll enjoy going through this module if you enjoy the old school Dungeons & Dragons of yesteryear. What I'm referring to is the way the game was in the '70s and early '80s - the golden age of Dungeons & Dragons. That period of time had the best modules and the game's popularity was at its peak. I highly recommend this module (if you can obtain a copy).

In the very early 1980s, contemporary D&D modules typically troubled themselves with story lines only long enough to get you underground; once you were in the dungeon, you slogged through hours of room-to-room combat and hidden pitfalls. The only thinking required was "How do I kill this thing?" Sure that was fun for a while, but this adventure illustrated that our gaming brethren in the UK were taking D&D to a more sophisticated level. This is definitely a thinking player's (and DM's) adventure with clues to be digested and a plot to be figured out; it gets high marks for innovation.

That said, the adventure is actually somewhat lacking in many ways. Yes, it lays out a plot with a twist or two, but the secret is not really very sinister, or even that well concealed. The "dungeon" portion of the adventure, including encounter descriptions, maps, and NPCs are uninspired and the designers really left far too much up to the DM. What you get are reminders that the DM will have to develop so-and-so NPCs and encounters or come up with this-or-that villain strategy just when you're hoping that they'll give you something meaty to dig your creativity into. It seems to be a lot to lay on a person who spent $6.50 of their hard-earned paper route money to play this adventure back in 1982; especially considering that at least 4 pages of this module were wasted on full page illustrations and useless visual aids. Still, if the DM is willing and able to flesh this thing out, it should lead to one of the better D&D experiences from that era.

"Sinister secret of salt marsh" is a first edition AD&D module for starting levels (1-3) set in the Greyhawk setting but is easily converted to current edition of Dungeons & Dragons and can be set on any world that has a coast line ;0) The creative effort really shows in this module. . This is certainly NOT a hack and slash, the story line is well padded and easy to DM .A sense of suspense can really be felt when playing it. There is enough of a twist to keep players guessing without loosing them totally ;0) Use this module for beginners and experienced a like. I love to bring this module out time and time again.

Although the module series lost steam towards the end (The Final Enemy was a little boring and predictable), this first module promoted creative thinking instead of mindless violence which has been more too common in today's role playing games. Combining exciting adventure and diplomacy in a dark, eerie seaside setting, uncovering the mystery of this one was more fun than any other I've played.

Boy, they don't make em' like this anymore. The golden years of the role-playing hobby that made parents cringe nationwide is at it's top form here. This adventure is from the English Dungeons and Dragons department and it delivers. It's full of great moody stuff as the party explores a haunted house on the cliffs above the fishing village of Saltmarsh. I must have played this thing 12 times over the period I've been in the game. The illustrations are top notch as well, giving the module a creepy feel. Oh if only I could go back to the early eighties! A great adventure module that holds up to this day!

Dungeon magazine ranked this among the thirty greatest DnD adventures of all time, so I decided to purchase a copy and run it for my group. I have been very impressed by the quality of the storyline in the module -- the UK division of TSR did an absolutely fantastic job. I highly recommend this for anyone who is interested in some old school gaming.

I didn't like this adventure. I thought it was short and to simple. However I did not have the following two adventures (U2 & U3) which seem to have made the whole series playable. Even though I give this adventure bad marks (and don't recommend it at all by itself) maybe a rerelease of the whole series in a single adventure book is in order similar to what has been done for the Against the Giants series.

THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST D&D MODULES EVER WRITTEN. IT IS TO BAD THAT THIS TYPE OF CREATIVE WRITTING IS NO LONGER MADE. THE WAY THAT IT BLENDS ADVENTURE ON LAND WITH A DASH ON THE HIGH SEAS.

SOME DAY THIS WILL REAPPEAR ON THE SHELVES.