by Tom Moldvay |
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Development: |
Tom Moldvay and Jon Pickens |
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Editing: |
Harold Johnson, Jon Pickens |
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Art: |
Jim Holloway, Harry Quinn,
Stephen D. Sullivan |
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Playtesting: |
Dave Cook, Helen Cook, Clint
Johnson, Steve Kaszar, Bill Wilkerson, Jeff Wyndham, and the Kent State University
Gamers Guild |
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Realm Rating: 4.5/5
Dawn and
Foy, Around the Realm:
Foy
Ray,
I
just finished the
Let's
see...I'll probably post a review to the list pretty soon, but I thought I'd
give you some comments right away. One thing I really liked about this was the
length. A few of the Realm games have been a bit short for my taste (Swamplight
in particular) but this one was good and long. Sure, I like psychological
character-driven designs as much as the next guy, but sometimes I like a good
long hack-and-slash dungeon crawl. I don't remember all of this being in the
original module, though. Did you add a lot of stuff at the end or am I just
misremembering? It's been probably a decade since I played the
I
really liked the opening title pics and the music you used. They put me in the
right mood for exploring an ancient ruined city. Most of the rest of the art
was pretty good too. Some of the scanned pics from the original module were a
bit rough but that probably can't be helped. I thought the play balance was
pretty good. My characters may have been a bit higher in level than you
recommended (I used my Eastland party, all around 8th or 9th level) but after I
set the level to Champion it was a good challenge. My only negative comment in
terms of balance was that there seemed to be an awful lot of money laying
around some of the caverns. I must have left a 100,000 gold pieces behind
total. I would rather have had more magic and less money, but that's it.
Otherwise, it was lots of fun.
I
only found one bug that I remember. I joined the Gorm folks, so when I went
into the Magi chamber in the top of the pyramid they attacked. However, after I
killed them, I still got a message telling me they wanted to talk to me. That
was the only bug of note that I remember. The game seemed good and clean
besides that.
Well,
anyway, just thought I'd let you know what I thought of the
Review
of "B4: The Lost City" (game04.zip) by Ray Dyer
Rating:
8.0
Another
in the continuing "Realm" series of designs by Ray Dyer, "The
Lost City" is an adaptation of one of the better B-series modules for the
Basic set of Dungeons and Dragons. The plot is simple, a bit contrived perhaps,
but it gets the job done. The party, escorting a caravan across the desert, is
lost in a sandstorm. They stumble across a ruined city, discover an ancient
pyramid, and must enter in in the hopes of finding a way to survive in the
desert. The pyramid rests atop a buried city, and the party is quickly involved
in the power struggles and politics of the surviving inhabitants.
This
is definitely one of the best "Realm" modules, and hence one of the
best conversions of a pen-and-paper modules to UA. While my exact recollections
of the original module are hazy after nearly a decade, "The Lost
City" did an excellent job of capturing the feel of live gaming. There are
the usual art hacks we've come to expect in a Realm game: new walls, backdrops,
combat icons, etc. There is a bit of a range in quality, from near-photo
sharpness to rather fuzzy scanned art (presumably from the original module) but
this really doesn't detract from the gameplay. The opening title pics do a nice
job of setting the stage for a dungeon crawl in a ruined city.
One
thing I quite liked about this module was the contrast between the mostly
abandoned upper levels of the pyramid and the bustling city life below. The
party becomes accustomed to the empty corridors of the pyramid, with the
occasional monster or outpost of civilization, so when the ruined city is
reached, it seems even more lively than it is. There is also a definite sense
that the ruins are alive, that people are living and dying there outside of the
party's immediate ken. Ray has managed to get beyond the common feel in a
module that nothing happens except in response to the player's actions.
"The
--Chris
Markwyn
Review
of game04 - The Lost City
This
was a good adaptation of the classic module.
One
of the strengths of this module is its handling of the rival factions within
the city. The city is controlled by the priests of Zargon, but you can join any
one of 3 rebel factions loyal to the Old Gods. The rebels will provide you with
aid and the way you are treated in several encounters depends on which group
you have joined.
As
with all of the Realms game I have seen, the art hacks are extensive and add to
the atmosphere of the dungeon. Wall sets have been used to create tables,
bookcases, piles of bones, and other details which help bring this design to
life. The frame set is a bit shocking at first, but I quickly got used to the bright
orange colors. Dungeon art is used effectively to simulate combat which takes
place in the dark.
The
pyramid and the city are rich in detail. The descriptions are vivid and
imaginative and you get a sense that the
Some
of the art didn't look quite right because of the changes to the frame palette.
There was a minor bug in the final combat - if you choose to fight your way
through the priests instead of making a mad dash for the volcano, then the
endgame events never get triggered. There were a few other minor bugs which
aren't worth mentioning as they did not affect game play.
PLOT: 8 ART: 8 HACKS: 8 BUGS: 6
OVERALL
RATING: 7.5
I
recommend this module for fans of classic modules.
Nol
I
finished "The Lost City," and just now I finished "Tales of
Enchantment." First, I'd like to say that really enjoyed "The Lost
City." It's my favorite module so far.
Game04.zip
B4, The Lost City Ray & Maureen
This
was a wonderful module. You play a band of adventurers lost in the desert. You
stumble upon some ruins and then the story gets interesting. I really like the
way Ray & Maureen design their modules. The use of "find traps",
thin air and map usage. The only complaint I have is the font and background
colors were a little tough on the eyes at times.
Plot
Matter: 9 Artwork: 9 Hacks: 9 Text: 9
Events:
9 Originality: 9 Errors: 9 Difficulty: 5
Total
Rating: 90% Mycroft: 9
-Susan McKinney