At GenCon 2013, Rick Reed DM'd this adventure, and this was one of the highlights of Con for me. I was very excited to see that Rick published the adventure so I can run my local gaming group through it.
1) This uses the D&D 1st ed rules. THAC0, low AC is better, etc. But don't get hung up on the game system - the rules are simple and straightforward, and after 5 min, you'll be off and running. Heck, we broke out the old grappling rules. (I didn't understand them 20 yrs ago, and I still don't. But that's ok!)
2) The module includes PCs for the adventure. Your group's PCs will not be used.
3) We played the entire module in 4 hours. Which included getting up to speed on your PC, and reviewing/learning the 1st ed rules.
4) Most important - it's all rather silly. The PCs, the spells, the magic items, the story line... all of it. If your group is all about min/maxing their PCs, and meta-gaming to wring out the best possible advantage to beat an encounter, this is not for you.
5) Don't get me wrong - I'm all about all the stuff in #4 - that's my normal game, but I found myself playing the role of a female cleric, whose primary mission in life was to make sure everyone was in a good mood/happy. And as soon as I let go of getting the best weapon/armor, and started (god forbid!) role-playing, the silliness ensued.
6) One of the best parts of the game was the DM. A concern I had was that the printed material wouldn't capture the mood of that game. But, after reading though it, Rick made lots of notes on how to role-play the NPCs, down to how they speak and act.
7) There are lots of handouts. And one of the things I really liked was that the maps were all hand drawn. Old school...
5 star, AAA rating for me
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