B2 The Keep of the Borderlands

Old Memories

This is probably the first true module I got my hands on. I had never actually seen a module before, as the 80s edition of basic Dungeons and Dragons (the red box) did not include a module (although it did include a small adventure in the back of the Dungeon Masters Guide). I came across The Keep of the Borderlands from one of my players bringing it along one day (and immediately sat down to devour all the details within).

Unfortunately, it wasn't too long before I realized that same player had read through the contents of the module, and so I had to improvise on several occassions. Specifically, there was something about a traitor working in the keep I had to change around. And "Bree-yark". Who could forget that? I still use that phrase from time to time, just as an obscure reference.

I never used this module much after that. Later modules seemed to have more polish, more treasure, more challenges and so this module was quickly relegated to the dustbin. However, I was a wee little lad back in those days and it will be interesting to see how it appears with fresh eyes...

Redux

After reading this soon after In Search of the Unknown, I can see a lot of space is utilized in the beginning of these two modules for Dungeon Master guidelines. This kind of information should be (and is) in the Dungeon Master Guide, but information on such things was probably scant when these two modules were written.

The module feels like a peek into the minds of the creators of the original game. After reading through the consequences of camping outdoors, you can almost hear the gears turning of the first Dungeon Master that had to improvise what to do in such situations.

I can't see using this module today, unless, perhaps, it was done for nostalgia's sake. It feels rough, and without heroic plot points to bring the story to a close. It could be fleshed out and made into a descent story, but in a sense, that has already been done with B5 Horror on the Hill. The general overall plot is the same... go and fight evil in caves near a civilized output, but the devil is in the details. B5 provides detailed and entertaining overland encounters, and a fleshed out ecounter with a fire breathing dragon at the stories conclusion.

Read a different take on this module by going to

Mark Bertenshaw's Review for The Keep of the Borderlands

James Maliszewski's Review for The Keep of the Borderlands