X2 - Castle Amber
System:
Dungeons & Dragons
Code:
#9051
Type:
Adventure
Levels:
4-14
Author:
Tom Moldvay
Year:
1981
Publisher:
TSR
Format:
28-page book
X2 - Castle Amber
X2 - Castle Amber - what a great module! The characters are transported to a cursed castle and must discover how to lift the curse - an ancient curse of Stephen Amber himself! There is SO MUCH treasure in this module - there is just no way for the characters to carry it all. That makes me sad - but c'est la vie. There are a wide variety of opponents and interesting encounters - along with lots of various magic. There are plenty of Amber family members to encounter. Why do I like this module so much? It goes back to my enjoyment of making sure the players take their characters down the prescribed path that I've worked so hard to develop (or read in a module). This module doesn't allow for characters to wander off for no reason. They are trapped and they have to get out. They even get to explore an ancient province to amass the proper artifacts to escape back to their own world.
I'm not sure that a bunch of 3rd level characters would survive this module. But whatever. The module is great. My only gripe is that the province the characters have to explore is not really developed at all. The DM is going to have to create the various towns and villages or find some examples of towns and villages that he can drop in. What is the population? Up to the DM. How many buildings? Up to the DM. Who are the various people that inhabit these various villages and towns? Up to the DM. Damn - that sounds like a lot of work! Other than that - great module with a clear focus and no way for the adventurers to get off track. Everything I like!
There is not that much to add to the end of this module to be perfectly honest. It is kind of a self-contained stand-alone kind of module that doesn't need any kind of build-up over time nor does it offer a great opportunity for any kind of follow-up adventure. The only thing I can think of is that when the characters become high-level and start traveling through astral or ethereal planes, or perhaps get involved in a Spelljammer campaign, or perhaps start traveling to other worlds through another means, they could revisit the province described in this module. At that point, there are all kinds of possibilities. Also, keep in mind the Province is developed in the middle of - what? What surrounds this province? What is out there? Oh man - yes - endless possibilities...