[Fanzine Focus XXXVIII] Beyond the Borderlands Issue #3

On the tail of the Old School Renaissance has come another movement—the rise of the fanzine. Although the fanzine—a nonprofessional and nonofficial publication produced by fans of a particular cultural phenomenon, got its start in Science Fiction fandom, in the gaming hobby it first started with Chess and Diplomacy fanzines before finding fertile ground in the roleplaying hobby in the 1970s. Here these amateurish publications allowed the hobby a public space for two things. First, they were somewhere that the hobby could voice opinions and ideas that lay outside those of a game’s publisher. Second, in the Golden Age of roleplaying when the Dungeon Masters were expected to create their own settings and adventures, they also provided a rough and ready source of support for the game of your choice. Many also served as vehicles for the fanzine editor’s house campaign and thus they showed another DM and group played said game. This would often change over time if a fanzine accepted submissions. Initially, fanzines were primarily dedicated to the big three RPGs of the 1970s—Dungeons & Dragons, RuneQuest, and Traveller—but fanzines have appeared dedicated to other RPGs since, some of which helped keep a game popular in the face of no official support.

Since 2008 with the publication of Fight On #1, the Old School Renaissance has had its own fanzines. The advantage of the Old School Renaissance is that the various Retroclones draw from the same source and thus one Dungeons & Dragons-style RPG is compatible with another. This means that the contents of one fanzine will be compatible with the Retroclone that you already run and play even if not specifically written for it. Labyrinth Lord and Lamentations of the Flame Princess Weird Fantasy Roleplay have proved to be popular choices to base fanzines around, as has Swords & Wizardry.

The Beyond the Borderlands trilogy of fanzines is different. Beginning with Beyond the Borderlands Issue #1, this is a systems neutral regional hexcrawl inspired by B2 Keep on the Borderlands, most recently implemented by Goodman Games’ Original Adventures Reincarnated #1: Into the Borderlands. The setting for the Beyond the Borderlands, like B2 Keep on the Borderlands before it, is the edge—or just beyond it—of the civilised lands, the frontier outside of which lies untrammeled wilderness, barbaric tribes, and Chaos run rampant. Here a solid fortress has been established as the last outpost of civilisation, to provide a degree of protection to travellers making the journey beyond and against the possibility of an incursion from the ghastly Goblins, horrible Hobgoblins, obnoxious Orcs, grim Gnolls, and more, which lurk just out of sight, ready to strike…

Published by Swordfish Islands LLC (but also available in PDF from the author), best known for publishing Swordfish Islands: Hexcrawl Adventures on Hot Springs Island, the first part of a trilogy detailed the last bastion of a civilisation on the frontier, Stronglaw Keep, and the surrounding Wicked Palovalley. What was particularly noticeable about Beyond the Borderlands Issue #1 was that all of its maps were presented in isometric format, which when combined with their bright, vibrant colours, make them leap off the page. This feature is continued in Beyond the Borderlands Issue #2, which when combined with spare nature of the text makes the descriptions and details given nicely accessible and easy to run from the page. However, Beyond the Borderlands Issue #3 differs from this bar the vibrancy and colour.

In contrast to B2 Keep on the Borderlands, what Beyond the Borderlands Issue #2 did not do was take the Dungeon Master and her players into that den of evil which so threatens the Keep, the Caves of Chaos! Instead, it detailed a similar, but much smaller area, The Bloody Ravine, a sharp valley whose walls are pockmarked by cave entrances, beyond which many different tribes of Humanoids find their home. Notably, it detailed only six caves rather than the ten of the original short. What then of the remaining four? They are not detailed in either Beyond the Borderlands Issue #2 or Beyond the Borderlands Issue #3—and nor do they need to be, since The Bloody Ravine is complete as written. Which begs the question, does the Beyond the Borderlands trilogy really need a third issue and if it does, what does it add to the reinterpretation of the classic setting Basic Dungeons & Dragons?

Beyond the Borderlands Issue #3 brings the trilogy to a close with not another set of mini-dungeons as per the series’ inspiration, but what is the equivalent of a mega-dungeon for the trilogy. This is the Shifting Maze, a six-level dungeon that is a small part of the Chaosphere, a dimension of unreality that strikes fear into most who hear about it. It is presented in cross-section rather than the isometric style seen in previous issues. Each level has four entrances and eighteen rooms which are not only generated randomly at the start, but since this is the Shifting Maze, is generated randomly again whenever the Player Characters leave the dungeon and come back in again. The method of creating this by drawing cards from an ordinary deck of playing cards, turning the play of Beyond the Borderlands Issue #3 from a dungeon crawl into a ‘cardcrawl’. The suits of the card determine the room type—Spades for monster rooms, Clubs for trap rooms, Diamonds for empty rooms, and Hearts for safe rooms. The two cards from each of the four suits are used to mark the entrances, whilst eighteen cards are drawn for each level and arranged on the table however the Game Master wants. A token is used to mark where the Player Characters are in the level and as they proceed through the level, cards are turned over and resolved. If there is an encounter, it has to be resolved before the Player Characters can move onto the next one. When the Player Characters leave the dungeon or proceed down to a lower level, the cards on the table are collected, the deck is shuffled again, and new cards drawn.

The six levels consist of the Fetid Tunnels, home to giant rats, jackalopes, and Kobolds, as well as a young Wyrm hiding from poachers; the Crumbling Mines where the Firebug Queen holds court; Mushroom Lake where hostile frogmen make sacrifice to an ancient Kraken; an Elven Mausoleum still protected by undead vassals; the Sibilant City, an ancient Elven city overgrown by plants and taken over by snakes; and the Duke’s Domain, ruled by the Lords of Chaos. Each level has a two-page spread of its own. This includes three tables. One for the passages, one for random encounters, and one for specific locations. Plus, there are game stats as necessary.

The nearest there is to a fully detailed NPC in Beyond the Borderlands Issue #3 is Mr. Beatley Coins. He wanders the dungeon with things to sell and coins with which to buy. This includes rumours as well as standard goods. His inventory includes all manner of creature body parts that when consumed, provide a particular bonus. For example, the Spider Gland can be consumed to gain smooth walls and shoot webs for several hours, whilst a Frogman Intestine improves the consumer’s Wisdom and makes them immune to poison, but break wind loudly every hour! This is all part of a pleasing and decently very decently illustrated section of magical items. In some ways, this is the best part of Beyond the Borderlands Issue #3.

Physically, Beyond the Borderlands Issue #3 is well presented. it needs a slight edit in places, but the artwork is excellent. There are no maps, so the isometric cartography of the first two issues is not repeated here. Which is a shame.

The Beyond the Borderlands series is intended to be a trilogy, inspired by B2 Keep on the Borderlands and presenting a simple, stripped back means of revisiting the classic scenario for Basic Dungeons & Dragons. In exploring the frontier fortress of Stronglaw Keep and the surrounding Wicked Palovalley, this is exactly what Beyond the Borderlands Issue #1 and Beyond the Borderlands Issue #2 do. Beyond the Borderlands Issue #3 takes the trilogy beyond the Wicked Palovalley and away from Stronglaw Keep and in the process away from B2 Keep on the Borderlands. Effectively, the inspiration for the trilogy ended with Beyond the Borderlands Issue #2 and Beyond the Borderlands Issue #3 has nothing to do with B2 Keep on the Borderlands. Although it is not a bad dungeon, Beyond the Borderlands Issue #3 is a part of the Beyond the Borderlands trilogy in name only.