Review 999: Original Adventures Reincarnated #1: Into the Borderlands

The reputation of B2 Keep on the Borderlands and its influence on fantasy roleplaying is such that publishers keep returning to it. TSR, Inc. of course published the original as well as including it in the Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set, which is where many gamers encountered it. The publisher would also revisit it with Return to the Keep on the Borderlands for its twenty-fifth anniversary, and the module would serve as the basis for Keep on the Borderlands, part of Wizards of the Coast’s ‘Encounters Program’ for Dungeons & Dragons, Fourth Edition. Yet since then, Wizards of the Coast has all but ignored B2 Keep on the Borderlands and the module that preceded it, B1 In Search of the Unknown, barring the publisher’s 2012 Dungeon Module B2 The Caves of Chaos: An Adventure for Character Levels 1-3. This was the playtest scenario for D&D Next, first seen in Ghosts of Dragonspear Castle, which was essentially previewing what would go on to become Dungeons & Dragons, Fifth Edition.

Instead, it would be other publishers who would revisit both scenarios in the twenty-first century. So Kenzer & Company first published B1 Quest for the Unknown, a version of B1 In Search of the Unknown for use with HackMaster, Fourth Edition, and would follow it up with not one, but two versions of B2 Keep on the Borderlands. First with B2 Little Keep on the Borderlands: An Introductory Module for Characters Level 1–4 in 2002, and then again in 2009 with Frandor’s Keep: An immersive setting for adventure. Another publisher to revisit B2 Keep on the Borderlands was Chris Gonnerman, with JN1 The Chaotic Caves, a scenario written for the Basic Fantasy Role-Playing Game. In addition, Faster Monkey Games published its own homage to B1 In Search for the Unknown with The Hidden Serpent, whilst Pacesetter Games & Simulations has published a number of extra encounters and sequels for both scenarios, most notably B1 Legacy of the Unknown and B2.5 Blizzard on the Borderland.

Yet Wizards of the Coast did not ignore its extensive back catalogue. It would release numerous titles in PDF, and even allow Print on Demand reprints, including both B1 In Search of the Unknown and B2 Keep on the Borderlands. Further, in 2017, it published Tales from the Yawning Portal, a collection of scenarios that had originally been published for previous editions of Dungeons & Dragons, including Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, First Edition, Dungeons & Dragons, Third Edition, and even D&D Next. These scenarios though, did not include either B1 In Search of the Unknown or B2 Keep on the Borderlands. Which upon first glance seemed a strange omission, but then came the announcement from Goodman Games about Original Adventures Reincarnated #1: Into the Borderlands.

Original Adventures Reincarnated #1: Into the Borderlands presents a huge package dedicated to B1 In Search of the Unknown and B2 Keep on the Borderlands. The large volume includes interviews, reprints, advice, redesigns, expansions, and more. It is a chance for gamers—old and new, but given the nostalgia value of this book, mostly old—to look at these modules anew and actually compare with what versions written for Dungeons & Dragons, Fifth Edition might look like. For newer players, it provides an opportunity to examine the modules in their original form, but really then play them using a set of rules with which they are familiar. All together, there are three versions of each module in Original Adventures Reincarnated #1: Into the Borderlands with the means to include both in the region.

Original Adventures Reincarnated #1: Into the Borderlands opens with a series of interviews and reminiscences. Luke Gygax, son E. Gary Gygax, provides a foreword and shares his memories of playing B2 Keep on the Borderlands, whilst Mike Mearls, co-lead designer on Dungeons & Dragons, Fifth Edition explores the key elements in the module that best shows of the elements of Dungeons & Dragons, before looking a little at B1 In Search of the Unknown. What he highlights is how many of the elements found in B2 Keep on the Borderlands serve as the model for a good Dungeons & Dragons adventure, and show how they can be applied to various settings. Elsewhere Alex Kramer talks about how B2 Keep on the Borderlands started his collection of Dungeons & Dragons titles, but the highlight of the introduction is naturally enough, an interview with Mike Carr, the designer of B1 In Search for the Unknown. This is a lengthier piece than the Q&A which appeared in In Search of the Unknown Campaign Sourcebook, which serves as a companion to this informative interview. Similarly, the discussion of the cover and art of B1 In Search of the Unknown in the fan-based In Search of the Unknown Campaign Sourcebook serves as a companion to ‘The Mystery of the Alternate B1 Cover Art’. This is the last entry in the introductory chapter and brings it to an interesting close.

Over a third of Original Adventures Reincarnated #1: Into the Borderlands is devoted to reprints of the original modules. These include scans of the second and sixth  printings of B1 In Search for the Unknown and the second and fourth printings of B2 Keep on the Borderlands. For the most part, the differences between the two sets of printings are minor, and it is unlikely that a Dungeon Master would use both. They are more than just historical curiosities though, as they showcase how the modules  originally appeared and they also serve as springboards for contemporary designers to approach them using the Dungeons & Dragons, Fifth Edition rules.

The Dungeons & Dragons, Fifth Edition versioning begins by giving options that fulfill the aim of B1 In Search of the Unknown. Famously, that module left it up to the Dungeon Master to stock each of its rooms and locations with monsters, NPCs, and treasure from the lists included. Three such lists are included, each accompanied by a little introduction explaining the reasoning behind each list. This is followed by advice echoing that given both the Dungeon Master and her players in B1 In Search of the Unknown. Although written with the Dungeons & Dragons, Fifth Edition version of the module that follows in mind, it really harks back to that originally included in B1 In Search of the Unknown, preparing player and Dungeon Master alike for a different roleplaying experience—an ‘Old School’ experience if you will. The actual version of B1 In Search of the Unknown for Dungeons & Dragons, Fifth Edition retains the same emphasis on exploration and combat as the original, but the modern update means that it places more of an emphasis on social interaction and story than in the original. This is achieved by what is a complete stocking of the dungeon of its monsters, NPCs, and treasures—essentially what is the fourth stocked example in Original Adventures Reincarnated #1: Into the Borderlands—with NPCs and monsters being active in the dungeon. These include a set of highly competitive Gnome triplets leading a band of evil Gnomes on a raid of the dungeon, whilst a band of the barbarians from the tribes that the builders of Quasqueton, Rogahn the Fearless and Zelligar the Unknown, are famous for defeating. Certainly, the Dungeon Master will have fun roleplaying the nasty little Gnomes. There is also an entertaining Mimic in the caves too. The result is a fun dungeon, tough and challenging, but to an extent what is lost is the emphasis on the background and story of Rogahn the Fearless and Zelligar the Unknown.

Beyond the confines of Quasqueton, Original Adventures Reincarnated #1: Into the Borderlands adds three further encounters. These include the tower which Rogahn the Fearless and Zelligar the Unknown never quite completed, and what are both of their tombs. These are primarily trap and puzzle-based areas as you would expect from a tomb, and again, these are quite tough, almost evoking the infamous S1 Tomb of Horrors in their nastiness. Written of course, for lower Level characters. These three encounters are all optional, but quite detailed. They do include yet another take on what happened to Melissa, Rogahn the Fearless’ mistress, which provides the first of Original Adventures Reincarnated #1: Into the Borderlands’ links between B1 In Search of the Unknown and B2 Keep on the Borderlands.

In comparison, the adaptation of B2 Keep on the Borderlands for Dungeons & Dragons, Fifth Edition is not as interesting. This is because it is more straightforward and lacks the scope for design input which is integral to B1 In Search of the Unknown. This does not mean that it is not well done, but it is more of a straight adaptation than a rewrite. Where the designers have scope to do more with B2 Keep on the Borderlands is in the wilderness area between the Keep and the Caves of Chaos. Original Adventures Reincarnated #1: Into the Borderlands doubles the number of encounters and locations, turning the area into a mini-sandbox. Old standbys are still there, like the evil Lizardmen and the old apiarist hermit, but there are also Bullywugs living in a Reed Maze, an abandoned Adventurer Camp, and more to be encountered. The inclusion of the Bullywugs, one of a number of monsters to appear here which originally appeared in the Fiend Folio for Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, First Edition, is a nice touch since Luke Gygax, together with his father, originally designed them. One of the main additions—and very much an optional one at that—is that of the Caves of the Unknown. In other words, the designers give the option for the player characters to discover Quasqueton and play through B1 In Search of the Unknown before they even get to the Caves of Chaos!

As well as the encounters in the wilderness between the Keep and the Caves of Chaos, Original Adventures Reincarnated #1: Into the Borderlands provides extra encounters in and around the ravine containing the Caves of Chaos. These increase the number of caves from eleven to fourteen. They include a hidden lair of Xvarts—another ‘Old School’ monster that originally appeared in the Fiend Folio and more recently in Volo’s Guide to Monsters, but is rarely used, a cave of giant vermin, and a cave system designed to link the Caves of Chaos to the lower level of the Caves of the Unknown. Again, these are well designed and do not necessarily feel out of place alongside the original caves. 

Rounding out Original Adventures Reincarnated #1: Into the Borderlands are lists of the various new monsters and magical items, as well as potential hirelings, but the volume closes with one last reprint. These are the full colour covers of both B1 In Search of the Unknown and B2 Keep on the Borderlands along with their maps. These are lovely reprints vibrant with colour that everyone’s battered and used copies of the originals lost long ago.

Physically, Original Adventures Reincarnated #1: Into the Borderlands is decently presented. The facsimiles of both B1 In Search of the Unknown and B2 Keep on the Borderlands are clearly presented and easy enough to read, although the updated versions with their serif text and much bigger fonts are easier. That said, the use of different fonts and so on does make the overall look of the book disjointed, but it is obvious why it was done. (In fact, it would have been fascinating to have seen this product done as a boxed set containing the different versions of the modules, old and new, as well as separate maps and supporting material.) The book does need an edit though. The new maps are all sharp and clean, whilst the new artwork, much of which has a cartoonish quality to it, is decent enough. The contents page could definitely done with expanding, especially as there is no index in the book. Surprisingly, for a book of its size, Original Adventures Reincarnated #1: Into the Borderlands is quite light in the hand, although it still feels sturdy enough.

Now as good and as fun as it is to see the old versions of B1 In Search of the Unknown and B2 Keep on the Borderlands reprinted, and then updated to, and expanded for, Dungeons & Dragons, Fifth Edition, there is something missing in Original Adventures Reincarnated #1: Into the Borderlands. The problem is that in setting the context with the interview and the memories, it feels as if B1 In Search of the Unknown receives all of the attention, leaving the reader wanting when it comes to reading about B2 Keep on the Borderlands. And further, the memories and the interview do feel wanting in comparison to the publisher’s earlier treatment of another TSR. Inc. classic, Metamorphosis Alpha with the delightfully informative Metamorphosis Alpha Collector’s Edition. Understandably, the creator of B2 Keep on the Borderlands, E, Gary Gygax, is longer with us, but surely something more could have been included?

There is a great deal to like about Original Adventures Reincarnated #1: Into the Borderlands. The interviews and reminiscences are interesting to read and to be able to place two classic modules alongside what more contemporary designers would do with them makes for fascinating comparisons. The expansions are all well designed and do not feel out of place with the older material, and even though the placing of the Caves of the Unknown close to the Caves of Chaos feels a little too much for the wilderness region, it does mean that B1 In Search of the Unknown and B2 Keep on the Borderlands can be played together as a campaign. And despite the Dungeons & Dragons, Fifth Edition updates, expansions, and updates—which it must be made clear makes both B1 In Search of the Unknown and B2 Keep on the Borderlands playable by those whose first game is Dungeons & Dragons, Fifth Edition, these are still ‘Old School’-style adventures. So there is more of an emphasis on combat and exploration, though the updated versions do include more story and more social interaction, and the adventures feel tougher and more unforgiving. If there is one thing that is missing, it is perhaps a discussion of the differences between the two styles of play, between Dungeons & Dragons, Fifth Edition and the Old School Renaissance. There are hints, but if ever there was an opportunity to do so, surely it was with Original Adventures Reincarnated #1: Into the Borderlands?

Ultimately, it does feel as if there are a few things missing from Original Adventures Reincarnated #1: Into the Borderlands and it missed an opportunity or two. Yet it still manages to both satisfy our sense of nostalgia and explore a more modern approach to a pair of classic modules. This is because again and again, different publishers, whether TSR, Inc. or Kenzer & Company, Wizards of the Coast or Chris Gonnerman, have revisited these modules, exploring them, reshaping them, expanding them, all in an effort to recapture some of that joy of playing them the first time around, but still with the benefit of hindsight of decades’ worth of play and change in gaming sensibilities. Original Adventures Reincarnated #1: Into the Borderlands is a fine example of that, but takes the time to look back as well as update. Original Adventures Reincarnated #1: Into the Borderlands is not quite the definitive treatment of B1 In Search of the Unknown and B2 Keep on the Borderlands, but Goodman Games’ homage is far from unwelcome and the updated versions provide plenty of play forty years on...

'B1' Series: The Hidden Serpent

The ‘B’ series, the series of modules published by TSR, Inc. for Basic Dungeons & Dragons did not begin with B2 Keep on the Borderlands. That much is obvious, but there is no denying that it feels that way. This is not surprising given that it was packaged with the Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set between 1979 and 1983, it is estimated that more than a million copies of B2 Keep on the Borderlands were printed, and for a great many gamers in the late 1970s and early 1980s, it was their introduction to Dungeons & Dragons. Yet before this, there was another scenario, also part of the ‘B’ series, and also packaged with Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set until it was replaced with B2 Keep on the Borderlands. That module was B1 In Search of the Unknown.

First published in 1979 as an introductory adventure for the first Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set that had appeared the year before, B1 In Search of the Unknown set out to provide an adventure that could be run by the novice Dungeon Master and played by novice roleplayers, both just setting out on their first foray into the world of dungeoneering. Thus it is designed to challenge Dungeon Master and players alike and to be instructive for both, but it is not designed to be particularly deadly as a dungeon for experienced players might be. Yet where in the decades since its original publication B2 Keep on the Borderlands has been visited and revisited, from Return to the Keep on the Borderlands to the Keep on the Borderlands series for the Encounters Program for Dungeons & Dragons, Fourth Edition, the fact is that B1 In Search of the Unknown has been all but ignored by both TSR, Inc. and Wizards of the Coast. Instead it has been third party publishers who have revisited the first entry in the ‘B’ series. Most notably and recently, of course, by Goodman Games with Original Adventures Reincarnated #1: Into the Borderlands, which covered both B1 In Search of the Unknown and B2 Keep on the Borderlands. In 2002, Kenzer & Company had published B1 Quest for the Unknown as an adaptation for its own retroclone, HackMaster, Fourth Edition, but another publisher has revisited B1 In Search of the Unknown since then—Faster Monkey Games.

No longer in operation, Faster Monkey Games is best known for titles such as Skull Mountain and the excellent In The Shadow of Mount Rotten, both still available from Catthulhu.com. In 2010, Faster Monkey Games published The Hidden Serpent. This is a dungeon crawl adventure, designed for four to six characters of Second to Fourth Level, written for use with Labyrinth Lord. Most notably—and despite the title—The Hidden Serpent is actually a homage to the classic B1 In Search of the Unknown. Unlike that scenario, The Hidden Serpent is complete and ready to play, and does not need the intervention of the Labyrinth Lord in order to populate it with either monsters nor treasures. It comes as a 7.53 MB twenty-six-page, full PDF with really nice colour cover, its maps and handouts being including separately for ease of use by the Labyrinth Lord.

From the start, The Hidden Serpent comes with a solid background story and hooks to get the player characters involved. The backstory casts Zeglin the wizard and Rogar the warrior as former adventurers who have established a band of mercenaries willing to fight for any employer, whatever their alignment, whether that involves destablising local governments or actively suppressing dissent. In the process, the former adventurers have grown rich and this has paid for the expansion and development of their hidden cavern base, which they have called ‘QUAZKYTON’. For years they operated in secret, but recently, the arrival of a young woman at the caverns has disrupted the situation in QUAZKYTON. Brought to the complex by Rogar, Meli the courtesan found life there unpalatable and fled, taking both Rogar’s previously loyal lieutenant, Captain Karov, and much of his wealth, with her. As Rogar goes after the traitorous Meli and Captain Karov, and Zeglin leaves to fulfil another commission, QUAZKYTON will be left in the hands of their other subordinates, which will have profound effects upon the underground complex when the player characters come to explore it.

The Hidden Serpent offers two hooks to get the player characters involved, both being predicated on their being in a frontier town. The first is to confirm that someone is making use of slaves in the nearby foothills and the second is to locate a relic said to be hidden there. The Labyrinth Lord is free to use either or both of these and is given a wilderness map for the player characters to traverse, along with a few encounters they can have along the way. Neither the town nor the location are named, but ostensibly, The Hidden Serpent is part of the Eastern Valnwall setting, based on the Known Lands in Labyrinth Lord. That said, both town and dungeon are easy to slot into whatever campaign setting the Labyrinth Lord is using.

The encounters do allow the Labyrinth Lord to give her player characters a bit of a runaround, but eventually they will find QUAZKYTON. Another benefit of the encounters is that they give the opportunity for the player characters to enter and explore the complex by guile rather than force. The complex itself resembles the Quasqueton of B1 In Search of the Unknown, but on a much reduced scale. This does not mean that the notable features of Quasqueton have been lost. So the Fungus Garden and the infamous Room of Pools—here as the Chamber of Cauldrons—are present. Physically, the design of QUAZKYTON is not as compact and more clearly organised, with discrete sections dividing the complex into quarters and facilities for the mercenaries and then suites of rooms for Zeglin and Rogar. These are almost mini-dungeons in themselves, especially Zeglin’s quarters where both the Fungus Garden and the Chamber of Cauldrons are, located as they are behind a series of magically trapped doors.

The second level or caves of QUAZKYTON is also smaller. The cave are also radically different. Instead of being under development as in Quasqueton, here they have been sealed off to present their current denizens from getting loose. Primarily this is a band of undead that were former Dwarven miners that Zeglin left here to die. Not only does this confirm that the wizard is evil, it adds an element of horror to the scenario.

Another difference between B1 In Search of the Unknown and The Hidden Serpent is their time frames. In the former, Rogahn the Fearless and Zelligar the Unknown disappeared years ago, unlikely to return, and Quasqueton is all but abandoned. (Indeed, this is explored further in Pacesetter Games & Simulations’ B1 Legacy of the Unknown.) In The Hidden Serpent, QUAZKYTON is a working environment and this can be of benefit to the player characters. If they are roleplayed as mercenaries, they may be able to look around the facilities with some ease. Yet it can also work against the player characters, for if the remaining garrison realises that they are intruders, they will defend the complex. The other possible issue is whether or not Zeglin and Rogar are coming back—and if so, when? In reality, this is more of a threat than an actuality, since the player characters are unlikely to be able to defeat either Zeglin or Rogar. It is thus a story element, though one that the Labyrinth Lord may need to make more explicit, serving to push the player characters to act rather than taking too much time in exploring the complex. What this means though, is that The Hidden Serpent is not really the exploration dungeon that its inspiration was.

The real difference between The Hidden Serpent and B1 In Search of the Unknown is not one of size, even though The Hidden Serpent is smaller and more compact, but one of story. In B1 In Search of the Unknown, the story is implied, waiting to be found amongst the artefacts left behind by Rogahn the Fearless and Zelligar the Unknown, telling who they and Melissa are, and perhaps what has happened to her at least. In The Hidden Serpent, the story is more overt—the escaped slaves who have made it as far as the town in the first plot hook, the evacuated QUAZKYTON as Zeglin goes off to undertake a commission and Rogar goes after his ex-girlfriend, the tensions between the human and Demi-Human mercenaries left behind, and the mystery of the undead in the caverns… This gives the Labyrinth Lord a lot of story and plot elements to play with and the players to dig into, perhaps making it easier for the Labyrinth Lord to run and for her players to get involved. That said, perhaps the tensions between the human and Demi-Human mercenaries left behind could have been made more of.

Physically, The Hidden Serpent is well presented. It needs a slight edit here and there, but it is well written and whilst the artwork consists mostly of filler pieces designed to break up the text, they are decent filler pieces. The maps though, are nicely done and the cover is attractive.

When The Hidden Serpent was published in 2010, B1 In Search of the Unknown was not available. Indeed, Wizards of the Coast would not make it available until 2013. So when it was released, The Hidden Serpent represented a proper alternative and choice for the Labyrinth Lord and her players to experience something similar. Yet, The Hidden Serpent is not as ‘Old School’ as B1 In Search of the Unknown. This is obvious in its emphasis on story over simple exploration, but it is still a challenging, sometimes deadly scenario. And as much as it is a homage to B1 In Search of the Unknown, the story elements means that it is going to play differently too. Overall, The Hidden Serpent is an enjoyable tribute to B1 In Search of the Unknown, but with its emphasis on story, more ‘new school’ than ‘old school’.

'B1' Series: In Search of the Unknown Campaign Sourcebook

The ‘B’ series, the series of modules published by TSR, Inc. for Basic Dungeons & Dragons did not begin with B2 Keep on the Borderlands. That much is obvious, but there is no denying that it feels that way. This is not surprising given that it was packaged with the Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set between 1979 and 1983, it is estimated that more than a million copies of B2 Keep on the Borderlands were printed, and for a great many gamers in the late 1970s and early 1980s, it was their introduction to Dungeons & Dragons. Yet before this, there was another scenario, also part of the ‘B’ series, and also packaged with Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set until it was replaced with B2 Keep on the Borderlands. That module was B1 In Search of the Unknown.

First published in 1979 as an introductory adventure for the first Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set that had appeared the year before, B1 In Search of the Unknown set out to provide an adventure that could be run by the novice Dungeon Master and played by novice roleplayers, both just setting out on their first foray into the world of dungeoneering. Thus it is designed to challenge Dungeon Master and players alike and to be instructive for both, but it is not designed to be particularly deadly as a dungeon for experienced players might be. Yet where in the decades since its original publication B2 Keep on the Borderlands has been visited and revisited, from Return to the Keep on the Borderlands to the Keep on the Borderlands series for the Encounters Program for Dungeons & Dragons, Fourth Edition, the fact is that B1 In Search of the Unknown has been all but ignored by both TSR, Inc. and Wizards of the Coast. Instead it has been third party publishers who have revisited the first entry in the ‘B’ series. Most notably and recently, of course, by Goodman Games with  Original Adventures Reincarnated #1: Into the Borderlands, which covered both B1 In Search of the Unknown and B2 Keep on the Borderlands. In 2002, Kenzer & Company had published B1 Quest for the Unknown as an adaptation for its own retroclone, HackMaster, Fourth Edition, but before the publication of Original Adventures Reincarnated #1: Into the Borderlands in 2018, B1 In Search of the Unknown was revisited by the fans.

Much like the fans of Masks of Nyarlathotep co-operated in producing the eventual mammoth Masks of Nyarlathotep Companion for Call of Cthulhu, in 2009, fans B1 In Search of the Unknown decided to collate all of the new material that had appeared about the module on sites like Dragonsfoot and elsewhere. The result was the In Search of the Unknown Campaign Sourcebook, available from the Zenopus Archives. The results is a collection of reviews, interviews, thoughts, and more, all available to download for free.

It opens with a review of B1 In Search of the Unknown by the former doyen of the Old School Renaissance, James Maliszewski, at his blog, Grognardia. It provides as much an introduction to the module as it does both an opinion and a recollection of it being run, providing the first of numerous personal takes upon B1 In Search of the Unknown throughout the In Search of the Unknown Campaign Sourcebook. James Maliszewski’s Grognardia is also the source of the sourcebook’s first interview. This is with the artist, Darlene, who provided the front and back covers of the module, but is perhaps best known for her classic map of the World of Greyhawk and the graphic design of The Guide to the World of Greyhawk. Her influence over the look of TSR, Inc. in its early days cannot be ignored and this is a fascinating interview, especially about her time at the company as one of the few female employees during this period. What it nicely showcases is just how good Grognardia was at exploring the early history of the hobby as it was at exploring the early history of Maliszewski’s involvement in the hobby.

Surprisingly, the one person not interviewed in In Search of the Unknown Campaign Sourcebook, is actually with Mike Carr, the designer of B1 In Search of the Unknown. Instead, ‘Q&A with Mike Carr’, Geoffrey McKinney collates a series of questions put to the author at the ‘Original D&D Discussion’ forum. The answers cover where Quasqueton might be in the World of Greyhawk (or not)—a subject that the In Search of the Unknown Campaign Sourcebook returns to in some depth, what the designer thinks of the module’s artwork, how he worked as the ‘TSR Games & Rules Editor’, and how he got started playing Dungeons & Dragons. Now reading it, the piece does not quite flow as the later interview with Darlene does, but there are some good questions here and Mike Carr really takes the time to give fulsome, interesting answers.

Author Rob Kuntz looks back at another artist involved in the production of B1 In Search of the Unknown with ‘Memories of David C. Sutherland III’. This is a lovely reminiscence as much about Sutherland as a friend as an artist and it is fascinating to read of his connection to Professor M.A.R. Barker and Tékumel. Surprisingly, the second review In Search of the Unknown Campaign Sourcebook is not of B1 In Search of the Unknown. Instead, Bill Silvey’s ‘Review: Holmes Basic’ looks at the ‘blue book’ version of Dungeons & Dragons. This is important because this edition, which pre-figured Basic Dungeons & Dragons, was the boxed set in which B1 In Search of the Unknown first appeared.

The website for collecting Dungeons & Dragons, The Acaeum is the source for the sourcebook’s complete printing history of B1 In Search of the Unknown. It strengthens the authority of In Search of the Unknown Campaign Sourcebook, so it feels a little not to appear further forward in the supplement. The supplement then takes a more theoretical turn with ‘Unknown Designs’ by Demos Sachlas, which explores and traces the history of the elements that make up B1 In Search of the Unknown. In particular, its design as an exploratory dungeon rather than as a ‘storytelling’ dungeon which would emerge later as the dominant form, for example with U1 Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh and DL1 Dragons of Despair. It also examines the nature of Quasqueton’s construction as a home as much a dungeon and then the nature of the threat faced by Rogahn the Fearless and Zelligar the Unknown, which explains why they have been missing from their home for all these years. Here Demos Sachlas draws from the works of both Robert E. Howard and Fritz Leiber to look at the place of barbarians as the other. Much like Rogahn the Fearless and Zelligar the Unknown, these barbarians are very much off-screen, although modules like B1 Legacy of the Unknown do explore both. 

‘Unknown Designs’ is the first of several contributions by Demos Sachlas. The next is ‘Prosopographies’, which applies classical rhetoric to draw forth information about a figure—or in this case, figures—who is not present. Of course, those figures are Rogahn the Fearless and Zelligar the Unknown and here the author has examined clues, signs, and objects left behind by the duo in their underground home. Most obviously in the tapestries, paintings, and frescoes to be found in their private quarters, but Sachlas extracts quite a lot of information about the pair. He continues his examination of Rogahn the Fearless and Zelligar the Unknown with ‘The Question of Alignment’. Now the alignment of the pair is a matter of some debate since it is hinted at in B1 In Search of the Unknown that they might be evil, but then they actually stopped a threat to the nearby civilisation by thwarting the barbarian invasion. The various actions of the men are looked at and compared with Dungeons & Dragons’ Alignment system, from the horned, evil idol they keep in Quasqueton to their rescue of Melissa, the author goes back and forth over what their alignment might be, but much like the debate itself, the author cannot come to any conclusion. The history and backstory to the two men is presented in a literary essay by Jenni A.M. Merrifield. ‘Module B1: Updated for a Mystara Campaign’ which really works as a source of research for the player characters, perhaps before they set out to Quasqueton for the first time. It focuses in particular on the trio at the heart of the module, the idea being to provide background enough from which the Dungeon Master can develop story and roleplaying hooks, with various further rumours being provided to that end. In this, the article is notable for being the only one in the sourcebook to be critical of B1 In Search of the Unknown, even if only ever so slightly. To be fair, the article is written with hindsight of several years experience playing and development in terms of scenario design and play.

The placement of Quasqueton comes into question with another pair of articles by Demos Sachlas. ‘Quasqueton in the World of Greyhawk’ presents a mini-gazetteer of where the dungeon might be located in Dungeons & Dragons’ first game world, whilst ‘The Continential Map: D&D Game Campaign Setting’ does the same for the Grand Duchy of Karameikos and its surrounds. Even though the World of Greyhawk came first and was the Dungeons & Dragons world when B1 In Search of the Unknown was first published, the Grand Duchy of Karameikos feels more appropriate given that it was included in the ‘B’ series collection, B1-9: In Search of Adventure, as the part of that campaign. That said, these articles are the longest in In Search of the Unknown Campaign Sourcebook and not only are they a little dry, they are really only for devotees their respective settings.

Gabor Lux—the publisher of the fanzine, Echoes From Fomalhaut—contributes ‘Dungeon Layout, Map Flow and Old School Game Design Part One – Quasqueton’ continues the sourcebook’s examination of Quasqueton’s design and how that shapes B1 In Search of the Unknown as an exploration dungeon. Now there is by very design an exploration element to every dungeon, since their layout and contents are meant to be unknown and the discovery of both is part of the game’s play. Lux looks at their design as a means to influence player decisions, working through simple layouts, from linear and linear with sidetracks to branching and circular, to show how each works. Then it applies this to B1 In Search of the Unknown to show how sophisticated the design is.

One of the features of B1 In Search of the Unknown is that none of its rooms are populated and it is intended that the Dungeon Master do so herself from the lists of monsters provided. With ‘The Caverns of Quasqueton I’, Geoffrey McKinney offers his own list along with extra little details, whilst C. Wesley Clough offers his own with ‘The Caverns of Quasqueton II’, which is designed for the later Basic Dungeons & Dragons. Aldarron provides ‘The Caverns of Quasqueton III’, which reworks the dungeon’s denizens to emphasise the fact that it has all but been abandoned. 

Whilst the ‘The Caverns of Quasqueton’ series offered options in terms of the dungeon’s contents, Arzon the Mighty, based on original artwork by ‘Mike of Dragonsfoot’ provides a new map of Quasqueton. This contains all of the same locations and rooms, but opens them up to make the map much easier to read than in its original presentation in B1 In Search of the Unknown. Lastly, Shadow Stack maps out and details a whole new area, that of ‘Quasqueton Tower’. In the original module, this has collapsed due to inferior workmanship. Consisting of nine storeys, the write-up of the tower follows that of the original module in not having any monsters given for any of its locations, the Dungeon Master being expected to add these. This is a nice addition, an option that the Dungeon Master can add should she want to expand the original module, if only to a limited extent and only upwards. Lastly, with ‘Remembering Quasqueton’, numerous players and Dungeon Masters give their recollections of playing and running the module. This adds a lovely, personal touch to the end of the supplement.

Physically, In Search of the Unknown Campaign Sourcebook is a fifty-page, 11.29 MB full-colour PDF. The layout is clean and simple, the supplement reads well, and the artwork, much of it sourced from the original module is decent.

In many ways, the publication of Original Adventures Reincarnated #1: Into the Borderlands by Goodman Games has superseded the In Search of the Unknown Campaign Sourcebook, whether that is in terms of interviews, reminiscences, suggested monster options in terms of stocking Quasqueton. Yet, there is an earnest, honest charm to the amateurish nature of In Search of the Unknown Campaign Sourcebook. This is fans examining a module after years of having played it, thought about it, and talked about it and then telling us their ideas and suggestions as what it is about and how to make it better. Above all, the In Search of the Unknown Campaign Sourcebook showcases how appreciative they are of B1 In Search of the Unknown, and there can be no better tribute than that.

'B1' Series: B1 Legacy of the Unknown

The ‘B’ series, the series of modules published by TSR, Inc. for Basic Dungeons & Dragons did not begin with B2 Keep on the Borderlands. That much is obvious, but there is no denying that it feels that way. This is not surprising given that it was packaged with the Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set between 1979 and 1983, it is estimated that more than a million copies of B2 Keep on the Borderlands were printed, and for a great many gamers in the late 1970s and early 1980s, it was their introduction to Dungeons & Dragons. Yet before this, there was another scenario, also part of the ‘B’ series, and also packaged with Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set until it was replaced with B2 Keep on the Borderlands. That module was B1 In Search of the Unknown.

First published in 1979 as an introductory adventure for the first Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set that had appeared the year before, B1 In Search of the Unknown set out to provide an adventure that could be run by the novice Dungeon Master and played by novice roleplayers, both just setting out on their first foray into the world of dungeoneering. Thus it is designed to challenge Dungeon Master and players alike and to be instructive for both, but it is not designed to be particularly deadly as a dungeon for experienced players might be. Yet where in the decades since its original publication B2 Keep on the Borderlands has been visited and revisited, from Return to the Keep on the Borderlands to the Keep on the Borderlands series for the Encounters Program for Dungeons & Dragons, Fourth Edition, the fact is that B1 In Search of the Unknown has been all but ignored by both TSR, Inc. and Wizards of the Coast. Instead it has been third party publishers who have revisited the first entry in the ‘B’ series. Most notably and recently, of course, by Goodman Games with Original Adventures Reincarnated #1: Into the Borderlands, which covered both B1 In Search of the Unknown and B2 Keep on the Borderlands, but before that though, in 2002, Kenzer & Company published B1 Quest for the Unknown. What few publishers have done though, is visit the aftermath of either B1 In Search of the Unknown or B2 Keep on the Borderlands, though it could easily be argued that Kenzer & Company’s B2 Little Keep on the Borderlands is a sequel to B1 Quest for the Unknown. The exception though, is Pacesetter Games & Simulations.

Published in 2012, B1 Legacy of the Unknown specifically explores what happened the two men who constructed Quasqueton as their home, Rogahn the Fearless and Zelligar the Unknown. According to B1 In Search of the Unknown, they left for the north on a great quest, but were never heard from again, leaving their home under what turned out to be poor supervision. Exactly how long ago is not quite clear, but definitely years rather than months. In B1 Legacy of the Unknown, both Rogahn the Fearless and Zelligar the Unknown, along with the former’s girlfriend, Melissa, disappeared some thirty years ago. Having played through B1 In Search of the Unknown, the player characters will have discovered a map and several vague references in Zelligar the Unknown’s journal, all clues pointing to the direction in which the trio travelled and why—a barbarian treasure horde that lay hidden within a ruined city, home to the god which the barbarians worshipped. Except of course, that there are no such clues in B1 In Search of the Unknown, which until its inclusion in B1-9 In Search of Adventure, the collation of the first nine modules in the ‘B’ series, was very much a self-contained module. Those clues, at least hinting to the location of where Rogahn the Fearless and Zelligar the Unknown went, if not why, are to be found in B0.5 Secrets of the Unknown, which is designed to be run as part of B1 In Search of the Unknown and before B1 Legacy of the Unknown.

Both B0.5 Secrets of the Unknown and B1 Legacy of the Unknown are designed to be run with the ‘First Edition’ game rules of your choice. So of course, Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, First Edition, but more recently, OSRIC, short for Old School Reference and Index Compilation and Advanced Labyrinth Lord. B0.5 Secrets of the Unknown is designed for eight characters First to Second Level, and as well as bridging the story between B1 In Search of the Unknown and B1 Legacy of the Unknown, is designed to ensure that the player characters are of at least Second Level. That said, B1 Legacy of the Unknown is a challenging adventure, and perhaps may even be too tough for characters of Second Level in the numbers suggested, which is between four and eight. That said, B1 Legacy of the Unknown includes several encounters on the trail of Rogahn the Fearless and Zelligar the Unknown, which the Dungeon Master can use to bolster her player characters from First to Second Level. Further, there is no reason why the Dungeon Master cannot add further encounters to the player character’s journey from Quasqueton to the final fate of both Rogahn the Fearless and Zelligar the Unknown.

The encounters along the way include one with a rabid hill giant, some giant snakes, a group of ‘friendly’ Dwarves with their own agenda, and an ancient outpost which is now home to a nest of spiders. Of these, the encounter with the Dwarves is the most detailed and the most challenging, involving a nasty trap. In fact, it might be too tough a trap so early on in the scenario, and the Dungeon Master might want to tone down its lethality. Otherwise, this is a fun encounter, which is actually illustrated on the scenario’s front cover. Hopefully, by the time the adventurers have completed these, the player characters will have accrued enough Experience Points to achieve another Level.

Following the journal and map found in Quasqueton and B1 In Search of the Unknown will get to the ruined city of Shard—also known as the ‘Ruined City’, the focus of the scenario rather than the journey to it. Several millennia old, Shard is actually a satellite of the City of Spire, as detailed in the publisher’s ‘C’ series of modules. Shard is octagonal in shape, divided into eight roughly triangular, walled  sections all the same size, around a central location in which stands a single spire. Although of the same size and shape, each of these eight walled-off sections—or zones—is of a very different character. Some of the zones are occupied, in turn by tribes of Goblins, Gnolls, and Orcs and a band of cultists, whilst others have been left to be taken over by wilderness. Each of the eight zones is discrete physically and in terms of its character, so the Orcs reside in a network of residential towers, the cultists in a repaired and maintained temple, another zone consists of warren after warren of giant rats, and so on. Further, the Demi-Humans are well-organised and disciplined, almost constrained in their actions—unless, that is, they are invaded, and who on earth would do that?

Now there is good reason for this discipline and the constraints upon the various city factions, and that is a Druid—whose name the player characters are likely to recognise—who has imposed order upon Shard through fear. She has also forced them to co-operate to some degree, especially over guarding access to the city of Shard. Interestingly, there is the option here for the player characters to join this set-up, take over one of the empty zones and use it as a base of operations. This though, this is not the point of B1 Legacy of the Unknown, which is to follow in the footsteps of Rogahn the Fearless and Zelligar the Unknown and get into the ninth, central area. To do that though, the player characters will need to explore the various surrounding zones, gathering information and the means to get into the central location. The discrete nature of the zones means that the player characters can strike at each, relatively unhindered, each one essentially working as mini-dungeons in their own right. Overall, the city of Shard, its set-up and its various denizens should provide the player characters opportunities aplenty for combat, stealth, roleplaying, and more.

The finale for B1 Legacy of the Unknown will come once the player characters find their way into the central zone and get into the Great Tower that stands there. Inside they can make their way down—somehow—to the Forgotten City and the Dead Temple where the player characters will learn the final fates of Rogahn the Fearless and Zelligar the Unknown. The Forgotten City itself feels somewhat superfluous as it does not really add much to the adventure, being more of a transition location. The Dead Temple though offers a grand climax, the player characters being offered the chance to fight alongside the mighty heroes against the villain that brought them low thirty years before...

Physically, B1 Legacy of the Unknown comes as a seventy-two page, 23.92 MB black and white PDF with a colour cover. The scenario needs another edit and the artwork varies in quality. Some are a little cartoonish, but there are some really nice illustrations too, for example, an encounter with a pair of Carrien Crawlers and another with a Naga are both well done pieces. The cartography is excellent though. One issue with the writing is the degree of reputation between the area descriptions, so there are an awful lot of barracks, for example, which have the same description, repeated over and over. Much of this could have been edited for clarity and repetition.

As written, the primary issue with B1 Legacy of the Unknown is its hook, what gets the player characters involved in its events, to go on the trail to the lost city and discover what happened to Rogahn the Fearless and Zelligar the Unknown. As a standalone adventure, B1 Legacy of the Unknown lacks a sufficiently strong enough hook to pull the player characters along said trail and into the adventure. It needs the Dungeon Master to really write one. Yet even if B1 Legacy of the Unknown is run as a sequel to B1 In Search of the Unknown with B0.5 Secrets of the Unknown between, then the Dungeon Master may still need to do so as there really is insufficient sufficient information here in terms of a hook given. 

Although the journey to adventure’s main area may need additional content in order to provide the player characters with sufficient Experience Points and be of strong enough Level to face some of the challenges it presents, B1 Legacy of the Unknown is a solid adventure, unique in what it offers. B1 Legacy of the Unknown stands out because it is no mere reiteration or adaptation of B1 In Search of the Unknown, but a genuine sequel, one that explores what happened to the NPCs at the heart of the backstory to B1 In Search of the Unknown. 

'B1' Series: B0.5 Secrets of the Unknown

The ‘B’ series, the series of modules published by TSR, Inc. for Basic Dungeons & Dragons did not begin with B2 Keep on the Borderlands. That much is obvious, but there is no denying that it feels that way. This is not surprising given that it was packaged with the Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set between 1979 and 1983, it is estimated that more than a million copies of B2 Keep on the Borderlands were printed, and for a great many gamers in the late 1970s and early 1980s, it was their introduction to Dungeons & Dragons. Yet before this, there was another scenario, also part of the ‘B’ series, and also packaged with Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set until it was replaced with B2 Keep on the Borderlands. That module was B1 In Search of the Unknown.

First published in 1979 as an introductory adventure for the first Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set that had appeared the year before, B1 In Search of the Unknown set out to provide an adventure that could be run by the novice Dungeon Master and played by novice roleplayers, both just setting out on their first foray into the world of dungeoneering. Thus it is designed to challenge Dungeon Master and players alike and to be instructive for both, but it is not designed to be particularly deadly as a dungeon for experienced players might be. Yet where in the decades since its original publication B2 Keep on the Borderlands has been visited and revisited, from Return to the Keep on the Borderlands to the Keep on the Borderlands series for the Encounters Program for Dungeons & Dragons, Fourth Edition, the fact is that B1 In Search of the Unknown has been all but ignored by both TSR, Inc. and Wizards of the Coast. Instead it has been third party publishers who have revisited the first entry in the ‘B’ series. Most notably and recently, of course, by Goodman Games with Original Adventures Reincarnated #1: Into the Borderlands, which covered both B1 In Search of the Unknown and B2 Keep on the Borderlands, but before that though, in 2002, Kenzer & Company published B1 Quest for the Unknown. What few publishers have done though, is visit the aftermath of either B1 In Search of the Unknown or B2 Keep on the Borderlands, though it could easily be argued that Kenzer & Company’s B2 Little Keep on the Borderlands is a sequel to B1 Quest for the Unknown. The exception though, is Pacesetter Games & Simulations.

Published in 2015, B0.5 Secrets of the Unknown is a sequel of sorts designed to be run prior to B1 Legacy of the Unknown, from the same publisher. The latter specifically explores what happened the two men who constructed Quasqueton as their home, Rogahn the Fearless and Zelligar the Unknown, and why they did not return home. According to B1 In Search of the Unknown, they left for the north on a great quest, but were never heard from again, leaving their home under what turned out to be poor supervision. The Dungeon Master will probably need to provide the clues needed in the form of a map and Zelligar the Unknown’s journal, which will point the player characters to the destination as detailed in B1 Legacy of the Unknown. 

Both B0.5 Secrets of the Unknown and B1 Legacy of the Unknown are designed to be run with the ‘First Edition’ game rules of your choice. So of course, Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, First Edition, but more recently, OSRIC, short for Old School Reference and Index Compilation and Advanced Labyrinth Lord. B0.5 Secrets of the Unknown is designed to be played by eight characters of First and Second Levels and presents a small encounter which takes place after the events of B1 In Search of the Unknown. The player characters are expected to have returned from their sojourn inside Quasqueton and been hailed heroes for their exploits. News of their doings brings out an old soldier who regales them with what happened at the great battle which won Rogahn the Fearless and Zelligar the Unknown their fame and garnered them riches enough to construct Quasqueton. He will also tell the player characters of how he saw some barbarians escape the battle and disappear behind a waterfall. He assumed that they drowned, but did they?

If the player characters decide to explore the waterfall, they will find an underwater tunnel which leads into a small complex of caves. Inside, they will find some artefacts from Shard, the ruined city where Rogahn the Fearless and Zelligar the Unknown headed some thirty years ago, including one which will provide them with the means to get to the centre of the city as detailed B1 Legacy of the Unknown. This will require some experimentation upon the part of the player characters, but if successful, the player characters will also know where Rogahn the Fearless and Zelligar the Unknown. The other major location provides some hints as to why the two decided to go there, but no more than that. It also foreshadows what happened to Rogahn the Fearless and Zelligar the Unknown, though that will only become apparent if the player characters get to the finale of B1 Legacy of the Unknown.

What B0.5 Secrets of the Unknown is designed to do is bridge the gap between B1 In Search of the Unknown and B1 Legacy of the Unknown and whilst it does that, it really is only a corollary. It provides further Experience Points to ensure that the player characters get from First Level to Second Level, and therefore sufficiently capable to play through B1 Legacy of the Unknown. It also hints at where Rogahn the Fearless and Zelligar the Unknown have gone and possibly why…? And yet…

What B0.5 Secrets of the Unknown completely fails to do is provide motive for the player characters. First it fails to provide motive—other than simple curiosity—for the player characters to go and look behind the waterfall. How about the old soldier not only seeing the barbarians going behind the waterfall, but Rogahn the Fearless and Zelligar the Unknown following them and returning with some of the artefacts to be found in the caves? Second, it fails to provide a motive for the player characters to follow the path that Rogahn the Fearless and Zelligar the Unknown took thirty years ago. No map, no journal, both of which are mentioned, but not given in B1 Legacy of the Unknown. This is just so frustrating and disappointing.

Physically, B0.5 Secrets of the Unknown is a 2.83 MB, eight page, full colour PDF. It is reasonably well written, the cover is okay, and the map is serviceable. In addition to the six locations described, the mini-supplement includes a new spell, six new magic items—one of which will be important in B1 Legacy of the Unknown, and two new monsters. Of these, just the one magic item plays an important in B1 Legacy of the Unknown, but the others can be added to a Dungeon Master’s without any difficulty.

B0.5 Secrets of the Unknown hints at some of the secrets of Rogahn the Fearless and Zelligar the Unknown and that is fine. It provides further Experience Points for the player characters and that is fine. It fails to provide motivation or hook for the player characters and that is not fine. Ultimately, B0.5 Secrets of the Unknown fails to bridge the gap between B1 In Search of the Unknown and B1 Legacy of the Unknown because it still leaves unnecessary work for the Dungeon Master to do, and that provide a hook or a motivation for her player characters.