Rogue Games Tabbloid -- April 23, 2009 Edition

23 April, 2009

Today’s Tabbloid PERSONAL NEWS FOR [email protected]

ROGUE FEED

ROGUE FEED

Of Magick & Magicians

REVIEW: The Ruins of Ramat

APR 22, 2009 09:27P.M.

APR 22, 2009 08:08P.M.

In my never-ending quest to fill in the gaps in my knowledge of the hobby’s history, I’ve been reading the 1983 edition of Chivalry & Sorcery quite closely. Its treatment of magic (or magick, as it insists on calling it) is remarkable and I suspect I’ll be raiding it for ideas in my Dwimmermount campaign. In any case, I came across the following quote, which really set the tone: If Magick is a form of knowledge, then the Magician should be seen as a seeker after knowledge. He is not a mere weapons technologist, as presented in some FRP games. He will not serve gold or power hungry individuals. Nor will he act as a heavily armed magical escort for glory-seeking adventurers simply because they need a compact magical S.W.A.T. team to take care of really dangerous foes. He has little interest in gaining possession of the magical devices of other Mages, because he can produce his own. His sole passion is to learn all of the secrets of the Arcane Arts — the very secrets of the universe as he sees it. He is curious. He has to know the Truth! That Truth will most certainly give him great Powers, but it is in the knowing, not the exercise of Power, that the Magician finds his fulfillment ... This does not rule out the excitement of an adventure. Only the Magician has some deep motive for going. He stands to learn something new or is attempting to forestall some terrible disaster. He doesn’t go for ordinary reasons; for he is not an ordinary man. The Ruins of Ramat is a fantasy adventure module, written by John Adams and Andy Taylor and published by Brave Halfling. It’s available in two versions, one bearing the Labyrinth Lord logo and another bearing the Original Edition Adventures logo, meaning that it’s intended for use with both Labyrinth Lord‘s Original Edition Characters (which I reviewed here) and Swords & Wizardry (or any old school rules set really). This review concerns the latter version only, which I presume is identical to the straight LL version, although, not owning it, I cannot say for certain.

I won’t speak for anyone else, but found these passages quite evocative and compelling. They’re a good example of understanding that magic should be, well, magical and not ersatz technology. The magic-user in D&D, even in its earliest versions, often strays a little too close to being “a mere weapons technologist” and that’s a shame, because nothing about magic should ever be so simple or straightforward.

Written for characters level 1-2, module is a simple, straightforward adventure that involves the exploration of a 17-room ruined stronghold hidden beneath Witch Hill. As it turns out, these ruins were once held by a militant clerical sect dedicated to the god of light and righteousness, Ramat. They’re also the final resting place for the Spear of Ramat, a

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Today’s Tabbloid PERSONAL NEWS FOR [email protected]

23 April, 2009

minor artifact of the sect that a treacherous priest attempted to destroy by means of a magical portal that summoned undead, demons, and worse into the world. Though the Spear was saved, the faithful servants of Ramat were not so lucky. Like most Brave Halfling products, The Ruins of Ramat is an unpretentious, “meat and potatoes” offering. In PDF form, it is 10 pages long, but in its printed form, those pages are folded into two in order to create a small booklet roughly the same size as the little brown OD&D books. The PDF sells for $3.50, while the printed version, which includes shipping, can be purchased for $5.00 (or $6.00 if you live outside North America). This gets you a fun little side adventure that’s easily dropped into any campaign, as well as a map and stats for two new monsters (one being the huecuva first seen in the Fiend Folio). One of the nice things about the adventure is that how easily it could serve as a child’s introduction to fantasy roleplaying. As presented, the characters are asked by a little girl who’s lost her dog to find him, after a clawed creature came up out of the ground of Witch Hill and snatched the canine. Melodramatic though it may be, it’s precisely the kind of hook that would grab my nine year-old daughter and I can’t imagine she’s alone in that regard. In addition, the backstory about the clerics of Ramat, while useful in establishing a greater context to the ruins, isn’t integral to running the adventure — another plus if you just want to offer up a simple dungeon crawl to young players. That’s not to say The Ruins of Ramat offers nothing for more experienced players, but I think the module shines brightest when viewed as an introductory one. Presentation: 7 out of 10 Creativity: 6 out of 10 Utility: 6 out of 10 Buy This If: You’re looking for a simple, straightforward introductory module Don’t Buy This If: You’re looking for something more complex or already have more intro modules than you know what to do with

This issue contains posts from between Apr 22, 2009 07:08a.m. and Apr 23, 2009 03:09a.m.. Visit the Rogues on the web: http://www.rogue-games.net

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