From the 1st print of B2:
"Using This Module With ADVANCED DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS
While originally designed to be played with BASIC D&D, the situations and places used in KEEP ON THE BORDERLANDS may also be used by players of ADVANCED DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS.
To use with AD&D, the DM will find no difficulty in using the maps or room descriptions of the Keep and the Caves of Chaos. He or she may wish to expand or ignore the wilderness map and perhaps substitute personalized ideas for those listed. It will be necessary to alter some of the information on the characters found in the Keep to be consistent with AD&D. Likewise, the monsters found in the Caves of Chaos should be converted to AD&D (hit dice, alignment, damage, etc.). For experienced players it may be useful to include some more challenging monsters and more tricks and traps.
As the party increases in level, care should be taken to see that they do not rule or take over the Keep. This may be done by having the main characters of the Keep increase in level and magic items to remain above the average of the party. If the party is 6th level on average, the Castellan should be 9th or 10th level. Alternately, if the DM wishes to use this area for future low-level play, he or she may encourage the players to travel elsewhere in search of adventure."
(Originally posted in the DF review thread back in 2006)
http://www.dragonsfoot.org/forums/viewtopic.php?p=357685#p357685
Interesting how Gygax's preferences shine through even in this little paragraph. The implication is that AD&D players would be more experienced, even though AD&D was the new kid on the block at the time. Also his later preference for controlling the players so they don't take ovr the keep - in the earlier more freeform gaming style this would have been almost obligatory!
ReplyDeleteShiny. I don't remember that one, even though I posted in it several years ago.
ReplyDeleteMichael: I don't know about Gygax's preferences, but I'm sure that he was thinking of the long-game, and selling AD&D books as the Basic set came out just in time to introduce new players to it. However, you're spot on with letting the players take control of the Keep; that would've been perfectly acceptable in 0e, whereas AD&D had a much more rigid level structure for PCs.
I would let the players take control just long enough to suffer and possibly survive a siege by the Caves of Chaos forces united by the Cultists, had they survived the PCs lower level incursions... but possibly lead them onto other aventures away from the Borderlands, and who wants to stick around and help pick up rubble after a siege anyway?
B2 still has a lot to offer PCs as a low-level starter, mid-level defender base, and possibly a high-level HQ for planning far-away expeditions to regions unknown or forbidden.
In a way I'm glad I started with the later B2, because one of the first things our group did, on discovering what tough nuts the Caves and the Wilderness were to crack, was to try and take over the much softer-looking Keep! There's a direct link between the Cave of the Unknown and the dungeons under the Keep, you know..
ReplyDeleteWe failed, of course. :-)
Thank you for pulling that out!
ReplyDelete