Game Review: After Winter Dark

After Winter Dark (campaign setting), Map (campaign map), The Fantastic Adventure (adventure); Yakhund (adventure); The Mortality of Green (adventure) (Troll Lord Games)

Troll Lord Games has designed its RPG campaign setting "After Winter Dark" and associated modules to be suitable for any fantasy roleplaying game. Although the modules are set in the world described in "After Winter Dark," it would take relatively little work for a GM to transfer them into any fantasy gaming setting.

At the end of each of the adventure modules is a two-page spread describing the terms used in the game. A quick glance shows that Troll Lord Games' products are based off of Dungeons and Dragons (in fact, Arneson & Gygax are named among the inspirations for the game) and are perhaps most easi IN! adapted to that system. Although spells and skills are named within the text. no spell descriptions are provided; GMs must choose the most suitable spells and skills from whatever RPG the modules are being used with.

"After Winter Dark" is a campaign setting with a well-developed, highfantasy epic history and atmosphere. The campaign is set some years after the Age of Winter Dark. a virtual ice age under the rule of the evil deific power Unklar the Black, now cast from the plane. The races include the usual fantasy suspects-dwarves, elves, gnomes., halflings, ores, goblins, and so forth. The book describes the calendar, chronology, races, deities. guilds and orders, the lands and their people, and notable geographic features. Not much can be described in 24 pages, so the GM will need to flesh out a great deal of the world, perhaps by grafting on products from other RPGs.

The color poster-sized campaign setting map overviews the lands. marking major terrain features and cities.

"After Winter Dark" is not an outstandingly original campaign settings however. what sets it apart from the better- supported D&D products is its darker atmosphere, with much of the world's history lived under the shadow of evil. Overall it has more of a "high fantasy," Tolkeinesque feel than either Greyhawk or Forgotten Realms, the two current D&D campaign settings,

"Vakhund: Into the Unknown," is a module for 4 to 8 characters levels I 2. The adventure has the characters traveling with a caravan and, eventually. searching for a kidnapped young woman. The setting is the Germanic realm of the Graffenvold and the adventure pits the characters against a number of bandits and monsters. The module can either be ended as- is or, at the GM's option, can be continued in the upcoming adventure **Dzeebagd" (due out October 2000). With a healthy dose of combat involved, GMs will probably want to run this for larger adventuring parties.

"The Fantastic Adventure" is a module for 4 to 8 characters levels 1-3. In this adventure the characters are hired to seek out the mysterious Anomaly Stone from the abandoned Monastery of Auctumnix. Compared to "Vakhund," this module is combat-light but involves more roleplaying opportunities. I suggest it be run for a smaller group: eight characters would be too many, but three to five would be about right.

"The Mortality of Green" is designed for 4 to 8 characters levels 3-5. Some sort of forest-savvy character is recommended but probably isn't necessary. The characters are hired to retrieve a blessed druidic sapling from the clutches of an evil troll that has tree-napped it away from the druid assigned to plant it. Primarily an overland adventure, there are plenty of wandering monsters and planned encounters to deal with, as well as a few pretty tough NPCs. Combat-heavy, it is probably best for fewer characters of higher level or more characters of lower level.

All of these adventures have an old-fashioned Dungeons & Dragons feel to them--there are seldom any moral dilemmas. little in the way of politics. and few if an), subplots to distract the characters from the action. For the most part. the goals are clear and the monsters just need killin'.

Troll Lord Games also puts Out a newsletter called "The Seeker." Fhe first issue, August 10, 2000, contains a good essay on wornen in the Middle Ages by Stephen Chenault that will interest gamers who want to know how to add female characters into historically based RPGs set during that period. The newsletter also includes two new magic items and a campaign seting tale. Print-only. try writing to steve((Di troll lord.com about getting a subscription.

BOOK QUALITY: Each of the books are standard-RPG-sized paperbacks with color covers and black-and-white interiors. Each is 24 pages long with maps or resource materials printed on the inside of the covers. On all books except After Winter Dark, the cover is loose and can be removed for reference. The art, almost all of it by Jason Walton, is good, although reproduced a little too dark.

GAMER GRRLZ COMMENTS: There's a slight male bias here in that most of the NPCs are male, and in "Yakhund" it is. of course, the pretty young girl who is kidnapped and must be rescued. In general, though. there's nothing here to offend. Gamer grrlz might be especially interested in Stephen Chenault's short essay on women in the Middle Ages from The Seeker newsletter-inquire about getting a copy. I've already urged him to put it online for us.

OVERALL FEELINGS: At a surprisingly inexpensive $5 (U.S.) each, these books are a good addition to a fantasy RPG player's gaming shelf especially if that FRPG is Dungeons & Dragons. There's nothing outstandingly original in them. but they're straightforward. Low-level, "back-to-the-basics-adventures" that will please gamers who enjoy dungeon crawling and monster slaying. I have several players in my own gaming group who'd find these to be a breath of fresh air after all the politics and shades of grey I dish up to them.

This review was previously published in the Role Playing Games Newsletter. Sign up for the newsletter to read the reviews as they come out!

Dru Pagliassotti is a game reviewer for About.com.