tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4607464045429311026.post1021735895542508977..comments2024-03-26T00:09:13.941-07:00Comments on Dungeon of Signs: B7 - Rahasia - ReviewUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4607464045429311026.post-2268625422470600422023-08-27T06:10:38.365-07:002023-08-27T06:10:38.365-07:00Thank you for this review. Not to much on Rahasia ...Thank you for this review. Not to much on Rahasia out there! <br /> I bought this module back in the day and never did anything with it - now I am thinking about it for 5e.<br /> Love the weirdness of this - rather that off putting - this is the JUICE! Every wtf eye brow raise has become a writing prompt! <br /> Rahasia - she is veiled, elven with an Indonesian name. Her people are Arab themed elves who worship a Wizard....? She wants you to rescue her father, her boyfriend and the entire Grey Temple! She needs to be fleshed out. She worships Elyas, but like the other village elves is limited to the Road Side Shrine. She has never been allowed into the Temple, how does she feel about that? <br /><br />The Grey Temple & Elyas - how does a human wizard go on to inspire a whole community of elves to venerate him - or at least his teachings. He is not a god and grants no spells - but his immortal creation - the Naga-like Ular-taman does have cleric spells. Is Elyas on the way to god-hood? What can the pcs learn from the Quiet Way? <br /><br />The Alignment Railroad - the authors seemed to be concerned about evil murder hobos. Seems like less of a concern now a days. Presenting this quest to my adventurers than having them walk away seems unlikely. The module has a lot of Lawful alignment restrictions. In Basic, Lawful = Good but what if it mean't LG, LN & LE? The elves of the Hantu Valley could be all Lawful Neutral, setting them apart from the typical CG elf communities. <br /><br />The Monsters - done with Goblins, Orcs and Ogres. I would lean into the Arab / Indonesian theming. <br /><br />Rahib - he is a cleric, but of what god? Maybe he was allied with the Bandits you find through the complex but abandoned them for the Witches? He is found at the altar of the Great Temple - is he worshipping Elyas, or thinking about it? A crisis of faith?<br /><br />The Three Witches - have issues with them. They are super weak almost pointless when you meet them. But I think they are mean't to be puzzle pieces not real adversaries. They are possessed elves - how do you restore them? <br /><br />The Finale? As written it is exceedingly unlikely the Witches will be restored - I would cook the books to make that happen! CJhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10053118957415058689noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4607464045429311026.post-50540468504739457342017-05-09T18:20:01.373-07:002017-05-09T18:20:01.373-07:00Thing is I actually have come around somewhat on t...Thing is I actually have come around somewhat on the Hickmans - thier own railroads aren't usually that pushy (and heck in G1 Gygax forces the adventurers to raid the giants under penalty of execution so it's not as id they invented that sort of hook), compared to their emulators. Ravenloft is pretty good for example. <br /><br />I never read Rahasia back in the day,but I think TSR managed to produce some decent stuff (B10 for example) afterwards.Gus Lhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14872819206286105195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4607464045429311026.post-49673551088759565172017-05-09T15:28:41.197-07:002017-05-09T15:28:41.197-07:00I bought Rahasia when it was released, and it was ...I bought Rahasia when it was released, and it was the TSR product that made me realize the company (and I suppose D&D) was moving in an unwelcome direction. I didn't know the term 'railroad' in 1984, but I called Rahasia an 'insert characters here' dungeon. I recognized this was a break from the format and playstyle of D&D as I had experienced it from 1979.<br /><br />This is where I got off the bus. I didn't buy another TSR product until I bought a used copy of Night Below in 1998.Robhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16117036368705483835noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4607464045429311026.post-41048575803387136052014-04-05T19:21:04.195-07:002014-04-05T19:21:04.195-07:00One of the reasons I never did like the Dragonlanc...One of the reasons I never did like the Dragonlance books (although a few of the modules were fun) is the oily prose and characters who seemed to be consigned to Fate (whether they knew it or not). This module suffers the same presumption of lack of agency that the characters in the novels did IMO. <br /><br />And the same brand of twee verse still makes me want to take a shower.<br /><br />But the deal breaker for this module for me is the incomprehensible teleport gate section. How would an average player map it? Does the heartburn so induced in any way contribute to the dungeon? It seems a dissertation by a sophomoric dungeon designer who demands you how to his superiority.<br /><br />In fact, I would call this dungeon the Mary Sue of dungeons, especially from this era.Scott Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12067161332003628237noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4607464045429311026.post-61247080922779364272014-03-17T18:39:02.193-07:002014-03-17T18:39:02.193-07:00I like the Serpentmen idea a lot. Make sense with...I like the Serpentmen idea a lot. Make sense with the naga. Gus Lhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14872819206286105195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4607464045429311026.post-34905630561956908752014-03-17T18:31:26.383-07:002014-03-17T18:31:26.383-07:00This is fantastic advice and very timely as I was ...This is fantastic advice and very timely as I was planning on using this module in an upcoming campaign. I purchased this module because it has a distinct southeastern feel to it, if you remove the out-of place Tolkien elements (I'm contemplating changing the elves into lizardmen or serpentmen). I really disliked the heavy-handed railroading and the moral strictures, and your analysis here will really help me greatly in reworking an otherwise disappointing module. <br /><br />Sethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06259683662827307295noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4607464045429311026.post-65572152896416398052014-03-17T17:51:33.919-07:002014-03-17T17:51:33.919-07:00Thanks for the review and the suggestions. I appre...Thanks for the review and the suggestions. I appreciate the suggestions because they make an older resource more useful. I find a lot of reviews of older modules to be just, "It sucks 'cause..." and then a bunch of gripes. You're showing us how to take these classic "gems" and make them better.The Angry Monkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17075199616086876028noreply@blogger.com