Monday, September 17, 2012

Temple of The Frog TPK ~ Actual Play


I was supposed to run the Snake Riders by Tim Kask for Larry's group of seven players but 3 of tonight's player's couldn't make it. There's been requests for a high level game for several weeks now. So using Osric rules I decided to run a module that none of  the players had been through.
The Temple of The Frog by Dave Anderson . Its a vicious little 48 page crypo science fantasy romp that has the characters diving into the machinations of a cult.

 Notice the levels are for between 10-14 & their not kidding. The PC's were 10th, 12th, & 13th respectively & this module caused a TPK. The mutant frogs & some bad rolls did them in.
There's a very good solid plot to this one :
"Green Death ... 

That's what old hands call the Great Dismal Swamp. For centuries, this tangled maze of sluggish watercourses, stagnant ponds, and festering marshes has defended Blackmoor's southwestern frontier. Large armies and smaller parties have disappeared altogether inside its vast, dripping, claustophobic corridors. 
Among those who have dropped from sight in the arboreal hell is young Risa Aleford, one of Blackmoor's most important leaders. Carried off to the sinister City of the Frog, she is now being held by the eccentric Monks of the Swamp. By making the baroness captive, the deranged monks have seriously weakened Blackmoor at a time when enemies already threaten it from all sides. 

Yet, even as the froggies gloat, the king of Blackmoor dispatches a small band of bold adventurers to the rescue. Deep into the Great Dismal Swamp they must go there to seek and save the captive baroness from the foul Monks of the Swamp. There to find the Temple of the Frog."

That's how it reads but how it turned out was bad for the party. The players enjoyed it & we had a laugh about it but the truth was it shocked them. The whole affair was a wake up call that even the most jaded role players can be schooled by an old classic.
While it reads like a simple " the player characters must rescue a captive baroness from the evil Temple of the Frog, deep in the Great Dismal Swamp"  
It played out like a fantastic science fantasy B movie with all of the trimmings.

A Few Notes On The Science Fantasy Background of OD&D 
File:DA2 Temple of the Frog 9175.jpg
  1. DA2 is definitely the quintessential science fantasy adventure. There are so many little hints & over the top artifacts & adventures that show how to connect the dots from OD&D to say Metamorphis Alpha original edition. Its not even funny. The module is pure entertainment  & enjoyment 
  2. Wow there's a whole system for running science fantasy built into the back story of OD&D here. So its Metamorphis Alpha 1st edition + OD&D (Temple of The Frog ) + Gamma World 1st Edition + Expedition to the Barrier Peaks = Awesome science fantasy campaign.
  3. If things had gone differently I was planning on reverse engineering the Return To The Temple Of Frog ~ You can down load that from WOTC right Here
  4. The Blackmoor site provided me with a metric ton of information & options about this world. I can't say enough good things about that site. Visit it right Here
  5. It looks like I'm going to incorporate more of the backstory of Blackmoor into other games such as my Stars Without Numbers game. 
  6. This is a group of sadomasochists ~ In three weeks they want me to run them through Expedition To the Barrier Peaks 
    You can read about that Here

3 comments:

  1. Never knew there was another "Barriers Peaks"-like series of D&D modules! Gonna go check these out!

    ReplyDelete
  2. The Great Dismal Swamp? Does the adventure take place in North Carolina? ;)

    Seriously, though it's always good when a group can have fun getting slaughtered.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Sniderman
    Thanks for the comment Sniderman. If you really want the low down on the module Be sure to check out the Blackmoor homepage for the low down on this module & the Wotc follow up.
    Trey ~ Nope this module comes from the dawn of our hobby when things were a little more nebulous. They hadn't really finalized the usual dungeon tropes yet.
    The players had a ball & really that's all that counts in the group! So next the Expedition to the Barrier Peaks ! More to come!

    ReplyDelete

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