From: dhenry@plains.NoDak.edu (David Henry)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: WFRP: Castle Drachenfells
Date: 30 Sep 92 03:16:35 GMT
Article-I.D.: plains.20810
Organization: North Dakota Higher Education Computing Network

In article <JAMIE.92Sep30073126@kauri.vuw.ac.nz> jamie@kauri.vuw.ac.nz (Jamieson Norrish) writes:
>Basically, I'd like to know if this is any good, and if I should buy
>it. In the same vein, is Lichemaster worth it? I won't ask about the
>Doomstones campaign, since I know the general consensus on those
>particular modules. :-)

I dunno, I still think it bears repeating for any newbie WFRPers out there:

	THE DOOMSTONES SUCK RAW WARP PHLEGM! STAY AWAY!

That said, let's move on to Castle Drachenfels, which (I'm guessing) is
probably the last WFRP thing we'll see in a long while to forever from Carl
Sargent. There is no adventure, per se, although a good half-dozen narrative
hooks are included in the back of the book to get your players going there
(my favorite one is "I Left my Heart in Castle Drachenfels").

The trouble is, of course, that any player who has read the Drachenfels
novel by Jack Yeovil -- which, personally, I believe should be necessary
reading for any WFRP player or GM, anywhere --, there is no way in hell
you're going to get your players within a mile of this place. (See the
novel for details). To give you newcomers an idea, I'll return back to some
AD&D terms, since they're the Common-speak of frp people:

Castle Drachenfels is, to the Old World, the Tomb of Horrors and the Giant
Series combined together. It is, in short, everything bad, vicious, and
legedarily evil added up into one steaming, pulsing ball -- and all the
inhabitants of the Old World know it.

How bad is it, you wonder? How bad is it? How about having Greater Daemons
of Khorne as possible room encounters? Throw in a Greater Daemon of
Tzeentch, too, while you're at it. And add plenty of top-notch,
disgusto-rama Warhammer traps, undead, and location encounters.

Sure, like almost all Sargent products, it's top notch. Fabulously ghoulish,
epically impossible, heroically suicidal. Trouble is, convincing players
(even those who haven't heard of it) to stay in for an extended search will,
I'm guessing, tax any GM. It is, in short, very tough, with rewards probably
only consummate if you have a very experienced group of *players* (not
characters) going through it, and you work in this evil place into your
campaign as an Important Goal.

As for Lichemaster, it's just a retelling of the Warhammer Fantasy Battle
scenario, "Vengeance of the Liche Master." An okay scenario, with certainly
a heart-stopping jump start into adventure for new characters. It also
includes one of the best Skaven encounters of all time. Still, for post-
Enemy Within releases, I'd still recommend Death's Dark Shadow for starting
a new party of characters.

"Tzeentch is my friend."  -- standard party mumbling in my WFRP campaign

-- 
David R. Henry - Rogue Fan Club - CTHULHU in '92! Why vote for LESSER evils?
For Kate is a jealous God, and requires sacrifice./What was your question?--K
"All you of Earth are IDIOTS!"-P9fOS // Thanks... for the memories.--Rogue
dhenry@plains.nodak.edu * ud137927@ndsuvm1.bitnet * ud137927@vm1.nodak.edu
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc