So, I like to read modules. It is what it is.

Anyhow, this is the first official release for the 4th edition. There are some good things and some bad things. The best way to talk about this is to look at the various axes that I think are important: the physical qualities of the module; the story line; and, quality of gaming potential.

Let's get the bad stuff out of the way and talk about the physical nature of the module. It's issued in a sturdy card stock folder that, once you open it up, contains three full color-two sided maps, a booklet containing a short introduction to the basics of the 4th edition, and in a separate pamphlet, the module itself. Everything is full color, but that's not much of a sell.

The biggest problem I had with the module's physical side was that aside from the cover, everything else is super flimsy. Sure, it's all in color, but color only goes so far particularly when your palette is confined to black, grey and brown. I haven't even put it though the paces yet and it's already starting to show signs of severe wear. It's a far cry from the modules of yore.

The other thing that really bothered me was the way the maps were presented. Remember how in the older modules the map would printed in blue ink right inside the cover, and that you could remove the cover? This was really convenient because you could reference the map against the adventure without having to flip around the book. Thats not the case here. The fold out maps are basically cheap stand ins for battle mats. Again, full color, but flimsy as all get out; make a mark on these and it's not coming off. Also, these battle- mat-esque joys don't actually reproduce the dungeon map used in the book. Sure, certain areas are covered by these things, but not enough to make them worthy of reference duty. No, the map for the dungeon is is presented once, and then a close of of each area is again presented when the area is discussed. That's all fine and good, and there's a bunch of tactical info on the individual area maps, but for holistic purposes, this approach is nigh worthless.

Moving on, the story is ok. No great shakes, but keep in mind that it's an intro not just to a greater campaign, but also to the 4th edition in general (unbelievably, this module was published a month before the core rule books). I suppose it reminds me a bit of Keep on the borderlands in this respect. With a little work a motivated game master could punch this one up to new heights (or lows, if that's your thing). Also, don't buy this thinking you going to get a Chaosium-style, well-researched, forward thinking, well-written adventure, because you're not. The written content of this one is purely doctrinaire in both it's style and delivery, and stops just short of being patronizing. But I suppose some people like their fantasy role playing that way. "I'm an elf, dammit!" Right?

Lastly, the gaming potential is actually quite favorable. Again, like Keep on the borderlands, you get a fleshed out town, a limited surrounding region, and a basic dungeon, so the possibilities of extended play outside of the dungeon are there. Also, the world is basic (bland is too harsh) enough to easily slip into the world of your choice. Since this module is designed to be the first in a series of three, a setup for the next module is built into the story, but again, with a little work it wouldn't be too hard to go somewhere else more interesting.

My recommendations: it's a little pricey, but worth acquiring particularly if you're a collector because given the above gripes, not many of these will survive intact. If you intend to use it, please do the smart thing and a) photocopy the module, b) make an extra copy of the dungeon maps for easy reference, and c) get yourself a real battle mat so you can dispense with the flimsy full color non sense WOTC/Hasboro deemed fit to include. ( )