Rahasia

Basic #B7

by Tracy Hickman, Laura Hickman

Gray Mountain lies deep in the lush elven forest. The temple there was a haven of meditation and learning - until taken over by an evil cleric known as the Rahib. Far under the mountain, he paces before the temple's great altar. A brown-robed servant rushes in and falls to his knees, trembling at the sight of the Rahib's black panther. "Rahib, adventurers came to the village as the sun rose - the strangers now protect Rahasia." A scowl crosses the Rahib's face. "I must have Rahasia! Attack again tonight." As the servant scurries away, a deep growl rises from the giant cat. Gripping the panther's leash, the Rahib paces again, speaking out loud. "We must dispose of these strangers quickly; the secret beneath the temple will not wait much longer."

Genres: Dungeons and Dragons, Gaming, Role Playing Games

32 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1984

About the author

NYT Best-selling fantasy authors Tracy Hickman, with his wife Laura, began their journey across the 'Sea of Possibilities' as the creators of 'Dragonlance' and their voyage continues into new areas with the 'Drakis' trilogy, 'Wayne of Gotham', a Batman novel for DC Comics and his 'Dragon's Bard' collector's series . Tracy has over fifty books currently in print in most languages around the world. A record of both Tracy and Laura's DNA currently orbits on the international space station and he is the writer and editor of the first science-fiction movie actually filmed in space. Follow us on Facebook or, of course, right here!

Reviews

[Brian Rogers · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an interesting artifact. The twisted publication history makes this both a predecessor and successor to Ravenloft, and obviously never had that works impact on the hobby. Part of that might be because of that twisted history - it spent a chunk of time as two RPGA tournment modules, which tend to have a heavy intro story - and part of that might be the Basic designation. But the biggest problem I see with it is that its core is very much a contemporary "narrative" module, with the PCs being roped into helping a to-be-sacrificed maiden from an elven community from a complex with timetables and multiple moving parts, presented in the then-contemporary style of module design which very much favored emergent narratives.

Ultimately, it's a very mixed bag. The frame story is heavy handed and bordering between mawkish and melodrama when it could have gone full fairy tale. The presentation of the story is very difficult to follow, but there's no good way for a clear emergent play with so many narrative touchpoints. But the puzzles, mazes, and emphasis on sneaking, problem solving, and non-lethal play are great.

There's some good stuff in here, but it needs a lot of work to get out.

[Louis Norton · Rating 4 out of 5]

This adventure packs a huge amount of content into its 32 pages. The rooms are numbered up to 106! And it is a complex puzzle-dungeon with serious opposition and a lot of non-lethal combat required as well as a more complicated plot than most modules of the time. It could be either 4 or 5 stars, I am on the fence - but I feel that it would be very difficult for players to figure out all of the puzzles and ultimate means to defeat the enemies. In any case, a very good module for its time.

[Marko · Rating 3 out of 5]

Seikkailun taustatarina nyt on neitsyineen sellaista vanhaa Hickmanien melodraamaa, mutta ei se tällaisessa luolasto-/temppelivaeltelussa haittaa.

En aluksi välittänyt seikkailun lukuisista teleporttauspaikoista, joita on varmaan lähemmäs 30, mutta pidemmälle luettuani tajusin, että muutamat niistä itse asiassa tarjoavat seikkailulle mukavasti mahdollisuuden ei-lineaariseen etenemiseen. Seikkailussa on myös annettu mahdollisuus, että pc:t jäävät vangiksi ja heräävät vankilasta. Hieno vaihtoehto!

Vaeltavat hirviöt tietty vaikuttavat tässäkin moduulissa irrallisilta ja hassuilta. Se nyt lienee vain pakollinen osa tätä Old School D&D-menoa.

Seikkailussa on tietty paljon pieniä hölmöyksiä kuten vaikkapa maagisia aseita aarteina, joita niiden vieressä seisovat omistajat eivät käytä. Välillä heitetään hiipimisessä prosenttiluvun alle ja välillä heitetään taas ketteryyden alle. Koodeja oikeanlaisiin teleportaatiojärjestyksiin löytyy eri paikoista vanhoista viinipullojen etiketeistä, jne…

Mutta kaiken kaikkiaan tämä on toimiva luolastoseikkailu. Varsinkin kun ottaa huomioon tekoajan! Antaa myös monia mahdollisuuksia npc:eiden kanssa komminikointiin ja roolipelaamiseen.

[Chris Sudall · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting module with some nice ideas, but the overall feel is that it is complicated with teleports running every which way and baddies in multiple locations. Overall though, if you get your head around it, I reckon this would've been quite good fun.

[Bradley · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my most favorite Basic Set adventures, this is one of the few D&D modules I would trouble with to convert into Palladium stats. It is an excellent adventure worthy enough to stand the test of time.

[DadHasADD · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exceptional story for an D&D adventure of its day. No wonder: It was written by fantasy authors Tracy & Laura Hickman. Highly recommended for the classic gamer.