Deadline for arranging something on 8/30 or 8/31 is next Monday, 8/25. Otherwise, I'm generally good during the work-week in September.

Your comment about B5 reminds me that a lot of the early adventures have a Base + Dungeon approach: T1: Village of Hommlet, B2: Keep on the Borderlands, B5: Horror on the Hill, L1: Secret of Bone Hill…

One of the 2e books that I remember very fondly was the Campaign Sourcebook and Catacomb Guide, by Paul Jacquays. I threw it out 10 years ago in a fit of madness, and really wish I had it back just to look over it: a lot of people seem to like it.

I have read that B10 Night's Dark Terror is one of the greatest B/X modules written. I've been trying to get a copy of it, but they're extremely expensive - one sold today on ebay for $150! I've been trying to get ahold of that book for a year. Impossible. I've also heard great things about X2 - to which one of the campaigns has hinted at.

Finally, I swear that one of these days I'm going to win that AD&D beach towel!!!!

I'm curious: what do you think were absolute gems of D&D rules, modules, accessories, whatever?

I'm really liking Tom Moldvay's module B4: The Lost City, which is both a dungeon excursion, and also a "community dungeon" where there are different factions scheming against each other. I'm also impressed with Mike Carr's B1: In Search of the Unknown, which appears to be very well-thought out, with an emphasis on exploration rather than killing things. Douglas Niles's CM1: Test of the Warlords so far looks to be pretty innovative at showcasing "Companion-level" play, with an emphasis on building dominions and using mass-combat rules. None of these are perfect, and I'm such a nerd that I'd pretty much want to re-write all of these before using them in play, but I can see what the authors are trying to do, and I approve mightily.

One book that gets a lot of bad press is Douglas Niles's Dungeoneer's Survival Guide. The hostile reaction is understandable: a lot of the book is devoted to a Skills system that AD&D arguably doesn't need, and other portions involve figuring out whether a Half-Orc with 3/4 encumbrance is able to slither through a hole in a cavern, and if so whether he would suffer a -2, -3, or -4 penalty to attacks. Pages and pages of this. But it does contain some nifty stuff that I rather like:

• First, it's all about caverns. My experience with the underground environment is practically nil (hey, a word I learned from D&D!). So it's really neat to see a book that talks about how caverns form, and what kind of hazards await spelunkers.
• Second, it's got rules on operating a mine. Yawn! OH WAIT, not-yawn! Niles, or whoever wrote this section, clearly imagined a campaign where the players were mine-owners/operators/claim jumpers, trying to wrest treasure from the Earth the old fashioned way, getting in over their heads by bursting into the Underdark, dealing with selfish Dwarves, trying to keep the Royal Tax Collector out of their hair, and out-smarting the Thieves Guild… It's actually a pretty unconventional idea for a game, I'd like to try it sometime.
• Third, there's some material on the Underdark here that's kind of interesting. Anything with Aboleth, Drow, and Mind Flayers can't be all bad.
• Fourth, it's got some fairly useful advice on structuring campaigns, at least for its day and age.

How about you? Any favorites from the TSR days, or even later?

Underground: Mycenae in Greece was the palace of the house of Atreus of patricidal fame. It's set up in some impressive scrub hills looking down across a green valley. Standing there, you feel like you own the area, rule it, have responsibility for it. The ruins don't cover a large area, but they're impressive nonetheless. Naomi and I found a set of stairs heading down into the dark to a cistern. The stairs were at 45-50 degrees and wound around unevenly. A dozen steps down out of the afternoon sun and we could see nothing at all. We and another couple started shuffling down and I held up a cigarette lighter. It was the D&Dest ever, and completely freaky.

But third, and more germanely: being in huge caves and tunnels is pretty cool! But also: God damn, I could not be an adventurer because I would spend all my energy soiling my armor.

It is DARK. Really dark. If you've never been in utter darkness before, it's a humbling experience. I couldn't see anything, even my hands. There's this irrational fear that you're going to walk right into a wall, which makes it very hard to move.

It's also slippery. I always forget that caves occur because of running water; in this case, waterfalls which flow through parts of the cave in a spray of freezing-cold water, collecting in ankle-deep pools. Water flows down the walls, and makes the floor slick in some places and muddy in others.

Oh: and when you're in total darkness, groping your way, in the slippery muddy gunk, and suddenly you hear a bunch of rats chittering and squeaking and running away, it's unreal.

But also, it looks like we don't have a definite quorum for the 19th, so it's off unless someone else wants to play or Adrian feels more confident about his availability.

Kotter supports returning the bell. He's a larcenous sort, but has had the fear of the Great Builder thrown into him by his strict upbringing. If the bell was small enough to swallow it might be a different story, but such a big treasure should clearly be restored to its proper place.

Possible agendas, taken from the Session 4 thread in this forum:

* Cleanse the ruins of Threshold from Bargle the Warlock's gang of thieves, murderers, and monsters. These creatures have been living on the edge of town, and may in time challenge the local authorities. It seems that Bargle has exerted a malign, magical influence over Sir Froderic. Kristof the Snitch, rescued from the Lost Mine a few weeks ago, might be able to identify some hazards.

* Escape from the Witherwood - (this is an in medias res thing, perhaps a good way to introduce a completely different set of characters or maybe some henchmen) - you've been captured and held for ransom by Renata the Robber's gang of thieves, who prey on the local farmers and the trade caravans. Can you get out in one piece? Can you claim the bounty on Renata's head? Can you ensure Threshold's food supply for another perilous season by getting rid of these vultures?

* Investigate Flood Control Dam No. 3 - after the Dragon Army was routed, many goblin clans retreated to this area, dwelling within the Dwarf-built catacombs and machinery. Belrain the Sword-Singer distrusts the build up of Goblin forces, and needs a team of adventurers to reconnoiter the place and determine the goblins' full strength, so that Lord Stefan can mount a proper defense of the town.

* Rescue the Dwarf Lord Heimdall from the Steachwarrens - records taken from the Lost Mine indicate that Heimdall, the epic hero of the Dwarven people, is still alive and kept in captivity deep beneath the Dwarves' ancestral home, now a twisted and accursed underworld mega-dungeon. Rescuing Heimdall has become a cause celebre among the Dwarves of the river valley, who are massing in Threshold for the mission. Heimdall's claim of sovereignty over this region, however, might prove inconvenient to Lord Stefan but very helpful to his enemy Cardinal Ludwig.

* Use the Magic Portal within Rary's Tower: the leader of the Wizard's Cabal, Mordenkainen, was somehow transported to a distant plane through Rary's magic. If Mordenkainen could return, it would unify the Cabal and bring peace among the feuding magicians. Eyewitnesses say that Belrain the Sword-Singer decapitated Rary in the Battle of Threshold, but rumors persist of activity within his brooding fortress. Bargle once studied under Rary, and in his reduced circumstances he may try to fall back here to replenish his power.

* Travel to the Shrine of the Oracle. This shrine, once dedicated to the Great Builder, has fallen into sinister hands of the Chaos Cultists. Its divination magic could be helpful, either to adventurers or to political patrons. (Adventurers have speculated that the Oracle could point the way to the Ohnefrau Vault.) Elizabeth the Augur, a priestess of the Trickster, may seek escorts on the dangerous journey to the location.

* Return to the Lost Mine. After perpetual peril in the Grotto of Doom, a hardier band of adventurers might voyage deeper into the mine. (Warning: probably not a full night's worth of adventure left.)

All loot found should go into rebuilding. As the cleanser of this church, Thorina declares it is her right and priviledge to oversee this effort.