Keep On The Borderlands Download
| Code | 11327 |
|---|---|
| Rules required | 2nd Edition AD&D |
| Character levels | 1 - 3 |
| Campaign setting | Generic AD&D; Greyhawk |
| Authors | John D. Rateliff |
| First published | 1999 |
| Linked modules | |
| The Keep on the Borderlands Return to the Keep on the Borderlands | |
Return to the Keep on the Borderlands is a 1999 adventure module for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. It is a sequel to the original The Keep on the Borderlands module (B2) from 1979. Both modules were published by TSR, Inc. Once it was printed, 'Keep on the Borderlands' immediately replaced 'In Search of the Unknown' in the Basic boxed set. However, 'Keep' is much better known as the adventure packaged with the second edition Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set (1981), which was revised and updated by Tom Moldvay.
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Return to the Keep on the Borderlands is a 1999 adventure module for the Dungeons & Dragonsfantasyrole-playing game. It is a sequel to the original The Keep on the Borderlands module (B2) from 1979. Both modules were published by TSR, Inc.
The Keep on the Borderlands is one of the most famous Dungeons and Dragons modules, and you're likely to find it in almost any gamer's D&D module list. One of my favorite campaigns that is still running today is one that's based on this module, the game log and in-character play-by-posts can be seen here. Borderlands 2 Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep dlc 4 Borderlands 2 Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep free download Borderlands 2 Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep full download Borderlands 2.
Background[edit]
Although the original B2 publication was generic in terms of setting, the 1999 'Return' publication retroactively placed the Keep in the World of Greyhawkcampaign setting, specifically in the southwestern Yeomanry.
The events depicted in the sequel take place approximately 20 years after those in the original B2 module. It is nevertheless an introductory adventure intended for low-level characters.
Plot summary[edit]
Return to the Keep on the Borderlands was set twenty years after the events of the original module, and featured a fully re-stocked Caves of Chaos.[1]
Publication history[edit]
Return to the Keep on the Borderlands was written by John D. Rateliff, and published by TSR in 1999.
In 1999, several supplements updated the best-loved Dungeons & Dragons adventures from the past, among them Against the Giants: The Liberation of Geoff (1999), Dragonlance Classics 15th Anniversary Edition (1999), Ravenloft (1999), Return to the Keep on the Borderlands (1999) and Return to White Plume Mountain (1999).[2]:284
Reception[edit]
Andrew Byers, in his review of the adventure for Pyramid, commented that 'much of this module is a dungeon crawl, but it's an intelligently designed one, with a fleshed-out base of operations for adventurers, an interesting wilderness environment, and some very good characterization of non-player characters. It could easily provide the basis for an extended campaign for low-level adventurers.'[1] Byers stated 'If you're not nostalgic about the early days of D&D ... don't buy this book. But if you're interested in reliving (or experiencing for the first time) those first few roleplaying adventures... I don't think you'll be disappointed.'[1]
References[edit]
- ^ abcByers, Andrew (2000-01-07). 'Pyramid Review: Return to the Keep on the Borderlands'. Pyramid (online). Retrieved 2008-02-15. (sample)
- ^Shannon Appelcline (2011). Designers & Dragons. Mongoose Publishing. ISBN978-1-907702- 58-7.
- Gygax, E. Gary. The Keep on the Borderlands. (TSR, 1979).
- Rateliff, John D.Return to the Keep on the Borderlands. (TSR, 1999).
External links[edit]
- Repair of the Keep on the Borderlands Russ Taylor's attempts to make RttKotB mesh with Greyhawk canon
- Return to the Keep on the Borderlands at the TSR Archive
The cover of The Keep on the Borderlands, with art by Jim Roslof. The artwork depicts a band of heroes in battle. | |
| Code | B2 |
|---|---|
| TSR Product Code | 9034 |
| Rules required | D&D Basic Set |
| Character levels | 1 - 3 |
| Campaign setting | Generic D&D |
| Authors | Gary Gygax |
| First published | 1979 |
| Linked modules | |
| B1, B2, B3, B4, B5, B6, B7, B8, B9, B1-9, B10, B11, B12, BSOLO | |
The Keep on the Borderlands is a Dungeons & Dragonsadventure module by Gary Gygax, first printed in December 1979. In it, player characters are based at a keep and investigate a nearby series of caves that are filled with a variety of monsters. It was designed to be used with the Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set, and was included in the 1979–1982 editions of the Basic Set. It was designed for people new to Dungeons & Dragons.
The Keep on the Borderlands went out of print in the early 1980s, but has been reprinted twice; a sequel was also made. A novelized version of the adventure was published in 2001. The module received generally positive reviews, and was ranked the 7th greatest Dungeons & Dragons adventure of all time by Dungeon magazine in 2004.
Plot summary[edit]
Player characters begin by arriving at the eponymous keep, and can base themselves there before investigating the series of caverns in the nearby hills teeming with monsters.[1] These Caves of Chaos house multiple species of vicious humanoids. Plot twists include a treacherous priest within the keep, hungry lizardmen in a nearby swamp, and a mad hermit in the wilderness. It typifies the dungeon crawls associated with beginning D&D players, while permitting some limited outdoor adventures.
When The Grand Duchy of Karameikos edition of the Gazetteer series was published, the Keep was given a specific location in the Known World of Mystara, in the Atlan Tepe Mountain region in northern Karameikos.
Original publication[edit]
The Keep on the Borderlands was published in 1980. It consists of a thirty-two page booklet with an outer folder; the module was written by Gary Gygax, with cover art by Jim Roslof and interior illustrations by Erol Otus.[1] It is designed for use with the Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set.[2] It was included in printings 6–11 (1979–1982) of the Basic Set, although it was also available for sale separately.[3] The cover of the first printing included the notation, 'With minor modifications, it is also suitable for use with ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS'; this was removed from later printings.
The module's cover notes that it is especially designed to help beginning players and Dungeon Masters (DMs). Tips for running encounters appear throughout the text to assist beginning DMs.[4] The module also provides rudimentary rules for wilderness adventures, as these were not included in the D&D Basic Set. The structure of the adventure as a series of separate caves allows segmented playing sessions for beginners. The module has been described as a low-level introductory scenario, which leads the player characters from an outpost on the frontier of law into the forces of chaos.[5]
Reception[edit]
Kirby T. Griffis, reviewing the adventure in The Space Gamer No. 37, found the module 'interesting and full of excitement', though he considered the map sloppily done. He concluded by stating 'on the whole, I enjoyed this module and recommend it.'[6]
The Keep on the Borderlands was ranked the 7th greatest Dungeons & Dragons adventure of all time by Dungeon magazine in 2004, on the 30th anniversary of the Dungeons & Dragons game.[7]
Ken Denmead of Wired listed the module as one of the 'Top 10 D&D Modules I Found in Storage This Weekend'.[8] According to Denmead, the module 'should give a party of low-levels a rather challenging time.'[8] The module was also reviewed in Shadis #29 (1996).[9]
Lawrence Schick, in his 1991 book Heroic Worlds, describes the adventure as 'A good start for new players' and speculates that at the time, there had probably been more copies of B2 printed than of any other role-playing scenario.[1]
Later versions and reprints[edit]
The 10th Anniversary Dungeons & Dragons Collector's Setboxed set published by TSR in 1984 included the rulebooks from the Basic, Expert, and Companion sets; modules AC2 Combat Shield and Mini-adventure, AC3 The Kidnapping of Princess Arelina, B1 In Search of the Unknown, The Keep on the Borderlands, and M1 Blizzard Pass; Player Character Record Sheets; and dice.[1]:147 The set was limited to a thousand copies, and was sold by mail and at GenCon 17.[1]:147
The Keep on the Borderlands went out of print in the mid 1980s. However, the module was partially reprinted in the supermodule compilation B1–9 In Search of Adventure (1985), which included the Caves of Chaos but not the keep or surrounding wilderness. A reprinting of the original adventure was made available in the Dungeons & Dragons Silver Anniversary Collector's Editionboxed set in 1999 to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Dungeons & Dragons game, with slight modifications to make it distinguishable from the original (for collecting purposes).[10]
A sequel was released in 1999, Return to the Keep on the Borderlands for 2nd edition AD&D. The original B2 publication was generic in terms of setting, while the 1999 Return module placed the Keep in Yeomanry, making it a canonical location in the World of Greyhawk. The placement of the Keep in Greyhawk did not match many details in the sequel, such as several non-Greyhawk deities, nations, and peoples. At least two of the non-player character descriptions refer to details from the Mystara setting rather than Greyhawk.
In 2001, Wizards of the Coast published Keep on the Borderlands, a novelization by Ru Emerson for the Greyhawk Classics series. The novel was also set in the World of Greyhawk with scant references to its location.[11]
A hacked version of the module was published for the HackMaster RPG in 2005, and entitled Little Keep on the Borderlands.
In September 2010, the module was re-released for D&D 4th Edition by Wizards of the Coast for use in the weekly D&D Encounters sessions. Like the original, this revised module was designed for use with the contemporaneously released Dungeons & Dragons Fantasy Roleplaying Game boxed set for D&D Essentials, which is oriented towards the beginning player. This time, The Keep on the Borderlands is set in the D&D base world of the Nentir Vale, in an area known as the Chaos Scar.[citation needed]
A revised edition was released at D&D Expo in January 2012 under the title Caves of Chaos as playtest material for the upcoming 5th edition of D&D. Players had to sign a non-disclosure agreement before playing the adventure.[12]
Keep On The Borderlands
In 2016, the Brazilian publisher Redbox Editora released a remake of The Keep on the Borderlands called O Forte das Terras Marginais for their own retro-clone system Old Dragon.[13] The module was translated and adapted by Rafael Beltrame, chief editor of Old Dragon.[14]
In March 2017 Mike Mearls, Mike Carr, and Chris Doyle announced that Goodman Games had entered a partnership with Wizards of the Coast to publish a collector's edition of The Keep on the Borderland and In Search of the Unknown.[15] In January 2018 Goodman Games announced that the hard back book would be 380 pages in length and contain digital scans of the originals, 5th edition conversions, additional new content, and 'testimonials.'[16] The Goodman Games reprint entitled Into the Borderlands appeared in May 2018 as volume one of 'Original Adventures Reincarnated.'[17]
References[edit]
- ^ abcdeSchick, Lawrence (1991). Heroic Worlds: A History and Guide to Role-Playing Games. Prometheus Books. p. 135. ISBN0-87975-653-5.
- ^Gygax, Gary (1979). The Keep on the Borderlands, TSR, Inc., ISBN0-935696-47-4.
- ^Lawrence Schick (1991). Heroic Worlds. Prometheus Books. p. 131. ISBN0-87975-653-5.
- ^Harms, Daniel (1999-01-29). 'B2 - The Keep in the Borderlands'. RPGnet. Retrieved 2008-02-15.
- ^Livingstone, Ian (1982). Dicing with Dragons, An Introduction to Role-Playing Games (Revised ed.). Routledge. ISBN0-7100-9466-3. (preview)
- ^Griffis, Kirby (March 1981). 'Capsule Reviews'. The Space Gamer. Steve Jackson Games (37): 26.
- ^Mona, Erik; Jacobs, James (2004). 'The 30 Greatest D&D Adventures of All Time'. Dungeon. 116.
- ^ abDenmead, Ken (December 14, 2007). 'Top 10 D&D Modules I Found in Storage This Weekend'. Wired. Archived from the original on August 20, 2009. Retrieved January 26, 2009.
- ^Staff (1996). 'B2: The Keep on the Borderlands'. Shadis (29).
- ^'Silver Anniversary Collector's Edition Boxed Set'. Wizards of the Coast. 2003. Retrieved August 14, 2009.
- ^Emerson, Ru (2001). Keep on the Borderlands. Wizards of the Coast. ISBN0-7869-1881-0.
- ^'D&D Experience: January 26th-29th, 2012'. Wizards of the Coast. December 2011.
- ^'O Forte das Terras Marginais - RBX Comércio Varejista'. redbox-editora.xtechcommerce.com. Retrieved 18 October 2018.
- ^'Old Dragon Aventura: O Forte das Terras Marginais - RedeRPG'. rederpg.com.br. 6 September 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2018.
- ^'Classic D&D Module Collector's Editions!|Goodman Games'. goodman-games.com. Retrieved 2018-01-10.
- ^'The Latest News on Into the Borderlands!|Goodman Games'. goodman-games.com. Retrieved 2018-01-10.
- ^'Original Adventures Reincarnated #1: Into the Borderlands Hardcover|Goodman Games Store'. goodman-games.com. Retrieved 2018-05-30.
- Reviews: Different Worlds #8 (1980)
External links[edit]
Keep On The Borderlands Walkthrough
- A module (in English) by ENoa4 for the Neverwinter Nights 2 CRPG, aiming to recreate a rendition of The Keep On The Borderlands within that game engine. (Work seemingly complete, or tentative at best. As of 4/23/2007, the patch level stands at version 1.10.)