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Enter the Dagon (DCC #95)

This adaption of a convention tournament scenario is an interesting mix of ideas. At it's core it's a puzzle adventure where a wizard and their retinue are invited to participate in a series of magical duels for the prize of the "Master of Dagon". No surprises that even though it's a struggle to win the duels and overcome the skulduggery of the other duellists successful groups will ultimately have to face the organisers of the tournament if they wish to survive.

The structure of the adventure is somewhere between a sandbox and a railroad. The tournament structure means that action mostly follows a timetable. However the party are for the most part free to explore the island and try to interact with the other duellists and their allies. The attempt to expand beyond the convention tournament to offer more information and opportunity is thing that doesn't really work. Really you have a closed battle of wits on a remote island with a dark comedy twist ending.

The appendices include a customised duelling system for spellcasters and its associated tables. The other duellists are described and most of them seem fun characters to have dropped into a campaign prior to the scenario which would make the encounters during the tournament (and maybe even their eventual fates) more compelling.

Overall this is a bit of a fun idea but really I'm not sure the circumstances will arrive for it to be relevant to me and the physical elements add nothing much to what a PDF would have offered.

Here's the Trove of Treasures review

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