Project on the Borderlands
Expanding the Classic D&D module
Do you remember the Keep on the Borderlands? Module B2, shipped with the Moldvay Basic D&D boxed set?
I have a soft spot for B2–it was the first module I adventured in, and the first module I ran as a DM. Keep on the Borderlands is to old-school gamers as Casablanca is to movie fans or Of Mice and Men is to American Lit majors. But B2 has something that movies and books don’t: unlimited potential for expansion.
The Project on the Borderlands is an effort to do just that: extend the classic B2 module into an entire campaign. Such a game starts with B2 as written, but contains enough to take PCs beyond Moldvay Basic and into the Cook/Marsh Expert rules. With a little tweaking, B2 could form the basis for an entire campaign that carries characters from 1st through Name level. Maybe a little bit beyond.
Expansion means more wilderness encounters, more detail about the Keep itself, and new adventuring opportunities within the limited space that Gary Gygax described for our introductory gaming pleasure back in 1981. (And you should know that, to me, B2 was a book–a novel–not just a game module. Embrace that spirit, folks).
So maybe you could send us your ideas? We welcome your contribution. There are only three “rules” to Project on the Borderlands:
- Whatever you write has to have a basis in B2. Take whatever seed you want. It could be an encounter, an NPC, or even a single sentence–just make sure it has to do with B2.
- Stats for monsters, spells, and characters should be in “B/X” format (i.e., Moldvay Basic and Cook/Marsh Expert rulebooks). Feel free to invent new spells, monsters, and magic items using the B/X guidelines.
- There are no assignments–write about whatever excites you. If we end up with five versions of the Mad Hermit encounter, so be it.
If you want to contribute, check out our forum post on becoming an author. If you want to see the project’s content, just use the PotB tag, or search on “potb.”
I’m drawing a comic taking place at The Keep. I’m not trying to spam, but I thought you might be interested. I’m going to be following this project and mentioning it on the comic site.
Sounds cool, can’t wait to see the strip! 🙂
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It’s here:
http://thekeepontheborderlands.webcomic.ws/
I’ll start watching here, and think of anything to contribute. I’ve started KotB with 2e rules, as a way to introduce some of my teenage sons’ friends to the hobby.
Im in!
Hey I just borrowed picture link above, so although I’m not creating an encounter I have created a file of the keep for 3D printing http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:892228
ive been running a game for my 8 year old son, beginning in the Keep where i started as a child. after running amok in the caves of chaos, his group ventured into the swamp area where i replaced the mound of the lizard men with the black tower mini-module i found online. in his ongoing story, the bulk of the soldiers guarding the keep have been called away to aid in an ongoing struggle that the castellan’s liege lord is engaged in somewhere far to the south. also, somewhere to the distant south, the larger power center of the evil cult from the caves had learned of the demise of their branch in the caves, thanks to my son’s party, and of the relative weakness of the keep’s defenses. they responded by assembling a large war party of acolytes in charge of an assembly of hobgoblins, goblins, orcs, and kobolds, influenced to work together with some sorcery of the high priest leading the excursion. some 200 strong, they descended upon and laid siege to the ill-defended keep.
my son’s party returned from the black tower in the swamp to find this situation. after having destroyed the raider party in their lookout encampment at #3 of the wilderness map,they posted up there to observe the goings on of the siege and to plan their interruption of the same. the plan was to disrupt the siege and break up the company by assassinating the high priest in charge and breaking the spell that has the disparate elements of his group in thrall and keeps them from observing their racial animosities toward one another and dispersing in scattered fighting. one NPC cast invisibility on my son’s unarmored PC and, wearing the skin of a goblin captive they killed, to throw the hobgoblins’ wargs off the scent, and packing a potion of invisibility for when the spell is broken by the attack, and wearing the elven boots from the dead thief in the caves, he proceeded through the siege camp to the high priest’s tent and in a scene reminiscent of Renly Baratheon’s demise, drove his sword through the chest of the high priest.
the siege camp was broken up in the ensuing chaos as the company fractured and fled into the woods and down the road, some returning to the caves where their brethren had been recently butchered and plundered by my son’s party.
next is the cave of the unknown, which i am still developing it will be inhabited by the green dragon, Kaxannanar, from the legend described in the black tower mini-module. from there it is south to Specularum to buy and outfit a ship for the voyage to the isle of dread.
Keep on the Borderlands would be to older players as Casablanca will be to film lovers or Of Mice and Men will always be on American Lit majors. The Project around the Borderlands is an attempt to do precisely that: expand the timeless B2 module to a whole effort.