Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 havard Apr 16, 2007 13:43:05	From what I understand the D&D Fast-Play game was actually an AD&D light rather than a derivatory of the Classic D&D game. However, I'm curious about the three modules that were published for this game. Could they be used for Mystara? Should they in any way be considered Mystara canon? Are they any good? Havard
#2 agathokles Apr 16, 2007 14:08:44	From what I understand the D&D Fast-Play game was actually an AD&D light rather than a derivatory of the Classic D&D game. However, I'm curious about the three modules that were published for this game. Could they be used for Mystara? You mean the free fast-play module Crypt of the Smoke Dragon? (If not, then the following might not apply) Well, I suppose you could use almost anything with Mystara -- nothing prevents you from using Greyhawk modules, e.g. However, this is not really D&D modules -- and neither it's AD&D. The rules used are an odd mix of Red Box with some 3e-ish stuff (rogue skills, e.g.). Should they in any way be considered Mystara canon? No. There's nothing specifically Mystaran about it, and it was published when Mystara had already been discontinued for years. Are they any good? Not really. It's a minimal dungeon crawl with basically no plot. GP
#3 havard Apr 16, 2007 14:25:00	You mean the free fast-play module Crypt of the Smoke Dragon? (If not, then the following might not apply) Smoke Dragon is one of them, but also Wrath of the Minotaur and Eye of the Wyvern. Details found here (Scroll to the bottom): http://home.flash.net/~brenfrow/dd/dd.htm Well, I suppose you could use almost anything with Mystara -- nothing prevents you from using Greyhawk modules, e.g. However, this is not really D&D modules -- and neither it's AD&D. The rules used are an odd mix of Red Box with some 3e-ish stuff (rogue skills, e.g.). Red box wth skills? that is weird. I'm getting curious about this now.. I'd be less inclined to use modules that are specifically marked as belonging to another setting than more generic ones. And if they truly are homeless modules with a non-advanced, non 3E "D&D" logo stamped on them.... Havard
#4 agathokles Apr 16, 2007 15:56:10	Red box wth skills? that is weird. I'm getting curious about this now.. Red box in that they only use d6 (even the d20 is replaced by 3d6). Skills are somewhat like 3e, but only used for thieving skills. Anyway, these are just fast-play rules, so there's no way to see how they relate to D&D rules (e.g., there's a "to hit" score, but no AC). I'd be less inclined to use modules that are specifically marked as belonging to another setting than more generic ones. And if they truly are homeless modules with a non-advanced, non 3E "D&D" logo stamped on them.... It's not that different. Many old GH modules are not marked for GH -- just like OD&D modules don't bear a Mystara logo. However, the point is that there's really nothing to keep -- it's a totally generic, and very small (3 rooms and a corridor, each housing a different monster: zombies, skeleton warriors, a dog and the adventure namesake, the smoke dragon) module -- 14 pages including an explanation of how to play and 2 pages of character sheets.
#5 jtrithen Apr 17, 2007 10:48:09	A lot of the modules are filled with explanations on DMing, how to play the game, etc., which I always tend to enjoy reading (for some reason), anyway. I like the "mood" of the modules, though (maybe it was just me sticking my imagination in, and thinking of how I could use them). They were pretty small, as Agathokles says (especially the minotaur one). I liked the wyvern one quite a bit, though. It has a goblin shaman that is worshipping the wyverns and stat's for "wyvernlings" (immature wyverns, though I'm sure those are 2e-similar, or something like that). I think both of them could be inserted very easily just about anywhere. I can't remember if they had some Thunder Rift references (I might be wrong, and just thinking that's where I could place them, quite easily). For example, the wyvern one has some references to a specific town, I think. Sorry, going off memory here, I don't have them with me; I lent them to a brother in another state. Converting them to Classic D&D is pretty easy, too.
#6 havard Apr 17, 2007 13:49:19	I think both of them could be inserted very easily just about anywhere. I can't remember if they had some Thunder Rift references (I might be wrong, and just thinking that's where I could place them, quite easily). For example, the wyvern one has some references to a specific town, I think. Sorry, going off memory here, I don't have them with me; I lent them to a brother in another state. Converting them to Classic D&D is pretty easy, too. Now you caught my interest! IIRC this is a few years after the Thunder Rift era ended (didn't last that long either), but if there are any references at all to TR in there, I want to know about it. Thunder Rift was sort of what I imagined these coud have used as a default settg, so it could be interesting... Havard
#7 dj393 Aug 29, 2010 15:58:06	I have four Fast-Play modules: The Ruined Tower Wrath of the Minotaur Eye of the Wyvern Crypt of the Smoke Dragon  The Ruined tower was released by itself, and also as the first adventure in both Wrath of the Minotaur and Eye of the Wyvern. Those three adventures take place in The Vale, within which is the farming community of Haven, led by a patriarch. All three have the same pre-generated 1st-level characters, and the play is Basic D&D. Eye of the Wyvern actually has a map of the Vale, with Haven, the Ruined Tower, and the tomb for Wrath of the Minotaur shown.  Crypt of the Smoke Dragon starts "in a mountain pass" after being asked by an un-named village to investigate.  New pre-generated characters are presented.  This module feels to me as if its purpose was to introduce 3rd edition. None of the modules specifically mention any Thunder Rift or Mystara location. I would not know where to put the Vale in Thunder Rift.  But in Karameikos, at the foot of a mountain range, just north of the Lost Lake of Dreams, is a place name; Haven.  This Haven actually belongs to another adventure, but I would be tempted to use it as the location of the Vale. Being led by a patriarch, it could be a small barony, after the example of patriarch Sherlane, Baron Halaran of Threshold. dj393