Are These Set In Mystara? - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

Are These Set In Mystara?

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
dave_l
Jun 04, 2005 16:06:17 I've just been completing my ESD collection of B and X modules, with the CM and M series in my sights for next month, and I came up with a puzzler.

Looking through the ESD list at RPGNow.com, there are some OD&D modules listed which don't seem to be part of a specific series, and the descriptions don't give much help about the setting.

Can anyone tell me if these are Mystara modules, or are they generic modules that can be used in any setting with a bit of work?

Here's the list:

Assault on Ravens Ruin
In the Phantoms Wake
Thunder Rift
Rage of the Rakasta
The Knights of Newts
The Jade Hare
The Dragon's Den

Thanks.
#2
spellweaver
Jun 04, 2005 16:17:49 AFAIK most of these modules take place in or around Thunder Rift, which AFAIK is a generic setting that could be made part of e.g. Karameikos.

The exception on your list is Jade Hare, which I read takes place in some unknown village i Ylaruam that looses its town relic.

:-) Jesper
#3
zombiegleemax
Jun 05, 2005 10:01:26 Spellweaver is right. I have some of these and I usually set them up in Karameikos or Southern Darokin. The ones I have are generic in setting so you could place them virtually anywhere. I don't have the Jade Hare, In the Phantoms Wake or the Knights of Newts though.
#4
zombiegleemax
Jun 05, 2005 15:12:48 All of those adventures do indeed take place in Thunder Rift.

Thunder Rift itself is a bit of an enigma. In the actual "Thunder Rift" product, designed for use with the introductory D&D boxed sets, the rift (a wide valley about 25 miles by 20 miles) is placed wherever the DM wants to place it, in the Known World or elsewhere, though it should be placed in mountains.

In "Escape from Thunder Rift," the module that came with the Cyclopedia DM Screen, the adventure takes characters from Thunder Rift to Karameikos through a "Dimensional Pool," from an ancient hidden wizard's redoubt to a pool of water in Karameikos, specifically, to a location 24 miles (three hexes) south of the ruined village of Bywater, which was featured in the Penahligon Trilogy. I never read the Penhaligion books, so I'm not quite sure where exactly that places Bywater, though the map included shows that Bywater is on the north-south section of the Castellan River, on the eastern bank. Being that it was closely tied to Penhaligion, that means that Bywater is probably in the fourth hex northeast of Penhaligion itself, with the pool being three hexes south, in the hex just east of the riverfork between the Castellan and the Highreach.

As small as Thunder Rift is, you could place it in the Altan Tepes if you wish, though there it would make a fairly large valley, and not be nearly as isolated as the module makes it to be. You could also put it in the Dwarfgate Mountains in Darokin, as a "lost colony" kind of situation, which would make it more isolated. The culture is similar to that of Darokin, so either would work. With a little work (i.e., making the people Traladaran types) you could make it into a "lost realm" like I did with Haven... bump it into the Spirit World/Other World/Faerie, a bit of Traladara pinched off into a skewed dimension by an Immortal or powerful wizard, and thus accessible only through dimensional travel... or on the rare occasion when it pops back into synch with Mystara...
#5
dave_l
Jun 05, 2005 16:35:50 Thanks for all the replies.

I think I'll add them to my list of "things to buy", but fairly low down, after I've picked up most of the Mystara specific stuff.
#6
havard
Jun 06, 2005 11:40:52
All of those adventures do indeed take place in Thunder Rift.

Correct, except for Jade Hare, which as already has been mentioned is set in Ylaruam.

In "Escape from Thunder Rift," the module that came with the Cyclopedia DM Screen, the adventure takes characters from Thunder Rift to Karameikos through a "Dimensional Pool," from an ancient hidden wizard's redoubt to a pool of water in Karameikos, specifically, to a location 24 miles (three hexes) south of the ruined village of Bywater, which was featured in the Penahligon Trilogy. I never read the Penhaligion books, so I'm not quite sure where exactly that places Bywater, though the map included shows that Bywater is on the north-south section of the Castellan River, on the eastern bank. Being that it was closely tied to Penhaligion, that means that Bywater is probably in the fourth hex northeast of Penhaligion itself, with the pool being three hexes south, in the hex just east of the riverfork between the Castellan and the Highreach.

The Bywater described in the module is identical to the one from the Penhaligon trilogy. A few obscure references in the novels, such as the mentioning of a Red Granite Tower make _alot_ more sense when you've read the module.

As small as Thunder Rift is, you could place it in the Altan Tepes if you wish, though there it would make a fairly large valley, and not be nearly as isolated as the module makes it to be. You could also put it in the Dwarfgate Mountains in Darokin, as a "lost colony" kind of situation, which would make it more isolated. The culture is similar to that of Darokin, so either would work. With a little work (i.e., making the people Traladaran types) you could make it into a "lost realm" like I did with Haven... bump it into the Spirit World/Other World/Faerie, a bit of Traladara pinched off into a skewed dimension by an Immortal or powerful wizard, and thus accessible only through dimensional travel... or on the rare occasion when it pops back into synch with Mystara...

Personally, I prefer locating it in Darokin, in the Dwarfgate Mts or just south of them. We had a discussion about this on the MML about a year ago, even posted some preliminary timelines, but for some reason I can't find them right now. I dont think making TR extraplanar adds anything to that realm, though I suspect that there are magics resting over that valley prevening entering and leaving through magical means aswell.

My idea was to link TR to the Hutaakans, making TR another Hutaakan settlement like the one in B10. This would explain the magical pool linking TR to Karameikos, even if TR wasn't in Karameikos.

Håvard
#7
zombiegleemax
Jun 06, 2005 12:47:01
Can anyone tell me if these are Mystara modules, or are they generic modules that can be used in any setting with a bit of work?

Here's the list:

The Jade Hare

This module is explicitly set in Ylaruam. I don't have my copy handy, but IIRC the region in which the mini-module is set is only defined generally, but the nation is specific.

Geoff
#8
Traianus_Decius_Aureus
Jun 06, 2005 13:17:46 At some point long ago, I remember some discussion about the Thunder Rift modules being placed in Norwold. This actually worked well for our campaign at the time, and there are many isolated areas in the region, so it made sense to us at the time.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 dave_l Jun 04, 2005 16:06:17	I've just been completing my ESD collection of B and X modules, with the CM and M series in my sights for next month, and I came up with a puzzler. Looking through the ESD list at RPGNow.com, there are some OD&D modules listed which don't seem to be part of a specific series, and the descriptions don't give much help about the setting. Can anyone tell me if these are Mystara modules, or are they generic modules that can be used in any setting with a bit of work? Here's the list: Assault on Ravens Ruin In the Phantoms Wake Thunder Rift Rage of the Rakasta The Knights of Newts The Jade Hare The Dragon's Den Thanks.
#2 spellweaver Jun 04, 2005 16:17:49	AFAIK most of these modules take place in or around Thunder Rift, which AFAIK is a generic setting that could be made part of e.g. Karameikos. The exception on your list is Jade Hare, which I read takes place in some unknown village i Ylaruam that looses its town relic. :-) Jesper
#3 zombiegleemax Jun 05, 2005 10:01:26	Spellweaver is right. I have some of these and I usually set them up in Karameikos or Southern Darokin. The ones I have are generic in setting so you could place them virtually anywhere. I don't have the Jade Hare, In the Phantoms Wake or the Knights of Newts though.
#4 zombiegleemax Jun 05, 2005 15:12:48	All of those adventures do indeed take place in Thunder Rift. Thunder Rift itself is a bit of an enigma. In the actual "Thunder Rift" product, designed for use with the introductory D&D boxed sets, the rift (a wide valley about 25 miles by 20 miles) is placed wherever the DM wants to place it, in the Known World or elsewhere, though it should be placed in mountains. In "Escape from Thunder Rift," the module that came with the Cyclopedia DM Screen, the adventure takes characters from Thunder Rift to Karameikos through a "Dimensional Pool," from an ancient hidden wizard's redoubt to a pool of water in Karameikos, specifically, to a location 24 miles (three hexes) south of the ruined village of Bywater, which was featured in the Penahligon Trilogy. I never read the Penhaligion books, so I'm not quite sure where exactly that places Bywater, though the map included shows that Bywater is on the north-south section of the Castellan River, on the eastern bank. Being that it was closely tied to Penhaligion, that means that Bywater is probably in the fourth hex northeast of Penhaligion itself, with the pool being three hexes south, in the hex just east of the riverfork between the Castellan and the Highreach. As small as Thunder Rift is, you could place it in the Altan Tepes if you wish, though there it would make a fairly large valley, and not be nearly as isolated as the module makes it to be. You could also put it in the Dwarfgate Mountains in Darokin, as a "lost colony" kind of situation, which would make it more isolated. The culture is similar to that of Darokin, so either would work. With a little work (i.e., making the people Traladaran types) you could make it into a "lost realm" like I did with Haven... bump it into the Spirit World/Other World/Faerie, a bit of Traladara pinched off into a skewed dimension by an Immortal or powerful wizard, and thus accessible only through dimensional travel... or on the rare occasion when it pops back into synch with Mystara...
#5 dave_l Jun 05, 2005 16:35:50	Thanks for all the replies. I think I'll add them to my list of "things to buy", but fairly low down, after I've picked up most of the Mystara specific stuff.
#6 havard Jun 06, 2005 11:40:52	All of those adventures do indeed take place in Thunder Rift. Correct, except for Jade Hare, which as already has been mentioned is set in Ylaruam. In "Escape from Thunder Rift," the module that came with the Cyclopedia DM Screen, the adventure takes characters from Thunder Rift to Karameikos through a "Dimensional Pool," from an ancient hidden wizard's redoubt to a pool of water in Karameikos, specifically, to a location 24 miles (three hexes) south of the ruined village of Bywater, which was featured in the Penahligon Trilogy. I never read the Penhaligion books, so I'm not quite sure where exactly that places Bywater, though the map included shows that Bywater is on the north-south section of the Castellan River, on the eastern bank. Being that it was closely tied to Penhaligion, that means that Bywater is probably in the fourth hex northeast of Penhaligion itself, with the pool being three hexes south, in the hex just east of the riverfork between the Castellan and the Highreach. The Bywater described in the module is identical to the one from the Penhaligon trilogy. A few obscure references in the novels, such as the mentioning of a Red Granite Tower make _alot_ more sense when you've read the module. As small as Thunder Rift is, you could place it in the Altan Tepes if you wish, though there it would make a fairly large valley, and not be nearly as isolated as the module makes it to be. You could also put it in the Dwarfgate Mountains in Darokin, as a "lost colony" kind of situation, which would make it more isolated. The culture is similar to that of Darokin, so either would work. With a little work (i.e., making the people Traladaran types) you could make it into a "lost realm" like I did with Haven... bump it into the Spirit World/Other World/Faerie, a bit of Traladara pinched off into a skewed dimension by an Immortal or powerful wizard, and thus accessible only through dimensional travel... or on the rare occasion when it pops back into synch with Mystara... Personally, I prefer locating it in Darokin, in the Dwarfgate Mts or just south of them. We had a discussion about this on the MML about a year ago, even posted some preliminary timelines, but for some reason I can't find them right now. I dont think making TR extraplanar adds anything to that realm, though I suspect that there are magics resting over that valley prevening entering and leaving through magical means aswell. My idea was to link TR to the Hutaakans, making TR another Hutaakan settlement like the one in B10. This would explain the magical pool linking TR to Karameikos, even if TR wasn't in Karameikos. Håvard
#7 zombiegleemax Jun 06, 2005 12:47:01	Can anyone tell me if these are Mystara modules, or are they generic modules that can be used in any setting with a bit of work? Here's the list: The Jade Hare This module is explicitly set in Ylaruam. I don't have my copy handy, but IIRC the region in which the mini-module is set is only defined generally, but the nation is specific. Geoff
#8 Traianus_Decius_Aureus Jun 06, 2005 13:17:46	At some point long ago, I remember some discussion about the Thunder Rift modules being placed in Norwold. This actually worked well for our campaign at the time, and there are many isolated areas in the region, so it made sense to us at the time.