Dungeons And Dragons Module B2 Pdf

by

Goodman Games is redoing the original B1 and B2 modules for 5E. They are also releasing a PDF version of it though I do not know at what price. With modern adventures, I recently bought a D&D Next/5E adventure.

Pdf
Exploring the Underworld of Holmes Basic Dungeons & Dragons‎ > ‎Modules, Scenarios and Settings‎ > ‎

B2 Keep on the Borderlands

B2 is perhaps the most well known of all D&D modules, and the second of only two stand-alone modules published by TSR for the Holmes Basic Set. It was designed by Gygax specifically to replace B1 In Search of the Unknown as the introductory module included in the Basic Set. It contains extensive advice for new DMs, rules clarifications and additions, a detailed home base for the PCs (The Keep), a 'dungeon' (the Caves of Chaos), a brief wilderness (see the map to the right), and even room for expansion (the undescribed Cave of the Unknown). It was successful enough in this role that a revised version continued to be included in the Moldvay Basic Set.
'There probably have been more copies of B2 printed than any other role-playing scenario' - Heroic Worlds by Lawrence Shick, 1991 (pg 135).
'The total print run for B2 is easily in excess of a million and a half units' - 'Looking Back' by Ryan Dancey in The Story of TSR, 1999 (pg 27).

Gygax (and Mentzer and Holmes) on B2
B2 also has the distinction of being the only stand-alone module published by TSR which included Dexterity (DX) scores in the monster stats in accord with the rules for initiative in the Holmes Basic rulebook. The Holmes Basic rulebook does not include monster dexterity scores, but instructs that if the DM 'does not know the dexterity of an attacking monster he rolls it on the spot' (pg 20). By including DX scores in the monster stats, B2 can speed up the flow of the game. These can also be used to extrapolate typical monster dexterity scores. The only other TSR scenario with DX scores is the Chapel of Silence published in Dragon.

Artists
1st print - Wizard Logo; front cover mentions AD&D
Jim Roslof - front cover, owlbear battle title page illustration (as ROSLOF) -
Erol Otus (EO) - back cover, four interior illustrations (as EO)
David S. Laforce - two thematically linked interior illustrations, page 7 (as DSL); map (shown to the right)
2nd print - Wizard Logo; front cover does not mention AD&D
Two pictures were added in place of the section on using the module with AD&D
Dave Trampier - intertwined snakes (page 5); see the Cryptic Archivist for details
David C. Sutherland III - dragon (page 6). This piece was used earlier for a Dragon magazine ad; it was removed from the revision of B2 for B/X but then placed in the revision of B1 for B1.

Printing History at the Acaeum
List of changes between Holmes and Moldvay versions (compiled by Acaeum member brute).

The following text appears in the 1st print that was removed for the 2nd print:

Using This Module With ADVANCED DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS
While originally designed to be played with BASIC D&D, the situations and places used in KEEP ON THE BORDERLANDS may also be used by players of ADVANCED DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS.
To use with AD&D, the DM will find no difficulty in using the maps or room descriptions of the Keep and the Caves of Chaos. He or she may wish to expand or ignore the wilderness map and perhaps substitute personalized ideas for those listed. It will be necessary to alter some of the information on the characters found in the Keep to be consistent with AD&D. Likewise, the monsters found in the Caves of Chaos should be converted to AD&D (hit dice, alignment, damage, etc.). For experienced players it may be useful to include some more challenging monsters and more tricks and traps.
As the party increases in level, care should be taken to see that they do not rule or take over the Keep. This may be done by having the main characters of the Keep increase in level and magic items to remain above the average of the party. If the party is 6th level on average, the Castellan should be 9th or 10th level. Alternately, if the DM wishes to use this area for future low-level play, he or she may encourage the players to travel elsewhere in search of adventure.

The iconic wilderness map from B2 by David S. LaForce (aka DSL or Diesel) showing the locations of The Keep, the Caves of Chaos and the Cave of the Unknown, and four outdoor encounters.
This map was one of the first wilderness maps that TSR included in a D&D module, and is unusual in using a grid instead of a hex map.
The back cover of the module featured a picture of The Keep by Erol Otus. See here for a scan of this picture, as well as a similar castle illustration by Otus from Polyhedron #1.
Trivia
On page 12, Gygax suggests that a 'friendly talking magpie' tell the party they are moving in the wrong direction if they attempt to move off the map. European magpies have a long history in folk tales and superstitions. See this Medival Bestiary. The first Heckle and Jeckle cartoon from 1946 was called The Talking Magpies. A magpie is found in western North America, occasionally as far east as Wisconsin.
A facsimile version of B2 was re-printed in 1999 and included in the TSR Silver Anniversary Set (along with a Holmes Basic rulebook). This version of B2 is reported be a strange frankenstein of the Holmes and Moldvay versions, having the cover and reference sheets of a Holmes version and the rest from the Moldvay version.
See Also
B2 index by Demos Sachlas - index of forum, website & blog posts

An interesting series of posts related to The Borderlands on the Wizard in a bottle blog (snorri of OD&D74):
Hexmap - Geography - Bugbears & Catnip - Agriculture - Archaeology - Burials - Congregations - Eight Variants of Caves of Chaos

Maps
Wilderness:
Player's Map by paleologos. See also the divided 'hextant' version.

B2 Wilderness Map re-imagined in hexes - by isomage.

Thoughts on adding the 1E DMG Sample Dungeon to B2 with an annotated Map showing a possible location for the 'seldom used road' leading to the ruined monastery.
Caves:

Caves of Chaos map re-imagined in a modern style by weem.
The Keep on the Borderlands
The cover of The Keep on the Borderlands, with art by Jim Roslof. The artwork depicts a band of heroes in battle.
CodeB2
TSR Product Code9034
Rules requiredD&D Basic Set
Character levels1 - 3
Campaign settingGeneric D&D
AuthorsGary Gygax
First published1979
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]

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]

Usb Colour scheme: green text = latest stable version, red text = development or beta version.

In video games[edit]

Dungeons & Dragons Online released an adaptation of the Keep on the Borderlands adventures in 2019.[18]

References[edit]

  1. ^ abcdeSchick, Lawrence (1991). Heroic Worlds: A History and Guide to Role-Playing Games. Prometheus Books. p. 135. ISBN0-87975-653-5.
  2. ^Gygax, Gary (1979). The Keep on the Borderlands, TSR, Inc., ISBN0-935696-47-4.
  3. ^Lawrence Schick (1991). Heroic Worlds. Prometheus Books. p. 131. ISBN0-87975-653-5.
  4. ^Harms, Daniel (1999-01-29). 'B2 - The Keep in the Borderlands'. RPGnet. Retrieved 2008-02-15.
  5. ^Livingstone, Ian (1982). Dicing with Dragons, An Introduction to Role-Playing Games (Revised ed.). Routledge. ISBN0-7100-9466-3. (preview)
  6. ^Griffis, Kirby (March 1981). 'Capsule Reviews'. The Space Gamer. Steve Jackson Games (37): 26.
  7. ^Mona, Erik; Jacobs, James (2004). 'The 30 Greatest D&D Adventures of All Time'. Dungeon. 116.
  8. ^ 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.
  9. ^Staff (1996). 'B2: The Keep on the Borderlands'. Shadis (29).
  10. ^'Silver Anniversary Collector's Edition Boxed Set'. Wizards of the Coast. 2003. Retrieved August 14, 2009.
  11. ^Emerson, Ru (2001). Keep on the Borderlands. Wizards of the Coast. ISBN0-7869-1881-0.
  12. ^'D&D Experience: January 26th-29th, 2012'. Wizards of the Coast. December 2011.
  13. ^'O Forte das Terras Marginais - RBX Comércio Varejista'. redbox-editora.xtechcommerce.com. Retrieved 18 October 2018.
  14. ^'Old Dragon Aventura: O Forte das Terras Marginais - RedeRPG'. rederpg.com.br. 6 September 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2018.
  15. ^'Classic D&D Module Collector's Editions! Goodman Games'. goodman-games.com. Retrieved 2018-01-10.
  16. ^'The Latest News on Into the Borderlands! Goodman Games'. goodman-games.com. Retrieved 2018-01-10.
  17. ^'Original Adventures Reincarnated #1: Into the Borderlands Hardcover Goodman Games Store'. goodman-games.com. Retrieved 2018-05-30.
  18. ^'Update 44: Keep on the Borderlands Release Notes'. ddo.com. 2019-11-13. Retrieved 2019-11-14.
  • Reviews: Different Worlds #8 (1980)

External links[edit]

  • 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.)
Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Keep_on_the_Borderlands&oldid=926135876'