This would have been a huge innovation for TSR if Gygax hadn't done the same thing just a a few months earlier in " T1: The Village of Hommlet." As it was, these two modules set "home base + nearby adventure point" as a standard adventure design element (though towns would be more frequently used in the future). PCs can interact with the various inhabitants there and thus have plenty of roleplaying opportunity before they ever strike out into the Caves of Chaos. "Keep" is also of historic note because it detailed not just dungeons to explore, like most adventures of the period, but also a home base for the players to use: the eponymous Keep, which spans about 6 pages in the adventure. Gygax later admitted that the result wasn't "ecologically correct," but that wasn't really the point.Īdventuring Tropes. The Caves of Chaos themselves showed off the introductory nature of B2 in another way: They're pretty much a who's who of the humanoids you could meet in Basic D&D, with separate caverns inhabited by kobolds, orcs, goblins, ogres, hobgoblins, bugbears, gnolls, and even a minotaur. However, it varied notably from its predecessor B1 in one area: Where the previous adventure had been a bit of a toolkit - with GMs learning to create dungeons by actually filling in the monsters and treasures - this one was a complete, ready-to-run adventure.
#MODULE B2 THE KEEP ON THE BORDERLANDS HOW TO#
Like B1, "Keep on the Borderlands" was positioned as an "introductory" module it provided instructions not just on how to run the campaign contained within, but also on how to run combats and to be an effective GM.
Much later estimates suggest there might have been 1.5 million copies printed in all, between the two boxed sets and standalone sales. As a result, B2 ended up the most printed D&D module of all time. It remained a part of that package throughout its life (1981-1983).įrom 1980-1983, Dungeons & Dragons was seeing its most explosive growth, and the Basic Set was the prime entry point to that game. However, "Keep" is much better known as the adventure packaged with the second edition Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set (1981), which was revised and updated by Tom Moldvay. Once it was printed, "Keep on the Borderlands" immediately replaced "In Search of the Unknown" in the Basic boxed set. Like its predecessor, " B1: In Search of the Unknown," this adventure was created for use with the first edition of the Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set (1977), created by J. It was probably TSR's twelfth adventure, and the first one to use a full-color cover, rather than the monochrome covers that had been used for the previous 11 adventures.īasic Sets. "B2: The Keep on the Borderlands" (1979), by Gary Gygax, was printed by TSR in December 1979.
#MODULE B2 THE KEEP ON THE BORDERLANDS PLUS#
Within are many features to aid novice players and Dungeon Masters: legends, history and background information, a list of adventuring characters, tips on how to be an effective Dungeon Master, plus an interesting area for characters to basethemselves in (the Keep) before setting out to explore the Caves of Chaosl
It has been specially designed for use by beginning Dungeon Masters so that they may begin play with a minimum of preparations. This module includes a cover folder with maps and a complete description booklet to form a ready-made scenario for DUNGEONS & DRAGONS® Basic Set.
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