AD&D Module Review A1 Slave Pits of the Undercity

[@coachlarry6773]

I’ve ran the Slavers series and it was one of my first to DM. I think A1 might be the best of the 4. A2 is a close 2nd. I agree with you on Highport. The Aspis are a cool new monster especially fighting them in the pens with their claws holding them up. Cool review thank you.

[@philipcampanaro8124]

Used to work at a water plant and learned way too much about wastewater systems (the new preferred name). First people confuse sewage systems with surface water (rainwater) systems. Neither is really capable of being walked in but since Hollywood keeps filming in the Los Angeles system the stereotype persists.

[@inkspitter13]

A classic for sure. Maybe not the “best” module of all time, but definitely my personal favorite as a DM. Probably run this at least a dozen times over the years.

[@davidleonard8547]

I love this series, and what can be done with it. Not a fan of the tournament style approach (admittedly, tournaments are exciting to play and run, being straightforward and action packed, if simplistic and "rail-roady;" but that's what tournaments are, aren't they, by necessity), but tinkering can fix that, as you did, it seems. I especially love what can be done with the NPCs, if one chooses to run this as a greater campaign set piece. I did a series of reviews of the A-series on my blog, with a possible reimagining of the Slavers background story, and how I'd have approached it, given how lore has developed since this adventure's release. Great vid, as always; and great insight, as anticipated. I'm looking forward to the next chapter.

[@seanfsmith]

Excited for the rest of the series!

[@jimobrien7315]

I shall take no abuse against Jeff Dee! He did all the art for ,my favorite superhero game Ever! Villian and Vigilantes

[@thatpatrickguy3446]

Great work! A1 was an enormously fun module to read for all its tricks and traps for the unwary adventurer. It avoided the worst issues with the (admittedly necessary for such events) straight line railroad standard of tournament modules by expanding the map and the encounters therein, without giving the additional stuff a feeling of being haphazardly tacked on quickly. There were a lot of "oh crap" moments for players in this module that my DM self smile with glee. I only ran this one, and its sequels, twice, decades ago, and while I enjoyed the experience I've never run a game where the Slavers series would be a direct path for the party, though they have been on the fringes of the storylines that various parties have taken since. Alas, those leads never got pursued, and more's the pity. 😀

[@johnscotto5045]

Good review with useful recommendations for the port city. I’ll make a recommendation as well. While you have given this module it’s own rating, and undoubtedly will also do the same with the others, consider giving a series rating since these modules are meant to relate to each other and to guide the players from start through completion therefore I believe it would only be fair to give them a group/series rating.

[@yeoldegeek71]

I'll do an 'overview' at the end of the 4th review.. or maybe a separate vid... food for thought!

[@bartlettbigx]

Another good vid John. I've always liked the A series. They might be a bit dour and gritty but they ditch the silliness of some of the other TSR modules around at the time and are all the better for that. The art is a matter of taste of course but it is at least by some of the classic D&D artists and is way better than some of the art that started appearing further on into the 80s (e.g. the Desert of Desolation modules). I suppose I associate the A modules with my happiest times playing AD&D as a kid: still catching up with all the published stuff, getting into the UK stuff, before the quality started to drop off in the mid '80s and I began to lose interest.

[@yeoldegeek71]

I think the series is more than a little inconsistent.. but more of that in my next review!

[@adampender2482]

Everyone loves the art of the early 80s but nothing beats the art of Easley, Elmore, Parkinson, and Caldwell. They took the game to the next level

[@torenatkinson1986]

Re: sound quality... your mic is on a surface that you seem to be tapping or bumping and it's coming through fairly loud. Thanks for the review I'm considering adapting this to my post apocalyptic game.

[@yeoldegeek71]

This was highlighted on the stream I did last night, so I have a Mic boom on order arriving Monday :), as I cannot avoid fidgeting unfortunately.

[@torenatkinson1986]

If I may also suggest: if you shoot your video with your face favoring left or right half of the frame, you can drop in the graphics on the opposite side so they don't obscure your face. Like a news program! Keep up the good work

[@yeoldegeek71]

@@torenatkinson1986 Haha, I'll try to.. I struggle to sit still though.

[@mechanussunrise]

Do you have a favorite module that fleshes out a fantasy city?

[@yeoldegeek71]

Not a normal city - but Vault of the Drow... AD&D 1E was largely devoid of city adventures.

[@biffstrong1079]

Weren't the roman sewers large enough in places to walk through?

[@yeoldegeek71]

As far as I know, occasionally - but nowhere near the scale they tend to be thought of... pictures I have seen have been 3-4 feet wide, many passages would be 'stoop/crawl only', and didn't have raised path sections - if you were to attempt to move through them you would be crawling in poop. It wasn't until the Victorian era that large, expansive, traversable sewage networks became commonplace.

[@biffstrong1079]

@@yeoldegeek71 For sure. As you mention in the video for gaming purposes though any excess is allowed. After watching the sewer chase in the movie THE THIRD MAN (in post 1945 Vienna) and using the Giant Rats nest tunnels as an underlayer in the Judges Guild Tegel Manor module I have always wanted to use a sewer system as an underlayer to an above ground city based adventure. I've built a sewer system for Dwellers of the Forbidden City which provides underground access throughout the city and is also poop light cause the city is pretty abandoned. I've worked in wererats who are listed in the book as possible spies for the Yuan-Ti and a Giant/Giant/Giant anaconda a la John Varley's Titan,Wizard,Demon series. We were scheduled to go on a roman sewer tour in Portugal that got cancelled by COVID. I'd still love to take one, for scale. The Romans had plenty of man sized and greater water moving pipes. Lindsay Davis in her Falco detective series has a book, Three Hands in the Fountain , where a roman sewer is investigated, on foot. Her research is impeccable, usually. I wish I could say I was in a roman sewer and it had a sidewalk overlooking a poop stream but I was not. But you know, fingers crossed. I generally combine the big sewer idea with you finally come up against 2' diameter pipes full to the gunnels. Like you, I think, I like some historical verisimilitude in my adventures. No medieval town will have a massive roman sewer, but I think the Forbidden City from an ancient time with a pyramid building civilization , well just might have one.

[@yeoldegeek71]

@@biffstrong1079 Especially not a grotty sprawling cesspit along the lines of Highport!

[@edawe]

Tolkien spelled it Dwarves....so maybe female dwarves have beards and female dwarfs don't?

[@yeoldegeek71]

Tolkien admitted 'dwarves' was not grammatically correct ;)

[@edawe]

@@yeoldegeek71 But it was correct in Middle Earth. I'm just kidding of course. Great vid as usual