BECMI X1 Isle of Dread Review/Overview

Lets take a look at the Dungeons & Dragons Module X1 The Isle of Dread.

[@SimonAshworthWood]

I’m very much looking forward to DMing this module. 😃

[@RichardtheDungeonCrawler]

Let us know how it goes!

[@SimonAshworthWood]

@@RichardtheDungeonCrawler, I will if I remember, but I doubt I'll DM it in the next few months and I suspect I'll have forgotten about this video by the time I do, I'm sorry.

[@anarionelendili8961]

I have not GMed X1 with D&D yet, but I have used it as a background in a more storytelling/freeform type of solo play. It was good fun. I do have some criticisms of the island, one of the big ones is the inner caldera and how difficult it is to get to (and how deadly it is to try). I prefer to change it so that the whole high plateau is inside the much larger caldera, and then the temple and the lake are in another depression within the large caldera. I also make the climbing much easier, since the point is not to kill off the PCs who try to climb it. As for the rope bridge, I am tempted to move it to the path leading to the tar pits, since there is no reason whatsoever for people to be maintaining that rope bridge as the adventure stands now. The people in the caldera village don't even know about the outside world, and even if they did, the high mountains around them would spell death to any who try to cross them without magic. Sure, if the PCs have access to flying carpets, it is no problem, but then the whole exploration angle becomes more like overflying the challenges, and the adventure loses a lot of its charm.

[@sirelfinjedi]

That hex grid full of random encounters is probably great for solo-play.

[@yeoldegeek71]

Aaaah, the 1st module I ever owned. Too much for 12 year old me to run properly - I'd love to see if I could do it justice nowadays.

[@graham4885]

I used both module editions as part of a Sea of Dread campaign path. The 5E book has extra adventures below the island, the kopru and aranea make great villains that can be used again later and there are several useful legendary magic items to be found. I have not done the Savage Tide campaign path yet.

[@sketchasaurrex4087]

Love the thumbnail! The lettering disappears into the t-rex picture, it's a little crowded. I would have had you & the letters a little smaller to make it fit nicer. Keep on the Bordelands & Isle of Dread are some of the best little sandboxes.

[@RichardtheDungeonCrawler]

Thanks for the feedback. I made some adjustments to the thumbnail. Thanks again!

[@elfbait3774]

Isle of Dread is such a great module. I have a campaign that starts with Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh and has those papers recovered in the house with the smugglers' boat providing the ship. This is for a campaign that eventually leads to a beefed up Isle of Dread after some adventures on the high seas.

[@RichardtheDungeonCrawler]

Sounds like a great start to a campaign!

[@anarionelendili8961]

Nice way of linking those adventures together! I might (will) steal that. :)

[@sirelfinjedi]

My favorite module to run was UK5 Eye of the Serpent. It was an experiment in scenarios for a single player and DM. And it was an outdoor dungeon specifically for a ranger, druid, or monk.

[@HowtoRPG]

Thanks Richard.

[@sirelfinjedi]

Thanks for the detailed review. This was the first module I ran for my brother.

[@RichardtheDungeonCrawler]

Wow. Your first module was expert level! This is a great module.

[@sirelfinjedi]

@RichardtheDungeonCrawler We were playing AD&D/1e, but we used Basic and Expert modules with it (like in sure most people did).

[@MikaCigic]

Hmmm. The Rakasta riding on the saber tooth tigers sound really badass...though...I feel like it'd be like a human riding an orangutan lol