RPG Retro Review | Return to The keep on the Borderlands

This week I revisit the 25 Anniversary D&D Module, "Return to the Keep on the Borderlands". Happy 50th Anniversary Dungeons & Dragons!
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[@blockmasterscott]

To this day, more than 40 years later, I have that dungeon map memorized.

[@shankfish1990]

It’s comfort food for the D&Dr’s soul.

[@seangriffin2040]

I love this old module and expanded it considerably. The keep now protects a small duchy that was once a mere barony. At the foot of the hill are the villages of Cottisham and Hommlet.

[@Se7enBeatleofDoom]

Probably going to be a more respectful anniversary book than the official 50th Dungeons and Dragons by Hasbro.

[@JohnDretired]

There's going to be all those straight white men that are the evil oppressors! But who will win the Oppression Olympics this time?

[@weray7605]

Well, if you're still supporting WotC financially then you kinda deserve to get taken advantage of.

[@ILoveEvadingTax]

Urrrgh, is that coming out? I don't dare look.

[@Se7enBeatleofDoom]

@@ILoveEvadingTax Supposed to be. At some point.

[@mithraisaugustus6421]

Just remember, Bree-yark! is goblin for "We surrender!"

[@captcorajus]

Oh, yeah, right!

[@CoachPritch]

Hey Rube!

[@coryphillips7945]

I hope you make your next saving throw vs Covid.

[@captcorajus]

Thanks! Me too. I mean, I'm a DJ, I did pretty good for awhile, but my daughter is a child care provider and its HER fault. lol

[@shockerck4465]

I'm a big fan of the original Keep/ Caves and have ran it many times. This is a solid remake.

[@apathyguy8338]

So you're telling us that the Archer Devereaux stayed behind because he used to be an adventure before he took an arrow in the knee?

[@captcorajus]

Exactly!

[@laurelhill3505]

Oh Captain, my captain!

[@FatalDevotee1]

Glad you are back.

[@captcorajus]

Wow, thank you!!

[@chicksandwich]

I ran this one in Hyperborea and it was blast

[@originaluddite]

If locales like the Keep have existed in more than one setting, that suggests that they are not separate but rather parallel worlds. Maybe the keep is a site at which the boundaries between universes are thin. Maybe that is the true 'borderlands' for which it is named. ;)

[@enoa4]

Good to have you back. Hope you are 100% soon. I’ve always been curious about this adventure. Thanks for the review.

[@keithdonohue4631]

Cap is back! Still the best Old School D&D KZbinr in the game.

[@uncouthboy8028]

I was a teenager when this came out. Feels bad man.

[@azcoder]

I didn't realize B2 was released in the blue box. I got the Moldvay box set in 81, and I know it's a later printing of the module. I heard of the Return module, but never saw it in person. Cool stuff. Stay healthy.

[@DM_Curtis]

My friend got B1 in the blue box, so it must have varied over time.

[@captcorajus]

Yeah, and interestingly all the monsters have a Dex stat to work with the Holmes version initiative

[@captcorajus]

Yes it did. It initially came with the Monster & treasure assortment and Dungeon Geomorphs. Later it came with B1 In Search of the Unknown.

[@azcoder]

@@captcorajus In the Goodman Games "Into the Borderlands" book, the first instance of B2 not only has the Dex stats, but movement rates are 20ft in combat which aligns with the Holmes rules. The 2nd instance of B2 has the 40 ft movement rates, plus morale.

[@captcorajus]

@@azcoder Yup! The included the Holmes version and the Molvay versions which cool Some of the artwork is different too. My personal copy of Holmes Basic came with KOTBL

[@albanmahoudeau1779]

adding For the Lair of IITANGAST:

[@kevinbrennan-ji1so]

Great to see you back posting. The voice sounded good, btw.

[@harmonicaman79]

The Captain is back! Can't wait for more!

[@biffstrong1079]

Sorry about the Covid. I Liked the Silver edition Keep on the Borderlands. It was interesting for role playing. It had a nice feel of an area having moved on.

[@haveswordwilltravel]

Glad to hear that you are hale. Keep making these great reviews!

[@nunyabiznuss9869]

Glad you’re feeling better and KOB was my 1st module like so many others and this newest reprisal IMO did it justice.

[@TallDude73]

I realize this is fantasy, but the ecology of these dungeon areas is hilarious. Imagine how much food a 500 lbs owlbear alone would need, let alone all the tribes living so close together. Later modules started thinking a bit about the monster interaction, but the first few were just monster filled rooms. I think the monsters would have hunted each other out, and the PCs would just have to fight the victor.

[@captcorajus]

Its important to realize that the situation presented in the module is a 'snapshot' of a moment in time... when the PCs arrive. Cave residents would have to forage far and wide. There would be conflicts over the best hunting grounds, conflicts over kills, and more, WHICH is good for D&D. Not to mention conflicts with hunters from the Keep. This situation would not be sustainable over a long period of time to be sure, which is why the rise of the evil Temples in both modules allowed for a 'temporary' moment where the situations could exist at the start. It would also require the elimination of the Keep to sustain the Caves of Chaos. Again, a good conflict for D&D. Who will prevail the forces of Law or the forces of Chaos?

[@keithkannenberg7414]

You're not wrong. But at least Gary described a conflict between the orcs and the goblins. suggesting that the current state was a standoff between the two sides.

[@Snoil]

Glad you're feeling better! Very topical review, I never used this one always the original with my own mods. But this looks worth adding to the library, thanks!

[@pentegarn1]

I loved this version. Set in Greyhawk and all the tunnels were connected by secret tunnels! Kendall Keep rocks. Hope you're feeling better mate....

[@jonaselowery]

Glad you are on the mend!

[@johnnyo3535]

Well done my liege.

[@paulwolffart1251]

I ran this for my gaming group back early 2000s. We had a blast playing it. I totally agree about the interior art being unacceptable. They had some artists around that time like Todd Lockwood who was doing fantastic ink art for them in other publications. They must have owed the other guy a favor.

[@DMTalesTTRPG]

Great review, thanks!

[@jimrichmond1457]

I had the Silver Anniversary Return-to products when they originally released. Lost all of them in a move. Knowing they are available on Drive-thru RPG is great. Thanks for the info and I agree with your assessment.

[@geofftottenperthcoys9944]

Yeah same, Just got the Against the Giants - The Liberation of Geoff POD

[@christophersims7060]

Glad you beating back the COVID! I just started my son on my original B2 even falling apart as it is, he rolled up a BECMI dwarf and I a 3rd level elf to accompany him on his 1st adventures. He explored the 1st 30 feet of the 1st orc lair and slayed 2 before catching a spear in the side and losing 2 thirds of his hp. I missed all my atta loo to be c

[@NinjaRunningWild]

Feel better buddy!

[@Ryech47]

You used to have a pic of you and a giant troll in your intro. Can you tell me more about it? Who made it? Who owns it and where it is now? Love the channel btw.

[@captcorajus]

That was from Gen Con 2007. The troll is WOTC's.

[@Acmegamer]

I don't mind dense text, after all it's only 64 pages versus the original being 32 pages. I just view it as more information for me as a GM to dive into. If it was a 120 pages plus of text that dense, I might be more critical.

[@Tarbal40]

I was thinking the same thing. I still have this module, and ran this adventure three different times. I never thought there was "too much" detail. It felt just about right, with enough wiggle room to insert the PC's personal stories into a beginner dungeon crawl.

[@KeithGigliotti]

Glad you're feeling better, recovering myself as mine progressed into a sinus infection....and nothing better than good rest, food, and a new Captcorajus video on a super cool tribute module on a classic to recover. Hot tea and D&D!!!

[@captcorajus]

The Doc gave me Paxlovid and that really knocked it out. I had bronchitis BEFORE the covid, and between the two it destroyed my voice. Vitamins, juice and zinc supplements finally got rid of the bronchitis. I'm definitely feeling much better! Thanks

[@geofftottenperthcoys9944]

That tower encounter looks like an encounter from an Elric novel?

[@originaluddite]

I've never read any Elric stuff, but I was gonna say it reminds me of the sort of whimsical stuff that might appear in 80s fantasy films.

[@geofftottenperthcoys9944]

@@originaludditeI think it was called the Vanishing Tower.

[@adampender2482]

I know the feeling. I've caught covid the past 2 Christmas.

[@Lightmane]

Hi love your videos. Glad this module is affordable, cause the collectors set isn't. Are you by chance familiar with 'The Dungeon Minister'? He's an Anglican Priest who plays BECMI D&D with his wife and their 3 boys, of which the oldest is 13, and then "tells the story" of their last session. I think you'd really enjoy him. He just put out a short video (6:21) that I think you might enjoy 😏 He also just posted a fun video about 'Playing D&D with Kids' that I think you'll greatly enjoy too.

[@BradfordMcCoy]

Great video

[@doctorlolchicken7478]

The color map of the caves is awesome, although it just draws even more attention to a nitpick I always had: why are all the caves rectangles? It’s so much harder to square off an underground room, and it would be weaker in terms of ceiling support. I know, who cares?

[@geofftottenperthcoys9944]

It's around $20AUS, so not too bad as a POD.

[@HowtoRPG]

Thanks.

[@ILoveEvadingTax]

It is interesting how much better we've gotten at brevity with modules, the OSR movement saw a separation of theorycrafting from the necessary content that really should have been a no-brainer. Understanding the economics of a small keep like this is something the DM can make informed choices on separately unless otherwise integral to the plot, and I wonder if the dual problems of bloat versus fidelity could have been avoided if TSR ever thought to educate DMs on worldbuilding in separate content alongside their DM's guide. I realise a lot of this is folly since by 1e they mostly really did assume players were playing in Greyhawk versus their own world, and this is why it's written the way it is.

[@plazma2891]

unrelated question but is there a way you could share your awesomely made custom tiles and cards you made for Advance Heroquest in your Down the Quarantine Rabbit Hole with Advanced Heroquest Video? I do own regular Heroquest, Advance Heroquest and all of Warhammer quest 95 but im no good at photo shop to resize my own. I would really appreciate it

[@michaelhorn6029]

Way cool.

[@chrisg1598]

Great review! Would you consider doing Return to the Tomb of Horrors?

[@captcorajus]

Possibly. I had that boxed set YEARS ago, but sadly, I ended up selling it on ebay (This was before I started my channel).

[@jamiemcdonough6548]

Very good review, Captcorajus. I always thought Keep On The Borderlands was confusing if you don't know the premise. Is there a keep stronghold along the borderlands? Or did you ask someone for directions, and they told you to keep travelling along the borderlands? Yikes, I bet 5th Edition WOTC would hate the idea of a magic spellcaster who uses spells to endear himself to anyone. I like how the only aspect you gave a natural 20 to were the sales reps or rather Value. I just like the idea of your shopping cart being the big winner over the contents of a revisit to a classic module. Hope I wasn't being too spicy. Thanks as always.

[@erikmartin4996]

Hackmaster 4E edition of this is the best

[@NemoOhd20]

Naming the NPCs. I have no idea why people think this is important. Bartender or Captain of the Guard is literally all I care about.

[@jriggan]

🍻🍻🍻

[@freddieunvarsky5304]

'promo sm'

[@captcorajus]

?

[@albanmahoudeau1779]

VALUE: POOR. 50 ANNIVERSARY ISSUE OF A MODULE:

[@Darthborg]

Pee pee poo poo

[@simonpeter2024]

I’m not normally a pronunciation snob, but I’ve never heard “Novice” pronounced Noh’ Vis. Nah’ Vis. I know module publishers usually leave it to GMs to decide how to pronounce names of locations and NPCs, but let’s try to keep the basics of common usage. Try making a video where you mispronounce every word and it won’t be anything more than fit for laughs. You know I’m right. But be stubborn if you want.

[@captcorajus]

There is no common language is the first lesson of language. Region dictates pronunciation. I will forever pronounce it NOO- vice. I think I make in more pronounced from now it. I think Nooohh-vice is good. Yes, that definitely it going forward.

[@simonpeter2024]

@@captcorajus did not know you were an asshole

[@ILoveEvadingTax]

@@simonpeter2024 tbf I think nitpicking over simple divergences in pronunciation is asshole behaviour on your part. Not everyone should be subjected to scrutiny over their language if they aren't asking for pointers. It's condescending in the majority of cases.