CM1 Test of the Warlords - A BECMI adventure module review

CM1 Test of the Warlords was written by Douglas Niles and published in 1984. It was the perfect primer for the recently released Dungeons and Dragons Companion Rules, and is the perfect module for detailing why BECMI was such an expansive game. Power, dominion, war, and victory. Test of the Warlords offered all of this and more, as it supported high level adventure in a frozen fantasy wilderness. As Conan the Barbarian said in response to being asked what is best in life: “To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentation of their women!” That's Companion level play in a nutshell.
CM1 Credits
Written by: Douglas Niles
Editor: Tim Kilpin
Cover Artist: Clyde Caldwell
Interior Artist: Jeff Easley
Graphic Designer: Ruth Hoyer
Maps: Diesel
Introduction to the Known World: • The Known World Gazett...
Link to my BECMI Dungeons and Dragons playlist: • BECMI Dungeon and Dragons
Link to Companion Rules review: • The Companion Rules - ...
BECMI Berserker logo and artwork created and gifted by the very generous Steve Young, contactable at [e-mail] Thank you, Steve!!
If you like this video and want to support me further, please consider buying me a coffee at: www.buymeacoffee.com/becmiber... Your support is greatly appreciated.
Contact:
Instagram: D&D RPG fRe&k
Email: [e-mail]

[@EriktheRed2023]

Quick addition to the "Why BECMI?" question: First edition AD&D can feel bloated compared to the RC. Race as race, multiclass, and 'more than one class' feel very natural to add, but when PCs are dropping like flies until they make it up a few levels, you want character creation to be as straightforward as possible. BECMI does that pretty well.

[@jarredalabran6298]

Test of the Warlords is fantastic.

[@sumdude4281]

I can not recommend this adventure enough. Fantastic. Douglas Niles should be in the upper echelons of adventure creators between CM1 and N1 Cult of the Reptile God, which IMHO are two of the best adventures/modules EVER.

[@davidcardoso3525]

I ran CM1 back in High School. Test of the Warlords is such a memorable experience. I would argue the entire CM series is more than solid.

[@ghost0ronin]

Been here since the begining Berserker. Thank you for all of your passonate sharing of the BECMI/RC ruleset and The Known World coverage!

[@becmiberserker]

Thank you!

[@johndoucette6085]

Great review. I love CM1 (and X10 before it) as examples who how top integrate dominion and party-based game play. One little thing. You forgot the tie-in with module X10 Red Arrow, Black Shield, where if the characters try to bring Thyatis into the war on the Darokin side, they meet with the Emperor, who offers to commit Thyatian troops to the war if the characters will travel to Norwold after and agree to work as Thyatian agents in the coming War of the Crown. IIRC, there's text in CM1 about how the DM should handle PCs who break their word once the invasion starts.

[@solomani5959]

This is my favourite BECMI adventure. It’s still on my shelf in a plastic sleeve. I still mine it for ideas. Great art as well. That frost giant raiding picture is so evocative. I can just hear “Immigrant Song”.

[@becmiberserker]

Brilliant song, and after you saying that I’m not sure I’m going to be able to look at this picture again without hearing the same!

[@solomani5959]

@@becmiberserker 🤘

[@loganshaw4746]

Fantastic video! I'm going to run to drive through and get it right now. Douglas Niles ran a game for me and my friends at Garycon last weekend. I wish I'd seen this video before I talked to him. And as someone else above commented, he really should have his praises sung. He is only just now returning to the hobby after nearly 20 years. He really seemed truly surprised and delighted that he had fans. I think we almost had him in tears relating how his work had impacted our lives. And you'll be delighted to know that he ran the game using Red/ Blue box BECMI.

[@becmiberserker]

Brilliant! I hope he watches this and feels appreciated. I also hope to play at his table someday.

[@loganshaw4746]

@@becmiberserker I really hope Mr Niles attends next year's Gary Con. And you should really do your best to make it out to Lake Geneva. I bumped into Margaret Weis in the hallway. Tim Kask was rolling around on his scooter. Ed Greenwood, Larry Elmore, Jeff Easley, Eorl Otis, all of them just walking around the convention. And this year I was able to get a tour of the Gygax house on Center St! It is what cons were like in the 1980s. Just a few thousand gamers. Not 70,000+ like Gen Con.

[@becmiberserker]

@@loganshaw4746I made it to GC X in 2018 and was planning on going in 2020 when Covid hit. Would really like to get to first EGG Con later this year but the accommodation costs look sky high. I’ll get over one day I guess.

[@johnbosstick3689]

That's so awesome, also such a huge fan!

[@EriktheRed2023]

I've never run this scenario, but it heavily inspired a very Ivanhoe-like campaign back in the day. Only one of my players was interested in the dominion side of things. (Well, another really wanted an army, but in the end couldn't be bothered with the dominion to support it.) But that was enough, and the frost giants became a neighbouring kingdom, which the players pretty much conquered - purely in self defence, of course. 😆 The six avengers questioning the queen's honour became the highlight of the campaign (though I think they were only five). Those slain in the initial encounter were raised as death knights by a dastardly necromancer, and the rematch took place on the slopes of an active volcano - well why not?

[@GM_Zeppelin]

Great video, Berserker! I appreciate the love for the BECMI system. I played Test of the Warlords way back when it first came out. I remember it being a blast, but I don't have an specific memories of the events, sadly. I believe they sided with Alphatia and they won the day. My DM style was much more akin to using a sledgehammer back then, though. So, I don't think I got as much out of it as I would now that I use more... subtle tools. I hope to run it again. Perhaps after my Temple of Elemental Evil campaign concludes. Anyway, I'm a long-time lurker and really enjoy everything you do! Keep it up!

[@becmiberserker]

Thanks for lurking!

[@DjigitDaniel]

Absolutely smashing video. Bravo, sir! This video and its subject exemplify what roleplaying games always represented to me: the ability to drill down to the individual heroic scale of a operational scale wargame or even a globe spanning strategic board game. I shan't get prosaic or maudlin here, but accept a standing ovation from a fellow enthusiast.

[@kontrarien5721]

Great review! I'd love to someday reach this level of play. After 40+ years I've never come close!

[@CaptCook999]

This was the first and only time that I had a character get their Fanatical Followers. None of my other characters got that high a level and I've been playing since 1977

[@thedracophile]

Bought this as a teenager, finally ran it as DM in college, with far-too-smart nerdy engineering type players. This was my favorite module I ever ran, more so than even G1-3 etc. Politics, war, things outside of just going on another adventure/dungeon. My one minor complaint is that the Wyrmsteeth mountains are the home to the civilized dragons, at least in the trilogy by Thorarin Gunnarsson, whose dragons kept kicking Alphatia out of Norwold.

[@neuromancer9k]

I'm with you, Berserker - I like all those games, too. These days, I'm leaning Pathfinder for SWADE, but I have my copy of the RC and some PDFs of BECMI books (especially the "I" part) handy, for good measure. Good that we have so many choices available, now. And I love the old art by Caldwell, Elmore, Otus, and so many others. Great retrospective. I think I had this one way back when (before my mother threw everything out because it was "worthless." HA!). Thanks for bringing it back. 🍻⚔🐲

[@Axiie]

When you mentioned you were doing adventure reviews, I had expectations based on the previous reviews of adventures from this era. in a very good way, you subverted those expectations. The factual stuff was there, which was good, but it was padded on both sides by a very well thought out contextual thought process of teh adventure as a game aid and what it could do to launch games forward into play, as opposed to the details of the physical contents and rules with a little discussion on interactions between them. In essence, you haven't just thrown down a review for the adventure, I feel like you've lit the spark of inspiration for playing it. That is a fantastic job well done. Great videos as always!

[@becmiberserker]

Thanks, man. 🙂

[@newtpondskipper]

Great video! One additional comment one dragons back in these older editions, they are tougher in general to fight. Trying to explain that to the newer players in our group has been amusing/frustrating. They come from 5th edition and have never had to deal with long term healing or loss of potions and other consumable items being tough to replace. Failing to kill a really tough monster, specifically a dragon, was terrifying! Saying there is an area with at least 1000 of them is amazing for all the potential treasure but the risk is huge. That was part of what I loved with the older rules.

[@CaptCook999]

We actually had to go Dragon Hunting in those mountains. Our characters were going broke trying to start up their domains and we needed big cash fast! Not every high level character is rich.

[@stephenclements6158]

Great review, my man. You picked the perfect module to showcase how cool and comprehensive BECMI is.

[@andrewhaldenby4949]

Outstanding video, hope you do more C and M module reviews!

[@andrewhaldenby4949]

Me too!

[@VMSelvaggio]

I was just looking to re-acquire a reprint of this. I have recently also acquired CM9: Legacy of Blood, and am very impressed with the Scope and the User-Friendly layout of these Companion modules. I have been looking for good material that gives clear explanations of the process required for Dominion Use. I want to include them in my 2nd Edition AD&D campaign. I am excited to read through these.

[@karlbolt7159]

Thanks Berserker! Buying the Companion set after we finish The Isle of Dread, noticed it doesn’t come with an adventure; this is perfect.

[@becmiberserker]

Hope you enjoy it!

[@avollant]

I'm currently reading the box set about Thyatis and Alphatia... I like the idea of having two empires that act like the superpower they are supposed to be. I.E. no good or evil, just the pursuit of power, greed and influence.... but then, what if there was a third one? and who could that be and where to?

[@patrickholt2270]

The outcome of the the war of kings potentially has a massive impact on the war between the empires that takes place during Wrath of the Immortals, by either giving Alphatia a huge lodgement on the continent of the Known World north of Glantri, it's primary magic-wielding rival, or giving Thyatis a semi-secure northern bulwark and additional naval resources against Alphatian invasion. Equally, in the event that Norwold is an Alphatian protectorate when the Master of Hule invades Darokin, the Alphatians could choose to assist Hule to weaken the Known World alliance and thus drain Thyatian forces.

[@becmiberserker]

In my opinion, no other version of D&D gets players thinking like this. It’s why I love BECMI so much.

[@williammoore9794]

Great review! I always found it funny peculiar that the PCs are expected to throw their lot in with the Alphatians when the Expert set suggests they come from Karameikos - which is part of Thyatis. Why would they be so willing to sell out their former country? Indeed, Thyatis is not written as particularly tyrannical in either the Expert set or the Isle of Dread. It got worse once the Princess Ark started in Dragon magazine. The Alphatians become the heroes, which was bizarre coming after Dawn of the Emperors. As written Alphatia is an appalling place, where drug-addled lunatics rule over an empire of magic-less slaves. Hmm. Rant over 😅. Any comment on the module's view that Alphatia=Atlantis? Looking forward to the next review!

[@Arasaka]

One of my favourites as well. What I love most about BECMI is that progression from Dungeons to Lords to Immortals. The stakes and rewards get higher as fame and fortune grow. This module is a great way to bridge the gap between the first two aspects. You really could get all Game of Thrones with this as well if you amped up the political intrigue.

[@dartanionbrallk9805]

Another great video. I look forward to the next one.

[@ItsJustBrew]

This is a great review! I'll definitely run this adventure now, and I'll be looking forward to more adventure reviews.

[@Rashman101]

What a fantastic overview of a classic d&d module! Thanks for helping to bring these gems back to the attention of grizzled gamers (like me) and helping to highlighting them to the next generation.

[@robbabcock_]

Great video! Back in the day I never used modules and never read many of them til many years later. Maybe the way I DM is a bit off due to developing my style in utter isolation!🔥⚔😎

[@WonderGoon]

Great video.

[@theroguegeneralhunter2206]

18 or so minutes in - I could see the air quotes when you said "The best" when referring to internet opinions about running games. I laughed loud enough to startle my cat. Keep up the great work!

[@becmiberserker]

Thanks, and pass on my apologies to your cat! 🐈‍⬛

[@oliverg8085]

Cm1, one of the best!

[@gamingaeternitatis]

Thanks for yet another great video! :) I was DM for Test of the Warlords many years ago - when we finally got the module the PCs had already established dominions in Karameikos, but as they got baronies in Norwold it became a focal point in the campaign for a long time. An excellent module! Have you ever played 'Red Arrow, Black Shield'? That is another great BECMI module that delves into BECMI-specific stuff, especially War Machine. It truly combines rpg and wargame. One of the most memorable modules I have played.

[@becmiberserker]

I’ll be diving into X10 soon. Such a huge module in so many respects. Thanks for the comment.

[@gamingaeternitatis]

@@becmiberserker Looking forward to it! :)

[@zeIIendor]

Very nice video. I was looking forward to it and it did not disappoint. Keep up the good work!

[@becmiberserker]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@retrodmray]

Really great, sir! Thank you!! 👊🤓

[@bobkarstenson1792]

Love this…..looking forward to more module reviews

[@becmiberserker]

More to come!

[@gavinruneblade]

I never finished playing through this one. We did start it, but it didn't go very well as all the players got overly ambitious and had a hard time not just trying to do things by themselves that an army should do instead. And we never managed to focus our efforts, everyone wanted their own individual holding and that meant most of them made enemies all over as they took from existing NPCs who could have been allies. I've always wanted to kitbash this adventure with B11 & B12 but reset as part of the failing territory to pull the PCs together into a coherent team and build integration with the other nobles. Today there's some fantastic fan support in the Threshold magazines for the region and the Heldannic Knights fan gazeteer; so I have been thinking about whether to move that direction when my current Northlands game ends.

[@GMRayJ36]

Awesome! Thnx 👊

[@johnbosstick3689]

I fell in love with D&D Dominion Rules and this module was critical in my learning these rules and falling in love with this aspect of the BECMI game. I since have taken them and extended them into an entire new facet of the BECMI game, incorporating trade and other aspects introduced in the Gaz's as well. Do you know of others that share my passion for this aspect of the game?

[@raff3486]

What the hell is this new KZbin UI? Also great video :D. I wonder where can I find a copy of this.

[@villiamkarl-gustavlundberg5422]

I wanna run CM1 test of warlords ( becmi), and compare it to Bloodstone pass (ad&d).

[@CaptCook999]

This campaign was the first and only time I had a character get their Fanatical Followers. I had 2 characters in this campaign. One had to fight Alec Dool but the slimy scum escaped. The other had to fight Rutger Dag and almost died in the fight. Running a domain is a lot of paperwork and very expensive. We had to go Dragon Hunting in those mountains and haul all that treasure out. My characters were not rich when we started this campaign and they were going broke building up towns and armies.

[@becmiberserker]

The downsides of running a dominion. 🙂 Sounds like a fun campaign though.

[@CaptCook999]

@@becmiberserker all of it was enjoyable but the Frost Giants were a tough challenge. Lost a lot of troops but I did get to use my Daerns Instant Fortress as a HQ. It impressed the heck out of the troops!

[@DolFan316]

I keep having trouble getting past the fact that Stefan Karameikos is part of Thyatis and PCs in BECMI generally start in his duchy. At 15th level, wouldn't that be known to them? And wouldn't it then follow that they'd know Alphatia and Thyatis are in conflict? I also have trouble seeing Alphatia as the good guys too considering everything they do "off screen" as it were.

[@davidbrennan660]

A good way to advance character development in a world when you are almost nobility.

[@damianlaw8815]

Thyatis is easily given more depth by considering that the benevolent Duke Stephan Karameikos in GAZ1 is a from this culture.

[@kevind.k7512]

Reminds me of Birthright

[@joshuawilson8804]

don't tell my players, but I literally pull stats blocks from Pathfinder, any D&D edition, so long as I think its interesting. A monster that has 'bloodied' condition really freaks them out. Luckily they are not fluent enough in any edition to know what I'm doing. To them its all D&D.

[@TKFKU]

Why BECMI? Because this is the way. I have spoken.

[@Mr_Welch]

The compilation video is ready to commence, need your email. We've got our 50.

[@becmiberserker]

It’s in the description of the video. 🙂