Deep Carbon Observatory Remastered: OSR DnD Adventure Review

[@QuestingBeast]

Get 10% off of Into the AM apparel: bit.ly/IntoTheAM10 Get Deep Carbon Observatory in PDF: bit.ly/DCOPDF Free DCO Map Pack: bit.ly/DCOMAPS Free DCO Spell Book: bit.ly/DCOSPELLS Get DCO in Print: bit.ly/DCOPRINT

[@ardentdrops]

Quick question: how much did you pay for the physical copy? Because £25 + 20 shipping to the US is roughly $65. Ouch.

[@MrRourk]

The Kickstarter for Good Guys Finish Last is fully funded. I believe the last time this game was printed officially was 1993. Still the best Super Hero Game of all time.

[@KeliGrubb]

I have to wonder… how do so many of the osr writers come up with such wild, visceral, and intriguing dungeons and monsters? I can barely think of anything that lightly strays from traditional fantasy tropes. I have serious respect for their ingenuity.

[@solaris_cc4353]

Totally this. I'd like to take a look into Patrick's thought process.

[@stanleyreynolds5497]

The OSR blog - Against The Wicked City, has an interesting post called: "OSR aesthetics of ruin". It goes some way to explaining their style.

[@solaris_cc4353]

@@stanleyreynolds5497 I have that post saved in my bookmarks! Very inspiring.

[@solaris_cc4353]

@@richmcgee434 Not bad at all :>

[@IVIaskerade]

When you get very little sleep - for example, because you're desperately trying to finish an OSR expansion book before your deadline - all sorts of wonderful creative things happen as your sense of reality erodes.

[@gtignacio3353]

This is the adventure that taught me that the PC’s worst nightmare is not a lich, not a dragon, not even a humanoid, cannibal giant-it’s a rival band of adventurers.

[@CatholicDragoon]

That Nightmare Librarian could be very useful in the Stygian Library.

[@Yora21]

I remember this being quite a big deal when it came out. I think it was the book that really sold people on the idea that oldschool systems can be a great system for new, creative, and original campaigns, and doesn't have to be only like what D&D was in the 80s. If I remember right, Patrick once said or wrote that his first RPG was D&D 4th edition, so he saw the Basic/Expert rules in a different light than the people who had been playing with them for 30 years.

[@daveyoil]

DCO is one of my top five adventures of all time. I completely agree that this new addition, along with Veins of the Earth, are a captivating read that always sparks my imagination. What a wonderful pair of talents!

[@Cabman567]

What would be your other 4?

[@jesserooney2595]

Thank you for making me aware of this. I've been turned on to OSR generally and Scrap Princess / Stuart's work through your videos. Their work is incredible. I can't wait to have this in my hot little hands and frustrate my players with this. The original is so good, and a remaster sounds dope.

[@killfear]

oh man that stalactite dungeon is awesome! everything in them is packed with interesting hooks and weird magic/physics that I'd love to drip throughout my underdark. thanks for sharing this!

[@ivanrichmond3524]

That looks really neat. I really like how the observatory looks down into the underdark, rather than up into the sky.

[@d.aardent9382]

Maybe at the level of the observatory, it is underwater. An underground sea.

[@neilskufis1494]

You said my name right! I’m happy to support the work you’re doing. Thank you for continuing to put out quality content.

[@misomiso8228]

Some review requests- Scenic Dunsworth - this is a cult OSR adventure that I've only just discovered. I didn't realise is was popular as one of the main things about it is that it is so relplayable. The Pale Lady - OMG such a good adventure! It's a little mature, but wow this adventure is short good, and could go many different directions. Such a great time to have!!!

[@VhaidraSaga]

I'd love to see these too!

[@ssaberwolf]

You show the coolest stuff. Thank you for getting me excited about TTRPGs again.

[@Caulkhead]

Nice, literally just started running this few weeks ago, party are currently traveling up the lock river!

[@blocked-in-the-head1267]

I love the art style of this book! It really feels like the name.

[@Kine-re6nq]

Just some advice. If you run this adventure I would suggest you pick and choose elements and adapt them to your playstyle, don't try to run it raw. Its wonderfully full of flavor, but I had trouble understanding some of it so I was useful to occasional simplify it.

[@d.aardent9382]

Wow, wished a independent filmmaker would think about making a series of movies about this story world. For gaming this would be practically infinite place to explore as complex and dense as just this valley, dam structure ,drained lake region is huge, the entire other complex in the "underground/stalagtite" cities region. To be done right, it would take quite awhile to generate and interact with. Looks really intriguing. Wish i had time that i could mess with it. Lol

[@simmonslucas]

I just love the art!

[@MrRourk]

I will have to run this version. The original worked so good with Free Adventure Gone Fishing to lure the players into a false sense of security.

[@Lustvig]

Question: could this wonderful sounding adventure be reskinned for Gamma World? As sort of an Ancient installation, with the magic items tech items, spellcasters as mutants with powers, etc?

[@porkyorcy1715]

This is absolutely insane I love it holy fuck

[@liamcage7208]

Wow, I love it.

[@misomiso8228]

Great vid. What even happened to the Operation unfathomable review?! Remember you said once there were delays? Might have got it wrong. ty

[@QuestingBeast]

The Completely Unfathomable compendium, which is the one I backed, isn't out yet.

[@radishmoonshine9977]

Oh man, this was also one of the first OSR products I got too! Giant creeped the shit outta my players :)

[@1942manfred]

What does "make sure to have socially conscious fun" mean exactly?

[@bolo4104]

I also wasn't sure. Sounded like word salad to me.

[@marcclement6597]

First video I saw from Questing Beast was the original DCO review., it made me click on subscribe.

[@ardentdrops]

To me this feels like a set-up to "The Vast in the Dark"

[@howdoyoudo5949]

How so?

[@aleksanderk6765]

Yup. Buying this :)

[@IVIaskerade]

Do I spy the Phantom Hand of Gargas on the back of the cover?

[@matthewanderson6559]

DCO made cephalopods creepy again

[@Yora21]

The name comes from a satellite that was build to search for carbon in the gases of stars in deep space. The disappointment that it's not actually an observatory that stares down into the earth instead of up into the sky inspired the whole dungeon.

[@adenowirus]

I looked that up and it seems real-life Deep Carbon Observatory is a research project concerning processes involving carbon beneath the surface of the Earth, including microorganisms of deep biosphere.

[@patrickfitzpatrick2945]

Hey! While I appreciate simple B/W art, this is just too simple for me. Otherwise it seems interesting. Thanks for the great review. Appreciate it.

[@jestrogames5507]

Agreed.

[@matthewanderson6559]

scrap princess doesn't do it for me

[@TimNoyce]

While I love most QB content I think that reviews are a weak point. This is almost a read-aloud of the entire book, a description of the contents rather than an actual review and does not make use of Ben Milton's very real expertise in module design, other than the remarks on readability of tables. I would prefer more emphasis on the strong and weak points of the module and some advice on how to use it and perhaps when *not* to use it.

[@WayneBraack]

What the hell does "just remember it's socially conscious fun" mean and what does it have to do with gaming?

[@QuestingBeast]

It's a joke, Wayne