RPG Retro Review: Dwellers of the Forbidden City

Dwellers of the Forbidden City! Brand new RPG Review, check it out! This is as old school as it gets!
Module PDF: www.drivethrurpg.com/product/...
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[@stephendsullivan]

Thanks for the kind words. I did the original maps, and hadn't seen the colorized version until your video. (Naturally, they didn't send me any later revisions/upgrades.) I'm glad that so many people remember this module, and the city map, so fondly. If you have sharp eyes, you can see my signature S as a trail up the cliffs. (Later, I signed more obviously.) You're pronouncing Erol's name strangely, though. It's like Errol Flyn. An approximation would be "Eh-role Oat-us." :-)

[@captcorajus]

Stephen Sullivan Wow! Thank you for the kind words Stephen! As viewers of my videos know pronunciation isn't always my strong point, thank you for the clarification.

[@kyliepoe6231]

Stephen Sullivan- this was my very first dnd book. I was too young at the time to play, let alone run, but I had such a great time exploring what dungeons and dragons -was- through the eyes of this module, loving the art, the maps, the exotic and dangerous setting. Thanks for having a hand in this incredible module!

[@diaz5292]

Great job on the maps!!! I LOVED this module as a kid and a young DM, and I still love it. Great, great module! Thanks for your work on this!!

[@worldbigfootcentral3933]

Hey! I got this one and played it when it came out. I enjoyed having the space to customize it to my world and flesh out details, which i kept very much to the spirit of the setting. HOWEVER, My PLAYERS liked it a bit too much, and after much game time managed to take the place over and use it as a permanent base of operations....which is fine, if you don't have a huge arctic forest campaign all lined up and ready to go..."sigh"....Anyway, the map was a huge part of the appeal to them and to myself,.lol.

[@kedabro1957]

The map looks like Alaska. Coincidence or deliberate?

[@tr349]

Love this adventure. I have played in Dwellers of the Forbidden City. Where the DM had set the city under the Isle of Dread. I then played again in the Forbidden City, this time it was set under the Sea of Dust near the Hell Furnaces and got tied into the Giant Series. My third encounter with Dwellers of the Forbidden City was as a DM I ran a group through it but set it in the Barrier Peaks area and tied into the Expedition the Barriers Peaks. The PCs found themselves in the Dwellers of the Forbidden City after a small earthquake had opened the ground around them.

[@Wolfogre]

I intend to combine this with the old Quagmire and maybe slap on a modified Temple of The Frog as well. Should make for a good, swampy campaign. :D

[@biffstrong1079]

Always loved the idea of this module. I do remember scrambling around the Lost City week after week as a player one summer frustrated that we couldn't actually find the Yuan Ti Secret base where they were rebuilding their lost empire. Couldn't find the warehouse of stolen goods. Campaign ended at the end of summer when we all went back to various schools. It wasn't till decades later I bought a copy of the module with the intent of running it where I found how unfinished the city actually was. I may have phoned our old DM to apologize for all the unflattering thoughts I had about him at the time as we seemed to careen from empty building to empty building in the abandoned lost city. I enjoyed it and the encounters there were different and interesting but at least a palace full of Yuan Ti to fight with slaves and treasure would have given us some sort of mission closure. I have been populating buildings and building a backstory for the last couple years. The look of the map was always so potential filled. I hope to have the module in some sort of playable shape in another year. There was simply too much for our DM at the time to do in the time he had. It is a daunting city sand box.

[@calebwilliams7659]

As a teen in the 80's I enjoyed this module. Our party rescued one of the NPCs listed in the module, a female elven wizard named Aratheas who later became a permanent party member.

[@DnDnBeer]

Have I told you how much I dig your videos? I'm pretty sure I've listened to them all several times over.

[@RoDaGrier]

I would really love more reviews of David Cook products.

[@ericpeavey]

I remember when I got my first job and got my first paycheck I bought three things: Battletech 3rd edition with the plastic minis, The Isle of Dread, and Dweller of the Forbidden City. Man this is so nostalgic keep up the good work I love your channel.

[@captcorajus]

Thanks! OMG, YES! I had that version of Battletech myself. Painted up all those minis. So wish I'd never sold it 20 years ago! Who knew?

[@bluelionsage99]

Man, I had this module for years and never actually got around to working it into my campaign. Although I used the general idea and map at one point when my players were looking for the Amazons of the Southern Jungle. But they didn't really look around much when it became obvious there were no Amazons.

[@shanenice5380]

its a good campaign,i play it 2 years

[@johnharrison2086]

The Lost City of Omu in Tomb of Annihilation is directly influenced by this module. It is a good update for those playing 5e that never got to experience the original.

[@rob-brown]

love your reviews sir... i still have this module :}

[@captcorajus]

Rob Brown Thanks!

[@vpuigdoller]

I can see they got a lot of inspiration from this adventure to design Omu in ToA. Nice review.

[@captcorajus]

Yes, definitely. I remember going through TOA and seeing that city map and just smiling.

[@mikep6263]

This module came out the same year as Raiders Of The Lost Ark, and since we all wanted to be Indiana Jones, we played this module to death. I remember insisting to the DM that was running it that my character had to have a bull whip, which he then had to write up rules and stats for. Great memories!

[@Alan13448]

been using this module (again) for the last 3 years, it has become a big focus point in my game. Thanx for review. big shout out to the boyz- Dan, Ed, Gillen, TOOOOOOney, Bus, Stone, Ben, George.

[@calbarog]

Very enticing module! I liked the review. I've never approached a module with the less-is-more mentality. I was turned on to your channel by a reference from Skid in The Glass Cannon Podcast episode 258.

[@feagal612]

Good series, dude. Informative and easy to listen to whilst cooking etc.

[@rontalkstabletop]

I'm running this in Shadowdark and we're having a blast!

[@mykediemart]

Awesome review and then some. I liked all the ways you suggested to expand the story and inspirations.

[@mattinthehat3]

Great video as always. This is a classic module. I myself would set it in the world of Greyhawk campaign setting along with the slavers series and lost shrine of Tomachan.

[@bluetablepainting]

I am so thoroughly enjoying this series.

[@faust13301]

Great review! I'm glad I found your channel. Subbed!

[@mikeharrison6039]

I've been running a sandbox game with a rotating player pool and the forbidden city & isles of dread are fan favorite location that I incorporated in to my campaign world thank you for recommending it.

[@markhumphries6020]

Hey buddy! Thanks for doing this video. I've been looking forward to it for a long time and appreciate the time you put in it. Looking forward to the next one. Maybe Sinister Saltmarsh or Isle of dread?

[@captcorajus]

Mark Humphries You're welcome, and Both of those are great suggestions!

[@wolfandfx8846]

2 edition is better then 5th. I miss the old game. Still play them when I can.

[@captcorajus]

The best edition is the one that you have fun playing. :)

[@wolfandfx8846]

The House that Jack Built thanks I may do that. But right now i pulled all my old stuff out . Printed up bunch more. Even went out and got every monster and npc from keep on borderlands. And will be playing with the kids. They are excited . Going to pass on the love of the game. Keep the faith

[@craigalbrechtson5364]

I always thought the left half of the city looked like Alaska

[@neilparker3372]

Thank you capt,one of the best D&D channels on You Tube ! :-]

[@captcorajus]

+Neil Parker Wow! Thank you! You're welcome!!

[@udasu]

I modded this old gem for NWN. It's definitely a fun "get lost all day" adventure.

[@gmross9265]

I am about to run some people through this module. But I have converted it to the Chaosium ruleset. Wish me luck and thanks for pointing stuff out.

[@captcorajus]

Absolutely! My pleasure.

[@ForeverYoungKickboxer]

How did it go???

[@gmross9265]

@@ForeverYoungKickboxer It was a few months ago. It went really well. I plugged in a lot of stuff involving Set for all the yuanti and serpent folk. The aligator killed one of the characters in a one shot and they the PCs one shot Horran. I used him to further along the over all reaching plot of the story. That being the Elves murdering dwarves and how he left that organization of elven assassins bent on killing one of the PCs because it required Horron to leave his wife, the elven woman apprentice. One of the player characters became Lord of the Mongrel men. Some of the battles with the bugbears were touch and go. Boglins are bugbears in my world and they are rough according to the BRB stats. Another Edit - I also changed all the Tasloi to Pathfinder's Charu-ka. The tree goblins have never impressed me much and and rereading them I have come to the conclusion that they are not very well written. The monkey folk are however. So in they went and it developed perfectly. I also double the number of the Charu-ka in the city. The PCs ended up parlaying with the monkeys because they were worried about their numbers. At this point the PCs have killed nearly 2/3rds of the bugbears. Tooken over the Mongrel Men. Killed Horan. Sacked the Shambling Mounds and so on. I am not sure what was in their heads but the story was really fun to run.

[@Spartanjp308]

Always enjoyed this one!

[@genghisdon1]

good review; have this one & DMed it several times over the decades

[@thethoughtcriminal8786]

Ironic, I just bought a bunch of Snake Men miniatures off of ebay, and this module will be perfect for them....looks like I'm going to have to do a bit more shopping again.

[@captcorajus]

You too? lol, I just bought a bunch of snake men minis too.

[@thethoughtcriminal8786]

@@captcorajus ​ I got them with a large slug miniature which reminded me of the short Conan story where he is being chased by a large slug...it was The Hall of the Dead. I loved it, it was one of the most memorable stories for me, or the time he was being pursued by a pack of tigers toward a dark tower....Howard was an amazing writer who showed Conan was smart enough to know when to stand and fight, or run from one. I also picked up a batch of skeleton warriors and one giant skeleton. I always found it hard to find good skeleton miniatures and the batch I got were a nice mix. It's amazing what people are making on their 3D printers. He also had an amazing spider, but I decided I would save that for my next batch of miniatures.

[@DreadnoughtAdventure]

Have it, used it, love it !

[@legacygamemastering8046]

We are playing this right now! So much fun. We had a hour and half fight with the plant zombies at the secondary entrance.

[@kilroy987]

This module is good for DMs who like making up a lot of their own stuff. I much preferred to run what was actually detailed because I prefer to get a feel for what I read and capture that in gameplay, so I didn't nearly make the most of this.

[@robertligon5744]

Nice review. I DM'ed this as a youth with AD&D. I recall a wrestling match with a mongrel-man chief and some poor disguises. The players got discovered and were chased out of the city in rather an Apocalypto-manner. Short, but fun.

[@Aarongorn]

Another great and convincing review! I have another question for you and your subscribers... I am truly an old-school 1e AD&D guy. Not in a stuck-up kind of way; I just stopped playing for many years, and as other iterations of the game were released, I was oblivious to the updates and changes. Now, I'm getting back into it, and am perfectly happy (giddy, really) reacquainting myself with all my old orange spine books, and DM-ing modules I never got around to before. So, my question is this: Do I *need* to delve into 5e, and if so, why? Thanks in advance to any and all who chime in here!

[@captcorajus]

Well, 5E is a fun and enjoyable game. You 'MIGHT' want to play if that's what's going on in your area. I have quite a few younger players in my groups, and 5E is what they're into.. its what's played in the most popular youtube and twitch streams, so you might want to take a look. It certainly will expand your opportunities to get new players IMHO.

[@Aarongorn]

@@captcorajus I discovered something last night that I didn't really want to discover... 5e made some AMAZING improvements to the game. I LOVE a lot of the new (to me) game mechanics. *sigh* Just what I need... More books to buy! But you were right; and I guess I'll take the plunge.

[@captcorajus]

@@Aarongorn I LIKE 5E. My biggest criticism of the game is that there is a lot of 'generic' terminology that is specific to the game's proper execution that isn't overtly defined, but sort of 'hidden' in the text. For example, what constitutes a 'weapon' or what an 'attack' is. For example, there is the 'attack action' and there is the 'cast a spell' action. Now, you can use the 'cast a spell' action which will most definitely result in some people being 'attack' but it doesn't count as an 'attack action'. In the context of the game, this makes sense... but understanding this concept is important to proper execution of the game, and I don't think they spend enough time making a point of it with examples and explanation. Otherwise, 5E is a lot of fun.

[@Aarongorn]

@@captcorajus I'm sorry to bother you with this, but I'm not sure who else to ask. Is there a 5e version of Legends & Lore? I see the gods listed in an appendix of the PHB, but is there a 5e book dedicated to them?

[@captcorajus]

@@Aarongorn No, there is no 5E equivalent. The gods for the forgotten reams and Eberron are covered in their appropriate source books. That said, Mordenkainan's Tome of Foes breaks down the 5E Cosmology, and provides some Demon and devil baddies other other evils for the heroes to battle so its worth checking out. Further, there's no reason why you couldn't get use Legends and Lore for 5E. Deities in 5E aren't statted... per say.

[@redfeildre349]

This module reminds me of my favorite module The Lost City. One day I will run my epic campaign to that dark realm beneath the sands.

[@redfeildre349]

+Redfeild RE Subscribed!

[@TheLoyalOfficer]

Good review. I understand the critiques but the module is very up front about how it needs to be fleshed out. I did SO MUCH WORK with this module and I loved every minute of it!

[@biffstrong1079]

So Much Work. There are almost too many ideas that flow from this module

[@TheLoyalOfficer]

@@biffstrong1079 Yes but it's a fantastic base from which to start. This module is a gem, not matter its flaws.

[@michaelweldon4699]

I'll have the baked Alaska...

[@MarshalTennerWinter]

good stuff.

[@mikeedmondson8917]

Awesome

[@dreamakuma]

exactly how does one convince you to do a review of temple of Tharizdun? Loved that module

[@gamervideos11]

P.S. more retro videos please!

[@TheConfessor]

We had a great time playing this one back in the day. Whole party got killed when a building collapsed on all of us.

[@gamervideos11]

Looks like a really good adventure module. I intend to run this for my D&D 5e campaign as part of the campaign once the pc's get to levels 4-7. On a side note the npc pictures in this video are awesome. where did you find them?

[@g3xe49]

I never liked the name Yuan-Ti. The common folk in my games usually call them "slithers" or "shedskins" although the later can also refer to lizardfolk and kobolds.

[@captcorajus]

Yeah, my common folk refer to them as 'Serpent-Men'. Either way, they make great villains.

[@jctxcboy36]

Sorry, but was not sure how else to reach out to you. Have you done a review of the UK D&D Module "Where Chaos Reigns"? Thinking about getting it but have never heard of it. Was hoping you knew something about this Basic Edition module....Thanks!

[@captcorajus]

Have to say, I've never heard of it either. Sorry!

[@jctxcboy36]

@@captcorajus Ok, did some research and it is a Companion Game Module, higher level, where the party ends up in an alternate universe....sounds interesting...thanks for the reply and the videos.

[@dreamlandnightmare]

The cover art seems inspired by Hieronymus Bosch.

[@ChrisWillhelm]

Do you have a link to the color map? I have the module and have wanted to run it myself.

[@captcorajus]

Drop Dice Actually, I have TWO fun ones. 2.bp.blogspot.com/-69yqcx1MOqI/U2mHoAMoe-I/AAAAAAAAB9Y/N9gEoYwIkXM/s1600/Bawal+Bayan.jpg 2.bp.blogspot.com/-I0Uys-u2uDs/Uh1v6copEpI/AAAAAAAAJWQ/81XS_SkQ8P8/s1600/map_the-forbidden-city.jpg

[@ChrisWillhelm]

awesome thanks for the links

[@JoeSchmoeVideos]

Can you review Hiddren Shrine of Tamoachan?

[@captcorajus]

Joe Schmoe its definitely on the to do list.

[@JoeSchmoeVideos]

BTW I have also made a review of this awesome module, hope you guys like it: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hpDGoZefrK6IhaM

[@captcorajus]

Joe Schmoe When i was making my review, I checked out yours to make sure I didn't duplicate. :)

[@tabletopgamingwithwolfphototec]

😊

[@MsGorteck]

What does "SRD" stand for?

[@captcorajus]

Standard Reference Document

[@25xxfrostxx]

I would love to see a review of the B series modules. The first module I ever played was The Clearing of Castle Caldwell. I know I am looking at that particular module with rose colored nostalgia glasses but it was the one that started it all for me. I recently found a pristine copy of "In search of Adventure" at my local game shop but they want $50 for it and I haven't had the extra cash.

[@captcorajus]

25xxfrostxx Yeah, I use to have that super module myself. So many of the 'rare' modules I no longer have. For example, i use to have all the OD&D books and supplements. argh! That's a heartache right there. I did do a three part series on Basic D&D, the Gazeteer series and the Rules Cyclopedia.

[@timbuktu8069]

I originally purchased this module to get ideas for running city campaigns. I never got around to taking a close look at it. After this review, I'm glad I didn't. When I hear phrases like "left to the DMs imagination" , "a lot is left open for the DM to fill in the gap", " a vast opportunity for expansion" and "but little detail is given about them" what I hear is They sold me a map with some wandering monsters in it. I could take any random small town map and do the same thing. Very disappointing.

[@fredrickwheeler3123]

I'll have to consider running this sometime with D&D 5e.

[@captcorajus]

+Fredrick Wheeler Thanks for watching and all your kind comments!

[@richardwall8368]

i have this if anyone wants to buy?

[@GWOTvetx4]

Uncreative Dungeon crawls are not good. GM could just make their own campaign setting and do a better job.