The U series is a fascinating one for me. First the editor was Don Turnbull, whom I knew from White Dwarf and the Fiend Folio. I also knew these all came from England, or the United Kingdom rather and to my mind in 80s England was the home of everything awesome. (Point of fact: I am eating English pub style fish and chips as I write this!)
Though originally I thought the U stood for "Underwater". Then I was told it was for UK. Turns out I was right the first time!
Regardless of why they were called this these adventures felt different to me. Much like the L series did. For starters there was more thinking involved. You could not get by with just hitting things and taking their stuff. You had to investigate, figure things out. There is an enemy to be discovered, but it will be mostly through negotiations that the characters will survive.
U1 The Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh
U2 Danger at Dunwater
U3 The Final Enemy
For me these are perfect modules/adventures to get people into after they have played a campaign of D&D and now want to try something a little different. For me, I consider these the first adventures of my so-called "Second Campaign".
Like the other adventures I have mentioned in the Second Campaign I want to run this using the Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea rules rather than D&D. Just something to give the monsters a more alien threat to them.
I might also swap out Day of Al'Akbar for the Nameless City.
I have these three modules on my shelf. Unplayed. That's a freaking crime.
I used U1 to start off my college AD&D 2e campaign. It was a good time, even though the party didn't learn enough to play Part 2. I ran adventures of my own making for the rest of the campaign, so I never picked up U2 or U3. But U1 had enough sentimental value for me that it's one of the very few modules I kept when I sold off most of my 1e-2e stuff a few years ago.
ReplyDeleteI used U1 to start off my college AD&D 2e campaign. It was a good time, even though the party didn't learn enough to play Part 2. I ran adventures of my own making for the rest of the campaign, so I never picked up U2 or U3. But U1 had enough sentimental value for me that it's one of the very few modules I kept when I sold off most of my 1e-2e stuff a few years ago.
ReplyDeleteWell, maybe here in the U.S., we'd prefer to just hit things and take their stuff!
ReplyDeleteI had all three of these modules as well (unplayed) and somehow managed to lose them. Some day I'll find them in the crawlspace under my mother's house...
ReplyDelete