Contest Entry: Sharpbone Opal Mine (by Ben Gibson)

The contest's first entry is a strong one, I would definitely run this as a low level adventure or put it on a hex map as a point of interest to run across randomly or by rumor. Download this and keep it in your back pocket (the format allow you to do this literally, you can print it as a double sided paper and run it right off the page!). 

Download it here!

What follows is the review according to the strictures of the competition.

First, does it qualify?

Yes. 

- While the PDF is technically 3 pages the cover page is not necessary to run the actual dungeon. Nice to see that it has been playtested. I wonder if the playtest prompted any changes to the original form.

- I printed it as a double sided paper and read it in low light. The text is completely legible. The map is both small and faint but the details are clear enough that it could be run from the printed page. If I ran it online I would copy the image from the PDF and blow it up for use on VTT where it would be functional, there are dots indicating 5' distances, important details such as stairs and the bridge is legible. 

- It includes plenty of hidden treasure, a few sentinels, and even a traitor.

- The heavy lifting of coming up with names, an order of battle, and specific treasure has been done by the author. There is a small component of randomized treasure which is appropriate for the module as it relates to a repeating feature, and it would take but a few seconds of the DMs time.

- The dungeon is written for the Adventurer Conqueror King System and is thus also compantible with the old school systems. The monsters and procedures are standard so even if the process of converting Armor Class is beyond you you can just use the stats you are used to.

Second, what is my judgement?

As a DM, does it respect my time, intelligence, and taste?

Yes. The premise, social, and architectural structure of the dungeon is explained in two short paragraphs. A pair of ogres have bullied a tribe of goblins into mining opals for them in an abandoned (but rich) mine. The mine itself spirals around an open chasm. At the bottom is a slimy pit with a nasty surprise. The order of battle has some complexity: demoralized goblins who retreat to gather their numbers and rally around one of the ogre leaders. The tactics are explained with precision, but not over explained - it assumes I understand how movement and communication between the monsters has to be run. The significant persons (the ogre brothers, the rebellious shaman) have their personalities and motives described with enough detail to run them as complete persons, but not more detail than you'd need to run the reaction rolls or possible intra-dungeon intrigues. 

Does it offer a good challenge and proportional reward for the players?

The treasure totals to around 9,000gp which is on the high side for a demoralized warband of goblins and a pair of ogres. The order of battle makes this slightly more challenging than typical, as the goblins run to get help instead of engaging in even battles, but clever players use this opportunity to retreat or set up an ambush. The shaman could be a nasty surprise for a party not ready for enemy spellcasters. Some of the treasure requires labor to get at, but the majority is kept with the monsters.

Does it offer shortcuts and treasure for the brave and clever player?

The whole dungeon spirals around a chasm, this is a possible shortcut for thieves or rope users. The most important use of the chasm would be scouting, or cutting off the goblins from retreating deeper when their morale inevitably breaks. There is a note where one of the ogres can spot you from a higher level through the chasm, and there is a secret room with treasure visible if traversing the chasm whose existance can also be inferred from the outside. One of the ogres is lazy and often asleep by significant treasure, a brave adventurers has a good shot at stealing it or assassinating the ogre. There is a rebellious shaman who could be allied with should he be captured or otherwise interrogated alone.

Does it punish the cowardly and stupid player with loss of life, resources, or opportunity?

A party simply pressing on would soon be faced with a united opposition, dozens of goblins, an ogre or two, perhaps an enemy shaman. There are some minor traps, but these seem more like the natural flavor of the place than real obstacles to exploration, with the exceptions of the bat infested bridge which is potentially a deadly obstacle, well telegraphed, completely natural to the environment, and with a bonus disease risk to boot even if the normal challenge is spotted and handled. Same with the danger that lurks in the deepest pit, players to stumble into that have nobody but themselves to blame for the death and siease and follows. The opportunity loss is ofc. if you fail to take out the goblin sentries the opportunity to face a divided and unprepared enemy is lost.

In conclusion

I suspect this was written before the compe tition was announced, but it manages to hit every point I was looking for. The only mark aganst it is slightly generous treasure for the challenge. I could see this incorporated into a campaign where finding the location of the mine itself is part of the challenge, then the reward would be proportional (especially with monster infested wilderness surrounding it). The map is borderline illegible when printed, but it makes the cutoff thanks to clear arrows marking the level transitions. I would not be ashamed to award this the win if this turned out to be the strongest entry, though I hope for others!