The Keep on the Borderlands
Encyclopedia
The Keep on the Borderlands is a Dungeons & Dragons
module by Gary Gygax
, first printed in December 1979. In it, player character
s are based at a keep
and investigate a nearby series of caves that are filled with a variety of monsters. Designed to be used with the Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set
, it was included in the 1979–1982 editions of the Basic Set. It was designed for people new to Dungeons & Dragons.
The Keep on the Borderlands went out of print in the early 1980s, but has been reprinted two times; a sequel was also made. A novelized version of the adventure was published in 1999. The module received generally positive reviews, and was ranked the 7th greatest Dungeons & Dragons adventure of all time by Dungeon magazine in 2004.
s begin by arriving at the eponymous Keep
, and can base themselves there before investigating the series of caverns in the nearby hills teeming with monsters.
These Caves of Chaos house multiple species of vicious humanoids
. Plot twists include a treacherous priest
within the Keep, hungry lizardmen
in a nearby swamp, and a mad hermit
in the wilderness. It typifies the dungeon crawl
s associated with beginning D&D players, while permitting some limited outdoor adventures.
When The Grand Duchy of Karameikos
edition of the Gazetteer series was published, the Keep was given a specific location in the Known World of Mystara
, in the Atlan Tepe Mountain region in northern Karameikos
.
, with cover art by Jim Roslof
and interior illustrations by Erol Otus
. It is designed for use with the Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set
. Although also available for sale separately, it was included in printings 6–11 (1979–1982) of the Basic Set. The cover of the first printing included the notation, "With minor modifications, it is also suitable for use with ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS"; this was removed from later printings.
The module's cover notes it is especially designed to help beginning players and Dungeon Masters (DMs). Tips for running encounters appear throughout the text to assist beginning DMs. The module also provides rudimentary rules for wilderness adventures, as these were not included in the D&D Basic Set. The structure of the adventure as a series of separate caves allows for segmented playing sessions for beginners. The module has been described as a low-level introductory scenario, which leads the player character
s from an outpost on the frontier of law into the forces of chaos.
The 10th Anniversary Dungeons & Dragons Collector's Set boxed set
, published by TSR in 1984, included the rulebooks from the Basic
, Expert
, and Companion
sets; modules AC2 Combat Shield and Mini-adventure
, AC3 The Kidnapping of Princess Arelina, B1 In Search of the Unknown
, The Keep on the Borderlands, and M1 Blizzard Pass
; Player Character Record Sheets
; and dice; the set was limited to a thousand copies, and was sold by mail and at GenCon 17.
The Keep on the Borderlands went out of print in the mid 1980s. However, the module was partially reprinted in the supermodule compilation B1–9 In Search of Adventure (1985), which included the Caves of Chaos, but not the keep or surrounding wilderness. To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Dungeons & Dragons game in 1999, a reprinting of the original adventure was made available in the Dungeons & Dragons Silver Anniversary Collector's Edition boxed set
, with slight modifications to make it distinguishable from the original (for collecting purposes).
A sequel, the Return to the Keep on the Borderlands (1999) for 2nd edition AD&D, was set twenty years after the events of the original module, and featured a fully re-stocked Caves of Chaos. Although the original B2 publication was generic in terms of setting, the 1999 Return module placed the Keep in Yeomanry, making it a canonical location in the World of Greyhawk. The placement of the Keep in Greyhawk did not match many details in the sequel, such as several non-Greyhawk deities, nations, and peoples. At least two of the non-player character descriptions refer to details from the Mystara
setting rather than Greyhawk. Andrew Byers, in his review of the adventure, stated "If you're not nostalgic about the early days of D&D ... don't buy this book. But if you're interested in reliving (or experiencing for the first time) those first few roleplaying adventures... I don't think you'll be disappointed."
A hacked version of the module was published for the HackMaster
RPG in 2005, and entitled Little Keep on the Borderlands.
In September 2010, the module was re-released for D&D 4th Edition by Wizards of the Coast
for use in the weekly D&D Encounters sessions. Like the original, this revised module was designed for use with the contemporaneously released Dungeons & Dragons Fantasy Roleplaying Game boxed set for D&D Essentials, which is oriented towards the beginning player. This time, The Keep on the Borderlands is set in the D&D base world of the Nentir Vale, in an area known as the Chaos Scar.
No. 37. Griffis found the module "interesting and full of excitement", though he considered the map sloppily done. He concluded by stating "on the whole, I enjoyed this module and recommend it."
The Keep on the Borderlands was ranked the 7th greatest Dungeons & Dragons adventure of all time by Dungeon
magazine in 2004, on the 30th anniversary of the Dungeons & Dragons game.
Ken Denmead of Wired
listed the module as one of the "Top 10 D&D Modules I Found in Storage This Weekend". According to Denmead, the module "should give a party of low-levels a rather challenging time." The module was also reviewed in Shadis
#29 (1996).
Lawrence Schick, in his 1991 book Heroic Worlds, describes the adventure as "A good start for new players" and speculates that at the time, there had probably been more copies of B2 printed than of any other role-playing scenario.
published Keep on the Borderlands, a novelization by Ru Emerson for the Greyhawk Classics series. The main characters are predominantly human or elven, leaving out halflings and dwarves. Eddis, a woman mercenary, is the primary protagonist and point of view character. The novel was also set in the World of Greyhawk with scant references to its location.
Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
module by Gary Gygax
Gary Gygax
Ernest Gary Gygax was an American writer and game designer best known for co-creating the pioneering role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons with Dave Arneson. Gygax is generally acknowledged as the father of role-playing games....
, first printed in December 1979. In it, player character
Player character
A player character or playable character is a character in a video game or role playing game who is controlled or controllable by a player, and is typically a protagonist of the story told in the course of the game. A player character is a persona of the player who controls it. Player characters...
s are based at a keep
Keep
A keep is a type of fortified tower built within castles during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars have debated the scope of the word keep, but usually consider it to refer to large towers in castles that were fortified residences, used as a refuge of last resort should the rest of the...
and investigate a nearby series of caves that are filled with a variety of monsters. Designed to be used with the Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set
Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set
The original Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set boxed set was first published by TSR, Inc. in 1977, and comprised a separate edition of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, distinct from the first edition of the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons game, which was initially published in the same...
, it was included in the 1979–1982 editions of the Basic Set. It was designed for people new to Dungeons & Dragons.
The Keep on the Borderlands went out of print in the early 1980s, but has been reprinted two times; a sequel was also made. A novelized version of the adventure was published in 1999. The module received generally positive reviews, and was ranked the 7th greatest Dungeons & Dragons adventure of all time by Dungeon magazine in 2004.
Plot summary
Player characterPlayer character
A player character or playable character is a character in a video game or role playing game who is controlled or controllable by a player, and is typically a protagonist of the story told in the course of the game. A player character is a persona of the player who controls it. Player characters...
s begin by arriving at the eponymous Keep
Keep
A keep is a type of fortified tower built within castles during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars have debated the scope of the word keep, but usually consider it to refer to large towers in castles that were fortified residences, used as a refuge of last resort should the rest of the...
, and can base themselves there before investigating the series of caverns in the nearby hills teeming with monsters.
These Caves of Chaos house multiple species of vicious humanoids
Humanoid (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, humanoid is a type of creature, or "creature type". Humanoids are any creature shaped generally like a human , of Small or Medium size, with few or no supernatural or extraordinary abilities...
. Plot twists include a treacherous priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
within the Keep, hungry lizardmen
Lizardfolk
Lizardfolk are a fictional humanoid species in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game.-Publication history:...
in a nearby swamp, and a mad hermit
Hermit
A hermit is a person who lives, to some degree, in seclusion from society.In Christianity, the term was originally applied to a Christian who lives the eremitic life out of a religious conviction, namely the Desert Theology of the Old Testament .In the...
in the wilderness. It typifies the dungeon crawl
Dungeon crawl
A dungeon crawl is a type of scenario in fantasy role-playing games in which heroes navigate a labyrinthine environment, battling various monsters, and looting any treasure they may find...
s associated with beginning D&D players, while permitting some limited outdoor adventures.
When The Grand Duchy of Karameikos
The Grand Duchy of Karameikos
The Grand Duchy of Karameikos is an accessory for the Basic Set edition for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. The book was written by Aaron Allston, and was published in 1987...
edition of the Gazetteer series was published, the Keep was given a specific location in the Known World of Mystara
Mystara
Mystara is a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role playing game. Although it has officially been dropped from production by its creators, many fans continue to develop and evolve this fantasy setting jointly, continuing its original theme of group development.-Development:It...
, in the Atlan Tepe Mountain region in northern Karameikos
Karameikos
The Kingdom of Karameikos is a fictional nation located within the Mystara campaign setting, in the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game....
.
Publication history
The Keep on the Borderlands was first printed in December 1979 and published in 1980. It consists of a thirty two page booklet with an outer folder; the module was written by Gary GygaxGary Gygax
Ernest Gary Gygax was an American writer and game designer best known for co-creating the pioneering role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons with Dave Arneson. Gygax is generally acknowledged as the father of role-playing games....
, with cover art by Jim Roslof
Jim Roslof
James Paul "Jim" Roslof was an American artist and graphic designer particularly well known for cover art and interior illustrations of fantasy role-playing games published by TSR, Inc. during the "golden age" of Dungeons & Dragons...
and interior illustrations by Erol Otus
Erol Otus
Erol Otus is an American artist and game designer, known internationally for his contributions to the fantasy RPG genre, most notably for the early Dungeons & Dragons franchise...
. It is designed for use with the Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set
Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set
The original Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set boxed set was first published by TSR, Inc. in 1977, and comprised a separate edition of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, distinct from the first edition of the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons game, which was initially published in the same...
. Although also available for sale separately, it was included in printings 6–11 (1979–1982) of the Basic Set. The cover of the first printing included the notation, "With minor modifications, it is also suitable for use with ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS"; this was removed from later printings.
The module's cover notes it is especially designed to help beginning players and Dungeon Masters (DMs). Tips for running encounters appear throughout the text to assist beginning DMs. The module also provides rudimentary rules for wilderness adventures, as these were not included in the D&D Basic Set. The structure of the adventure as a series of separate caves allows for segmented playing sessions for beginners. The module has been described as a low-level introductory scenario, which leads the player character
Player character
A player character or playable character is a character in a video game or role playing game who is controlled or controllable by a player, and is typically a protagonist of the story told in the course of the game. A player character is a persona of the player who controls it. Player characters...
s from an outpost on the frontier of law into the forces of chaos.
The 10th Anniversary Dungeons & Dragons Collector's Set boxed set
Boxed set
A box set is a compilation of various musical recordings, films, television programs, or other collection of related items that are contained in a box.-Music box sets:...
, published by TSR in 1984, included the rulebooks from the Basic
Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set
The original Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set boxed set was first published by TSR, Inc. in 1977, and comprised a separate edition of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, distinct from the first edition of the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons game, which was initially published in the same...
, Expert
Dungeons & Dragons Expert Set
The Expert Set is an expansion boxed set for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. It was first published in 1981 as an expansion to the Basic Set.-1981 printing:The D&D Basic Set saw a major revision in 1981 by Tom Moldvay...
, and Companion
Dungeons & Dragons Companion Set
The Companion Set is an expansion boxed set for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. It was first published in 1984 as an expansion to the Basic Set.-Publication history:...
sets; modules AC2 Combat Shield and Mini-adventure
Combat Shield and Mini-adventure
AC2 Combat Shield and Mini-Adventure is a 14 page accessory designed for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game.-Contents:...
, AC3 The Kidnapping of Princess Arelina, B1 In Search of the Unknown
In Search of the Unknown
In Search of the Unknown is a module for the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game, designed for use with the Basic Set of rules. It was written by game designer Mike Carr and was first published in 1979 by TSR, Inc. The module details a hidden complex known as the Caverns of Quasqueton...
, The Keep on the Borderlands, and M1 Blizzard Pass
Blizzard Pass
Blizzard Pass is a 1983 solo adventure module for the Basic Rules of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game.-Plot summary:Blizzard Pass is a solo adventure for a thief level 1–3. The thief must cross Blizzard Pass, and then penetrate a cavern system within Blizzard Pass to free the other...
; Player Character Record Sheets
Player Character Record Sheets
Player Character Record Sheets a short accessory designed for the Pen & Paper fantasy role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons.-Publication history:...
; and dice; the set was limited to a thousand copies, and was sold by mail and at GenCon 17.
The Keep on the Borderlands went out of print in the mid 1980s. However, the module was partially reprinted in the supermodule compilation B1–9 In Search of Adventure (1985), which included the Caves of Chaos, but not the keep or surrounding wilderness. To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Dungeons & Dragons game in 1999, a reprinting of the original adventure was made available in the Dungeons & Dragons Silver Anniversary Collector's Edition boxed set
Boxed set
A box set is a compilation of various musical recordings, films, television programs, or other collection of related items that are contained in a box.-Music box sets:...
, with slight modifications to make it distinguishable from the original (for collecting purposes).
A sequel, the Return to the Keep on the Borderlands (1999) for 2nd edition AD&D, was set twenty years after the events of the original module, and featured a fully re-stocked Caves of Chaos. Although the original B2 publication was generic in terms of setting, the 1999 Return module placed the Keep in Yeomanry, making it a canonical location in the World of Greyhawk. The placement of the Keep in Greyhawk did not match many details in the sequel, such as several non-Greyhawk deities, nations, and peoples. At least two of the non-player character descriptions refer to details from the Mystara
Mystara
Mystara is a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role playing game. Although it has officially been dropped from production by its creators, many fans continue to develop and evolve this fantasy setting jointly, continuing its original theme of group development.-Development:It...
setting rather than Greyhawk. Andrew Byers, in his review of the adventure, stated "If you're not nostalgic about the early days of D&D ... don't buy this book. But if you're interested in reliving (or experiencing for the first time) those first few roleplaying adventures... I don't think you'll be disappointed."
A hacked version of the module was published for the HackMaster
HackMaster
HackMaster is a role-playing game produced by Kenzer & Company, being a revised expansion of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons. It started out as a fictional game, a parody of the most ludicrous aspects of D&D played by the characters of the Knights of the Dinner Table comic strip by Jolly R. Blackburn...
RPG in 2005, and entitled Little Keep on the Borderlands.
In September 2010, the module was re-released for D&D 4th Edition by Wizards of the Coast
Wizards of the Coast
Wizards of the Coast is an American publisher of games, primarily based on fantasy and science fiction themes, and formerly an operator of retail stores for games...
for use in the weekly D&D Encounters sessions. Like the original, this revised module was designed for use with the contemporaneously released Dungeons & Dragons Fantasy Roleplaying Game boxed set for D&D Essentials, which is oriented towards the beginning player. This time, The Keep on the Borderlands is set in the D&D base world of the Nentir Vale, in an area known as the Chaos Scar.
Reception
Kirby T. Griffis reviewed the adventure in The Space GamerThe Space Gamer
The Space Gamer was a magazine dedicated to the subject of science fiction and fantasy board games and role-playing games. It quickly grew in importance and was an important and influential magazine in its subject matter from the late 70s through the mid-80s...
No. 37. Griffis found the module "interesting and full of excitement", though he considered the map sloppily done. He concluded by stating "on the whole, I enjoyed this module and recommend it."
The Keep on the Borderlands was ranked the 7th greatest Dungeons & Dragons adventure of all time by Dungeon
Dungeon (magazine)
Dungeon Adventures, or simply Dungeon, was a magazine targeting consumers of role-playing games, particularly Dungeons & Dragons. It was first published by TSR, Inc. in 1986 as a bimonthly periodical. It went monthly in May 2003 and ceased print publication altogether in September 2007 with Issue 150...
magazine in 2004, on the 30th anniversary of the Dungeons & Dragons game.
Ken Denmead of Wired
Wired (magazine)
Wired is a full-color monthly American magazine and on-line periodical, published since January 1993, that reports on how new and developing technology affects culture, the economy, and politics...
listed the module as one of the "Top 10 D&D Modules I Found in Storage This Weekend". According to Denmead, the module "should give a party of low-levels a rather challenging time." The module was also reviewed in Shadis
Shadis
Shadis was an independent gaming magazine that published articles on role-playing games. Started by Jolly Blackburn, it began as an independent gaming fanzine in 1990, and was later transformed into a quality small-press magazine in 1993. Each issue contained a variety of articles covering many...
#29 (1996).
Lawrence Schick, in his 1991 book Heroic Worlds, describes the adventure as "A good start for new players" and speculates that at the time, there had probably been more copies of B2 printed than of any other role-playing scenario.
Novelization
In 1999, Wizards of the CoastWizards of the Coast
Wizards of the Coast is an American publisher of games, primarily based on fantasy and science fiction themes, and formerly an operator of retail stores for games...
published Keep on the Borderlands, a novelization by Ru Emerson for the Greyhawk Classics series. The main characters are predominantly human or elven, leaving out halflings and dwarves. Eddis, a woman mercenary, is the primary protagonist and point of view character. The novel was also set in the World of Greyhawk with scant references to its location.
External links
- Keep on the Borderlands novel based on the module
- A module (in english) by ENoa4 for the Neverwinter Nights 2 CRPG, aiming to recreate a rendition of The Keep On The Borderlands within that game engine. (Work seemingly complete, or tentative at best. As of 4/23/2007, the patch level stands at version 1.10.)
- http://www.rpg.net/news+reviews/reviews/rev_1297.html
- http://www.rpg.net/news+reviews/reviews/rev_4108.html
- http://www.rpg.net/news+reviews/reviews/rev_1250.html
- http://www.rpg.net/news+reviews/reviews/rev_3071.html
- http://www.rpg.net/news+reviews/reviews/rev_2109.html
- http://www.rpggeek.com/rpgitem/44087/the-keep-on-the-borderlands