Beyond L1 'The Secret of Bone Hill' By Lenard Lakofka & The Old School Environs of the Kroten Campaign

“Danger lurks in the Lendore Isles. Bands of evil creatures prowl the hills overlooking the town of Restenford, seeking unwary victims. Now you have come to this sleepy little village looking for adventure and excitement. You seek to fathom the unexplored reaches of Bone Hill and unlock the mysteries of Restenford."
Tonight L1 'The Secret of Bone Hill' by Leonard Lakofka has been on my mind.  The Secret of Bone Hill (L1), softback adventure for AD&D 1st edition, by Leonard Lakofka at first doesn't seem like L1 would be a good fit for a Swords & Sorcery campaign. But that's where its a bit short sighted. There's something to be said for Restenford because its a great place to make into your own. The module has just about every NPC & bird with stats for it. Here's the kicker this module is perfect as an add on for Greyhawk;" This module contains complete information on the town of Restenford and the lands surrounding it. Included herein are encounter tables, background information, and numerous maps of the town, the surrounding areas, a dungeon, and various points of interest. This module may be incorporated into an existing campaign or used in conjunction with The World of Greyhawk Fantasy World Setting.”Following hot on the heels of the 'UK' series of modules U1 'Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh' L1 'The Secret of Bone Hill' by Leonard Lakofka makes an excellent follow up.  U1 of the Sinister Secret of Saltmash, written by Dave J. Browne with Don Turnbull  this is the start of the U series of modules for its underwater adventure. The speeding train of the U series could lead right into the action of  'L1'

 

Given the heavily implied sea  background of the town of Restenford the DM can head over to Dragonfoot.org & download the Kroten Campaign Guide.  This pdf adds in a whole cloth of adventure & supplementary material on the campaign setting surrounds & environs.

The Kroten Adventures manual falls right into line providing every adventure in the campaign area & again we get Leonard Lakofka completeness & though treatment of the area in these adventures. Its an  important book to grab because it brings home the flavor of  the town of Restenford as both area of adventure & campaign setting. While your at it definitely grab the Kroten Map Pack for the L5 module. 

Finally now there's the Kroten Campaign Companion for the L5 module  provides the DM with new rules, weapons, armour, gods, clerical abilities, magic items, spells and monsters all for  the town of Restenford campaign & adventures. It gives great insight into many of the background elements & deeper adventure themes whilst giving the DM even more hooks & anchors to bring the PC's into the peoples & places of Restenford. 
 

The real secret to the L5A modules & supplements is that they not only provide a solid basis for an old school or OSR game campaign but they could provide a home basis campaign for a 'Weird Tales' style Sword & Sorcery campaign. Restenford could provide the PC's an isle of normalcy in a sea of the weird. Let's say that events of both the 'U' series of modules & Bone Hill are done but there's the little matter of the mythology of the Crab Archipelago & its crabmen deviant inhabitants of legend. "In the far reaches of Hyperborea’s Crab Archipelago lies a small, mountainous island known as Crystal Point. Passing sailors recently have witnessed a crimson glow in Crystal Point’s waters and beams of russet light shining up from its steep cliffs. Too, unusually frequent lightning storms in the area have torn the sky in blinding flashes, shattering the air with their awesome sound. The seedy wharf taverns of Khromarium and elsewhere buzz with these strange tales—some even speculate that Crystal Point may hold the lost treasure of Atlantis! "


The PC's are going to find themselves a very long way from the relative quiet of Restenford & thrown into the deep end of a Sword & Sorcery campaign. 'The Lost Treasures of Atlantis'

The stories of the perfect port of Restenford becomes its own little David Lynch island of normality with its own bubbling cauldron of weirdness just below the surface. The lid of which is bubbling & boiling. 
A really good option for doing the Restenford modules as an on going campaign system  is Castles & Crusades. The system not only can handle Restenford & its adventure campaign elements but do it with everything the DM needs from solid PC classes to out & out navel travel as well as combat.