OSR Commentary With X13 Crown Of Ancient Glory by Stephen Bourne For Old School Campaigns

 X13: Crown of Ancient Glory (1987), written by Stephen Bourne for TSR’s Classic Dungeons & Dragons (BECMI) line, stands out as one of the most structurally expansive modules of the Expert series. Billed as a transitional Expert/Companion adventure for level 7–10 characters, it moves away from simple dungeon crawling into a sweeping, multi-act political drama. 

When examining Crown of Ancient Glory through the lens of operatic campaign design, the module serves as a masterclass in high-stakes regional melodrama, royal intrigue, and grand scale.

1. Operatic Campaign Design Structure

In narrative design, an "operatic" style relies on grand themes, dramatic reveals, royal succession crises, sweeping geographical scope, and high emotional/political tension. Bourne structures X13 into Five Distinct Acts, following classical dramatic structure:

Act	Title	Narrative & Design Purpose
Act I	A Kingdom for a Crown	Inciting Incident: High King Maramet has died, leaving a power vacuum in Vestland. PCs are tasked with finding the lost Sorona Crown to locate the hidden heir.
Act II	Journey to the Outlands	Wilderness Arc: A journey across regional borders into the chaotic, lawless Heldann Freeholds and the city of Freiburg.
Act III	All the King's Men	Infiltration & Sieges: Dealing with traitors, spies, and fortress assaults to verify the rightful ruler.
Act IV	The Briny Ocean Toss	Seaborne Adventure: Maritime warfare and nautical navigation aboard the longship Redraven.
Act V	The King's Return	Climax: War on the border with the Ethengar Khanate, internal coup attempts, and crowning the legitimate High King.

2. Key Design Mechanics & Double MacGuffin Narrative

Bourne utilizes a double-MacGuffin structure that keeps the narrative moving across different modes of play:

1. The Artifact Hunt: Finding the Sorona Crown—an ancient oval circlet of gold set with rubies and a glowing red star gem—which acts as both a royal symbol and a magical compass tuned to the lost bloodline.

2. The Heir Hunt: Locating the lost Prince, who was hidden at birth following High King Maramet’s disappearance.

The Expert-to-Companion Bridge

At 64 pages—double the size of standard 32-page X-series modules—X13 was designed as a bridge to the Companion Set rules. Instead of rewarding players merely with gold and magic items, the narrative ends with realm-level rewards: the High King bestows noble titles and fiefdoms (such as the Duchy of Estine or Barony of Gallma) upon the PCs, transitioning them directly into domain management and realm politics.

3. Continuity & Worldbuilding Highlights

• Sequel to Module X3 (Curse of Xanathon): X13 brings back Duke Stephen of Rhoona and resolves long-standing regional tensions within the Northern Reaches of the Known World (Mystara).

• Character Continuity from X11 (Saga of the Shadow Lord): Bourne re-uses the pre-generated party from his previous module X11, advancing them by two levels to demonstrate character growth across a broader campaign arc.

• Naval & Fortress Combat: The module details naval deck plans for Viking-style longships (The Redraven) alongside multiple fortress sieges.

4. Commentary & Campaign Directing Advice

If running X13: Crown of Ancient Glory today, consider these framing techniques to maximize its operatic potential:

• Leaning into Melodrama: Treat the NPCs—such as rival dukes, court traitors, and Ethengar warlords—as larger-than-life figures with stark motives.

• Pacing the Scale: Transition deliberately from street-level investigations in Norrvik to shipboard skirmishes, culminating in full-scale battle on the Ethengar border.

• Foregrounding the Stakes: Emphasize that failure doesn't just mean player death—it means the fall of an entire kingdom to invasion and civil war.

Connecting X3: Curse of Xanathon, X11: Saga of the Shadow Lord, and X13: Crown of Ancient Glory forms one of the most cohesive, epic campaign arcs available in classic Dungeons & Dragons (the BECMI/Mystara setting).

By linking these modules written by Douglas Niles and Stephen Bourne, you can take a party from Level 3 up to Level 10, evolving them from local mercenaries into realm-spanning lords who decide the fate of the Northern Reaches.

Campaign Arc Overview

 [Level 3-5]              [Level 5-7]               [Level 7-10]
   ACT I:                  ACT II:                   ACT III:
   X3: Curse of Xanathon   X11: Saga of Shadow Lord  X13: Crown of Ancient Glory
 (Rhoona & Vestland)      (Wogar & Shadow Lord)     (The Northern Reaches)
   │                        │                         │
   ▼                        ▼                         ▼
 Local Intrigue        ► Dark Fantasy Siege       ► Operatic Kingdom-Level 
 & Traitorous Duke       & Fiendish Corruption      War & Royal Succession

Act I: Shadows Over Rhoona (Curse of Xanathon)

Character Levels: 3–5

Setting: The Duchy of Rhoona (Vestrauvik/Vestland)

Primary Theme: Political Intrigue & Religious Corruption

Campaign Hooks & Narrative

The PCs arrive in the coastal town of Rhoona, a buffer zone between Vestland and the Heldann Freeholds. Duke Stephen of Rhoona has suddenly instituted bizarre, oppressive decrees (banning beard-trimming, seizing property, taxing oxygen). The public believes he has gone mad, but he is under a divine curse.

• The Plot: Cretia, the high priest of the dark deity Xanathon, has cursed Duke Stephen and secretly aligned with foreign powers to destabil2e Vestland.

• The Culmination: The PCs infiltrate the Temple of Xanathon, defeat Cretia, break the curse, and save Duke Stephen.

The Campaign Narrative Thread (Connecting to X11)

When the party loots Cretia’s private sanctum, they discover letters written in a shadowy script detailing a pact:

Cretia was paid in dark alloy coins from the north to destabilize Rhoona's defenses. The benefactor sign-off is simply a mark: A dark crown shrouded in red mist (the sigil of the Shadow Lord).

Duke Stephen, deeply grateful to the PCs, warns them that something far worse is stirring in the borderlands of Wogar and urges them to investigate the northern garrisons.

Act II: The Northern Citadel (Saga of the Shadow Lord)

Character Levels: 5–7

Setting: The Borderlands of Wogar & the Shadow Lord's Fortress

Primary Theme: Dark Fantasy, Infiltration & Border Defense

Campaign Narrative Progression

Armed with proof of a wider conspiracy, the PCs travel north to the frontier region of Wogar. They find the land under siege: humanoids (orcs, goblins) and undead units are massing under the command of The Shadow Lord, a powerful fiendish entity seeking to overrun the Northern Reaches.

• The Plot: The Shadow Lord's forces have captured vital border outposts. The PCs must conduct guerrilla strikes, liberate key strongholds, and eventually infiltrate the Shadow Lord’s dark citadel.

• The Culmination: A high-stakes assault on the citadel where the PCs defeat the Shadow Lord, ending his immediate military threat.

The Campaign Narrative Thread (Connecting to X13)

In the depths of the citadel, the PCs find High King Maramet’s long-lost royal signet ring and a piece of prophetical parchment written in the High King’s own hand.

They discover that the Shadow Lord wasn't acting alone—he was funded by internal traitors within the Royal Court of Norrvik who wanted High King Maramet dead and the kingdom divided. The parchment reveals that before his death, King Maramet hid the Sorona Crown to prevent traitors from installing a puppet king.

Act III: The Crown and the Throne (Crown of Ancient Glory)

Character Levels: 7–10

Setting: Vestland, Heldann Freeholds (Freiburg), the Ocean, and Ethengar Borders

Primary Theme: Operatic Melodrama, Succession Crisis & Grand War

Campaign Narrative Progression

High King Maramet has passed away, leaving Vestland on the brink of civil war. Rival dukes, court spies, and invading forces from the Ethengar Khanate are preparing to tear the nation apart.

• Act III-A (The Crown Hunt): Using the clues gathered from X11, the PCs are tasked by the Loyalist Council to recover the Sorona Crown—an ancient artifact that acts as a compass to locate the High King's hidden, legitimate heir.

• Act III-B (The Journey to Freiburg): The trail takes the PCs across the border into the wild Heldann Freeholds and the pirate city of Freiburg, fleeing royal assassins and court traitors who want the crown destroyed.

• Act III-C (Naval & Siege Warfare): Sailing aboard the longship Redraven, the party battles traitor fleets and conducts fortress sieges to secure the young Prince.

• Act III-D (The Grand Climax): The PCs return to Norrvik just as Ethengar forces and traitorous lords lay siege to the capital. The PCs must lead the defense, expose the court traitors (tying back to Cretia’s old co-conspirators in Act I), and crown the rightful High King in the middle of battle.

Recurring NPCs & Campaign Threads

To make the trilogy feel like one seamless story, bring these elements through all three acts:

Entity	Role in Act I (X3)	Role in Act II (X11)	Role in Act III (X13)
Duke Stephen of Rhoona	Cursed patron/antagonist saved by PCs	Provides troop support & intel on Wogar	Acts as the PCs' primary political ally in the Royal Court
The Iron Ring / Traitor Faction	Cretia's secret backing network	Supply lines found inside the Shadow Citadel	The primary court conspirators trying to usurp the throne
High King Maramet's Legacy	A distant ruler who ignores Rhoona's plight	Discovered to have been captured/slain	His lost crown and heir become the main focus of the campaign

Campaign Rewards & Transition to Domain Play

At the conclusion of Crown of Ancient Glory, the new High King bestows noble titles, land grants, and fiefdoms upon the party:

• The Fighter/Paladin: Named Duke or Baron of a border stronghold (e.g., Barony of Gallma).

• The Cleric: Granted land to construct a major cathedral or monastery to sanctify the northern border.

• The Wizard: Granted a high tower in Norrvik and named Court Royal Advisor.

• The Rogue: Placed in charge of the realm's newly overhauled intelligence network.

This cleanly transitions your party from Expert Set (X-series) adventuring directly into the Companion Set (C-series) domain management and realm-level politics.

Retooling the Free L5B: The Kroten Adventures by Lenard Lakofka (Author) For An OSR Sword & Sorcery Campaign

 This blog post is going to pick right up from where the last blog post left off. And we pick up with the fact that in Hyperborea, the Koaten region is actually a place that has been transported from Greyhawk over to Hyperborea. But how & why are lost to legend & its simple as that. From here the campaign can easily kick into high gear. 

L5A: The Kroten Campaign Guide is essential for what we're gonna talk about today.  This is the Kroten Campaign Guide for the L5 module, providing information on the town of Kroten and the surrounding area. L5B fits right into the classic AD&D first edition vibe; The L5B  Adventures  is the second in a three book set:
L5A: The Kroten Campaign Guide
L5B: The Kroten Adventures (this file)
L5C: The Kroten Campaign Companion

 

Classic AD&D author Len Lakofka provides everything we need to what is essentially the bread basket to the Hyperborea setting & this setting needs to be placed in an area of relatively stable volcano ridden land. The rich farm land provides for 'The Downs' of previous blog entries with all of the farm produce it needs.  L5B: The Kroten Adventures  is the Kroten Adventures manual for the L5 module, providing five adventures in an around the town of Kroten on the Lendore Isles. The Lenore Isles are not some back water providence on Hyperborea but a mini country within the Hyperborean campaign setting all with its own peoples, adventures, and government. Think of this as a sort of 'little Greyhawk'. 

The royals on Kroten on the Lendore Isles while paying lip service & taxes to the Hyperborean capital yearly are mostly independent. And the Hyperborean capital doesn't care. The Lendore Isles are convenient  scapegoats for both privateers & pirates. Those are all,' Lendore Isles matters'. Very provincial & no real concern to the Hyperborea crown. 
Traditional AD&D first edition monsters in  the Lendore Isles? No problem because these are isolated isles. So the demi human  races & monster species are on their own The town of Restenford is inherited by the settlers on Hyperborea.  They literally moved in after the 'Green Death' plague took out the Hyperboreans! The feel of the Kroten Campaign Guide is one of almost Walesh Arthurian England but with a twist up of Sword & Sorcery in the mix. 

Trade is the life blood to the Lendore Isles because of the incredibly dangerous & alien Winters of Hyperborea. The  Lendore Isles are a slice & call back to Greyhawk within the Hyperborean seas. 

The residents of the Kroten area  are aware of some of the rich deposits of gems around these volcanoes. But they are also aware of the legends of salmanders, effreeti, and other plane of fire horrors. This leads to legends of a gate way to the plane of fire. Something that Dwarves of the Kroten area know about! 
These 'Dwarves' are all too aware of the ancient Dwarves of Hyperborea who once used them as slaves & worse according to legend. They stay far off the radar of these creatures because the Dwarves will be used for slaves or even their souls becoming  material as a part of some magical artifact. 

The seas  around Kroten is a haven for privateers who use the place as a landing area for their smuggling activities. And they often take a gnome or Dwarven warrior aboard who goes out into the world to act as a spy for their people. Most of the human population is well aware that Hyperborea is a dangerous world of sword, sorcery, & super science. They are pretty thankful that the greater Hpyerborean  world leaves them alone. Or does it? Next time we dive deeper still into L5B: The Kroten Adventures. 

The Free L5B: The Kroten Adventures by Lenard Lakofka is available right here. 

Retooling the Free Module HM6 The Equinox Demon by Todd Hughes For A Sword & Sorcery Campaign

 "On the Equinox, a sacrifice of grain is offered to the Nature Goddess. However last year, during the ceremony, a horrid demon arose, demanding tribute. It did not want grain, but gold and gems! The friar made a stand, but it was not enough and now the hamlet is terrified! Will a band of heroes have the guts to face the Equinox Demon? An adventure for 4-6 characters, level 1-3"
Today we're gonna pick it up with module HM6 The Equinox Demon by Todd Hughes. Why this module!? 



So the idea here is to pick up right from where the last blog entry left off. Namely that the Downs, some of the other adventures in this campaign thread are indeed an actual Sword & Sorcery campaign. We've been using Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea. With a bit of imagination that can & will continue in this vein. The HM - Village of Rashtan Modules are by Todd Hughes & are specifically centered around the village of Rashtan. This really isn't a problem at all because of the fact that Hyperborea is an artificial campaign world setting. That is to say that its a created world out a patch work of cultures, peoples, etc. from Old Earth. 
So why are we using this particular module?! The author's introduction sinks it; 
"This module is designed for novice and intermediate level players. The number of player characters should be between four and six. The recommended level of character experience is from first to third level. Magical items available to the party at the start of the adventure should likewise be restricted. Players may either bring in existing characters of the appropriate level with the DM's approval, or roll up new characters as suggested in Appendix P of the Dungeon Masters Guide" 
So right off the bat we've got the level perfectly established for the fishing & breadbasket region of Hyperborea which already resembles a volcanically fed rich late Roman England/Icelandic hybrid region. There are other perfectly good reasons to use HM6. Four reasons why HM6 The Equinox Demon is a nice fit for AS&SH. The module deals with Pagan sacrifice, this is a nicely put together low level module, & it has a Weird Tales factor written into it. This is put forth right in the introduction; 

"The Hamlet of Stallington is not preparing for the customary spring celebration even though it is nearing the spring equinox. Typically, a sacrifice of grain is made to the nature goddess, on the equinox, at the mouth of a cave in a forest glade. However, last year when the elders gathered to make the sacrifice, a great fog arose, and a horrid demon emerged from the cave entrance. The demon had many smaller servants with it, and they surrounded the elders. The demon spoke in a frightening voice that seemed to rise from the bowels of the earth itself. It demanded tribute or it would destroy the hamlet and slay the residents. The demon did not want grain however, it wanted gold, silver, and gems." 

For Hyperborea the village of Rashtan feels like its a million miles from the middle of everywhere. But given that HM6 The Equinox Demon by Todd Hughes uses many of the familiar Advanced Dungeons & Dragons first edition monsters, NPC classes, and AD&D angles. This is an easy module to cast into the mold of AS&SH. The adventure elements in HM6 feel like they came out of a Clark Ashton Smith story specifically his  Averoigne stories. 

For my money move the module  in a completely different direction & make HM6 feel more like late Roman Britian when the empire has left. The whole of England felt vulnerable to raiders. There's an uneasiness to this module & it shows. You've got Hyperborea's bread basket established in 'the Downs' & with the Kroten area itself pirates & privateers. So then the village of Rashtan is one of the commodity distributing points. But all bets are off when the coffers run empty; "The local priest Friar Dane went, along with his acolyte Tames, to confront the demon. The Friar’s body was discovered outside of town the next day and Tames was never seen again. The elders gathered the villagers together and it was agreed that the tribute must be paid. In so doing the village drained most of its coffers and the people were left with very little to pay for this season’s supplies. As a result, the people are hungry and have very little food and much of the livestock died over the winter from lack of feed." 

So we've got all of the classic Sword & Sorcery elements. Starving villagers, a desperate situation, Weird Tales monsters, & no money in the coffers for the Winter. Winters on Hyperborea are beyond cold & again the Iceland analogy fits here quite well. This means that the people here in the village of Rashtan are fodder for any of the horrors of AS&SH. These people don't need a miracle they need adventurers fast! HM6 also sinks rather nicely with N3 Destiny of Kings which we've covered on this blog as a counter adventure to book end adventure & campaign events. 
HM6 The Equinox Demon by Todd Hughes is a perfect beginning adventure for AS&SH. The module has all of the classic AD&D elements but all of these can easily be turned into a get up for Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea. 

HM6 The Equinox Demon by Todd Hughes Is Available Right Here For Free 

Retooling the Free L5A: The Kroten Campaign Guide by Lenard Lakofka (Author) For An OSR Sword & Sorcery Campaign

 "This manual describes the Town of Kroten and the nearby area, which is located on Lendore Isle in the World of Greyhawk. Details include nomenclature used by the author, world background, and local features. Also included is a detailed description of the Town of Kroten, excepting three key areas: The Fane of Syrul, the Fane of Pyremius, and the Castle Kroten itself. These areas are described in L5B: The Kroten Adventures."

This blog post picks right  up where our last blog post left off &  picks up with the free L5A: The Kroten Campaign Guide by  Lenard Lakofka from Dragon's foot here.  We established that the The Downs might be Sword & Sorcery Arthurian England with splash of H.P. Lovecraft & Clark Ashton Smith.  And this means that Koaten region is actually a place that has been transported from Greyhawk over to Hyperborea. The town of Restenford is inherited by the settlers on Hyperborea.  They literally moved in after the 'Green Death' plague took out the Hyperboreans! The Kroten Campaign Guide provides the DM with information on the L5 module;"
This is the Kroten Campaign Guide for the L5 module, providing information on the town of Kroten and the surrounding area." And it also gives detailed information on the following; 
This manual is the first in a three book set:
L5A: The Kroten Campaign Guide (this file)
L5B: The Kroten Adventures
L5C: The Kroten Campaign Companion
This details the region around Kroten but its actually U1 Sinster Secret of Saltmarsh  written by Dave J. Browne with Don Turnbull. This module provides the Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea with the town of Restenford is also a great town for making Saltmarsh the unsavory sub village where all of the sea scum hang out. The Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh written by Dave J. Browne with Don Turnbull is the perfect add on for  L1 'The Secret of Bone Hill' by Lenard Lakofka.

And this makes  the Kroten Campaign Guide an excellent free download to add to a  Astonishing SWordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea rpg campaign. The feel of the Kroten Campaign Guide is one of almost Walesh Arthurian England but with a twist up of Sword & Sorcery in the mix.  The  last time we talked about the Hyperborean vaults below 'The Downs' & some of their impact on the kingdom's future fortunes. Could the Kroten Campaign  have something similar?! The idea here is that Greyhawk in the past may have played host to a Hyperborean colony in the past. 
Half of my campaign version of Hyperborea's population came from Greyhawk from one of the many horrid disasters of that plagued that campaign setting. 

The real secret might be the dangers  that the volcanoic areas around   the Kroten area itself. The residents of the Kroten area  are aware of some of the rich deposits of gems around these volcanoes. But they are also aware of the legends of salmanders, effreet, and other plane of fire horrors. This leads to legends of a gate way to the plane of fire. Something that Dwarves of the Kroten area know about.  But the seas  around Kroten is a haven for privateers who use the place as a landing area for their smuggling activities. 

What really makes seas the Kroten area so dangerous is the abundance of undersea volcanoes. Not only do these claim more then one ship in the area. But also the fact that there are cities of Deep Ones & their cults in the area. Next time we dive below the surface to talk about some of the major factions of Kroten. 

The Free L5A: The Kroten Campaign Guide by Lenard Lakofka is available right here. 

Retooling L1 'The Secret of Bone Hill' by Lenard Lakofka (Author) For An OSR Sword & Sorcery 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."



Dreams are funny things & last night there was this dream about L1 'The Secret of Bone Hill' by Lenard Lakofka. Personally about 90% of the time Len doesn't get half of the credit he deserves in old school gaming. Let's get the history of L1 out of the way here;" L1: "The Secret of Bone Hill" (1981) is the first adventure in Lenard Lakofka's "Lendore Isle" trilogy. It was published in 1981" Fantastic but how does any of this relate to the Downs from our previous blog entry on  N3 'Destiny of Kings' By Stephen Bourne?! Well its got everything to do with it! The Downs might be Sword & Sorcery Arthurian England with splash of H.P. Lovecraft & Clark Ashton Smith. Then 'L1 The Secret of Bone Hill' by Lenard Lakofka is the mythic Icelandic & pirate venture throw in together. The town of Restenford with a bit of redressing could easily become the perfect pirate venture location for Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea. If we're talking about Icelandic fishing villages here why are you showing a Neolithic Italian village below?! The reasons are two fold, one is the melting pot of cultures that is this country. Remember Hyperborea is a place of the 'lost' as well refugee  settlers from 'Old Earth'. 

The photo is by Giuale - Own work of the  Reconstruction of the Neolithic village of Travo

This is a photo of a monument which is part of cultural heritage of Italy. This monument participates in the contest Wiki Loves Monuments Italia 2016. 

The second reason is the fact that the town of Restenford is inherited by the settlers of the town. They literally moved in after the 'Green Death' plague took out the Hyperboreans. The town of Restenford is also a great town for making Saltmarsh the unsavory sub village where all of the sea scum hang out. The Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh written by Dave J. Browne with Don Turnbull is the perfect add on for  L1 'The Secret of Bone Hill' by Lenard Lakofka.

The royal linage of the kingdoms of Dunador control rich volcanic fields of ' The Downs' and the rich fishing grounds of the town of Restenford. But there's a bit of a secret to these kingdoms. Ship building, raiding, and much more but its the merchant trading that the town of Restenford's coffers full. The royal linage of the kingdoms of Dunador look the other way on a bit of privateering. But its the literal hundreds of trade ships that get get sent out & come into the port that keeps the coffers of the kingdom full. Sure you've got to have Sword & Sorcery action in Hyperborea. But there has to be places of stability amid the Lovecraftian chaos. 

Now last time we talked about the Hyperborean vaults below 'The Downs' & some of their impact on the kingdom's future fortunes. But let's kick it up a notch for a moment if these first or even fourth level PC's are assigned to a trading vessel & go out into the world then the events around the 'U series' of modules can unfold right when they get back! The Alchemist is actually a lich that's been operating for years in the town of Restenford & he's been stoking the fires between the Deep Ones & the tribes of Lizardmen. 

Why?! Because of AS&SH's planar connections with Greyhawk of course! Greyhawk plays a key part in this whole affair. Half of my campaign version of Hyperborea's population came from Greyhawk from one of the many horrid disasters of that plagued that campaign setting. 

And yes there's a ton of Len's world on Dragon's foot for free. Sometimes a DM doesn't want to overwhelm his players with all of that yet. We'll get those next week. 

Retooling N3 'Destiny of Kings' By Stephen Bourne For An OSR Sword & Sorcery Campaign

 "The kingdom of Dunador is in trouble. Since the king, Halfred of Dunthrane, was killed in a hunting accident, the land has hovered on the brink of civil war. Crown Prince Edmund, at 18 only half-trained and quite unprepared to assume the throne, has yet to be crowned. Currently he is on a pilgrimage to the holy shrine of Nevron in the province of Andevar. While the uncrowned king is far from home, anarchy reigns in Dunador"

When it comes to Sword & Sorcery one of the least picked modules would be N3 'Destiny of Kings' By Stephen Bourne. And is one of those modules that takes a certain class of players to deal with the political backbone & intrigue that makes up its inner adventure structure. The module's history goes something like this  N3: "Destiny of Kings" (1986), by Stephen Bourne, is the third adventure in the novice series for AD&D. 

Last blog entry on N2 'The Forest Oracle' by Carl Smith has the Downs & its pretty easy to back up the kingdom Dunador as the owners of the volcanic farm land kingdom that we talked about last time. The basic plot goes something like this; 
"Hollend, the King's Sage, calls out to the PCs in the hopes that they can untangle the deceitful webs before it is too late"
The Amazon review of Kent David Kelly goes into some of the stumbling blocks of N3; "If you have extremely skilled players, here's the best way to throw their young heroes (levels 1-4) onto the world stage! The king of Dunthrane has died, and with the sole heir far away, the entire kingdom erupts into chaos as age-old, suppressed plots come to the surface. Hollend, the King's Sage, calls out to the PCs in the hopes that they can untangle the deceitful webs before it is too late; but, as soon as they arrive, they're slammed with a political whirlwind of intrigue that they're never forget! An extremely difficult adventure, but all the more rewarding for it" 
What works for using N3 for Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea rpg is the almost Arthurian aspects of the module.  N3 'Destiny of Kings' can add the Celtic  weirdness of mythology & legends. 

N3 'Destiny of King' has a series of political intrigue encounters has enough punch to keep things rolling. The whole affair reminds me of a mix of ancient Norse & early medieval English history but seen through the lens of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons first edition. 
But is there something boiling below the surface of N3?! Such as supernatural or Lovecraftian elements controlling the royal linage of the kingdoms of Dunador. 

This means that for the run of the module the PC's could be manipulated by forces that they are only vaguely aware of. The insanity of the line of kings isn't evident of the module until the middle of the module. There could well be several Hyperborean post Green Death vaults under the kingdom. This one point could be used to expand the fortunes of the kingdom later on after the political events are stabilized. 

N3 'Destiny of Kings' By Stephen Bourne has some real potential to be used as a Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea rpg base of operations once events of the module ends. 

More Operatic Campaign Design Memories & Commentary With X13 Crown Of Ancient Glory by Stephen Bourne

So last night I was watching some 'Jonny Quest' episodes with my father on a Wednesday night, hey that's just how we roll in my family folks. But it got me thinking about X13 Crown of Ancient Glory which came out in '87. Crown of Ancient Glory is a weird little module, it gives a taste of ruler ship to PC's as a future taster for ruling your own kingdom in other words domain level play. Let me pull some of the background & quick history on this module from Wiki:"
Crown of Ancient Glory is an adventure module for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. It was published by TSR in 1987, and designed by Stephen Bourne. Its cover art is by Keith Parkinson, with interior art by Chris Miller and cartography by Dave S. LaForce. The module's associated code is X13 and its TSR product code is TSR 9218. This module was developed and intended for use with the Dungeons & Dragons Expert Set and Companion Set rules."

The rule sets are the important part of this module, the adventure is for PC  levels seven through ten and that's where we need to start.
 

"You must find the long-lost heir to the kingdom and recover the Sonora Crown, the mystical device without which a king cannot be crowned. Standing in your way are traitors and spies from within and invaders from without the kingdom of Vestland. Time is running out! Can you save Vestland from disaster?"

In '87 my uncle had been running a full blown operatic style campaign centered around the gods, demi gods, and mythological elements of Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelung) by Wagner with equal parts Jack Kirby & a solid foundation of TSR's Saga mini game. Now we as players thought we were pretty hot stuff and had conquered everything Uncle John had cooked up for us kids but he was a sadistic bastard. He hadn't even begun to pull out the stops on us kids. For the Fall campaign there was another TSR mini game classic he'd kept under wraps all Summer.

For his Fall campaign we found ourselves fighting the forces of Ragnarok once again! No the bastard pulled out "The Viking Gods Minigame: The Gods vs. Chaos in Deadly Final Conflict" from 1982! I watched him purchase this game back in '82 down at War & Pieces in West Hartford & suddenly this was going to become our party's downfall!  I'd read the back panel and my heart sank like a stone.

"Odin, Chief of the norse gods, broods in his great hall Valhalla and prepares for battle. As time grows short, his warrior maidens, the Valkyrie, bring him noble Norse warriors who have died bravely in battle. Here the chosen warriors will feast and fight, training for Ragnarok — the final battle of the Gods.
On that day, the evil god Loki will lead an army of fire giants, and huge monsters against the Norse gods and their human allies. The earth will shake as the greatest battle begins.
Lead the Norse gods in their defense of the Tree of Life, or storm across the Rainbow Bridge in search of final victory. Which side will YOU command in this exciting game of Ragnarok?"



So how does all of this tie into the background of Crown of Ancient Glory? Each of the powers, kingdoms, etc  from the module are aligned with the ancient powers of Norse mythology and events from the Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelung) which impacts on the over all outcome of the module in a very operatic fashion. PC's died in flights of operatic violence and heroic death. Did I mention that we listened to the opera several times during the fall and took trips to a local museum.

There were several things that this Fall's campaign taught me:

1. The module or adventure is always modified to the needs and expectations of the players but not necessarily what they're going to get. Many DM's twist & play with player expectation. Sure we were powerful PC bad asses but when we as PC's were messing around in mortal business we had to possess a human suit.
2.  More power brought more headaches and puzzles to play on the players minds. 
3. Operatic means that like the operas of old PC's familial ties are going tie tragically. Sure these are NPC ties but like in operas they can go down and provide the DM a revenge plot hook later on. 
4. Heavy is the head that wears the crown.  There are all kinds of headaches that DM's can inflict whist the PC is trying on the 'big chair' ala Star Trek this gives some very interesting latitude. 
5. Mythology is filled with weird and unknown monsters don't be afraid to pull out some weird, dangerous, etc. that isn't in the AD&D 1st edition Monster Manual, Monster Manual II, or The Fiend Folio. Mythology is the mother of chaos 
6. Glorious death can be fun if its for a heroic purpose. 
7. Give PC's kingdoms if they've earned it and want to A.Retire their PC's or B. They want to actually provide a safe harbor for the rest of the party. Yes this actually came up during play. 
8. Sword & Sorcery is operatic and more then slightly melodramatic so its alright to go over the top with the violence, action, and magic! 
9.  The kingdoms of Vestland &  the Ethengar Khanate are always going to be forever at odds, the holy Sonora Crown has been stolen can be & should be fleshed out as the DM sees fit. Again this ties back into the mythological aspect. Artifacts & relics are always a headache. 
10. Leave yourself several leads as a DM to continue the campaign. Don't wrap each & every damn adventure hook up in a neat little bow  
11. Deities & Demigods is an essential book for pulling this sort of a campaign off. All of the major players is in there.
    
    
    Here's where my uncle did a bit of shuffling around of using actual historical stand ins for the various module locations  from Ruthin Monastery, to the Red Fangs the lost isles, to Seaforth Tower, & Narvendul and more. This made us go through lots of old history books to find clues to certain battles in England, Norway, Wales, etc. I'm beginning to see a pattern to '87's Fall campaign.  We ended up with an isolated kingdom ruled by Ricky one of our warriors but this was a hard slog of a Fall campaign adventure. Winter was a whole other matter as the force of Hel began to pump up her efforts but that's another blog entry.