Monday, August 22, 2022

Review & Commentary On the Free Tower of the Mammoth Adventure For The Hyperborea rpg

 "Enter the Tower of the Mammoth at your peril for only death awaits!"


I created this adventure base on Thulsa's Elephant Tower and Mongoose's Conan D20 game scenario of the same name; the Tower of the Elephant by Greg Lynch. I have combine maps and rooms and obviously added my own. I have stole, borrowed and changed other's text to suit (even TSR's Conan game had a brief mention of the ToE) and with over 200 locations, I have tired to fill with interest stuff, but left some rooms empty or lacking in occupants and treasure which referees can add to enhance their game; much as I have done to these scenarios.

There is places and rooms I would not expect any adventurer/thief/delver to enter. There is too much. Perhaps doing a 'Dungeon Crawl,' would actually accomplish this, but why, for fun (then good job and enjoy, for that is what the game is for). Still the game is an adventure and like any story, realism is part of life. So any thieves entering the Tower only want to hunt what they seek and flee, not waste time with empty rooms.

As mentioned in text in PDF; there is two ways to play this game as a major dungeon crawl or a quick in and out burglary and perhaps a little bit of both for a third option. The last option might balance things; a bit of fun and some serious delving.

So Bookmarked PDF, so looks good, but if folks see any error, please tell...

I have tried to edit text, but I only human (well part human, part fish, naw that a joke, part superhero, aye, okay... Caveman) and there maybe a few errors; probably more, but the basis of sce
Hmm, trying to think of anything else... Ah, this might be too powerful, I not play-tested it and that for you folks, so if it goes wrong, it not my fault, (I tell ya...). So, yes, hmm.

So what I mean by 4 to 8 levelled characters might be one 4th-level, two 8th-levels and one each of the other levels in between. Be cautious and stay hidden (is that going to work?)..." nario is comprehensive and you get the general idea, so nao problemo...

Caveman  Hyperborea rpg adventure forums 7/26/22 

There are times when one stumbles upon a work of genius and that's extactly what one of my players did coming across Caveman's Tower of the Mammoth adventure that you can download over here.  Caveman's Tower of the Mammoth was downloaded last night along with the maps and this is a seventy five page monster of an adventure. The adventure is for 4-8th level PC's and that's no joke. There are some vile tricks, traps, etc. all geared around the Hyerpborea rpg. Caveman does a fanastic job of combining Thulsa's Elephant Tower and Mongoose's Conan D20 game scenario into an animal all of it's own. And Tower of the Mammoth is it's own beastie
Level by level we get a dungeon unique & dangerous to it's Hyperborean origins. The tower isn't a place to fool around as it pays very close homage to it's Robert. E. Howard's Tower of the Elephant source material. You can almost feel the torches buring in some of the rooms; 
"Torches flared murkily on the revels in the Maul, where the thieves of the east held carnival by night. In the Maul they could carouse and roar as they liked, for honest people shunned the quarters, and watchmen, well paid with stained coins, did not interfere with their sport. Along the crooked, unpaved streets with their heaps of refuse and sloppy puddles, drunken roisterers staggered, roaring. Steel glinted in the shadows where wolf preyed on wolf, and from the darkness rose the shrill laughter of women, and the sounds of scufflings and strugglings. Torchlight licked luridly from broken windows and wide-thrown doors, and out of those doors, stale smells of wine and rank sweaty bodies, clamor of drinking-jacks and fists hammered on rough tables, snatches of obscene songs, rushed like a blow in the face." 
Robert E. Howard Tower of the Elephant 1933

Caveman set's up the tower and it's evirons with gusto giving the DM more then enough with his maps of the tower & the surroundings. The design work is tight, the descriptions evocative, and the material here is solidly appropriate for the Hyperborea rpg. A lot of work went into combining Tower of the Mammoth, editing it, and putting it out to fellow Hyperborea rpg fans, DM's and players. And it shows in this adventure. 
Tower of the Mammoth is a crown jewel of an adventure topping the campaign of a DM whose players have swept through other lesser dungeon & adventure locations. There's swirling feel of Sword & Sorcery mayhem scattered throughout the tower's many levels. And a sense that no way could the player's PC's plump the depths of the tower. 
Tower of the Mammoth's maps are well done and give insights into the tower's designs, environs, and purposes. The tribute work here is evident with details given a Hyperborea spin & the author knowing the game in & out with knowledge used to design the inner workings of the tower itself. 
The Tower of the Mammoth isn't for the faint of heart at all. This is a place of adventure, PC death, and danger around every turn or corner. I don't say this lightly at all. 
But is Tower of the Mammoth worth the download? Certainly it is as it fills a definitive need for adventure within the bounds of Hyperborea itself. 

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.