Free Download Review & Commentary Classic Module Twist Up #1: The Desert of Desolation & The Classic Compilation module I3-5 Desert of Desolation

"Every DM & Player hold certain adventures in the realm of “favorites”. Ravenloft, Secret of Bonehill, Against the Cult of the Reptile God…etc. The unfortunate side effect though was we all learned them to a point where we just knew what was coming next. Whether treasures, traps, or secrets - most players will remember something no matter how hard they try role play around it. Never willing to give up a favorite the CLASSIC MODULE TWIST UP, (CMTU), series seeks to promote these classics by expanding or changing certain portions of the adventure without putting out materials that would violate copyright or allow the adventure to be played without at least knowledge of the original source material."

So reads the introductions for one of the lastest AD&D free downloads that I came across on Dragon's foot's site here.  Auhr Lanse's latest OSR efforts have produced an adventure variation on the Desert of Desolation super module. This thing is a beast at two hundred & five pages of free down load & supermodule twist up. What this beast does is completely take the Pharaoh, Oasis of the White Palm, and Lost Tomb of Martek then turns the adventure plots  on their  collective ear.  For those of you who don't know about the Desert of Desolation series's history here's the wiki entry breakdown; "Desert of Desolation is a compilation adventure module published by TSR for the Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) fantasy roleplaying game. It combines three previously published individual modules: Pharaoh, Oasis of the White Palm, and Lost Tomb of Martek. The modules were made for use with the first edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (AD&D) rules. Pharaoh was created by Tracy and Laura Hickman soon after the couple married in 1977, and published by TSR in 1982. Oasis of the White Palm was a collaboration between Tracy Hickman and Philip Meyers, and Hickman wrote the Lost Tomb of Martek on his own; both were printed in 1983." All of these were collected into a super module back in Eighty Seven & there's lots of revisions; "The compilation module Desert of Desolation was printed in 1987.^[12] The compilation features a cover by Keith Parkinson.^[7]:101 It is a revision of the I3, I4, and I5 AD&D game modules, with additional design and revision by Peter Rice and William John Wheeler.^[13] Wheeler attempted to expand on the originals, without altering their tone.^[14] The adventures in Desert of Desolation are designed for a 5th-10th level party and have been reworked to fit into the Forgotten Realms setting, and the material was made compatible with the Wilderness Survival Guide rules.^[3] In the revision, the designers added additional background material, as well as staging tips for the Dungeon Master.^[13] The details of various elements that had been open-ended elements were spelled out.^[14] Desert of Desolation includes a 128-page adventure booklet, a sixteen-page maps booklet, and a large A1 sheet of maps and handouts.^[3] The compilation module contains new maps, including an isometric map of the tomb of Amun-Re.^[13] The revision also introduces ancient inscriptions for the players to decipher"

The author & designer goes through this same history but makes changes so that CMTU1 will work in ether Greyhawk or Forgotten Realms ; "When they were brought into the TSR lineup they were placed in the “I” series that included I1 Dwellers of the Forbidden City and I2 Tomb of the Lizard King. Both of these were in the Greyhawk Realms so most gamers of the time placed the three modules in The Bright Desert or Sea of Ash. In 1987 the series were put into The Desert of Desolation, (DOD), and placed in The Forgotten Realms. In the CMTU 1 several changes were made with hopes of adding new twists without taking away from the original adventure. CMTU1 will follow The DOD chapters listing the changes to be added and what areas to place them. As no part of The DOD were be placed in CMTU1 it is up to the DM to go through The DOD module prior to game play to make whatever notes or adjustments are needed" 
There are quite a few changes that Auhr Lanse's has made to the Desert of Desolation modules including theology, population density, placement of peoples & monsters, additional content, changes to adventure elements, etc. This twist up is gonna take months or years to play through & that's a good thing. Because it takes I3-5 in whole other directions. 

This makes Classic Module Twist Up #1: The Desert of Desolation  really worth the download in my opinion. And it takes the whole cloth direction of the NPC ghost of a long-dead Pharaoh in a whole other direction. We are not talking light weight adventure element but whole cloth new adventure path, NPC motivation, and more. Classic Module Twist Up #1: The Desert of Desolation is a complete campaign unto itself as long as the DM has the classic modules or the super module he or she is read to play. But you are literally talking almost years of play here. 

But is Classic Module Twist Up #1: The Desert of Desolation  good & worth the download?! For what it the CMTU1 does? Oh yes! This free download breaths new life into the classic line of modules & really messes with the expectations of old school players who have played through this classic module series.  With the recent release of Castles & Crusades Egpyptian line of mythus modules & supplements I can totally see using this module twist up easily with C&C. 

Commandments of Desolation - Using I3-5: Desert of Desolation The supermodule by Tracy Hickman, Laura Hickman, & Philip Meyers, With Additional OSR & Old School Resources - Session Report Ten

Among the sands of 'The Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes' — an 18 miles (29 km) stretch of coastline dunes on the Central California Coast, from southern San Luis Obispo County to northern Santa Barbara County a brand new set of pyramids & strange ruined peusdo Egyptian style cities have emerged! Tales of ghostly riders,spectres of pharoahs,  strange ancient ships sailing along coast, & even adventurers who speak of  the sands of Raurin, the incomparable Desert of Dust!  The 'Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes' are now the home of a small ancient military outpost of an empire that never existed here!



The Gates of Rameses
Cecil B. DeMille - The Ten Commandments (1923) Public domain 

All of this was brought about by a storm that lasted three days. This seemingly supernatural storm brought with it tons of new sand & hidden Egpytian city ruins that were seemingly used as set pieces  by Cecil B.Demill during the filming of his magnus opus film 'The Ten Commandments'. But something was very wrong. There were over night the appearance of villages, strange travelers, camels, & even monsters in the confines of a stretch of eighteen miles of California desert & national park beaches!


Moses leading the Israelites out of Egypt
Cecil B. DeMille - The Ten Commandments (1923) public domain

There have already been clashes between the settlers here & those of the world of Cha'alt.  The spirit of Amun-Re, the last pharaoh of Bakar, cursed to wander the desert has come to this world looking for adventurers skilled enough to free him from his curse. The desert itself is multidensional & those who wander into its ancient sands are whisked away to another world. But there are rumors that there is a death lord named Queen Tera who has designs upon the otherworldly location. Her cult grows among those who dwell outside of the  'Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes'.

The coming of the Cha'alt warp's planar energies have brought with it another casulity of the events of Ragnrok in the form of I3-5 The Desert of Desolation. I3-5: Desert of Desolation the supermodule collection , by Tracy Hickman, & Laura Hickman, Philip Meyers, and others, is a supermodule for AD&D. It was published in May 1987. It happens to be a particular favorite among the supermodules  of mine. I've been wracking my brains as to how to incorporate it into the Godbound/Cha'alt campaign mix. But then I remembered a story from 2015 on the Smithsonian website by Marissa Fessenden entitled 'There's a Fake Egyptian City Buried in California'.

A bit of imgination & some campaign notes later & the ' I3-5 The Desert of Desolation' was adapted into my on going Cha'alt/Godbound campaign.


So does the black pyramid of Cha'alt call other megadungeons to it on the California coast?! This isn't an ordinary megadungeon & there are other death gods that have interest in this seemingly endless planar desert that has appeared within the confines of the national state park. In fact wizards, adventurers, guides, etc. have begun a cottage industry of exploiting the megadungeon, villages, & other exotic places within the park as a sort of 'exotic Egypt of California'. While the state of California coffers have expanded with taxes the frustration of pharoah's ghost has grown in response.  Other deathlords have taken full advantage of this situation expanding the planar desert realm for thier own benefit while the confines of 'The Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes' national park remain the seemingly the same at least in the daylight. 

The attentions of the lords of Cha'alt have not been unruffled by the appearance of this new hazard to their operations in California. Operatives & agents from both the Black Pryamid & Elysium are trying to penatrate the mysteries of this new developments.


So there's got to be an Adventurer, Conqueror, King rpg angle here? And there is the Lairs & Encounters book which has some fantastic desert encounters that can be put in & some solid mummy style lairs with all kinds of neat sideline adventures to add to the play  mix. This book has a huge number of monsters & encounters with maps & all the other information in a high quality package to run everything outta of the gate! 


Another AD&D book that we seldom hear about today that could also be of use when fleshing out a desert or any adventure or campaign environ is REF3: The Book of Lairs (1986),by James M. Ward and Mike Breault. REF3: The Book of Lairs (1986), by James M. Ward and Mike Breault, is the third AD&D REFerence and the first of the Lairs books of short adventures. It was published in September 1986.
So this book takes some of the iconic Advanced Dungeons & Dragons monsters & gives the dungeon master a range of mini encounters or side adventures for the monster. All of this with cover by  D&D artist Clyde Caldwell. 

Reshuffling & Reassignment of Amazing World War One Campaign Elements & Notes Or What Do With A Setback

Well originally this was going to be a post about Gary Gygax's Necropolis D20 book & how to expand it into an alternative WWI supers & Pulp campaign using the Amazing Adventures! Rpg & the Victorious Rpg. But that went out the window because some of my players read Troll Lord's Amazing Adventures! rpg official Facebook group. 

So on phone call later from one of my newer players who isn't crazy about the Gary Gygax  D20  book blah,blah, etc. & I've had to rethink a major portion of this campaign. Well, when your a dungeon master & you need to think outside of the box then you go back to the well spring. In this case I went back to the original concept for part of this WWI campaign the HP Lovecraft story ghost written with Harry Houdini called "Imprisoned with the Pharaohs".


Harry Houdini was pleased with the result of Lovecraft's work 
and collaborated on several other projects with him prior to Houdini's death in 1926.

""Imprisoned with the Pharaohs" (called "Under the Pyramids" in draft form, also published as "Entombed with the Pharaohs"^[1]) is a short story written by American fantasy author H. P. Lovecraft in collaboration with Harry Houdini in February 1924. Commissioned by Weird Tales founder and owner J. C. Henneberger, the narrative tells a fictionalized account in the first-person perspective of an allegedly true experience of escape artist Harry Houdini. Set in 1910, in Egypt, Houdini finds himself kidnapped by a tour guide, who resembles an ancient pharaoh, and thrown down a deep hole near the Great Sphinx of Giza. While attempting to find his way out, he stumbles upon a gigantic ceremonial cavern and encounters the real-life deity that inspired the building of the Sphinx."


We're never really told who or what the Lovecraftian monstrosities were within the Sphinx but I've gotta more then a theory from my Uncle's old notes from ""Imprisoned with the Pharaohs" ;

"At length I succeeded in reaching the steps and began to climb; keeping close to the wall, on which I observed decorations of the most hideous sort, and relying for safety on the absorbed, ecstatic interest with which the monstrosities watched the foul-breezed aperture and the impious objects of nourishment they had flung on the pavement before it. Though the staircase was huge and steep, fashioned of vast porphyry blocks as if for the feet of a giant, the ascent seemed virtually interminable. Dread of discovery and the pain which renewed exercise had brought to my wounds combined to make that upward crawl a thing of agonizing memory. I had intended, on reaching the landing, to climb immediately onward along whatever upper staircase might mount from there; stopping for no last look at the carrion abominations that pawed and genuflected some seventy or eighty feet below—yet a sudden repetition of that thunderous corpse-gurgle and death-rattle chorus, coming as I had nearly gained the top of the flight and showing by its ceremonial rhythm that it was not an alarm of my discovery, caused me to pause and peer cautiously over the parapet.

The monstrosities were hailing something which had poked itself out of the nauseous aperture to seize the hellish fare proffered it. It was something quite ponderous, even as seen from my height; something yellowish and hairy, and endowed with a sort of nervous motion. It was as large, perhaps, as a good-sized hippopotamus, but very curiously shaped. It seemed to have no neck, but five separate shaggy heads springing in a row from a roughly cylindrical trunk; the first very small, the second good-sized, the third and fourth equal and largest of all, and the fifth rather small, though not so small as the first.

Out of these heads darted curious rigid tentacles which seized ravenously on the excessively great quantities of unmentionable food placed before the aperture. Once in a while the thing would leap up, and occasionally it would retreat into its den in a very odd manner. Its locomotion was so inexplicable that I stared in fascination, wishing it would emerge farther from the cavernous lair beneath me.

Then it did emerge. . .  it did emerge, and at the sight I turned and fled into the darkness up the higher staircase that rose behind me; fled unknowingly up incredible steps and ladders and inclined planes to which no human sight or logic guided me, and which I must ever relegate to the world of dreams for want of any confirmation. It must have been a dream, or the dawn would never have found me breathing on the sands of Gizeh before the sardonic dawn-flushed face of the Great Sphinx."

What if the operations in & around Egypt in 1908 were actually a cover for the extermination of something very dangerous? Say the last surviving cults of Stygia of the Robert Howard Conan stories. 


Franz Stuck: The Kiss of the Sphinx 

Human foes he did not fear, nor any death by steel or fire. But this was a black land of sorcery and nameless horror. Set the Old Serpent, men said, banished long ago from the Hyborian races, yet lurked in the shadows of the cryptic temples, and awful and mysterious were the deeds done in the nighted shrines." -- Robert E. Howard: "The Hour of the Dragon"

What if the ancient priests of  Atlantis &  Stygia awakened in Egypt around 1900 to 1914  & began to reestablish their hold on the country in secret & earnest. Did the German  Intelligence Bureau for the East know some of the horrifying secrets that various rebels were conspiring with?
What if there were much more ancient tombs under the sands of Memphis & Gaza? The Spring rains may have uncovered exactly the sort of occult help that some of the forces were looking for?  

The German mission in Istanbul

How you may ask? Well after the events of  I3-5 Desert of Desolation  the local time space continuum has cracked because of the occult forces of the tower of Martek. Now these events have drawn several members of the immoral  Æsir to the areas around Egypt because of the cults activities & summoning especially within the Persian and Egyptian satellite states. So whose behind all of this? 

The hooded priest is in  fact another survivor of Atlantis  similar to Robert Howard's Skull Face. 

An Atlantian survivor of the worst kind that interweaves with Robert  Howard's Steve Costigan character.
"The story stars a character called Steve Costigan but this is not Howard's recurring character, Sailor Steve Costigan. The story is clearly influenced by Sax Rohmer's opus Fu Manchu but substitutes the main Asian villain with a resuscitated Atlantean necromancer (very similar to Kull's arch-foe Thulsa Doom) sitting at the center of a web of crime and intrigue meant to end White/Western world domination."
There is evidence to suggest that Kathulos might have actually been a part of a secret order of necromancers from Atlantis similar to Clark Ashton Smith's The Empire of the Necromancers. Possibly echoing lost survivors of ancient Atlantis showing up in later future epochs of Earth such as Zothique.
What the implications of the appearance of such a cult within World War I is pretty horrid. The main Amazing Adventures ! Rpg rule book  & the Manual of Monsters actually has several Egpytian themed horrors build right in. The mummy lesser & greater are a must, the lich is a perfect stand in for a Kathulos stand in, plus there are several boss level Egyptian horrors build right into the book.

Even bringing capes & beings of extraordinary powers to such a fight isn't going to make one ioata of difference. The War goes on next time other fronts! 

Concluding the The Amazing Shifting Sands Of I3-5 Desert of Desolation By Tracy Hickman, Laura Hickman, Philip Meyers, Peter L. Rice

"Your sleek cloudskate skims across the Skysea. It is midnight. All day long, the glass sea soaked up the scorching desert sunlight. Now, that heat lifts your ship a few inches off the glass and fills its sails. The only sound you hear is the soft swish of the diamond-edged rudder as it cuts a path across the Skysea. 

One thousand years ago, the wizard Martek knew that you would come to find his Sphere of Power. Now, one of his glowing Star Gems shows you the way. The starlight, reflected in the glass beneath you, flickers peacefully. 

Suddenly, the Skysea before you bursts up into a thousand shards of splintered glass, showering into the moonlight! A horrible creature is silhouetted against the moon. You strain against the rudder to keep your ship upright.

Too late! Your cloudskate tips onto one runner, and then tumbles over, skidding to a stop on the glass. As your companions struggle to right the ship, you turn and face the monster. You must hold the creature back to give them time. Without the ship, none of you can get off the glass before the sun rises in the morning. 

Martek's prophecy spoke of heroes, tests, and dangers. Are you the heroes? What are the tests? What dangers and riches lie ahead? "
Yesterday we talked about The Oasis of the White Palm module but now we move on "I5: "Lost Tomb of Martek" (1983) . 
You know the official history of this module,"I5: "Lost Tomb of Martek" (1983) was the third adventure in the Desert of Desolation trilogy and the fifth adventure in TSR's "I" series of Intermediate-level adventures. It was published in July 1983." Everything here is going to hinge on the PC's succeeding in the City of the Phoenix. At some point the PC's have crossed over from the real world of alternative Earth WWI over into the fantasy world of your home campaign. This is essential for bringing home the 'other worldly pseudo Pulp Egyptian qualities' I5: "Lost Tomb of Martek" (1983). 



The PC's are going to need every trick in the book to survive the major issues of traps & tricks that surround the Star Gems. There are monsters & horrors hidden within & surrounding the I5: "Lost Tomb of Martek". This might be a good time to introduce new heroes & C&C PC's to the fold. There is more then a little other world quality to this module. This module  combines wilderness and dungeon adventures with an underlying storyline but it does so with some very deadly random wilderness encounters. When I ran  I5: "Lost Tomb of Martek" using the alternative WWI background I did so with the fact that time & the spirit realms were very fractured. So I was able to pluck different eras of WWI soldiers, capes, & adventurers into the mix.

Personnel from the Armenian volunteers
including Khetcho, Dro, and Armen Garo, 1914.
 
We had a very mixed party of high level adventurers playing this super module because of its design.  The Mobius Tower, whose levels are magically linked in a loop & whose inhabitants appear to be frozen are actually part of a higher vibrational dimension. So this was beginning to fracture & affect the local time space continuum. The two movers & shakers of the conclusion of  I3-5" Desert of Desolation" are the wizard Martek and the efreeti. But its the PC's who are the heroes! This is something to very much keep in the center of the action of play when running  I5: "Lost Tomb of Martek".



Once I5: "Lost Tomb of Martek" concludes it might be time to take a small break & then move on with a Gothic World War I style game. The gates have been shattered even

though the PC's have succeeded in their endevours with the star gems! There is a possibility of using  adapting 2nd edition Ravenloft  RA3 Touch of Death (2e) by Bruce Nesmith  to expand the ancient evils of the Mists into this alternative world C&C game. 


On the whole running through   I3-5 Desert of Desolation  is going to take the better part of a year & half of actual non stop play to go through every  dangerous factions, with the super module's twists & turns of epic campaign level play.


Where I3-5" Desert of Desolation" succeeds is on the actual table top during play. There are all kinds of possiblities that open up with having run through the entire I3-5" Desert of Desolation" triliogy. On the whole there are some really nice narrative adventure lines of play that can be fleshed out. Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition Ravenloft  RA3 Touch of Death (2e) by Bruce Nesmith adventure isn't the only option either to flesh out more of a Gothic World War I/pulp supers game either. But we'll get into that tomorrow.  The two essential books here are the Amazing Adventures Manual of Monsters & the C&C Monsters & Treasure book.   
Both of these books expand the possibilities of the adventure campaign  add ons & the  loot from the I3-5" Desert of Desolation" . 

Amazing Transformations with I4 Oasis of the White Palm By Tracy Hickman, Laura Hickman, Philip Meyers, Peter L. Rice.

"The Oasis of the White Palm, which is on the brink of turmoil! Shadalah, who is to be the bride of the sheikh's eldest son, has been kidnapped!"
Here begins the second part of  the revised I3-5 Desert of Desolation series by Tracy Hickman, Laura Hickman, Philip Meyers, Peter L. Rice. The Oasis of the White Palm is very dangerous in several regards. The events here are world shaking & there is a solid push on the role playing aspect. 

Now at first I4 Oasis of the White Palm seems like a straight forward module that could even as part of the Desert of Desolation series be easily adaptable to the WWI alternative series that I've been talking about. But in fact there are several wrinkles here starting with the super module itself; "In 1982, TSR published Pharaoh as a thirty-two-page booklet with two outer folders, for the first edition of AD&D.^[7]:101 It was designed for 6-8 player characters of levels 5-7,^[10] and formed the first of the three-part Desert of Desolation module series.^[1][7]:101

Oasis of the White Palm is the sequel to the Pharaoh module.^[2][7]:102 TSR published this adventure in 1983 as a thirty-two-page booklet with two outer folders, and the adventure was written by Tracy Hickman and Philip Meyers with cover art by Jim Holloway and interior illustrations by Keith Parkinson.^[7]:102 It was intended for 6 to 8 characters of levels 6-8.^[11] Lost Tomb of Martek is the third module in the series, and was designed by Tracy Hickman, for 7th-9th level characters.^[7]:102[5] Lost Tomb of Martek was published in 1983 as a 32-page booklet with two outer folders.^[7]:102

The compilation module Desert of Desolation was printed in 1987.^[12] The compilation features a cover by Keith Parkinson.^[7]:101 It is a revision of the I3, I4, and I5 AD&D game modules, with additional design and revision by Peter Rice and William John Wheeler.^[13] Wheeler attempted to expand on the originals, without altering their tone.^[14] The adventures in Desert of Desolation are designed for a 5th-10th level party and have been reworked to fit into the Forgotten Realms setting, and the material was made compatible with the Wilderness Survival Guide rules.^[3] In the revision, the designers added additional background material, as well as staging tips for the Dungeon Master.^[13] The details of various elements that had been open-ended elements were spelled out." Seems pretty clear add in Oasis of the White Palm to WWI Egypt & away you go.
Well. no. The interactions between the  the sheikh's  tribe &
the politics of the situation needs to be mapped out. These tribes of 'Arab style nomads' know
about the fellow tribesmen on Earth & they'll use the PC's to smuggle in support, weapons,
 supplies, etc., This is going to give the dungeon master 

one more 'carrot & stick' opportunities for WWI's Middle East situation during the war. 


Not only are the PC's having to balance this political beast within the oasis but they will have
balance going to the temple of Set and the crypt of Badr al-Mosak. Not to mention the sacred relics of the peoples of the Oasis with the gems being pivotal to the module's conclusion. 

I3-5: Desert of Desolation, by Tracy Hickman, Laura Hickman, Philip Meyers, and others,also expands upon the original module & fleshes out lots of the I4 backgrounds. Dungeon masters need to be aware of this fact or disaster could result.

Set artwork by Jeff Dahl 

This module is going to take place long before the 1920 discovery of Tutankhamen's tomb by Howard Carter. This is not to taken lightly as it allows the dungeon master to sneak in lots of adventure or campaign  little side notes. There's lots of room for expansion with some of the  wilderness of these modules taking center stage. The Amazing Adventures! rpg Companion is going to be a massive help here. From magic to equipment this is the book with all of the bases covered.

Outside of the Egyptian state WWI Egypt is extremely dangerous to say the least; "In 1914
 the Egyptian Army was a largely native home-defence force. It comprised 17 battalions of infantry (8 Sudanese and 9 Egyptian), 3 companies of mounted infantry, a Camel Corps, support services and various local militia groups. It was organised, expanded and equipped by the British during the prewar years, and led by British officers. Although a few field artillery units participated voluntarily in the defense of the Suez Canal in early 1915, the Egyptian Army was primarily employed to maintain order in the troubled Sudan.^[3][4] It has been estimated that a million Egyptian soldiers participated in the First World War during the reign of Hussein Kamel of Egypt, of whom half a million perished!"

The dungeon master might want to be aware of the role that Hussein Kamel of Egypt played in WW1 and the complexities of the balance that the Egyptian peoples played during this time.



 Hussein Kamel of Egypt

Supernatural & occult goings on in the desert created by the White Palm situation will not be looked on favorably. Add in the possibilities that adventurers & capes present not to mention Castles & Crusades fantasy characters & running afoul of the authorities could become a real problem. Oasis of the White Palm is not an adventure to be taken lightly & should be run with the understanding of the dangers that are present within its pages.
There are few reasons to consider I4 Oasis of the White Palm; 

1. The dangers of the I4 Oasis of the White Palm are very real & quite pulpy in context of the confines of the adventure. Players should not underestimate them. 
2. Wilderness & random encounters can be quite nasty in I4 Oasis of the White Palm
3. PC & pulp powers will not unbalance this adventure. 
4. Likewise fire arms are not going to effect if the PC's die or live. They are not a game adventure breaker. 
5. There's more politics within I4 Oasis of the White Palm then the players will be expecting 
6. Monsters in I4 play for keeps & they will destroy PC's without hesitation 
7. Stupidity isn't repaid at all in this module. Keep extra character sheets. 
8. The vision of the module has a clear objective & players need to consider that. 
9. The frame work & adventure locations can serve a continuing campaign in the region which will become very important next adventure. 
10. The  three Star Gems (the one from Amun-Re's tomb in the previous adventure and two more introduced here) are going to be handy not only for this adventure but for future excursions into the region of I4. 

The Amazing Shifting Sands of The Beginning Of I3-5 Desert of Desolation By Tracy Hickman, Laura Hickman, Philip Meyers, Peter L. Rice Part I

"Deep blue mists of the night swirl over the sands of Raurin, the incomparable Desert of Dust.

As the cool night air drains the heat from the sand, you & your friends huddle around your campfire, glancing nervously at the giant pyramid in the distance.

Gradually, the winds change direction, bearing a thin streak of white mist toward you from the pyramid.

It swirls & takes shape as a faceless man dressed in ancient robes & an ornate head-piece; moonlight shining through his ghostly body & robes, he lifts his arms toward the pyramid & speaks.

It was magic that conveyed you all to Bralizar, & an ancient map that guided you through the pass in The Dustwall.

But it was, after all, the tales that finally brought you to this place - tales of endless wealth, of spirit-guarded pyramids, of crystalline obelisks, of gemstones with mysterious properties.

Now, as the haunted voice of the spectre before you begins his tale, you wonder if the treasure & the quest are worth the price...perhaps your very lives.

Are you really the heroes of the prophecies, those who will overcome the foretold tests, & those for whom the treasure awaits?"

So begins the collected I3-5 Desert of Desolation  modules by Tracy Hickman, Laura Hickman, Philip Meyers, Peter L. Rice but to adapt them to a pulp style AA! game is going to take a bit of historical & dungeon master slight of hand. The Middle Eastern Theater of War WW1 is both very dynamic & down right terrifying.   The Egpytian style pulp themes with its lost ghost pharaoh wandering the sands is easily moved over to the edge of the Egyptian/African border enabling the PC's to encounter the spirit of Amun-Re, a pharaoh cursed to wander the desert until his tomb is robbed. Amun-Re begs the PCs to remove his staff of ruling and Star Gem from his tomb to break his curse.  The fact is that powers & abilities of capes or adventurers are not going to make a blind bit of difference to solving & playing this module. If the module can be adapted to Mystara then it can be adapted to WWI Earth. 

This adventure is going to be pre  the 1922 discovery by Howard Carter of Tutankhamun's tomb & the PC's are going to have to rely on the local Arab tribes for guidance into the wilds of Egypt's Empty Quarter or the The Rub' al Khali desert. This place has an occult history of touching many other worlds & its the perfect location for  I3-5 Desert of Desolation. In fact the PC's might be dealing heavily with the the British protectorate of the Sultanate of Egypt. Thieves, raiders, rangers, & all of the combat heavies along with druids are a must here. Make sure you've got a copy of Castles & Crusades handy. The module is going to take the player's party from their world into your pulp fantasy version of Egypt.  

PC's could get easily in way over their heads with the first part of this module. The two essential books here are the Amazing Adventures Manual of Monsters & the C&C Monsters & Treasure book.  Why?! Because of something I noticed in a review of the module; Harley Bates reviewed the Daystar West edition of the adventure in The Space Gamer No. 54.^[3] He commented that "It's a nice break from standard ongoing campaigns, and gives both players and judges attainable goals in shorter steps."^[3] Bates added that "The inhabitants of the tomb are far from the ordinary fare and provide the players and the judge with fascinating role-playing. There are many clues and puzzles scattered throughout the adventure. All in all, it's a very tightly-woven adventure which should be enjoyable for all involved."The monsters of I3 are very dangerous & encounters could end a party unless their very careful. DM's should tailor things to their player's PCs as needed.. Notice I said as needed.

Once the players get a taste for I3 then they'll want to continue on & the DM is going need to familiarize themselves with the twists & turns of these modules coming up.  I3-5 Desert of Desolation  has some truly dangerous factions, twists & turns. This sets things up very nicely for a mega campaign by possibly adapting 2nd edition Ravenloft  

RA3 Touch of Death (2e) by Bruce Nesmith into a Gothic WW1 campaign. But for the moment I'm going to concentrate on   I3-5 Desert of Desolation.

 Player's PC's are quite literally going to be at the mercy of many of the internal adventure elements of  I3-5 Desert of Desolation. They'll have to do some strong role playing & really think on their feet to survive the machinations of the module.  The DM is going to be doing a balancing act between history & the weird realities of the module. The Raiders of the Lost Ark themes here are evident