Conan Against Darkness!

Conan Against Darkness! is a 1984 adventure module for the first edition of the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game, set in the Hyborian universe of Robert E. Howard's character Conan the Barbarian.[2] It is designed for four player characters at character level 10-14 and uses some minor rule variations in an attempt to recreate the setting's atmosphere.[3] It was publicized as containing a "journey of epic proportions".[4]

Conan Against Darkness!
The cover of the module, showing Arnold Schwarzenegger as Conan.
CodeCB2
TSR Product Code9124
Rules requiredAdvanced Dungeons & Dragons 1st edition
Character levels10-14
Campaign settingHyborian
AuthorsKen Rolston
First published1984[1]
Linked modules
CB1, CB2

Plot summary

Conan Against Darkness! is set during Conan's reign as King of Aquilonia, and features a battle against the Stygian arch-mage Thoth-Amon.[2] The adventure leads to the forbidden city of Khemi, and the catacombs beneath the city's sacred pyramids.[2]

The adventure requires the use of some variant rules specified in the publication. These include "Fear", a faster healing rate and "Heroism".[4]

The publication includes four new monsters (Winged Gaunts, Crawler in the Dark, Serpent Folk, Fire Guardians), several new magical items and game statistics for the four suggested player characters - Conan, Pelias the Sorcerer, Nzinga the Amazon and Prospero the General.[5]

Publication history

Conan Against Darkness! was written by Ken Rolston, with art by Jeffrey Butler and Jeff Easley, and was published by TSR in 1984 as a 32-page booklet with an outer folder.[2]

Its module code is CB2 and its TSR product code is TSR 9124.[1]

The module was edited by Anne C. Gray, with graphic design by Elizabeth Riedel and cartography by "Diesel".[1]

Reception

Jez Keen of Imagine magazine gave it a mixed review.[4] He praised the cover and the overall "attractive package" of the module. However, he noted that the game could only be played effectively as Conan and his companions. Criticisms included the "disjointed and sometimes purposeless" gameplay,[4] mundane and overwritten encounters,[4] and that the "extreme violence and lack of clerics" made survival difficult.[4]

See also

References
  1. "Conan Against Darkness! entry". Pen-paper.net. Archived from the original on 2005-02-27.
  2. Schick, Lawrence (1991). Heroic Worlds: A History and Guide to Role-Playing Games. Prometheus Books. p. 88. ISBN 0-87975-653-5.
  3. Rolston, Ken (1984). Conan Against Darkness!. TSR. p. 3. ISBN 0-88038-153-1.
  4. Keen, Jez (April 1985). "Game Reviews". Imagine (review). TSR Hobbies (UK), Ltd. (25): 43.
  5. Rolston, Ken (1984). Conan Against Darkness!. TSR. pp. 27–32. ISBN 0-88038-153-1.


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