Review: Dungeon Module N2 The Forest Oracle

This module is listed as one of (if not the) worst module ever written. It was one of the first of the orange-top-border format modules along with I2 Tomb of the Lizard King, I3-I5 The Desert of Desolation trilogy, and the EX1-2 series of Wonderland modules. This time period of AD&D shows a decline not only in physical product quality, but in content as well. The modules written were either too generic to be useful, or overly specific, with little or no middle ground. The rules as written were ignored in favor of twisted plotlines and story. Suddenly, we went from witty one-liners and inside jokes in otherwise serious adventure modules to entire slapstick pun dungeons like WG7: Castle Greyhawk or boring melodramas like Dragonlance. AD&D had become a running joke! Unfortunately, this is the time period in which I was introduced to the game (1983-1984) and I've spent decades collecting the older material (which I consider to be superior in every way).

Module N2: The Forest Oracle seems to suffer from a lack of knowledge of the rules. In a time when AD&D was supposed to represent the tournament-level rules used by all players, this module decided to depart from the norm with strange rules on surprise chances and stats that made no sense. Character levels and casting abilities did not match. Stats that were obviously written for varying Hit Dice were suddenly combined into an attack routine. This was bad editing at its worst!

The numbering scheme of the modules usually indicates some connectivity - in this case, the module has no connection whatsoever with N1 Against the Cult of the Reptile God or N3 Destiny of Kings. I believe the "N" designation stood for "Novice," so all these modules were written for low-level characters or new players. That seems to be the only common thread in the initial N-series of modules. So, those DMs hoping to get another gem like N1 were disappointed when this stinker of a module came out (and is probably the main reason why so many people despise this module).

The plot, although thin, could be beefed up by any DM worth his salt to fit into his or her own campaign. It would take some work to place this anywhere in the World of Greyhawk setting, but it would work well in a 1st edition version of the Forgotten Realms. The basic premise: a farming region known as The Downs has been cursed so that nothing grows and the animals are starving, and the party must find out why and reverse the effects. Simple enough on the surface. But the quest has the characters crossing wilderness at levels 2-4 (a most dangerous time to be encountering large parties of creatures or wilderness-type encounters) in search of Druids who will make everything right as rain. Seems like a pretty soft plotline already.

The encounters that comprise this module are like DUNGEON Magazine side treks that are simply all strung together in module form. It would not surprise me to learn that the author wrote all these little adventures as 1-page fillers and stuffed them in a drawer, then later arranged them on a desk and said, "Now I've got a module." It generally doesn't work out well when someone does that. Not only are these encounters disconnected from one another (except as quests performed to complete a quest), but there are so damn many of them! In a wilderness region with no safe refuge in sight for miles, a group of low-level characters will quickly be overwhelmed and begin dropping like flies when all their resources run dry.

Consider a party of 6-8 players characters (more likely to be 2-4 PCs plus henchmen, if available) getting involved in about 4 encounters in the wilderness. Sheer numbers and spent resources mean that they will have to rest frequently. Eventually they will run out of consumables and ammo. Their destination is still some distance away, and once they arrive they still will not be able to replenish some things (like arrows, bolts, sling bullets, oil flasks, holy water, etc.) which are vital to the continuation of the adventure. Then one has to consider all the treasure recovered by the party. Some of the hauls in the module list treasure in the thousands-of-coins; this is simply too much for a party to haul out by themselves and still be on the move.

The adventure itself has some leeway in how the players can proceed, but the obstacles (river crossings, mountain passes, underground tunnels, etc.) basically make this a linear plot, if not a railroaded plot, and we all know how much players like these. Well, experienced players hate them; new players might actually embrace a linear plot that hides its railroading nature! Not everyone new to the game knows what to do coming out of the chute, so it's helpful to give them a little push now and then while still making it seem like they are making the choice.

However, bad editing and railroaded plotlines aside, the adventure is long enough and detailed enough to provide a good DM with some interesting ideas and keep the players occupied for several sessions. Obviously, if an encounter makes no sense, or the DM doesn't like the tone or treasures therein, he or she can change or omit the content to suit his or her campaign. I don't want to give specific examples because I don't want to spoil the adventure. Let's just say that the Druid Oracle makes no sense whatsoever in terms of AD&D rules and the method given to enact the "cure" is lackluster at best.

I don't think this is the worst module ever written. It has some good points, but it takes some work and a good DM to make it worthwhile. A much worse adventure is WG9 Gargoyle, which is simply abysmal and not worth the paper it's printed on.