This pdf is 20 pages long, 1 page front cover, 1 page SRD, 1 page advertisement, leaving us with 17 pages of content, so let's check this out!

This being a locale/adventure-sourcebook, the following contains SPOILERS. Potential players may wish to jump to the conclusion.

Still here? All right! This pdf can be considered a sidequest that can be inserted into your DCC-campaign as soon as the players have a significant quest on their hands - they are invited to the Cotilion of Somnos, the dreaming god and petition the god to fulfill their request.

Rather interestingly, the characters may encounter dream analogues of themselves, warped by dreamstuff and wearing masks - for example a cat-mask means that the respective character's otherwise identical analogue is of the opposite gender and strangely alluring to the character, while harlequin masks mean that the respective character's alignment is reversed. Now while that is unusual, more unusual is that splitting the party actually makes sense and that the module is supposed to be interspersed throughout multiple dreams, essentially constituting a dream-adventure in addition to regular explorations. Beyond this, time is also highly malleable, resulting is spells gaining instantaneous durations or having a spell last until the respective caster leaves the room, resulting in phenomena of fireballs hanging mid-air and similar appropriately weird modifications. Death in dreams may send you into a permanent coma and spellburn and patron favors extend from dreams to the real world.

The location of Somnos' Cotilion is iconic to say the least, allowing the characters to dance with their nightmares, navigate an endless hallway, engage in intimate liaisons, experience weird memories that may or may not belong to you. The players may also find a fountain of strange statues devoted to cats (including a potentially deadly alien cat) and finally navigate the great ballrooms, dance with goat-footed musicians and dance the waltz of years that erodes away their personality. In order to reach Somnos, though, they will have to answer (or vanquish) the deadly dream ghouls that feats on the years and best their own pallid reflections.

Information to invoke Somnos as a patron is included in the pdf as well, as are three versions of the maps as high-res jpegs for VTT-use - with and without DM-map keys. Neat!

Conclusion: Editing and formatting are top-notch, I didn't notice any glitches. Layout adheres to a 2-column b/w-standard and the pdf comes fully bookmarked. Artworks are nothing to write home about, but reminiscent of old-school modules and rather neat when taking the low price into account. Wow! Daniel J. Bishop has not only created a hauntingly iconic sidetrek that oozes creativity, he has done so with flair and elegance, showing a working knowledge of the DCC-rules and providing a locale that is simple excellent and awesome. Even if you don't use the DCC-rules, you will still find oh so deliciously many awesome ideas herein that a purchase is not only a good idea, but actually wholeheartedly recommended by me, especially at the very low and fair price of admission. My final verdict will be 5 stars +endzeitgeist seal of approval. Endzeitgeist out.

This is an adventure like no other, one that if done properly will live in your group's collective memory for years to come. So what is so unusual about it? For a start, it comes billed as being for any number of characters of any level.

The concept is quite simple. When the characters are asleep, their 'dream selves' awaken in the halls of a deity. There's a party going on, a cotillion or formal ball. But if they can find their way to the deity, Somnos the Dreaming God, they can ask a favour or boon. Simple, huh? And safe, seeing as they aren't really there...

As well as the characters, the dance is being attended by 'dream analogues' which are masked and costumed aspects of the characters themselves - perhaps the opposite gender, perhaps able to offer a word of wisdom or a prophecy about that character - and these bob in and out of existence in a random manner, dreamlike in its surreal nature.

Things - and spells - work differently too, although the characters have access to the items and knowledge that they have in the waking world. Life and death, as well: and although damage isn't real, being injured or killed in this dream world may have ramifications when (if?) the character awakens.

As well as rules for making all this wierdness happen, there is a floorplan and detailed notes of the dream world in which the Cotillion is being held. Study the descriptions carefully, they're designed to help you make this a truly odd and dreamlike experience for your players, never mind their characters! There are all manner of odd sights and strange events for them to negotiate... and the really neat thing? If you so choose, you can always use it again with the same characters later on in your campaign.

This is an original idea well-presented. Other adventures that I have read for various game systems have presented 'dream sequences' and indeed this works best as a dream dropped into an ongoing adventure or campaign, but this is a complete dream-based adventure in its own right, giving you a chance to take matters in a quite unexpected direction.

Through the Cotillion of Hours is a DCC RPG Adventure from Purple Ducks Games, and is the third in the Adventure Locations series.

Now, Through the Cotillion of Hours is not your normal adventure, either for the DCC RPG or pretty much any D&D type game (it should be noted that I think this would work well in ANY OSR game system, not just the DCC RPG). This is an adventure taking place in the realm of sleep, a dream world if you will. The players will have the opportunity to achieve something that they are questing for.

Since it is far from your usual adventure setting (and the adventure itself can kick off in the midst of another adventure) the usual rules don't necessarily follow. Time is the players' greatest foe, and it's passage is not always constant or consistant.

It is not a combat driven adventure (although players could certainly turn it into one). It's puzzle driven. Well, maybe not puzzle driven totally either. It requires thought. Not in the impossible "Lich Dungeon" manner either.

It's also a reusable adventure. If players fail in achieving their goal the first time, they may get summoned again at a later time. I like the whole concept, because it is not the normal adventure one would expect in any sense of the word.

The map is well done, and the inclusion of a unlabeled players map is always a boon for online groups. Purple Duck does a very good job with this as always.

Scott Ackerman does the art. Have I said enough great stuff about Scott's work (which also graces the header of this blog)? Much awesomeness. The piece I have above is one of Scott's works from the interior of the adventure. The cover is nice too, but this piece speaks more about the adventure than I can put into words.

If I were to make one suggestion, maybe the pieces could be put together again in the back of the adventure, for use a player aids or visuals. It's always shame when great art is seen only by one of the 5 or more people at the (virtual) gaming table. When I get a chance to run this, it will be with all the art saved and ready to be shown to the players when appropriate to set the mood and tone.