First part of an epic rescue mission: a series of encounters in a desert behind enemy lines. The heroes are ambushed by variant monsters in a sandstorm in scenario one; the second may be the most innovative, the party must discover the true name of a Djinn before they can defeat it; more emphasis on horror in the next encounter, undead to battle, bodies and skulls to find, and a captive to rescue, in a leaning tower; the final scenario has the most tactical decisions, how to split your forces, attack at night or during the day, as well as a formidable mutant to battle.

Welcome variation in the mission set ups and opponents to be faced. There is a mechanic for hunger/thirst penalties due to desert travel, and the best chance of avoiding these is to keep your camels (and handler) alive. Having overarching considerations beyond individual scenarios makes the overall mission more coherent. One omission: no experience listing for the gnoll shaman, warden, or guard dog in scenario 4.

In play, the heroes won all scenarios, but the oasis encounter would have been close if the Djinn had not rolled poorly, and a companion was lost to the skeletal knights in the tower. The toughest opponent was the Humpback in the final scenario: it killed a companion before falling to a wizard.

A strong start to The Rescue. Highly recommended.