Diamond Gulch is a 43 page d20 adventure and the first in Amalara's Otherwhere series of adventures. Each product in the series provides a d20 adventure with a unique or non-standard flavor. In the case of this pdf, the combination of steampower technology with dinosaurs and high fantasy, along with elements of the Wild West, provide for a different backdrop to your standard fantasy adventure.
The product comes as a single fully bookmarked pdf file. The cover, by Ed Alexander, features a train pulled by dinosaurs (triceratops), an image which forms the dominating theme of this adventures. The interior art is also by Ed Alexander, and consists mainly of a few good art pieces of faces and one of a pair of dinosaurs. Editing and layout was good, as were the d20 stat blocks provided, something pleasing to see. The pdf includes several handouts and maps, one or two of which were disappointing in that they were confusing or difficult to interpret in some places largely due to the style of the pencil sketches used to draw 3D terrain. David Garrett is responsible for the writing, and does a good job of providing a clear and concise adventure.
This adventure sees the PCs getting involved in a plot related to dinosaur-rustling and attempts to shut down a small mining town's dinosaur-powered train. The adventure is based on a combination of location and event driven scenarios - the former being tied to specific locations of interest to the PCs, while the latter are events that happen over time during the course of the adventure. This makes for a very 'freeform' style of adventure where the PCs are largely left to the own devices and are responsible for driving the plot themselves based on their own actions. Should they choose not to, the event based system will eventually catch up with them over a longer timescale than one would anticipate completing the adventure in. Besides the larger plot of dinosaur-rustling and the fate of the dinosaur-powered train at the hands of a steampowered train company, there are also a number of smaller subplots involving cursed miners and murder charges. The combination of these should be a plate-full for the PCs, and provide some good roleplaying opportunities.
During the course of the adventure the PCs will get the opportunity to travel to both Diamond Gulch, the mining town, and Silver City, a larger city some distance from Diamond Gulch. In both locations they will get plenty of opportunity to roleplay as they piece together evidence and attempt to put an end to the various schemes that go on around them. Some of the encounters in the adventure, particularly those related to the dinosaurs, are a bit weak and have a very 'staged' feeling to them, but otherwise there's a healthy balance between roleplaying, investigation and good combat. Travelling will likely take up considerable time during the adventure, but the presence of the steampowered train will make things go swifter.
The pdf gives full details on the motivations and involvement of quite a large number of NPCs, and also provides brief details on Diamond Gulch and Silver City, although in the latter case these are quite lacking beyond the NPC descriptions. Full stat blocks are also provided for each of the NPCs involved. Towards the end of the pdf a number of additional options are provided for extending the adventure beyond what was written, as well as a new magical item and several mundane items such as dinosaur snacks and dynamite (although the mechanical implementation of the latter is a bit weak).
Diamond Gulch succeeds well at providing a good adventure with a solid, yet simple, plot that provides a good mix of combat and roleplaying. PCs will get the chance to investigate a number of things during the course of the adventure, while at the same time combating the threats they may encounter or face. The Wild West/Steampower theme works well along with the dinosaur material to form a different and interesting adventure. The adventure should give the PCs much to do, although at times a lot of time can be taken up wandering the dinosaur encampment or travelling between Silver City and Diamond Gulch.<br><br>
<b>LIKED</b>: Diamond Gulch is a solid adventure with a different theme that works well to provide an enjoyable playing experience. NPC interaction and combat are well balanced, and there's opportunity for most characters to shine within the adventure.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: Maps and handouts were not the best, in some places looking crude, or simply being difficult to interpret. The plot line is very simple, although there are quite a few plot elements within the overall pdf.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Acceptable<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Satisfied<br>
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