A good semi-sandbox location, with some plot suggestion. And as a bonus, you get some "historical spells", which are both weirder and more evocative than the usual fantasy fare!

In short, I like it! Again, like Codex Superno, another work of the author's which I have reviewed, what I like most about The Devil's Pass is the ability to drop it into existing, potentially non-historical, campaigns.

SPOILERS WILL FOLLOW!

The Devi's Pass is a sandbox module for 2-4 players of levels 4-6 for use with OGL D20 system games. Set in n Late Medieval Europe, specifically the Franconian forest in, "what now is called Germany", it's written for a more low magic campaign and infuses elements of horror and fantasy into its historical setting.

Composed of a mico-module, Robbery at the Zur Höll as well as the main adventure, The Devil's Pass, the product features the goings on in a small valley populated by several groups both hostile and portentailly welcoming to the PCs.

First things first, this is designed to be a historical adventure. The breadth of detail is impressive and I think the author manages to give a great sense of history in a way that doesn't become dull lists of dates, or alienate readers who may (like I do) know less about the setting than the author.

I particularly like

Zur Holl

• "Marta, absent-mindedly singing an old hymn". These are the details that bring NPCs to life!
• the argument table on pg 14
• the addition of the abandoned church
• the detailed notes on how the bandit NPCs will behave

The Devil's Pass

• sandbox aspect! This is great and, imo, how scenarios should be designed. I like the constraint of the valley and the various groups within it.
• The maps are great too! They look easy enough to snip and blow up for VTT play.
• "15th Century urban defensive walls, Worms Germany. The walls of Tettau are very similar to this." Great stuff, having visual details is always very useful.
• Obviously I love "The Quiet House"! Unless I'm wrong this is a nod to The House on the Borderlands. I read William H. Hodgson at a young age and his Carnacki stories have been incredibly influential for me.
• This leads into the SWINEMANAPOCALYPSE plotline. Great stuff and definitely the one I'd want to use.
• the Witch is a great NPC
• the author maintains the 'low magic' feel without making elements of the supernatural meaningless.

In all, I think the author has succeeded again! I love site-based and sandbox modules, especially those with enough constraint to make the PCs hesitate simply leaving the area. I also love modules that set up various power blocks, so to speak, and then let the PCs deal with them as they will. When I get around to running a game that could accommodate this module I'll include it.

The historical detail, like always, is impeccable. I think it can be a little overwhelming at times, but since GMs don't need to adhere to it to play through the module, I don't think that's a huge problem! Certainly, for people who run strictly historical campaigns, the details provided will be much appreciated.

Full disclosure I also received a copy of this product to review.

I also come to this product from a d100 perspective and I would probably run this either using Mythras or Renaissance Deluxe.

This is a solid sandbox adventure that could also easily be bolted-on to an existing campaign set in a similar historical milleau. Codex Integrum does their homework, and this adventure is deeply informed and informative. If you're not used to a historical setting or don't have much of a background in either the Early-Modern period, the Hussite Wars, or Central European History, you're still ok, because the adventure gives you enough background to run as-is. A GM would benefit from acquiring other Codex books on the world of Central Europe in the 1450s, especially if they wanted to run this as part of a larger campaign. But as I said, it works great as a stand-alone sandbox adventure. What do you get? Lots of setting details, multiple great locations that you could use elsewhere, a stable of believable and playable NPCs, all of whom are worth keeping around for later encounters/adventures, as well as two emminently playable pre-gen characters with actual motivations and identities.

The adventure has two parts, a prologue of sorts, outside the valley, and a second part within the valley. The Prologue - By itself, this is an excellent interlude for a party of characters on the road in a dangerous/war-torn area. The Inn is a character as well and one could easily imagine it becoming a base of sorts for the players. The innkeeper is great and the adversaries are interesting enough to keep around if the players don't manage to kill them. It's also a great introduction/session 1 and is playable in a couple hours.

The Valley - Assuming the characters even get this far, there's a lot here that could stretch the adventure out over multiple sessions of play. The problems that the players need to resolve are not minor and there are a few situations that could result in a TPK, a particularly gruesome set of TPKs, actually. The Valley scenario will probably require a fair amount of negotiations and the players will need to find allies if they're to survive. Here you'll find several top-notch NPCs and plenty of stats for the various factional mooks. There are supernatural and horror elements, but the supernatural/magical elements don't need to dominate the story and aren't written in such a way that they couldn't be made entirely mundane. You won't need a spellcaster to survive this adventure. And here we get to something I really appreciate about the adventure - there's no assumed or desired outcome. The adventure is written so that whatever the players do, the GM has several options to spin it out other ways and build it into whatever they want to do next. Definintely worth picking up, especially for the price. The core Codex system is a d20 system, which, if you're playing PF or 3.x you'll get pretty quickly. I would specifically recommend this adventure for Mythras, RQ3, Renaissance Deluxe, WFRP 1st ed. or Zweihander.

-Open and fair: I volunteered to review this adventure so have received a free copy to do so. -Warning: This is spoiler light review, but I’m bound to slip a few details in as I go.

I’m also looking at it from the viewpoint of a Mythras player since I am unlikely to use the house system (although I am told it’s interesting).

The setting for the adventure is a low fantasy Europe but pleasantly central rather than western Europe and set in the 15th century (1452 C.E.) which is certainly a nice change from the majority of European based or inspired games. There is magic but rational explanations and substitutions can easily take that out.

I’m going to split this review into several parts starting with the reprinted adventure (from the players guide) ‘The Robbery at Zur Höll’, the titled The Devils Pass and probably a ramble of final thoughts at the end.

‘The Robbery at Zur Höll’ Described as a mini-encounter I’d say a good GM can get a very full intro out of this if they don’t just work along the dots and play to the social interactions. The scenario has two well described NPCs to roleplay off, like Hans the tavern keeper and the main antagonist, but also the location and situation which are characters in their own right.

Two pre-gens are provided and make good examples of setting PCs.

The Hook for the adventure is a kidnapping, lovelorn lad gets snatched by notorious robber knight, the PCs are agents for the young noble’s family, not rescuers mind, but to deliver the ransom to the bandit lord that has him.

The encounter is situated at Zur Höll, an inn located in a burnt-out hamlet…taking a step back, the overall setting is Franconia (Medieval Germany) after a series of wars and battles…relatively isolated from the main country. The inn itself is well renowned and intact despite the surrounding hamlet being burned out and is the backdrop for this ‘encounter’.

Avoiding too much detail the PC’s, who you will recall carry a great deal of money and have horses, are besieged by bandits and must overcome them to save their, and the inn folks hides.

There is a second act where the innkeeper whose staff have been spooked ask the PCs to investigate his cellar, this leads to the discovery of a secret tunnel and a foreshadowing encounter for the next adventure (although you can run without leading to that).

This is a simple introduction to the setting, but it works well and I’ll tell you why, in bullet point.

The Good

• It starts in an inn, for us oldies where else. Seriously the inn forms a very real character in its own right, I’d encourage a bit of research to really sell the feel of this essential medieval locale, but the writers give you more than enough material to work with and Hans is a solid NPC to interact with. • It has a tight but broad hook that several different character types can use all at once if not using the pregens. • It ties easily to the follow-on adventure and gives a nice base to work from if the players want a feeling of continuity and attachment. • The fight with the bandits involves range and melee and can move between several locations from the inn, stables and courtyard. Given its gaming roots it’s nice to not just see a slugfest. • The baddies are easily identified so the players shouldn’t have too much moral ambiguity to muck things up. • The most important thing though is the author paints a setting and presents a historical period in enough depth and detail that the GM should have no issues presenting this for his players. At least on an introductory level.

The Bad • The inn employees, except Hans, are cardboard and could use some padding. I genuinely don’t know that you’d care if Pavel the stable boy gets crucified (he doesn’t). • The second act I have a small issue with, and I’ll explain as best I can. The innkeeper who owes the PC his life and inn ask the strangers nearly murdered there to investigate ‘mysterious’ goings on in his cellar. No matter how I squint at it I can’t see why your PCs would do this (maybe that’s a reflection on my players), remember they have a ransom to deliver. One of the suggestions to encourage the PC’s is have one of the undeveloped NPC’s steal the ransom in a sudden but unexpected betrayal…the ingrate. It felt very forced, the cellar could just have easily been introduced as an escape route, you discover a tunnel to an old church, or used as a means to ambush the bandits from behind and introduced organically that way.

Mythras Thoughts *So as a Mythras player I think this is a great intro scenario.

The setting is interesting (I look forward to reading the Codex Baltic Volume 1 & 2), it has character in the sense that it has its own personality, there is conflict and flavour unique to the place and time. It’s a good choice for a backdrop.

The hook is a roleplay delight and I’d encourage my PCs to have passions towards the kidnapped or his kidnapper!

The combat is just the sort to make me nervous, in a good way, and although not set up with Mythras in mind a Mythras GM is going to appreciate the possibilities of the inn (particularly if they expand it to include more guests and bandits maybe a possible siege. It can be a real dynamic location given the chance.

We move on…*

The Adventure Continues! Upon leaving Zur Höll to continue their mission the PC’s find their way blocked due to various armed conflicts till they find themselves diverted and trapped in a small valley ‘The Devils Pass’. Devils Pass is in a bit of a bind and the only hope the PC’s have of leaving are to resolve this

It’s probably very important here that the GM explains to the PC’s the high likelihood of the forces fighting killing them on sight or discovering the money and killing them for that. The tunnel from Zur Höll is suggested to also potentially lead here. I’d do this as the inn makes a great base of operations.

The only concern I have with the valley is it can potentially feel railroaded getting the PC’s there if you’re not careful. It’s actually a very realistic option for the characters in the middle of war-torn Franconia but players and their pesky sense of agency, so be careful to establish the issues early on and well.

Devils Pass is not a linear adventure, rather a mini sandbox with several plot threads to explore, expand upon or ignore. I think it’s unlikely the players will ignore them as the author has placed an interesting conflict in the valley that needs resolution if the characters are to achieve their goal of getting further along their journey.

The village of Tettau is effectively under siege and its inhabitants have concealed/blocked the entrance/exit to their valley to avoid attracting further troubles from the roving band of warring bandits and nobles.

You get a very detailed look at the region, the inhabitants and the history of events to date. Again, the author gives the GM a playing board and the equipment to really embed the players in the location and period.

The valley has several factions and major NPC’s who are very well detailed in personality and goals although I suspect unless your PCs are unpleasant at least two will be obvious enemies but even the villagers and their leader the Abbess aren’t guaranteed allies.

From a plot point of view the main goal of the PC’s will be getting out of the valley and to do that they’ll need to deal with the valley’s problems. Since these problems universally involve large numbers fighting it out shouldn’t be solution number one.

The author offers several well detailed encounters and possible plotlines, more than enough for this mini-sandbox, random encounter tables to help fill in what happens inside or outside the valley for roaming players are also present. Tettau is a stopover but unless its problems are resolved its more Hotel California.

The Good • Great location with plenty of flavour, history and ambience. Your players should enjoy getting to know the valley and its inhabitants. Good and bad. • NPC’s! Better, much better. A variety of NPCs with enough detail in personality and motive to give the GM plenty to work with. • Good plots and events. Unless you’re playing with pure dice rollers the players should be at least a little intrigued by what’s going on and have a good reason to get involved. The relationship between the NPCs is also good fodder for roleplay. • Some solid GM advice is popped into the text about how your players could suicide if stupid. I would prefer sidebars as some of its important to highlight for novice GM’s.

The Bad • Not really a bad as to be fair we are talking a small company, but layout and art are only a solid C, decent but unlikely to blow you away. That said the layout is functional, and the art used (stock?) is appropriate and evocative. I was happy to hear and see a sample of the upgraded maps coming and this could push the score to a C+. I love a good map. • The players could feel railroaded into the valley, as I said it’s a completely realistic and logical outcome for events, but this should be called out page 1 and some guidance included.

Mythras Thoughts *If you play Mythras the presence of gunpowder weapons will be a sobering thought on trying to bully your enemies or potential allies, their numbers likewise will discourage suicidal assaults. The level of magic is very suitable to Mythras and easily converted using Folk Magic and Theism.

For a game like Mythras the encounters and situation present players with a variety of characters ample opportunity to shine. Social, combat, exploratory inclined can all find rooms here.*

Overall I really like ‘The Devils Pass, it’s a solid sandbox in an interesting location and period of history.

Overall I’d score this adventure 8/10 It presents a solid situation for characters to interact with and explore but with room enough for the GM to expand and make its own. The writer puts sufficient detail for the non-historian to present the setting to the players and also be entertained themselves.

I think it a glowing recommendation that I have purchased the Medieval Baltic books and would happily run a game (or play one) in the setting presented.