There are two ways you can use this adventure. If you have earlier episodes of The Undead Chronicles, this slots in neatly as part 5. However, if you are not using the series, you can just have your characters come across an unpleasant smelly mine entrance as they go about their travels, or of course make up your own reasons for why they might go there.

However you get the characters in there, they face some hair-raising chases and brawls in the chaotic and claustrophobic confines of a disused mine, inluding the possibility of mad pursuits in mine carts careering along the tracks. There are a couple of new monsters, novel ways of using zombies, and plenty to keep them occupied until they end at a genuine cliff-hanger - or at least, the edge of a large dark hole. The next episode of this Sidetrek Adventure Weekly series reveals what's down there, or of course you can substitute your own horrors.

Best suited to a narrative approach rather than one that is strictly map-based, there is a map as well as some zombie counters and an extensive character sheet. This will serve as an exciting interlude, and is worth keeping for when the characters encounter a disused mine if you are not using the full storyline.

I bring a tremendous amount of biasness when I say that Sidetrek Adventure Weekly 2 is turning out to be a much better ride than the first series of Sidetrek Adventure Weekly. Not that their was anything wrong with the first set, but this second set has zombies and the Iron DM loves zombies. I am avid fan of zombie novels, own every zombie movie in existence and tend to blend a zombie story into any campaign I run. Sidetrek Adventure Weekly 2: Catching the Last Breath is an exciting set of encounters pitting a party against brain eating zombies and an abandoned mine.

As with others in the series, Last Breath is comprised of several small encounters that make up a mini adventure. The 20 page mini-adventure links to other adventures in the series. It also can be played stand-alone and contains a backstory and adventure hook to catch the party up to speed.

Last Breath is a straight forward gauntlet that throws some frantic obstacles at the party as they chase down a mysterious object that was taken into the mine. The pacing is relentless and will really push a sixth level or below party. The adventure features a different type of zombies than the traditionally boring shambling zombies in Dungeons and Dragons. These zombies are inspired by the fast moving British Zombie movies crossed with the flesh/brain eating zombies of Romero. The creature design is a refreshing look at the zombie and adds more inspiration for using the creature. There is also a vermin ghasp that had a fun distraction ability that DMs will find interesting. The climax creature was a bit boring, but a nice setup for the next adventure.

For the Dungeon Master These sidetreks are a nice diversion from a major story arc. This is the perfect adventure to pop out when the PCs are exploring a town and find an abandoned old mine. An added bonus to this is the brain-eating zombie creature which is well balanced and could really challenge a higher level party when thrown at them in the dozens.

The Iron Word My theory on why the encounters in the Sidetrek series are so good is that because they are each written by a different writer, there is less fluff thrown at the reader and the designer can really flesh out a creative encounter. Though the climax falls flat, the vigorous pace in the beginning more than makes up for it. They also do a great job of giving you a clear understanding of what the adventure level and objective is. I only wish they would place it in their marketing copy. In any case, Catching the Last Breath is another fun ride brought to us by LPJ Designs.

The second Sidetrek Adventure Weekly series, The Undead Chronicles, is drawing to a close with this fifth and penultimate adventure scenario, Chasing the Last Breath. Prior to this adventure the characters had arrived in the small town of Merzel's Fall, where the machination of strange zombies had been brought to their attention through a series of deadly attacks. In an attempt to save some kidnapped villagers, the characters enlist the aid of a Hunter of Ghedit, and through her aid they manage to discover the location where the zombies harvest the flesh of their own converted kind. This adventure, for 6th level characters, sees the characters chase after some escaped zombies and their cargo of mysterious brain-eggs, hoping to uncover the truth behind the zombies' dealings and who or whatever controls them.

The format and presentation of this product is very similar to others in the Sidetrek Adventure Weekly series of products. A neat cover is provided, with good image art, along with a useful ratings system detailing the nature of the adventure and its challenges. The rating system for this adventure indicates that this is a dungeon-type adventure with a medium level of threats and trap, which sounds about right. The rating system is useful, although I'd have preferred a more accurate indication of character level rather than simply 'Medium'.

As with the others scenarios in this series, the product includes a variety of useful additional features, such as a notes bar in the page margin for DMs, a good character sheet, initiative cards, and monster tokens for the key monsters in this product. Overall, a professional presentation that provides far more than you'd have expected for an adventure scenario. This adventure can be played as a standalone scenario or as part of the Undead Chronicles mini-campaign adventure. Plenty of advice and suggestions are provided for both scenarios in the pdf.

I've generally enjoyed the adventure scenarios in the Sidetrek Adventure Weekly series - the adventures are well presented, well written, contain interesting encounters and encounter set-ups, and fun and exciting adventure locations. Chasing the Last Breath is no exception. In this adventure scenario the characters take part in a death-defying minecart race, following the zombie brain-eggs deep into the dark depths of a forgotten mine. While the cart chase is probably not the most unique location or scenario, it's one that usually works well and will keep the excitement level high. The game rules governing the cart chase are fairly good, providing an easy way to adjudicate the chase while keeping the pace and tension high.

During the minecart chase the PCs will need to contend with a variety of challenges, not least of which is steering the minecart around the challenging track. On top of that the stench of zombie flesh is high and the characters will need to fight their way through hordes of zombies and other sinister creatures if they are to keep up with the quarry they are trying to chase. One of my concerns about this series was that a well-prepared party with a suitable cleric would walk through the undead quite easily. While I think that remains largely true, the authors have added some additional creatures that are not undead, and also used clever ways to boost the turn resistance of undead creatures. In this way I think the adventure can still be challenging for your average party.

Towards the end of the race the PCs start to uncover the masters behind the zombie excursions, and they are nearer to discovering the purpose behind the zombies harvesting flesh and brain-eggs for their masters. The adventure concludes with a dangerous encounter with the zombie masters, and leaves the characters on the edge of a pit into darkness that will lead into the last episode of this adventure series. The adventure concludes with useful information on scaling the adventure for different character levels, and a new monster, a non-undead creation that fits nicely into this adventure.

Overall I think this is another good adventure in the series from LPJ Design. I don't think it's the most creative or unique one in terms of location or setup, but being the penultimate adventure, it actually feels like one. The pacing of the adventure and indeed the series has been very good, and the exposition of adventure plot and mystery is well handled through the course of the series. The characters should get a sense that they're closing down on the motivation behind the adventure, at the same time as trying to keep pace with the minecart chase into the darkness and the hordes of undead flesh. I think this encounter will likely work best as part of the series, but can be used with some modification on its own. Chasing the Last Breath is another good SAW adventure which remains true to everything the series stands for - high paced action, entertainment, fun locations, and challenging encounters.