A fine introductory adventure that introduces the players to the Blackmarch. Like the Ironwood Gorge this adds a fair amount of character to what initially may look like a standard dungeon run. Most of the things I would have liked to have seen in this module (more detail on the Bleak Tower, etc) are resolved in Ironwood Gorge so it's not really a bit issue. Though I kind of wish that the secondary plot was expanded upon a bit more instead of just ending in a random hole in the forest.

I haven't had time to play the adventure yet, only read through it and prepare its placement in my campaign, but it is a solid product which I highly recommend as a starting point if you are interested in exploring the OSR world.

I picked up The Sanctuary Ruin because I wanted a small encounter area (a side trek, if you will) as the PCs traveled to the main area. A place for them to pick up some experience and some treasure, because the next adventure will be a bit tough for them if they go into it at their current level. I don't think I'll be disappointed.

Some spoilers may follow.

The module reminds me of a very small Keep on the Borderlands. A goblin warren is described, along with the "home base" for this adventure, although many details the home base are left to the GM.

The goblins are presented with alternate actions, depending on what the PCs do. For example, if a large number of goblins are killed, the remaining goblins will harvest poisonous mushrooms and drop them in the inn's water supply. Goblin reinforcements are mentioned as well, moving from one area to the decimated area. These details help GMs make the game world seem more alive, that critters don't just wait around for the PCs to slaughter them. Furthermore, there is an outside group exerting pressure on the goblins, and the goblins are plotting revenge. Enterprising PCs (and perceptive players) could find a way to use this to thier advantage.

There are two issues I have with the adventure. First, the random encounters are very difficult for a low-level group to survive. A 1-in-6 chance of an encounter every hour wandering the woods means over the course of a day, a party will have 4 encounters. The first entry on the random encounter table is "d4 giant toads." I will be modifying this for my own game. Second, there is a very real possibility the PCs will be overwhelmed by the goblins. This resembles adventures like B2 The Keep on the Borderlands, but that wasn't my favorite part of the module. It will require some thinking on the players' part to accomplish the destruction of this goblin tribe.

A final quibble: the initial encounter describes a wagon peppered with arrows, and a band of goblins victorious in their raid. But the goblin equipment described doesn't mention bows or arrows.

I like the interactive nature of this module. I like that it is generic enough for me to place where I need it, with minimal backstory. I believe reckless PCs meet their dooms. I would have liked a little more development of the PCs home base. But this is a very good module, and I'm very pleased with my purchase. Overall, then, I'll give this module 4 stars.

As a fan of the classic campaign, I really can't find anything bad to say about this module. It flows nicely and is good for the beginnings of a long term adventure or even just for a one shot, straight through push. The choices of foes to be fought is classically creative. All in all, this is a well put together, nicely detailed and well rounded module.

The Sanctuary Ruin is a nice little mini adventure, that could well be used as part of a main campaign; or run as a one off.

Designed to be run through systems like Labyrinth Lord or ORSIC, it has that old-school feel about the whole thing. A mystery surrounds the area of Blackmarsh, with patrols going missing and rumours of goblins in the nearby woods. The stage is set for a classic adventure, with evil; dungeons and a little treasure along the way.

Its a nice little supplement, that could well be converted to newer systems; giving you a ready made side quest or plot hook for futher adventures.