BASIC01: A Learning Time by Kevin Mickelson is a role playing game supplement published by AAW Games for use with the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game. As such, it is covered by the Open Game License and some parts are considered to be Open Game Content as a result. This is a level 1 starting adventure for new GMs and players. The supplement also comes in versions for Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition and Fantasy Grounds. It is the first of a series of adventures in the same setting.
The supplement is available as a 27-page PDF from DriveThruRPG for $3.59, as a softcover print on demand book for $6.50 or as both printed book and PDF for $7.10. The PDF is the version reviewed though it was bought at a much-reduced price as part of a special bundle. Two pages are the front and rear covers, one page is the Credits and Table of Contents, one page the Open Game License and one page is an ad. There is also an accompanying zip of additional files, which contains a printer friendly version of the PDF that lacks the page backgrounds, Hero Lab files, images of the four pre-generated characters, the four pawns for the characters and virtual tabletop materials.
Adventure Background explains that the Exallizar Preparatory Academy has stood for centuries and trains heroes. The hook is that the characters are children of heroes and, as such, are eligible to attend the academy. They are teamed up together and told that these classmates will be their adventuring party. Then the adventure itself starts.
The adventure is fairly simple in design. It’s intended to challenge new characters at the school and is called the Gauntlet; a series of tests and puzzles. The characters must make their way through the Gauntlet, solving puzzles, getting past traps and defeating monsters. The better they do it, the higher their finishing grade. There isn’t really anything more to it than that.
Following the adventure are four pages with four pre-generated characters, a player-friendly map of the Gauntlet and a page with the four pawns with instructions on how to make them.
BASIC01: A Learning Time in Review
The PDF is well bookmarked with major and minor sections linked. The Table of Contents is to a similar level of detail and is also hyperlinked. Navigation is very good. The text is mostly a two-column full colour format, with some exceptions for read aloud text, and appeared to be free of errors. There are parchment backgrounds for read aloud text, different coloured backgrounds for monsters, checks, traps and puzzles, a full colour map that also comes in a player friendly version and illustrations of the monsters and characters. Presentation is excellent.
Overall, this adventure is aimed at younger players, but the younger players are playing adults, albeit young adults. The tricks and puzzles they have to face are challenging, rather than being toned down, and many of the encounters require the characters to work together; defeating them without teamwork is not going to be easy. Whilst an adventuring school might not make a whole lot of sense, except in a very magic-rich setting, this module has been very well put together. It might be aimed at younger players but it will be a challenge to adults as well. It also has fairly extensive VTT support, even if this isn’t the Fantasy Grounds module. BASIC01: A Learning Time is a good little adventure and it can be found by clicking here.
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