A Review of the Role Playing Game Supplement Dungeon Crawl Classics 2013 Holiday Module: The Old God’s Return

Dungeon Crawl Classics 2013 Holiday Module: The Old God’s Return by Michael Curtis is a role playing game supplement published by Goodman Games for use with Dungeon Crawl Classics. 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 an adventure for level 1 characters.

The supplement is available as a 22-page PDF from DriveThruRPG for $6.99 but was purchased at a reduced price as part of a special bundle. Two pages are the front and rear covers, one page the front matter and one the Open Game License.

The opening paragraph gives an overview of the adventure.

Background explains that the Hyperboreans had an empire which later collapsed, leaving behind many treasures within the ice that swallowed their realm. One of these was a small ziggurat, encased in ice, that became home to a god that had fallen out of favour. When the glacier reached the sea, the ziggurat and its encasing ice floated into the sky and, since then, the old god has been increasing its power.

Starting the Adventure explains that a strange disease has been striking down children, sending them into a comatose state.

Event One: The Attack has a celebration to the Lord of Flames attacked by servants of the old god.

Event Two: Champions of Fire has the characters recruited to find out what is going on after having proven themselves worthy by driving off the attack. They will be granted powers by the Lord of Flames to help. The characters find the floating iceberg and confront the god and its servants.

Event Three: The Escape has the characters fleeing the iceberg before it falls out of the sky. There are suggestions on using the god again in the future; it’s a god and death is not necessarily permanent.

Dungeon Crawl Classics 2013 Holiday Module: The Old God’s Return in Review

The supplement is bookmarked with major sections linked. Navigation is okay. The text maintains a single column black and white format and appeared to be free of errors. There are a number of black and white illustrations, which look as if they may be custom, as well as the maps. Presentation is decent.

The text is only single column because this is trade paperback size, smaller than the usual supplements for DCC. This means it is a lot shorter, especially as the text is also not as densely packed as is usual, than anything at a comparable price in the same line, and therefore substantially more expensive. The adventure does feel as if it’s a bit overpowered for level 1 characters, and that rather than make it a higher-level adventure, the characters are instead granted special powers so they have a chance at victory, which seems an odd workaround. Though the adventure does have some interesting bits, it feels like it could easily have been longer, which would have made it better and better value for money. Dungeon Crawl Classics 2013 Holiday Module: The Old God’s Return can be found by clicking here.