A Review of the Role Playing Game Supplement Dungeon Crawl Classics #87.5: Grimtooth’s Museum of Death

Dungeon Crawl Classics #87.5: Grimtooth’s Museum of Death by Jobe Bittman and Steve Crompton 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 32-page PDF from DriveThruRPG for $6.99. It is also available in printed form from sites such as Amazon. The PDF is the version reviewed although it was purchased at a reduced price as part of a special bundle. Two pages are the front and rear covers, one the front matter, about half a page is the Open Game License and one is ads.

The Introduction explains that players get the chance to delve into the Grimtooth’s base of operations, first detailed in Grimtooth’s Trap Comics. This part doesn’t state it’s a level 1 adventure either; the list of what is needed to survive is substantially greater. This is a Grimtooth supplement, so this may be tongue in cheek. Then again, this is a Grimtooth supplement, so it might not be at the same time.

Adventure Background gives some details on Grimtooth and how to adapt the traps to DCC. There is also an accidental death and dismemberment table. Adventure Start has the characters approaching the castle.

Not much of the complex is detailed. There’s the castle itself, Level 4: Cave Level, Level 24: Administrative Level, Level 13: Trap Test Level and Level 100-101: Grimtooth’s Lair.

Following this are details on escaping Grimtooth Castle, having Grimtooth as a Patron (for those foolish enough to believe that is a good idea) and two trap appendices, one on door traps and one on floor traps.

Dungeon Crawl Classics #87.5: Grimtooth’s Museum of Death in Review

The PDF is bookmarked but only major sections are linked. Navigation is okay. The text maintains a two-column format and appeared to be free of errors. There are a variety of black and white illustrations and maps, at least some of which are probably custom. Presentation is good.

This is a Grimtooth supplement, so pride of place goes to the traps. Almost everything in the dungeon is trap-related; though there are a few monsters, there are more traps and such as Grimtooth and Grimtina are, for all intents and purposes, impossible to kill. Experience is therefore awarded for traps, such as for “Not dying”.

Is this supplement possible to play as part of a campaign? As stated, this is a Grimtooth supplement. The answer is therefore “Not really.” Grimtooth traps, for those not familiar with them, are intended to kill characters in entertaining ways. Killing characters is their whole point. When combined with an already quite lethal system in DCC, the traps are brutal. Characters will die, they will probably die in large numbers and even the survivors are unlikely to exit with much treasure. That’s not what Grimtooth is about. This module should be treated as light, albeit gruesome, entertainment to be used with characters no-one really cares about. Because they’re going to die. Dungeon Crawl Classics #87.5: Grimtooth’s Museum of Death can be found by clicking here.