A Review of the Role Playing Game supplement Rappan Athuk Expansions: Volume 1 (S&W)

Rappan Athuk Expansions: Volume 1 (S&W) by Bill Webb and Alex Chatworthy is a role playing game supplement published by Frog God Games for use with Swords & Wizardry. As such, it is covered by the Open Game License and some parts are considered to be Open Game Content as a result. The supplement also comes in a Pathfinder version. This adds extra areas to Rappan Athuk, both within and without the dungeon, as well as new encounters.

The supplement is available as a 127-page PDF from DriveThruRPG for $10.19 but was purchased at a reduced price as part of a special bundle. Two pages are the front and rear covers, one is the front matter, one the Table of Contents and one the Open Game License.

The brief Introduction explains that this is the first in what will hopefully be a series of expansions for the megadungeon, with some notes on what they cover. This is followed by a new map of the Wilderness outside the dungeon with new locations added.

Part 1 Wilderness Area 29: Castle Calaelen starts with forwards by both authors. This is a low-level wilderness location, a rundown castle west of Zelkor’s Ferry that predates the fall of Tsar. It is inhabited by goblins and their gnoll mercenaries, and there are new rumours.

Part 2 Wilderness Area 30: Hell’s Hamlet is a small underground settlement primarily inhabited by devils and their hobgoblin troops. Rappan Athuk is primarily associated with Orcus, and devils have little liking for him. This hamlet could be a base of operations for characters wishing to build a rather different army opposed to Orcus.

Part 3 Wilderness Area 31: The Face in the Forest starts by explaining that the author loathes must lose fights. Which is pretty much how this adventure starts; a bit of a dichotomy. The characters are captured by pirates and have to escape through some corrupted wilderness. The adventure is intended to toughen up low-level characters and force them to improvise.

Part 4 Wilderness Area 32: The Tunnels of Terror is a small bandit keep near the Troll Fens with some new rumours. It leads to Level 1D: The Tunnels of Terror Entrance Level, a new entrance to the dungeon. From this point on, the dungeon levels follow Rappan Athuk’s format of wandering monsters’ stats, should there be any for the level, at the beginning of each level and a sidebar detailing the level’s features, entrances, exits and random encounters.

Part 5 Level 2C: The Tunnels of Terror is a three-section dungeon level accessed from 1D. Each section is detailed individually.

Part 6 Level 3D: The Tunnels of Terror is a two-section dungeon level accessible from level 2D with an access to the rest of the dungeon.

Part 7 Level 6B: The Dead Bury The Dead is a dangerous and trap- and undead-filled dungeon level accessible from Level 5 that is the tomb of four followers of Orcus who chose a form of unlife within Rappan Athuk as they got on in years.

Part 8 New Encounters has three encounters for the wilderness, one for within the dungeon and two new Wilderness Areas, though not as large as the earlier ones.

The Appendix has a new drug, some new magic items, some of which are only new for Swords & Wizardry, new monsters, including some from Tomb of Horrors Complete and Monstrosities, and new spells, again only new to Swords & Wizardry.

Rappan Athuk Expansions: Volume 1 (S&W) in Review

The PDF is very well bookmarked, with every section linked by the looks of it. The Table of Contents only covers the major sections. Navigation is good. The text maintains a two-column black and white format and a number of errors were noticed, including Part 7‘s title on every page it was used. There are a number of black and white illustrations, which may be custom, in sometimes incompatible styles, as well as the maps. Presentation is decent.

The aim of this supplement is stated to be to make an already massive dungeon even larger. It succeeds there. There are a number of new wilderness areas to explore, though Area 31 is effectively a separate adventure which may well not appeal to everyone. Most of the new underground areas connect with each other in various places, except for 6B, forming a fairly substantial and largely self-contained dungeon within the greater dungeon, though they do connect to that as well. This may well be a safer way for characters to enter the main dungeon, especially as they could get some of those within on their side; some are enemies of each other. 6B is a self-contained area that is largely intended to kill people for the amusement of its undead occupants. Rappan Athuk Expansions: Volume 1 (S&W) has a nice collection of new material and it can be found by clicking here.