The Clockwork Wonders of Brandlehill 2.0 by Mike Myler is a role playing game supplement published by Rogue Genius Games for use with the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game. As such, it is covered by the Open Game License with some parts being considered Open Game Content as a result. This is an adventure for 4-5 characters of 4th level.
This is a 37 page PDF which is available from RPGNow for $2.57 but which was purchased at a greatly reduced price as part of a special bundle. One page is the front cover, one the front matter, one the contents and overview of Brandlehill and two the Open Game License. There are five pages of colour battlemaps, one of which comes in two versions, one for players and one for the GM. The PDF itself comes in two versions, a full colour one and a printer friendly version that lacks the colour background to the pages.
Introducing the Adventure has the characters relaxing in a tavern when a gnomish bard gets on stage with an unusual clockwork instrument. This malfunctions during the performance and the bard eventually comes over to the characters and asks to hire them to sort out a problem with grippli that is putting Brandlehill’s trade at risk.
In Brandlehill, assuming the characters agree, they are approached by a dwarf who also wants the problem with the grippli sorting out, but by destroying their village rather than by any other accommodation.
Brandlehill’s mayor explains the situation and then the town comes under attack by grippli raiders. The grippli look to be affected by something (they are; this is the root of the current problems).
The characters, after the raid, will come across a grippli ranger who is unaffected, and he will take them to his village. The characters may work out who is responsible for the problems in the village (there is a creature backing him).
An exploration of a ruined fort will find more information, and a weapon that can help.
The last encounter is in a cave where the half-fiend giant toad behind all the problems needs defeating.
One page lists three different rewards that the characters can get; they will need to choose which one. The remainder of the content lists new magic items and NPC and monster stats.
The Clockwork Wonders of Brandlehill 2.0 in Review
The PDF is well bookmarked with major and minor sections as well as sidebars linked. The table of contents is less thorough. Navigation is pretty decent. The text swaps between a single and two column format, which is odd, although no errors were noticed. As well as the rather nice colour battlemaps, there are several custom colour illustrations, which are decent. Presentation is pretty good.
It doesn’t appear to be outright stated anywhere, but various comments, plus the fact that this is “2.0,” suggest that this adventure is a revised version of an earlier one. There is a statement in the promotional text that this is intended to be the first in a campaign series, and the next is The Mysterious Peaks of Baranthar.
This is a very narration-heavy adventure. There is a lot to read aloud, so it probably won’t go down well with groups who dislike such. The various sidebars throughout are useful; they provide tips for the GM and, in one case, alternatives should players not follow the adventure the way it is written. Useful, but it could have been elaborated on. The adventure is still fairly linear, and it’s not always clear when one section ends and a new one begins.
The three new clockwork items that the characters could get as a reward lack a full description as to how they could be made. Perhaps this is because characters are not supposed to make them. The two new magic items do have full write-ups though.
This is a narration-heavy adventure although not an entirely linear one. Having some gnomish clockwork weirdness is great, and frogs play a major role – and the GM is advised to, essentially, “frog” it up. The Clockwork Wonders of Brandlehill 2.0 is a decent enough adventure and it can be found by clicking here.
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