The Queen of Gold: Tales of the Pirate Isles is a role playing game supplement published by Schwalb Entertainment for Shadow of the Demon Lord. This is a complete campaign based out of the Pirate Isles.
The supplement is available from DriveThruRPG as a PDF for $8, as a softcover print on demand book for $29.99 or as both PDF and softcover for $19.99. The supplement is also available in printed form from sites such as Amazon. The PDF is the version reviewed although it was purchased at the reduced price of $5.60 during a sale. This is a 36 page PDF with two pages being the front and rear covers, one page the front cover and half a page the Table of Contents.
The short Introduction states that the needed supplements are the core book and Demon Lord’s Companion and that the Freeport Companion is also useful. Beyond the World’s Edge is said to provide detailed descriptions of some of the locations, but it is also said that the relevant details are included in this supplement and some areas have more details added.
Campaign says that this is a series of eleven linked adventures that can be run in the intended order as a complete campaign or they can be picked and chosen from.
The Background explains how a notorious pirate stole the bride, the titular Queen of Gold, from the necromancer Rudebendius Mal in Eremeä. Mal made a very bad bargain with a demon in order to recover the Queen. The demon wants to end the world and bring the Demon Lord through and is working to that aim. There is a part on the Shadow of the Demon Lord, with Infectious Madness being the Shadow’s effect, as detailed in the core book and expanded on in The Hunger in the Void.
The Pirate Isles states the adventures take place in the Pirate Isles east of Rûl, which have long been the base of pirates who raid the Freeholds of Nar, the Kingdom of Sails and the Confederacy of Nine Cities, although recently the leaders have been attempting to become more honest. The Pirate’s Guide to Freeport from Green Ronin is suggested as another useful book, if Freeport is dropped in.
Characters explains that the campaign starts with all the characters onboard a ship bound for the Pirate Isles. The ancestries suggested are those from the core book. Demon Lord’s Companion or Shadow of the Demon Lord Freeport Companion but those from other books such as elves from Terrible Beauty and salamanders from Tombs of the Desolation can be used. It warns that centaurs from Riders of the Wind and vampires from Tombs of the Desolation may have problems. There is a new d20 Background table connected to the campaign and a new table of starting equipment as the characters start the first adventure after a shipwreck.
The Adventures are described as being intentionally short and only having the essential elements needed to run them. Side plots and other additional elements and characters can be added. Hooks states that only the starting adventure has a hook to link the campaign. The adventures are designed on the assumption that there will be three to five characters and there are some options for scaling encounters up or down. Creatures are referenced in two ways; those from the core book are in bold and those from other supplements have stats in the Appendix. Rewards suggests providing opportunities for characters to gain more treasure between adventures if they are lagging behind, and Between Adventures has options for what characters could be doing in this time, including using the Downtime tables from Forbidden Rules.
Night of Terrors is the first adventure and Starting level. The characters start it shipwrecked on a largely deserted island, occupied by a single acolyte and a Dread Mother and her spawn. There is no map and there are a few places to find, and things to do, including signal for help, which will bring pirates. The characters could steal the pirates’ launch – and, in fact, this is one of two ways listed for getting off the island, the other being building a raft. There are a few events that can occur and a very short encounter table.
Blood for a Child is a Novice adventure and is set in a small fishing village on one of the smaller islands neighbouring the Pirate Isles. One of the fishermen came into possession of a relic containing a demon. Overcome with grief for the loss of his son, the fisherman has gone insane and will butcher the residents.
Flying Colors is a Novice adventure about a ghost ship that was boarded by pirates looking for a relic. The pirates failed to find it and slaughtered all the crew, but their spirits still man the boat. This adventure has a map of the boat.
The Cursed Snuffbox is an Expert adventure and has a cultist who has come into a relic that changes humans into seagoing beastmen, and is using them to attack villages along the coast.
The Eelwives Lament is an Expert adventure in which a man has come into possession of a relic stolen from Rudebendius Mal that is supposed to make him more capable of pleasing the opposite sex. This has some nasty side effects, including summoning Eelwives, undead women who are looking for their mate.
The Lurid Lighthouse is an Expert adventure featuring a ruined lighthouse occupied by some former members of the Orphanmaker‘s crew. They stole treasure and relics and are now all changing under their taint. This adventure references Deep Ones from the Freeport Companion but aquatic wargs can be substituted.
The Queen in Exile is an Expert adventure. In this, the PCs come across references to the Queen of Gold, a golden relic inhabited by a spirit. The Queen is on a volcanic island and her influence has already corrupted various creatures into beastmen. The PCs need to recover the Queen, who wishes to return home, and in true cinematic fashion the volcano erupts violently whilst they are on it (thanks to the Queen’s influence admittedly).
Showdown at Float Town is a Master adventure. In it, the characters first find out details of where the Orphanmaker might be, so that they can return the Queen to her home. Once they arrive at Float Town, they will confront the Orphanmaker‘s captain – who may not cooperate, even though she wants to return the Queen as well.
She Who Eats the Sky is a Master adventure and sees the characters heading to Eremeä. This adventure revolves around a small village that, during an eclipse, either gets attacked by a huge demon or a living idol (a golem type) depending on what is done during the eclipse.
Nightmares of the Sleeper is a Master adventure. In this the characters head through the Mountains of Fire and Flame. They are attacked during their sleep by the Sleeper, who drains life energy through dreams. This is more of a dangerous obstacle than anything else.
The Necromancer’s Mountain is a Master adventure, the final one in the campaign and only the second to have a map. The characters bring back the Queen of Gold to the mountain and discover that the necromancer has been possessed by a demon. They will have to defeat the demon and somehow survive.
Appendix: Characters and Creatures has stats for some singular NPCs and for some creatures encountered.
The Queen of Gold: Tales of the Pirate Isles in Review
The PDF is bookmarked but only the major sections are linked and the Table of Contents is to a similar level of depth which is also hyperlinked. Navigation is not bad but, even for a comparatively short supplement, could be better. The text maintains a two column full colour layout and a couple of minor errors were noticed. There are a number of colour illustrations, most of which appear to be custom, as well as a couple of colour maps. Presentation is very good.
In Hooks it’s stated that there are no hooks linking characters to adventures after the first and as a result this is, as can be determined from the opening material, more the skeleton of a campaign than an actual campaign. A GM will probably need to do quite a bit of work fleshing it out to properly run it. The GM will probably have to add locations, NPCs and some method of actually linking the adventures together. Some have a fairly logical link – a clue found in one adventure leads to the next – but in other cases there is a noticeable gap between the adventures with no logical way of connecting the two included.
The adventures are all quite brief and only two of them have any maps, even though maps would be helpful for some of the other adventures. Many of the adventures are linked by the pirate ship Orphanmaker, and the entire campaign is linked by the ship and its actions.
It’s stated that the most likely outcome of the final adventure is the death of the characters. With the probable end of the world as a potential, but not immediate, outcome of their failure. So, no pressure.
Given that the adventure is by and large based in and around the Pirate Isles, it’s a shame that there is not any material, either in the supplement or in another, that described the isles in anything over than a brief overview. Having the Freeport Companion may add a lot of depth to the adventure.
The Queen of Gold: Tales of the Pirate Isles is an interesting and potentially lethal campaign, but one that definitely needs fleshing out more, and it can be found by clicking here.
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