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Review of The Lost Tomb of Doom by James Ward
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Post Posted: Fri May 10, 2024 3:18 pm 
 

I read the adventure, The Lost Tomb of Doom, by James Ward, and it was typical James Ward.  There were lots of deadly traps and monsters accompanied by lots of treasure.

Front cover:
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Back cover:
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Map:
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Inside front cover:
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Limited Edition #:
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This is a LIMITED-EDITION Advanced Dungeons & Dragons stand-alone module. Only 275 copies were printed.  Profits from the module will be going to The Diabetes Foundation for the outreach, education and awareness of the disease gamers.  Angry Dwarf Games parent company of Davecon paid James in 2020 for this module. With his untimely death we thought it was only right that we fast track this project and help a cause Jim was so passionate about.  I believe some issues remain to sell at DaveCon, but I'm not sure.

It's twenty pages long, and it reuses traps and monsters, but that also helps it maintain a consistent Egyptian theme.  The module states that it's for characters of 3rd level +, but I'd recommend an average party level of 5 for eight players and average higher levels if the party is smaller.  The paper quality, layout quality and editing are all excellent.  I found no typos.  The artwork is so so as I prefer line-drawn art over photos although some art was line-drawn.  The adventure itself is good, but not great.  The Sun Pharoah Mummy Wizard boss monster is truly a challenge, but to me, a great adventure fleshes out a story.  I would have liked to know what made this Pharoah who he was and how he became, or how this tomb became what it was.  This background can help a DM truly flesh out a gaming session as something more than hit points and dice throws.  Overall, it's a worthwhile purchase, read, and adventure to actually run.  I'd give it three and a half out of five stars.   8)


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Post Posted: Fri May 10, 2024 9:37 pm 
 

Thanks Chris, I just ordered my copy.

-SKA

  

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Post Posted: Sat May 11, 2024 12:33 am 
 

Sir Kill Alot wrote in Review of The Lost Tomb of Doom by James Ward:Thanks Chris, I just ordered my copy.

-SKA


Where did you order it? I didn't find any place online...


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Post Posted: Sat May 11, 2024 12:56 am 
 

aia wrote in Review of The Lost Tomb of Doom by James Ward:
Where did you order it? I didn't find any place online...


From the FB group Axel.  He may have sold them all...

https://www.facebook.com/groups/RPGAuct ... 357328510/

-SKA

  

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Post Posted: Sat May 11, 2024 1:20 am 
 

Sir Kill Alot wrote in Review of The Lost Tomb of Doom by James Ward:
From the FB group Axel.  He may have sold them all...

https://www.facebook.com/groups/RPGAuct ... 357328510/

-SKA


D'oh... as usual... i am in late and no access to fb... thanks anyway!


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Post Posted: Sun May 12, 2024 8:34 am 
 

Sir Kill Alot wrote in Review of The Lost Tomb of Doom by James Ward:
From the FB group Axel.  He may have sold them all...

https://www.facebook.com/groups/RPGAuct ... 357328510/

-SKA


I saw on Facebook this morning that there are/were 10 copies which were spoken for but not yet paid.  The seller, Victor Dorso, will sell them to anyone else interested if payments are not made soon.   8)


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Post Posted: Sun May 19, 2024 2:53 am 
 

This module has the same theme as Jim Ward's first published scenario "The Pharoah's Tomb" in The Dungeoneer #4, March 1977 (shortly after Metamorphosis Alpha was published).

That adventure is clearly very strongly based on Tomb of Horrors, itself very strongly based upon Tomb of Ra Hotep (a large proportion of mid-70s stand-alone D&D scenario are deadly and based in a tomb).

However whereas Tomb of Horrors has puzzles which are supposed to be by-passed by a clever player (which is, of course, what the Demi Lich wants, so that it can suck their souls), many of these copy-cat adventures miss the point entirely (as people do to this day) and simply contain lots of random death. (My group played through ToH with the pregen characters and defeated the Demi Lich without a single death through careful thought out play).

For example in The Pharoah's Tomb has a room which states
"There is a 25% chance that Anubis will appear and kill all in the room. When and if the robbers leave the tomb from the Pharoah's main tomb area, and they travel back the way they came in, there is a 50% chance that Anubis will appear and kill the robbers".

  
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