King's Festival
 | |
| Code | B11 |
|---|---|
| Rules required | Dungeons & Dragons |
| Character levels | 1 - 3 |
| Campaign setting | Mystara |
| Authors | Carl Sargent |
| First published | 1989 |
| Linked modules | |
| B1, B2, B3, B4, B5, B6, B7, B8, B9, B1-9, B10, B11, B12, BSOLO | |
King's Festival is an adventure module for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game.
Plot synopsis
King's Festival is an introductory scenario set in the Grand Duchy of Karameikos, and includes advice for beginning players and Dungeon Masters (DMs).[1] It functions as both a guide for beginning DMs and an introductory dungeon.[2] The player characters (PCs) must rescue a kidnapped cleric from a group of orcs or there will be no King's Festival.[1]
The presentation in King's Festival is simple, streamlined, and easy to follow, with staging hints and advice for first-time DMs, and concise setting detail in the read-aloud sections.[2] Pre-rolled PCs are included for a quick start, and a pull-out Combat Sequence Table is included on the Player Reference Sheet.[2] Also provided are a few recommended rules, adaptations, and clarifications, such as giving beginning PCs no less than a minimum number of hit points at 1st level to avoid starting a character at one hit point.[2]
Notable nonplayer characters
Aralic of Stallanford is a good priest from the town of Stallanford whom the players must rescue from a band of orcs. Petrides is an evil priest who is found in a set of caverns connected to the orc's lair.
Publication history
B11 King's Festival was written by Carl Sargent, with a cover by Clyde Caldwell and interior illustration by Valerie Valusek, and was published by TSR in 1989 as a 32-page booklet with an outer folder.[1] Editing is by Jim Lowder.[2] King's Festival is TSR product number 9260.[3] B12 Queen's Harvest is the sequel to this adventure.[1]
Reception
Ken Rolston reviewed King's Festival for Dragon magazine in July 1991.[2] He found the pull-out Combat Sequence Table a big help in conducting his Basic D&D game combat: "The summary and reference charts are effectively employed to help organize information for the rookie DM."[2] Rolston felt that Carl Sargent did not "take a radical enough step to remedy the 1st-level character's chronic vulnerability to death from a couple of consecutive whacks from even weedy monsters", and suggested an alternative allowing a character to go unconscious and bleed to death unless bandaged by another character.[2] He felt that the adventure "offers a quick, simple dungeon with a plenty of tricks and action and a few nifty touches".[2] Rolston concluded the review by saying that King's Festival and Queen's Harvest "are absolutely the best introductory adventures in print for D&D-game-style fantasy role-playing games (FRPGs). Presented simply and clearly enough for young folks, these adventures are also challenging and entertaining enough for experienced gamers."[2]
See also
References and footnotes
- 1 2 3 4 Schick, Lawrence (1991). Heroic Worlds: A History and Guide to Role-Playing Games. Prometheus Books. p. 136. ISBN 0-87975-653-5.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Rolston, Ken (July 1991). "Role-playing Reviews". Dragon (Lake Geneva, Wisconsin: TSR) (#171): 82–83.
- ↑ Sargent, Carl. King's Festival, TSR, Inc., 1989