Sword and Crown
 | |
| Authors | Colin McComb |
|---|---|
| First published | 1995 |
Sword and Crown is an official game adventure of the Birthight Campaign Setting in the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons game. It was published in 1995 by TSR, Inc. (now Wizards of the Coast, a subsidiary of Hasbro). The module is for characters of levels 5-7.
Plot summary
Sword and Crown involves the search for a lost princess, as the player characters go from elven laboratories to slave pens to fungus lakes, and face off against an adversary called the Spiritrender.[1]
Notable nonplayer characters
- Aubrae Avan Anuireaen mage 2
- Aeric Boeruine Anuireaen fighter 12
- Prince Darien Avan Anuireaen fighter 9
Publication history
Sword and Crown is an Advanced Dungeons & Dragons game supplement for the Birthright setting, published by TSR, Inc., and featuring a 64-page softcover book, and one 21’x 32’ map sheet.[1] The adventure was designed by Colin McComb and edited by Anne Brown, with cover art by Tony Szczudlo and illustrations by Ben Otero and John Dollar.[1]
Reception
Rick Swan reviewed Sword and Crown along with several other Birthright products for Dragon magazine #233 (September 1996), giving it a rating of 4 out of 6.[1] Swan called this a first-rate example of an official adventure, "where the design team takes you by the hand and shows you what they consider the essentials of a Birthright campaign".[1] He also called Sword and Crown "well-organized, clutter-free, and easy on the brain", and referred to the Spiritrender an "exceptionally nasty adversary".[1] Swan felt that Colin McComb, co-designer of the original Birthright rules, "supplies plenty of staging tips and helpful NPCs — too helpful, some might say", noting that a bandit conveniently volunteers too much information about his family at one point.[1] He admitted that the adventure doesn't break any new ground, and relies on AD&D conventions rather than concepts unique to the Birthright setting, so that the adventure acts as a bridge "intended to ease the transition from standard AD&D to the more sophisticated Birthright setting".[1] Swan recommended that, for a beginner on a budget looking to buy a Birthright adventure, to "go with Sword and Crown if you can't make up your mind", but that seasoned Birthright players who already have a campaign underway can skip the adventure.[1]