Product– Dungeon Crawl Classics #66.5: Doom of the Savage King
System- DCC RPG
Producer– Goodman Games
Price– $6.00 here https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/129075/Dungeon-Crawl-Classics-665-Doom-of-the-Savage-King?affiliate_id=658618
TL; DR– Appendix N shoot first ask questions never? 97%
Basics– Time to kill the unkillable! Doom of the Savage Kings starts out deep in the action as the players come upon a local lord tying a young woman to a pole to be eaten by a beast to sate its bloodlust. What happens next is completely up to the “heroes”! Save the girl? Serve the Lord? Either way there is an unkillable beast that needs slaying if the sacrifices are to stop.
Mechanics or Crunch-This is an early one for DCC RPG, and it shows a bit. The mechanics are fine, but sometimes the Judge may have to tone down the challenge for the players to survive. Especially mine, as my players never met a situation where certain death deterred them in the slightest! It works well for higher player counts, but lower ones will need a bit of adjusting. Doom of the Savage Kings mechanically is an early very deadly, very fun adventure. 4.5/5
Theme or Fluff– This adventure is PURE Appendix N. Village sacrificing people to save the rest like “The Lottery” and an ancient tomb where weapons will slay not-Grendel? FANTASTIC! This adventure is gonzo fantasy that makes DCC DCC. 5/5
Execution– PDF? Yes. Hyperlinked? Yes, basically. This has what I need to run this adventure. Maps, quick rundown, and detailed enough encounters. It reads fast as my initial read through was five minutes before the game and my players had a blast completely abandoning the adventure’s basic path within five minutes. If you like the basic layout of DCC, then you will like this layout. Like always, Goodman Games DCC modules read like the old modules you used to get with some art in the middle, maps at the end, and a summary at the start. Since I’m living an era of gaming I wasn’t part when it came round the first time, it’s a blast to be part of it this time as the editing has massively improved the experience! 5/5
Summary– Doom of the Savage Kings is classic DCC RPG. It’s a bit harder than it needs to be so maybe some love from a Judge will save the PCs from their bad rolls if not their stupidity. The book itself is well laid out, and the plot is top notch. Players will have a blast saving a town, delving into old crypts, and killing the monster stalking the helpless in the fog. If you need your Boewulf fix but want to do it with some crazy DCCRPG rules, this is hands down a fantastic adventure to get into. 97%
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