Spot on review! I bought this module back in the 80s when I was a 14-year old. The artwork and descriptions hooked me in but the actual narrative left me baffled. For such an exotic end-of-the-Known-World location the names (Magden, Dark Wood and yes even "The Master") seemed misplaced and simply don't make sense. The bones of a great adventure and antagonist are definitely in there though. This module has as much potential as Ravenloft or The Isle of Dread...only if you are prepared to take it apart and rework it. You might as well take apart your car engine and leave it on your kitchen table to work on it as well...it's that much of an undertaking.
I played & DM’d X4 & X5 long ago when I was new to the game. It was my first experience with a more serious tone, and I loved the art & creatures. The Hule/master plot expands into Red Steel and other setting books. Thank for the review- I think I’ll give these another look. :)
10/10 Review I think your criticism (good and bad) is spot on. It's a great adventure but needs lots of work. I think you are right to say it would have been better as a longer module. I have no problem with clues for players to find as long as the DM knows in advance how best to dangle them before the party. There are a couple of counter examples here. The Master can only be killed if his mummified body is destroyed. But there are no clues to suggest players could do this. The Master has a flying boat crewed with skeletons which is a great way to get inside or out of the temple. Except it only makes a fleeting appearance. I believe there's a bit of a continuity mistake with X4. In this the Great Pass is what the Master brought his army through to invade. But if you tried that with the X5 Great Pass you would lose your army! I think the Master's communication room with the Bhut Monastery is also different between both modules. Perhaps I'm being picky. I think it's better than many of the X series and deserves a Goodman Games treatment. There's also an argument to run it after X10 (not before) as the final assault on the Master whilst his armies are bogged down in the Known World. (This is not my original idea - another from Dragonsfoot I think).
Yet to read this, but your treatment is inspiring. It does indeed sound like a sizable portion of the original intent ended up on the cutting room floor. It sounds epic. And yes, id does sound like it was penned in a more simple/complex world, where people (and players) understood that the world could be an evil place, and that monsters could just be evil, without an inner monologue of presumed redemption.
You made a good point with Mystara. I can’t picture WOTC or Hasbro tackling a setting overtly criticizing communism and Islamic fundamentalism in any way.
Well done! I 3-5 and X 3-4 are confused in my mind, due to their similarities, at least those on the surface. But, as previously stated elsewhere, I haven't looked at either in a couple of decades at least, and possibly not since the 80s. 😲 I did pull both series out of storage over the weekend, but I have not yet sat down to read them so I can remember what goes where from my jumbled memories. You presented X5 as well as you did X4 and I enjoyed it because it made a couple of things click back in to place in the jigsaw puzzle of my mind. I thought that I remembered the Master fairly well, and your aside about making him a clerical lich confirmed this. He seemed somewhat unfair to teenage me, which just encouraged me to run the module at some point so I could tell the players that it wasn't *ME* being the jerk, it was the *MODULE*. 😀 I never did run it though, but that may change soon.
A favorite. Last time we played it, one of the PCs died so when they played X10 later, defeating the Master was really fulfilling. Then I later wrote another sequel for my campaign where Alrethus, the Master's Envoy, revives an ancient mummy to gain revenge.
You make a good point on how the reach of this module exceeded its grasp. Similarly, Cook's the Veiled Society was also far more ambitious than the page count added up to. However, I admire both modules for the stories they give us the framework to make.
Great video. Thanks. I love these two adventures. You are right about the brevity. Imagine how good it would be if you could put X4 and X5 into a 5th ed hardback adventure with a much larger page count like Strahd
This module does throw a more than average amount of work on the DM’s shoulders, which is a significant drawback. Also, the land of Hule is sketched only in very broad strokes, despite being the centerpiece of the adventure: this is something like a mission into Mordor, except the aim here is to kill the Master. So despite its very appealing homage to Robert E. Howard’s exotic evil kingdoms and a high personal nostalgia quotient, I am more lukewarm about X5 than you are. That said, I have cannibalized the titular Temple in games needing an evil stronghold on multiple occasions, and it works well. Hats off to David Cook for another classic.
I got these and several more of the X series to run with Dungeon Crawl Classics. Haven't run this one yet, but both it and X4 have been a lot of fun to read. This one could totally be fleshed out some, for sure. I see a whole lot of potential in both of them. My group oddly (to me at least) don't mind railroad type adventures at all.
You said the name “The Temple of Death” is not creative. Well, I can say this much: it’s one of my favourite module titles and this title drew me to buy the module without knowing much about it. So, whether you call the title “creative” or not, it certainly was EFFECTIVE, at least in my case. 😎
I had the same response back in the 1980s when I bought it at a hobby store. 😏 The artwork is also right up there with "Ravenloft". But to be honest the other names (Magden, Dark Wood and yes even "The Master") seem uninspired and misplaced. This module simply needed more time in the oven...only then could it have been a great exotic adventure.
It was the last basic set module I ever ran (as a clueless 13 year old) before my players insisted on switching to ADnD. I had bought red arrow, black shield but never got to play it. Maybe this year. 😂
I'm not sure why but I confuse X-4 and X-5 with All that Glitters. I have them all but never have run any of them. I tend to be put off by episodic adventures. They all were interesting reads .
Spot on review! I bought this module back in the 80s when I was a 14-year old. The artwork and descriptions hooked me in but the actual narrative left me baffled. For such an exotic end-of-the-Known-World location the names (Magden, Dark Wood and yes even "The Master") seemed misplaced and simply don't make sense. The bones of a great adventure and antagonist are definitely in there though. This module has as much potential as Ravenloft or The Isle of Dread...only if you are prepared to take it apart and rework it. You might as well take apart your car engine and leave it on your kitchen table to work on it as well...it's that much of an undertaking.
X5 along with X4 are my favorite D&D modules! UK 1-3 are my favorite AD&D modules! all 5 modules tell great stories and are fun to run!
I played & DM’d X4 & X5 long ago when I was new to the game. It was my first experience with a more serious tone, and I loved the art & creatures. The Hule/master plot expands into Red Steel and other setting books. Thank for the review- I think I’ll give these another look. :)
10/10 Review
I think your criticism (good and bad) is spot on. It's a great adventure but needs lots of work. I think you are right to say it would have been better as a longer module.
I have no problem with clues for players to find as long as the DM knows in advance how best to dangle them before the party. There are a couple of counter examples here. The Master can only be killed if his mummified body is destroyed. But there are no clues to suggest players could do this.
The Master has a flying boat crewed with skeletons which is a great way to get inside or out of the temple. Except it only makes a fleeting appearance.
I believe there's a bit of a continuity mistake with X4. In this the Great Pass is what the Master brought his army through to invade. But if you tried that with the X5 Great Pass you would lose your army!
I think the Master's communication room with the Bhut Monastery is also different between both modules.
Perhaps I'm being picky. I think it's better than many of the X series and deserves a Goodman Games treatment.
There's also an argument to run it after X10 (not before) as the final assault on the Master whilst his armies are bogged down in the Known World. (This is not my original idea - another from Dragonsfoot I think).
Yet to read this, but your treatment is inspiring.
It does indeed sound like a sizable portion of the original intent ended up on the cutting room floor. It sounds epic. And yes, id does sound like it was penned in a more simple/complex world, where people (and players) understood that the world could be an evil place, and that monsters could just be evil, without an inner monologue of presumed redemption.
You made a good point with Mystara. I can’t picture WOTC or Hasbro tackling a setting overtly criticizing communism and Islamic fundamentalism in any way.
Misty water colored memories, of the way we were...
Well done!
I 3-5 and X 3-4 are confused in my mind, due to their similarities, at least those on the surface. But, as previously stated elsewhere, I haven't looked at either in a couple of decades at least, and possibly not since the 80s. 😲 I did pull both series out of storage over the weekend, but I have not yet sat down to read them so I can remember what goes where from my jumbled memories.
You presented X5 as well as you did X4 and I enjoyed it because it made a couple of things click back in to place in the jigsaw puzzle of my mind. I thought that I remembered the Master fairly well, and your aside about making him a clerical lich confirmed this. He seemed somewhat unfair to teenage me, which just encouraged me to run the module at some point so I could tell the players that it wasn't *ME* being the jerk, it was the *MODULE*. 😀 I never did run it though, but that may change soon.
A favorite. Last time we played it, one of the PCs died so when they played X10 later, defeating the Master was really fulfilling. Then I later wrote another sequel for my campaign where Alrethus, the Master's Envoy, revives an ancient mummy to gain revenge.
You make a good point on how the reach of this module exceeded its grasp. Similarly, Cook's the Veiled Society was also far more ambitious than the page count added up to. However, I admire both modules for the stories they give us the framework to make.
Never played this. but one of my first was X1 Isle of Dread, I believe that was in the world of Mystara? Red Arrow Back shield sounds familiar.
Great video. Thanks. I love these two adventures. You are right about the brevity. Imagine how good it would be if you could put X4 and X5 into a 5th ed hardback adventure with a much larger page count like Strahd
This module does throw a more than average amount of work on the DM’s shoulders, which is a significant drawback. Also, the land of Hule is sketched only in very broad strokes, despite being the centerpiece of the adventure: this is something like a mission into Mordor, except the aim here is to kill the Master. So despite its very appealing homage to Robert E. Howard’s exotic evil kingdoms and a high personal nostalgia quotient, I am more lukewarm about X5 than you are. That said, I have cannibalized the titular Temple in games needing an evil stronghold on multiple occasions, and it works well. Hats off to David Cook for another classic.
I got these and several more of the X series to run with Dungeon Crawl Classics. Haven't run this one yet, but both it and X4 have been a lot of fun to read. This one could totally be fleshed out some, for sure. I see a whole lot of potential in both of them. My group oddly (to me at least) don't mind railroad type adventures at all.
You said the name “The Temple of Death” is not creative. Well, I can say this much: it’s one of my favourite module titles and this title drew me to buy the module without knowing much about it. So, whether you call the title “creative” or not, it certainly was EFFECTIVE, at least in my case. 😎
I had the same response back in the 1980s when I bought it at a hobby store. 😏 The artwork is also right up there with "Ravenloft". But to be honest the other names (Magden, Dark Wood and yes even "The Master") seem uninspired and misplaced. This module simply needed more time in the oven...only then could it have been a great exotic adventure.
It was the last basic set module I ever ran (as a clueless 13 year old) before my players insisted on switching to ADnD. I had bought red arrow, black shield but never got to play it. Maybe this year. 😂
Sadly i never ran this adventure. I did own it as a young lad but just never gave it a go. Tempted to update and convert it to the Dragonslayer RPG.
It's a beast, but worth a try!
Did you mention the town with no gates? If you can’t teleport or fly in, you’re not worthy. 😛
I mentioned it in passing :)
@@yeoldegeek71 passed by cos you couldn't get in? Another motley crew of unworthy adventurers, eh? 😎
I'm not sure why but I confuse X-4 and X-5 with All that Glitters. I have them all but never have run any of them. I tend to be put off by episodic adventures. They all were interesting reads .
Your microphone sounds flat. Maybe time for an upgrade.
Hmm, weird... the sound is fine through my headphones (which I was using during editing), but poor through my speakers.
Sounds fine to me