This was a favorite module of mine. I liked how it's inverted. Instead of going top-down through the temple and then into the dungeon, you start in the dungeon and work your way up to a great climactic fight. Good stuff.
Omg I remember one of our players tricked the nereid into giving him her name and used a wish to make her love honor and respect him. She helped navigate the shrine areas and kept 4 of 5 of us alive. 😂. Gotta love being a high schooler in the 80’s.
These videos are quite enjoyable. I own a small handful of modules bought as a kid. Unfortunately, there were very few kids in my school that were D&D players so they didn't get the use I was hoping. I still kept them all these years because of how cool they looked and for the sentimental value.
Love your commentary. Very Indiana Jones, indeed. I've been more of a homebrew kind of DM/Player since the late 70's, but have recently got "back in the game." I find your reviews inspiring and educational. Thanks for the hard work! A lot of time goes into these reviews is both obvious and appreciated.
It's one of my favorites, too. I love the art and the ancient American cultural references. I love stuff that feels like it blurs the lines between fantasy and real life. Who really knows what you might find in one of those Aztec pyramids?
Yeah , very interesting scenarios outside the usual fantasy norms....... but too bad aztec/mayan/olmec myths are not very developed , mostly average were-humans and spirits , plus some warlocks maybe ? , lots of gods and deities but not many creatures to draw inspiration from sadly , you really have to dig to find them if anything
I look forward to your reviews. I pull out these old modules and read through everytime you discuss them. You bring back long forgotten memories. Thank you sir.
Another great one from the beginning days of D&D I love this module and I've run it at least five times now for many different groups. I'm running it now as a side quest in the jungles of Chult to the adventure Tome of Annihilation. It fits perfectly in Chult and the group is loving this old module. Great review of one of the best adventures from way back.
Thanks for another great review as always, Cap! This was the first module I ran, ostensibly as a one-shot (which ended up running for 3 months) when I got back into the hobby with the arrival of 5E. As a primarily exploration and puzzle-solving adventure, with the poison gas acting as a ticking clock to urge players on, it really does exude an atmosphere of tension an urgency, great pulp-adventure fodder.
John Kirk It’s from the LIGETI- Requiem and was used in the soundtrack from 2001 The whole work is brilliant and a number of his works have been used in Kubrick films
It's always a good day when the captain posts a video. I really enjoyed this review and I know you probably have a full plate at this point, but your mention of the Invincible Overlord made me think how cool it would be to throw the occasional Judges Guild or Roll Aids classic in to the mix. Just a thought.
alan rickett There’s some controversy going on with some crappy things the head has said. Always good for an entertainment channel to avoid controversy - you like the module you’re a terrible person for doing so, you say you don’t and you’re just being politically correct. It’s a good landmine to avoid.
The creator's SON, and now owner of JG has said some pretty racist things on FB. As a result DrivetrhruRPG removed ALL JG material from its website, and Goodman Games severed all ties with JG and removed all the product THEY were selling. So... even if I review it, I can't even recommend a place to buy.
A video as good as always. I'm from Brazil and we don't have any channel based on old D&D in our language. So you give us good analysis and material to play finely. Thank you and keep it up with that good job. 🤘 É nóis!
One of the first D&D modules I purchased with my allowance money, way back in the day. I recall being enamored with the cover and since it was shrinkwrapped, that's all I had to go on! I read it from cover to cover and it's remained one of my all-time favorite adventures these several decades later. Great review, thanks!
Ran the 5e conversion of this as an in between campaigns break for my group. Had them searching for an artifact in Maztica with a Thayan and his bodyguards tracking them. Just as they’d found the shrine the Thayan set upon them where they fell back, than REALLY fell back. They had to work their way out while finding the artifact knowing their rival was probably waiting outside. He was, and even gave a little “what you possess I can always take away” monologue. Very Indiana Jones feel I was going for and the players had a blast (as well as having another reason to hate Thay, my big enemies). It helped them immensely that someone had studied Leomund’s Tiny Hut and I went along with their assessment that with the prevention of outside objects being able to enter and the description of the atmosphere in the space being comfortable and dry probably meant poison free for comfort’s sake that helped them out immensely. 😄
another fine piece of art! bravo! " clap clap clap!" . This truly will be for as you explained for the thinkers party. A hack and lash run run tactic may not work unless the party is beefed up on magic potions and immunity to poison gas attack...
Fantastic review. Definitely one of the very best tournament modules ever produced! Maybe that was why it has been updated to new editions over the years. :-) Thanks for this. You always produce great videos, just enough detail to peak interest. You never fail to impress. There are other great treatments of this module that should be checked out: One by RPGmodsFAN The other by Classic_DM
Great video as always cap. Have you considered doing other Classics like Gamma World? It's rarely reviewed and it has some classic modules from Gary gygax
Actually, I've got 1E Gamma world on my shelf and picked up the POD from Drive-thru rpg a few months back as well, I should probably dust that off and give it a go, hmm?
@@captcorajus there's actually a great module for Gamma World called the Legion of gold. It's by Gary gygax and it's on drive-thru RPG. So definitely check it out
Gamma World has those awesome flow charts used to figure out how things worked. They are great tools for D&D characters who want to do magical research in downtime.
i was just about to re-read "The Case of Charles Dexter Ward" when I the saw capn had a new vid about a dungeon from my teen years, so I put Lovecraft on hold for a few mins. You definitely need some prep to boil it down to run this one. I still think that the competition scoring might be a good model for experience points. The picture books back then were the shit. The first one I saw that put an indelible mark in my memory was that of Tomb of Horrors (the mosaic hallway). In that dungeon and in this one, those pictures drew you in. I am tempted to replace the outer skin with Celtic stuff (like a barrow instead of a pyramid) and drop it in my Irish/Welsh-based setting...LATER EDIT -- Just finished re-read of Charles Dexter Ward, which is a great lesson in the effects of long term obsession with magic...like DCC's "corruption." :D Plus it is even better reading it again in the wake of the experience of reading about ciphers and mysteries in "DaVinci Code" and "And Then There Were None."
Scored me the colour cover printing at my FLGS for 20 bucks last year. While I have the Yawning Portal version, it doesn't have the illustration section of the original so it's still pretty good to have. I'm not sure when, one day I'll run players through it by dangling a treasure map in front of them to get them there. DMs, if you're looking for a used copy, make sure the illustration booklet is there if you want to ensure you have the complete module.
One of my faves. I've repurposed the dungeon at least twice, including putting it in I1--Dwellers of the Forbidden City. Always thought it would be cool to put with S1 in some killer fashion.
Ask and you shall receive! Thank you for answering my call for this. I just run it a month ago and I felt like everything and it's second cousin was a red herring
The most atmospheric dungeon ever written, and the addition of player-facing art only made it moreso. Sadly, it's an old tournament adventure and it shows. It requires heavy adaptation, but for the right DM and group, it can be worth the effort.
I recently ran this for 2 players, adapted bits of it, but used about 80% of it. Nearly every room is a trap, it's lethal.... I set in on the Isle of Dread as part of a small campaign. It's real good fun and would recommend.
I remember there being waaaay too much text to read to players (it might be great now, but it was boring and slowed everything down when we were 14 years old). Had I been smarter, I would have simply adapted and read what worked. I would like to go back and revisit this to see if it works better for me this time.
This was a favorite module of mine. I liked how it's inverted. Instead of going top-down through the temple and then into the dungeon, you start in the dungeon and work your way up to a great climactic fight. Good stuff.
Omg I remember one of our players tricked the nereid into giving him her name and used a wish to make her love honor and respect him. She helped navigate the shrine areas and kept 4 of 5 of us alive. 😂. Gotta love being a high schooler in the 80’s.
I remember going to the B. Dalton Bookseller store in the mall every weekend, looking for new modules.
Me too brother
These videos are quite enjoyable. I own a small handful of modules bought as a kid. Unfortunately, there were very few kids in my school that were D&D players so they didn't get the use I was hoping. I still kept them all these years because of how cool they looked and for the sentimental value.
Running this right now for my 1st Ed. AD&D crew - it is a blast - thanks for the review!
I've had this printed and in a folder for a few years now, but I've never even looked at it. Now it's time!
Love your commentary. Very Indiana Jones, indeed. I've been more of a homebrew kind of DM/Player since the late 70's, but have recently got "back in the game." I find your reviews inspiring and educational. Thanks for the hard work! A lot of time goes into these reviews is both obvious and appreciated.
Thank you for the kind words!
It's one of my favorites, too. I love the art and the ancient American cultural references. I love stuff that feels like it blurs the lines between fantasy and real life. Who really knows what you might find in one of those Aztec pyramids?
Absolutely true!!
Yeah , very interesting scenarios outside the usual fantasy norms....... but too bad aztec/mayan/olmec myths are not very developed , mostly average were-humans and spirits , plus some warlocks maybe ? , lots of gods and deities but not many creatures to draw inspiration from sadly , you really have to dig to find them if anything
I look forward to your reviews. I pull out these old modules and read through everytime you discuss them. You bring back long forgotten memories. Thank you sir.
Tamoa-KHAN. Meso-American. Had fun running this over the years when my knowledge of Aztec, Inca and Mayan history/religions came in very handy.
Another great one from the beginning days of D&D
I love this module and I've run it at least five times now for many different groups.
I'm running it now as a side quest in the jungles of Chult to the adventure Tome of Annihilation.
It fits perfectly in Chult and the group is loving this old module.
Great review of one of the best adventures from way back.
Thanks for another great review as always, Cap! This was the first module I ran, ostensibly as a one-shot (which ended up running for 3 months) when I got back into the hobby with the arrival of 5E. As a primarily exploration and puzzle-solving adventure, with the poison gas acting as a ticking clock to urge players on, it really does exude an atmosphere of tension an urgency, great pulp-adventure fodder.
Agreed! More 1E pulp-fantasy goodness.
Love the music when showing the gibbering mouther
John Kirk
It’s from the LIGETI- Requiem and was used in the soundtrack from 2001
The whole work is brilliant and a number of his works have been used in Kubrick films
My God, they’re full of stars!
Just bought a copy! Wanted to check this out forever!
It's always a good day when the captain posts a video. I really enjoyed this review and I know you probably have a full plate at this point, but your mention of the Invincible Overlord made me think how cool it would be to throw the occasional Judges Guild or Roll Aids classic in to the mix. Just a thought.
Unfortunately, as much as I love the material, JG is kind of off the table right now.
Maybe some Roll Aids would be fun. :)
@@captcorajus why jg off table I am missing something
alan rickett
I agree, some JG reviews would be great. Gamelords products would be cool too.
alan rickett There’s some controversy going on with some crappy things the head has said. Always good for an entertainment channel to avoid controversy - you like the module you’re a terrible person for doing so, you say you don’t and you’re just being politically correct. It’s a good landmine to avoid.
The creator's SON, and now owner of JG has said some pretty racist things on FB. As a result DrivetrhruRPG removed ALL JG material from its website, and Goodman Games severed all ties with JG and removed all the product THEY were selling.
So... even if I review it, I can't even recommend a place to buy.
A video as good as always. I'm from Brazil and we don't have any channel based on old D&D in our language. So you give us good analysis and material to play finely. Thank you and keep it up with that good job. 🤘 É nóis!
One of the first D&D modules I purchased with my allowance money, way back in the day. I recall being enamored with the cover and since it was shrinkwrapped, that's all I had to go on! I read it from cover to cover and it's remained one of my all-time favorite adventures these several decades later. Great review, thanks!
Great video Cap! Congrats on 11K subs.
Another great review, thanks Captain. I've re-read the PDF only recently, so it's all fresh...
Oh man, I'm currently running this for my players. So cool to see a review of it.
Now this is how a review is supposed to be! Freaking excellent 🤘
Ran the 5e conversion of this as an in between campaigns break for my group. Had them searching for an artifact in Maztica with a Thayan and his bodyguards tracking them. Just as they’d found the shrine the Thayan set upon them where they fell back, than REALLY fell back. They had to work their way out while finding the artifact knowing their rival was probably waiting outside. He was, and even gave a little “what you possess I can always take away” monologue. Very Indiana Jones feel I was going for and the players had a blast (as well as having another reason to hate Thay, my big enemies).
It helped them immensely that someone had studied Leomund’s Tiny Hut and I went along with their assessment that with the prevention of outside objects being able to enter and the description of the atmosphere in the space being comfortable and dry probably meant poison free for comfort’s sake that helped them out immensely. 😄
I remember this module fondly. I believe this was the module where my character ended up contracting lycanthropy, and became a werejaguar.
One of the greatest modules of all time. A must play adventure for all D&D players
I imagine this adventure could be used in the Mesoamerican Hollow World setting.
another fine piece of art! bravo! " clap clap clap!" . This truly will be for as you explained for the thinkers party. A hack and lash run run tactic may not work unless the party is beefed up on magic potions and immunity to poison gas attack...
Fantastic review. Definitely one of the very best tournament modules ever produced! Maybe that was why it has been updated to new editions over the years. :-)
Thanks for this. You always produce great videos, just enough detail to peak interest. You never fail to impress.
There are other great treatments of this module that should be checked out:
One by RPGmodsFAN
The other by Classic_DM
I have been weary of this adventure. Thanks for the review.
Fine coverage. Great old mod.
Great video as always cap. Have you considered doing other Classics like Gamma World? It's rarely reviewed and it has some classic modules from Gary gygax
Actually, I've got 1E Gamma world on my shelf and picked up the POD from Drive-thru rpg a few months back as well, I should probably dust that off and give it a go, hmm?
captcorajus definitely second that
@@captcorajus there's actually a great module for Gamma World called the Legion of gold. It's by Gary gygax and it's on drive-thru RPG. So definitely check it out
Gamma World has those awesome flow charts used to figure out how things worked. They are great tools for D&D characters who want to do magical research in downtime.
Yes Gamma World
i was just about to re-read "The Case of Charles Dexter Ward" when I the saw capn had a new vid about a dungeon from my teen years, so I put Lovecraft on hold for a few mins. You definitely need some prep to boil it down to run this one. I still think that the competition scoring might be a good model for experience points. The picture books back then were the shit. The first one I saw that put an indelible mark in my memory was that of Tomb of Horrors (the mosaic hallway). In that dungeon and in this one, those pictures drew you in. I am tempted to replace the outer skin with Celtic stuff (like a barrow instead of a pyramid) and drop it in my Irish/Welsh-based setting...LATER EDIT -- Just finished re-read of Charles Dexter Ward, which is a great lesson in the effects of long term obsession with magic...like DCC's "corruption." :D Plus it is even better reading it again in the wake of the experience of reading about ciphers and mysteries in "DaVinci Code" and "And Then There Were None."
Scored me the colour cover printing at my FLGS for 20 bucks last year. While I have the Yawning Portal version, it doesn't have the illustration section of the original so it's still pretty good to have. I'm not sure when, one day I'll run players through it by dangling a treasure map in front of them to get them there. DMs, if you're looking for a used copy, make sure the illustration booklet is there if you want to ensure you have the complete module.
Holy crap! The 2001 music is so perfect for the Gibbering Mouther, lol!
Too cool! I just started running on the podcast.
I wouldnt mind running this in Dark Sun. Could be set in Gulg, Guistenal, Blue Shrine? I suppose it could he Kalak's Palace?
The Gibbering Mouther always reminded me of Lovecraft's Shoggoths.
Definitely Lovecraftian influence there.
7:58 A multi-boobed tiger lady sounds so cool, but it's actually scarier than the jibbering mouther.
One of my faves. I've repurposed the dungeon at least twice, including putting it in I1--Dwellers of the Forbidden City. Always thought it would be cool to put with S1 in some killer fashion.
Thanks. This is on my list for my current campaign. I plan to drop it into Master Of The Desert Nomads amid ruins in the Sind Desert...
Ask and you shall receive! Thank you for answering my call for this. I just run it a month ago and I felt like everything and it's second cousin was a red herring
I dropped the 5ed version into my Tomb of Annihilation campaign. Worked a treat. Wonderful dungeon.
The most atmospheric dungeon ever written, and the addition of player-facing art only made it moreso. Sadly, it's an old tournament adventure and it shows. It requires heavy adaptation, but for the right DM and group, it can be worth the effort.
A few changes here and there and this can be ran with Empire of the Petal Throne.
i feel like youve gone way more in depth with your other modules and i found this kinda short on information, but i love your stuff man thanks.
I died horribly in this module.
oh man, love me some Ligeti.
I recently ran this for 2 players, adapted bits of it, but used about 80% of it. Nearly every room is a trap, it's lethal.... I set in on the Isle of Dread as part of a small campaign. It's real good fun and would recommend.
Tamoa-Chan is pretty kawaii but my heart only doki dokis for Tomb-Kun.
One of the earliest modules I ever played....
a crown jewel....
Purchased this from a DM, after we realized he had not read it before running it for our group. He thought the DM didn't need to read it beforehand.
He thought wrong. 😄
Your favorite module isn’t “Amazing” or a “Critical Hit”?
Kind of a light review this time.
Why do you still have TWO, clearly separate openings?
We always pronounced it 'The Hidden Shrine of Tom's-a-Watchin'-You...lol
lol... good one!!
I had a friend who pronounced it "Ta-Mocha-Chan", which always brought up mental images of a ancient shrine dedicated to baristas.
tangentslayer I’m up for that! 😝
The best module I evere played was THE LOST CITY... B4.... Full version. Not the Bseries 1-10 version. Best Dungeon crawl EVER!!!!
I remember there being waaaay too much text to read to players (it might be great now, but it was boring and slowed everything down when we were 14 years old). Had I been smarter, I would have simply adapted and read what worked. I would like to go back and revisit this to see if it works better for me this time.
It makes me so sad how wimpy the gibbering mouther is in later editions. A travesty I say!
Nothing to stop you from modding it to be tougher!!