Dread Shores & Black Horizons

By Petras Vaznelis
Archon Games
Generic/Universal

Throughout the realm, there are those that whisper legends regarding the end of days – rumors of a great entity, cast beyond the veil of reality, scratching at the seams with rapacious vigor. Borne on the tide of arcane fires, the breach of their return would yield an apocalyptic cataclysm. As the onset of this pressure fractures the realm, dark intention finds physical manifestation amidst the daily lives of those who inhabit the established territories. Ancient relics, imbued leylines, and twisted fiends all carry traces of this ruinous distortion. Though the omens chime of certain doom, there are those that seek these nodes for their own gain. Cults of all sizes rise and rally around the confluence of arcana found in these treasures, locations, and abominations. Heralds to the onset of Armageddon, the conclaves muster and channel arcane power from beyond the veil. All the while, the reach of the fabled ‘Dark One’ lengthens across the realm.

This forty page adventure is full of overwrought text and a simplistic plot that doesn’t take advantage of the opportunities it does have. I wonder who this was written for?

We’ve got a double helping of tropes today. First, The Evil One is coming back. Second, you’re shipwrecked on an island with no gear. You make your way to the lighthouse, not lit, and force your way inside. The keeper tells you to go to the storehouse for oil and wicks to relight the fire to summon a rescue ship. You fight some barnacles on the way, go to the storehouse, find the keepers helper and some zombifiedish dudes and an avatar of The Evil One. You go back, light the fire, and a ship full of the Evil Ones cultists show up and capture you. Game over. I’m not simplifying at all, that’s the adventure, all forty pages of it. 

Needless to say, the text is wordy. There are DM notes, lengthy, all over the place, as a matter of routine. Such as as “the party will have to force their way inside the lighthouse” or “the party will need to convince the lighthouse keeper that … “ and then some lengthy exposition. Stating the obvious. More than this though is the overwrought text that is presented. I THINK it’s supposed to be read-aloud. “Your balance is rendered naught by the tumult of the waters. As you make an effort to scramble from the boat, you fall into the frigid waters” I can’t imagine ever reading that outloud to the party. But, then again, I also can’t imagine this being notes for the DM to run the scene? “ a small tower stands defiant amidst the wind.” or a window opens and you hear “shouts from the weathered watcher.” 

The text is full of this. Overwrought and purple. Lengthy descriptions without much formatting. Lengthy DM advice sections that state the obvious. And this is to the detriment of actual information. At one point you see some crabs on the beach and can examine them, only to find that they are unusual. Or, as the text says “notice that something is distinctly unnatural about these particular creatures.” But that’s all you get. What is unnatural about them? I’ve no idea. We’re offered no information. It’s just a throwaway statement, behind a throwaway skill check. We don’t want, when designing an adventure, to TELL people things. We want to SHOW them things. We want to provide an explanation that makes the players think “wow, those crabs are weird and unnatural!” But that’s generally not present here.

The adventure presents a straightforward plot that is unsatisfying. We have a lighthouse, on a lonely rock island. Away from everyone, and help. There should be a feeling of claustrophobia here. The party should feel uneasy. Those thrall zombies should be a threat to moving about the island. The avatar should hunt the party. Catch glimpses of it. Fortify themselves in the lighthouse. Be under siege. Work up the tension to a release that is earned  by the tension of the gameplay at the table. A fantastic opportunity to try and light the beacon and keep it lit all while under siege. But there’s not much here at all that would facilitate that. Instead it’s a straightforward “have this encounter and then have this encounter” key, and not many of them at that. 

And then, of course, the cultists show up and capture you, ending the game. Yeah fun!

This is $10 at DriveThru. The preview is five pages and shows you none of the actual adventure to make a purchasing decision. 

https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/483575/dread-shores-black-horizons?1892600