Review - UK3 The Gauntlet

The second module in The Adlerweg series, The Gauntlet, was released in 1984.  Written by Graeme Morris, it is the sequel to The Sentinel, and carries the story to its conclusion.  The premise of the adventure is that the party have found a sentient glove, the 'Sentinel', and have learned of its purpose, namely to destroy its nemesis, an evil black Gauntlet.  The Sentinel guides them to the location of the Gauntlet, an old fortress guarding a mountain pass, and enables them to gain entry to the fortress.  Once within they need to locate the evil artefact and destroy it. So, on the surface, the plot is a fairly simple one of 'find an artefact and rid the world of it', but of course, it was never going to be that easy.  The Gauntlet is one tricksy sod!


The Keep of Adlerweg - your quarry lies within - somewhere....


Obviously, as a sequel, it is better to play the 1st part of the series before embarking on this adventure, that goes without saying.  There is a short section supplied to allow the party to discover The Sentinel if they have not completed UK2, but that is best ignored.  Plus, the first module of the series is also a lot of fun!

The vast majority of UK3 is spent within the confines of the Keep of Adlerweg.  It's a rather cramped, claustrophobic place.  There are no sprawling caverns beneath it, or airy Great Halls, it's a proper Keep, and a very very well done one at that.  The UK series mostly eschewed much of the fantasy dungeon style of the modules that had been released before, and focussed instead on describing gritty, realistic environments - and the Keep of Adlerweg is the pinnacle of these locations.  Robust walls, cramped spiral staircases, arrow-slits, murder holes, supplies of various consumable items, rooms in logical places - this feels like a defensible outpost that has stood up to invading armies.

The current inhabitants have found the wine cellar...


And without giving too much away of the events within the adventure, it needs to be.

Encounters within The Gauntlet feel just as logical as the layout, and there are several that really stand out as being exceptional and highly memorable. They are also every bit as challenging as they are well designed.  The players must be sharp and focussed, and pay attention to everything they find along the way, as there is one particular show-stopper of an event which will push them to their absolute limits.  If they haven't kept an accurate map, and got a full understanding of their environment, they risk being utterly annihilated.

Presentation is as per the rest of the UK series, though the cover art is a little better than that of UK2. Illustrations within are quirky but effective, the maps are clear and effective, and the text is spot on. The entire series leads the way in showing other module writers how to present information to a DM in a clear, informative, and non-wordy manner.  Encounter information likewise is thorough, and a the inclusion of a complete creature roster is very helpful too. It's very well laid out indeed.  It needs to be. This is a challenging module for the DM as well as the players, and I'm pretty sure the writer realised that and has done everything possible to help.


Cover art spoiler alert!!


It's not quite perfect though, there are a few aspects of The Gauntlet that can be criticised.  A group who like their fantasy to be wild and whimsical might find the location too realistic for their taste, equally those who like to rush in, and smash and grab everything will also be somewhat frustrated - not to mention dead!  It certainly favours a thoughtful and methodical group of players.  The suggested level range is somewhat off kilter too - it recommends level 6 to 10 characters of  levels 3-6 - forget that. Unless the party are exceptionally well equipped, level 3 and 4 characters should not be considered.  It's much better played using a party of 6-7 characters of levels 5 and 6 - about 35 levels in total.  A final criticism is that one encounter, the big finale, could easily be over within seconds of it starting.....

But those criticisms are minor.  The Gauntlet is one of the best, if not THE very best AD&D module of the post golden-age era.  It is tight, efficient, logical, and most of all memorable for all concerned.  The Keep is perfect, the puzzles are original, and there is one particular sequence of events that I guarantee will cause the players' jaws to drop.

A true gem.


Presentation: 8/10 – the cover art could be better, and internal images are quirky, but they are consistent.  Maps are good, the quality of writing is perfect.
 
Brawn:  10/10 – everyone needs to be ready for one HELL of a fight.

Brains:  9/10 - logical, tactical thinking is a must

Overall: 9/10 - a mid-level masterpiece, missing out on a 10 only because it was all over within 2 sessions of play...

2 comments:

  1. A fine review, and I also enjoyed your YouTube version. This might be my favourite of the UK series (with UK4 as a possible rival): it has a wonderfully natural and logical mixture of the various facets of play. Instead of breaking off from the action for an (easy) Mensa style question in the likes of the (enjoyable) funhouse S2 White Plume Mountain. you are now solving the puzzle of how to extract occupants from the prison under time pressure, in a seamless continuation.

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  2. AS you have noted, the construction is tight, time-constrained, and might be over quite quickly. However it is a module with considerable possibilities for follow up adventures. Might a PC fighter take over as Castellan; a magic-user (especially if one wielded the Sentinel) as Guardian Mage of Adlerweg? The whole region is in turmoil, and the PCs are best placed to bring order. A tribute to the Sea Princes might ease the party into positions of power. The keep might become a base of operations. Small groups of gnolls might need to be dealt with, refugees housed, a militia raised. And then there is the Fire Giant and his army. You might give him the role of the mountain giant in WG4, and run that module.

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