AD&D Review - Dwellers of the Forbidden City 

Let's be real: A 1E adventure that chews through 68 characters is completely plausible.

0:41 "unlike other adventures, a party may find the presence of a druid helpful" Wow, what a burn

It seems like the common theme of this module (as written) is "Ah, curse your sudden but inevitable betrayal!"

This hits me as a source book not an adventure

Ah, yes, 68 characters. One less than the ideal group size.

"The module feels more like a setting than an adventure" is the defining trait of early modules.

I was just thinking about you Seth. Not in a creepy way, I was thinking about Scott Brown.

I love how your (dressed up like a Saxon) warrior PC character wears medieval armor but sounds like a wise guy from Brooklyn. 😆

This module was a clear inspiration for the Tomb of Annihilation.

"Unlike many adventures, a druid might be useful." Savage. And how times change.

I gotta love how you goofed at the beginning with "68 characters" and, rather than edit that out, kept it in there just because it was a funny slip-up.

Hot damn, I've done 12 character tables before but 68 characters?! Imagine the chorus of responses when you ask them "You enter the room. What would you guys do first?"

Ah, the Bob Ross of Role-playing.

This was the first adventure that I ever ran. Oh. I agree with you about “All That Glitters”. It was a classic!

after 24 minutes I kept thinking about making a little encounter with sad bullywugs returning from a failed raid on the wizard's tower without weapons or armor. maybe just making a little schedule for when each faction does something would be good enough to flesh it out a bit more

I was looking away when you said “68 characters”. I was like, WAT

"68 characters." First time the monsters ever said "Ah hell no! This violates our contract with the dungeon owner."

I played this module in high school, so weird to think that the most memorable part was made up by my dungeon master from a plot hook. I still remember my Samurai and his friends charging into a living temple with the bugbears at our back in order to stop the Yuan ti from summoning a tainted god. I legit assumed that was the main thing in this book.

Setting I1 in Eberron's southern continent of Xen'drik could be an interesting option. The Forbidden City could've belonged to the Dark Elves or Giants so you'd have some guidance for the city's past. Or move it to the Forgotten Realms' Chult and even place the Tomb of Annihilation inside the city.

'the chieftains name is Poo-bay...or...Pube.'

It's been awhile since a Seth AD&D review. That screwup in the beginning was pretty funny to.

Always say an audible "Hell yeah!" Whenever I see a new Seth video.

We're proud to announce our new module; designed for 68 level 35-45 characters. What is its name you ask? Bombshell.

Who else continually forgets that Jack is also Seth!😆😂 Great video, as usual. 🏹⚔️🧙

I ran this adventure wayyyy back in the late 80s- my group loved it. Instead of several ways down I combined all and made a gauntlet. Once there they encountered a vampire “queen” that had a necklace of Hide Alignment that wanted the tribal warfare stopped etc etc. it was a fun adventure

It would be fascinating if someone took all those paragraphs and ran with them fully fleshing out each hook and making a complete modern version that acted more like a sourcebook.

You know it's a great classic AD&D module when it's title could easily be a REH short story.

This was the first major module I set in my game-world in the mid-1980s; I embellished by making a hand-written calligraphic "joke" an "aged" (lightly waved open a candle-flame) parchment saying "Abandon all hope Ye who enter here" where I placed at the entrace location to the module. My players took one look at this prop and promptly decided to leave. It took me many game hours to convince to come back as I had nothing else prepared.

Please, more AD&D adventure reviews for us, Seth!

I ran my take on this about a year ago. I took a deconstructed Isle of Dread with the central temple farmed out to a separate volcanic island and dropped the Forbidden City into the central mesa with Tomb of Annalation's Yuan-Ti temple replacing the weak yuan-ti showing in this module. Much Polynesian-themed fun was had by all, and I fully expect the players to travel back to the island sometime as they wanted to explore areas they didn't get to. Yes, the underground is way up there on that list.

If you find a campaign or adventure, meant for 68 players, please let us know!

Definitely one for the DIY crowd. Whoever made that list for the magazine must have subscribed to the "module as an inspirational starting point rather than a finished scenario" ideal.

I’m always looking forward to new rpg reviews from you.

Your criticisms mirror those we had when we first played this back in the early 80s: so much potential left on the table unused. While watching this review, though, something struck me: the Forbidden City itself and the the four continuing adventures outlined at the end would be ideal for conversion and development for Modiphius Conan (not surprisingly, given the source).

I always appreciate your AD&D adventure reviews. When I was 13 one of my players gave this to me to run and I remember it being confusing for my young mind; after scaling down the cliffs they started killing mongrelmen until a random encounter killed the party then we switched back to my home brew adventure but I remember that this book had great artwork especially the Tasloi

I think "Pube" was mentioned in an issue of the Dragon.

YES! More module reviews! Also, they did take this adventure and merge it with Tomb of Horrors for the 5e adventure "Tomb of Annihilation"

Seth: I'm going to tell you about the adventure from the GM and player point-of-view. Seth (as Jack the NPC): And I'm here to give you a break from Seth's yammering face. Oh, if only Dweebles and the others could do that as well.

Top stuff as usual. I can relate to the chief who doesn't know his son's name - my grandad had 17 grandchildren and he used to just reel names off until the one he was talking to answered

Back in 79/80 we did a big all day suday dnd session based on red nails we had a larger 4x8 dungeon with different teams entering from different sides

Yay! Never ran it or played in it but bought it when it first came out. I liked it a lot. And I see how there is this 1 obscure encounter has been made into something Lovecraftian in later DND...

Do you think you will ever do a video on how to design a dungeon?

LOL.. Hey Seth.. as a veteran DM, I just incorporated this module into my latest campaign. I butchered it. Everything you said is true! I was watching saying, "Did that, did that, had to make that myself too" . It is a great framework for adventure, but like you said it took me a lot of work.

I remember there being carnivorous apes, a giant hedgehog, and a Yuan-Ti abomination. This is definitely one that's really more of a DM sandbox than anything else.

Jack is the Eternal Champion, appearing in all times and universes.

Played this in the 80's and thoroughly enjoyed it but also couldn't figure out why we never found the Yuan Ti fortress or cave where they were busy planning the rejuvenation of their lost empire. Each week we said , sure to find them this time. I'm embarrassed to say it wasn't till years later I learnt there was no big group of Yuan Ti in the module. Your commentary has inspired me and I've added in a warehouse and three different Yuan Ti encampments, a giant snake a la Timothy Varley's Wizard Titan Demon series. Also added a few more abandoned temples including one to the Egyptian Crocodile god Sobek buried in the Lake. It's giving my 18 year old self some closure for weeks and weeks of fruitless searching for a final Yuan Ti fortress that just wasn't there.

My very first DM used Dwellers of the Forbidden City as the framework for our first campaign. We had a great time. Like you, I didn't realize until much later that he had added all of our favorite parts.

5e did Kind of do that to this book, the Lost City of Omu chapter in Tomb of Annihilation was very much inspired by Dwellers of the Forbidden City

Tournament games do not automatically transition into good campaign games - but this one did give us Yuan Ti.

I actually love listening to this while I work. It's as close as I can get to playing D&D while working.

Great ideas that were left up to the DM to flesh out. Probably my biggest gripe with some of these early AD&D modules. I loved the vibe of this module, but it really feels like a fantastic lost opportunity. I was pretty young when I got my hands on this, and didn't really understand what to do with it. I felt that many of the early Basic Expert modules were much more user friendly simply because of their clarity of purpose and I'd have loved to see that accessibility with these AD&D ones (especially this one!). Still... I was obsessed with that map!

Yesterday I saw your review on 'The secret of Bone Hill' again to assess if I could use it as a sandbox setting for a new campaign. That's why I thought this video was just a youtube recommendation of something I saw before. But no, it was a completely new review! I was happy to see it. Even though we have been plowing through Chult the last few months and it all feels somewhat familiar, it is always good to hear your advice on enhancing an adventure plotwise with you fixes.

I fully agree about how great it would be to see this fleshed out into a 5e adventure book. It has some great ideas. Someone get on that, stat!

I loved playing this adventure as a kid, my DM played it as is. From the epic bridge combat, to my monk player saving the day as we battled the rust monster. The fighter ran in fear! He had just found a suit of plate mail. The new monster we discovered and fought. Tasloi riding a wasp, Then fighting the Yuan Ti and Bullywug for the first time. The whole jungle experience was great! And we accept a quest from the Pan Lung Dragon after crushed most of the Bullywugs. He said he would eat or help the bullywug defeat the bugbears. Ah good times and a great review!

The main thing I remember about this module was it having all these frankly horrific monsters I'd never seen before ( I was a cheapskate DM that only owned the Monster Manual) which offset how vague as a scenario it was. Great stuff, as always.

Great review as always. So wild you did this one, Seth. I modded it for NWN years ago, and there seems to be a renewed interest in it now.

Seth, I am currently running DotFC 1e (original print) version for my group. I’ve really taken off on the sandbox feel and added in a good number of encounter areas and expanded on Horan the evil Wizard a good deal. You can easily expand it to be a campaign center piece. I went with a series of pregenerated PCs each with a different motivation to go to the city. My group had a great time

As always, awesome review. Now I need to do a walkthrough and review of the I1 Mod.

Hey Seth S, Love this review. THANKS for making it. From todays standards, with the internet and breadth of content, I agree looking at it with all that we have now. Yes it feels lacking and with out clear direction. I do feel it is one of the best of all time because I am an old gamer. Back when this came out in 81 or 82 it was a GOLD MINE of idea's and plot threads. It was chocked full of monsters, plots places and imagination. I was 14 years old and as a DM this was so much more then a single night of adventuring which many of the first modules where actually designed for being based on 4 hours tournament games. This was months and months of gaming. The Fiend Folio was not even out yet. We only had the Monster Manual to review and as a DM I loved presenting monsters that my players had not read over and over. This added to so many new and wonderful creatures and the ART and 3dMap. Blew us away. If memory serves me correct it preceded the Dragon Lance modules and their amazing 3d maps. We didn't have the internet, and Dragon only came out once a month and I could not always afford it to feed us idea's and adventures. We waited week by week month by month for a NEW module or hard cover to arrive in our Train Hobby Shop way in the back corner behind all the Important stuff....( Did my Dad just come out and talk about walking to school barefoot up hill both ways) And when this sort of mega module came out it was a feast. Thanks for your fantastic and entertaining videos . Your adventure idea's changes and additions are great as well and enjoyed.

Nice! Kicking it old school.

I LOVE your DnD module reviews. Wish you did this more often - perhaps on some of the more recent ones!

played a mongrel man psionicist in this in Adnd 2e, years ago. I remember polymorphing into a giant umberhulk and burrowing through the ruined tunnels as a shortcut and surprising the yuan ti. fun times, especially with the other mongrel man in my party and discovering our npc buddies in the forbidden city, great reunion!

Thank you for continuing these classic reviews. This is how I found your channel. :)

love the shirt, Seth (as usual). Thanks for another great review!

Just discovered your channel. Fantastic job on covering these somewhat forgotten adventures.

I can't believe you left that blooper in Seth that's freaking hilarious

Forbidden City, eh? Sounds like a good place to substitute Sleestack for Yuan-Ti. The LotL soundtrack would be awesome to play while running this "module".

I LOVE these reviews! You give great recaps of adventures from a previous generation. I especially like how you point out taking what we LIKE about pre-written adventures and skipping over parts which don’t fit the table’s taste.

I mean all an adventure really is, is a dungeon. Especially in the 70's - 80's.

Man, that 68 characters thing at the beginning caught me off guard. I got a pretty good laugh out of it ahaha! Great video, as always!

Thank you for so many great ideas for add-on adventures.

When will we be getting another war story? I'm not sure which is even my favorite, but I love them all!

I LOVE these old school AD&D module reviews!

Same here, played this module, lved it, great memories, we sided with the bullywogs and they took over, but also when I bought this I was surprised. That's a great GM for you. Keep up the great work. 😎🤘

Always pleasant to see your vids!

I ran an old-school classics campaign a few years ago that started with Against the Cult of the Reptile God, then did Dwellers of the Forbidden City, then The Gates of Firestorm Peak, then Castle Amber. Dwellers is very sandboxy so I helped streamline their experience to just the main quest - I think they really enjoyed several encounters from the module, both combat and RP. Playing the factions off one another to gain access to the big boss is always fun. They didn't encounter the aboleth nor the dragon, and didn't explore the city much.

I agree about the module coming off as unfinished, I remember initially really liking it but then realizing the Yuan-Ti never show up again after the entrance encounters.... Also despite being inspired by Red Nails, it really lacks the odd fatalistic decadence that story presented. The conflicts are all very vaguely defined, without the indication that these cultures are pretty much doomed from the start from their petty quarrels. PS: Did you notice the Cthulhu statues snuck in the map art?

Great video as usual :) From what I understood the Forbidden City in 5e Tomb of Annihilation was inspired by the 1e adventure. Although it's not a 1:1 conversion for sure :) Cheers!

I love your videos. Please make more dnd reviews!

I think they have already (mostly) took the adventure and blew it up onto a 5E campaign. It’s basically Omu from Tomb of Annihilation.

Love You Seth! Another great video.

I like the idea of the totem pole having magic mouth spells that start to chant the opening chant of the song the Lion Sleeps Tonight, and just as they reach the village the rest of the song starts up!

Nicely done. I have this one but never ran it. I think I got it years later as they placed it in the World of Greyhawk and I wanted as much from that campaign setting as possible. Sounds like it's a wealth of information. As always, enjoy your stuff a lot. I agree about Saltmarsh - what a fantastic scenario. I'm hoping to start my online Down Darker Trails using those scenarios as the core next month.

I always look forward to new content from you, sir. Shared to my FB group, Greyhawk Musings. Not that you need help drawing attention to your fabulous videos!

What I (almost) did with it: Back when I was running my D&D 5e isle of Dread campaign, the PCs were in Karameikos helping out the lizard folk (from U2 Danger at Dunwater) repel an attack. This attack was from an aboleth and its 2 chuul servants. They were able to kill the aboleth and one chuul, but at the cost of one of the characters. That PCs body was dragged off by the chuul. This was one of those times where the randomness of things worked out perfectly, because that character was one of the ones with the most magic items on them - and chuul are drawn to that. Later that PCs was resurrected, and the player did an excellent job of having psychological problems with the whole affair. (Side note: the group was inducted as members into the lizard folk tribe which involved one of my favorite gaming concepts, I can describe it if you want, it will take a while.) What was going to happen, was the group was going to figure out where the body and the stuff was taken (The Forbidden City) and go there. Well, this would bring them back to the Isle of Dread, which they had escaped from - onto a different world than which they started - about 1 year back, in campaign time. I located the city on the plateau in the center of the isle, right above The Lost City which was above the crashed space ship from Escape from the Barrier Peaks (the malfunctioning FTL drive being why the island jumps from world-to-world, the PCs started out on Greyhawk). The island was being used by the Slavelords as a base of operations to plunder multiple worlds.

Great review. I like your ideas to add

Seth, I'd love to hear you review just one DCC module. They seem to be the closest thing I've found to resembling the original AD&D modules, in spirt and form. With all your experience playing D&D over the many years I'd love to see what you think of their adventure modules.

The first module I ever bought at a mall back in the 80's. Returned to that same mall decades later, and it was like a ghost town, none of the vibrancy of the mall back when I bought the module. Eerie how the buying experience is like the game, a ruined city, a shadow of its former vibrancy.

I am glad you give kudos to the Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh and Against the Cult of the Repile God, intro adventures that my friends liked a lot and that were fun to DM.

It reminds me a lot of The Isle of Dread. So many different ideas that it makes for it’s own campaign setting. As long as the DM puts in some work, it’s all anyone needs to keep the players busy for a long time.

Hello Seth, seems like forever since you have done a D&D video. Trust me when I say "I'm not complaining, love your content!" Thank you for bringing the Tasloi to my attention. Dave from NA, once said something about hairy jungle goblins that rode giant wasp, I always wondered what the inspiration was behind that. Now I know, lol. You and Jack are 100% right, WotC should make this module into a expanded campaign. These old school modules where all set up the same way, everybody betrays you. You know Seth, it just how it was done back then. I would have only one group or NPC betray the adventuring party. I had forgotten how great this module is! Thanks Seth you have a wonderful day!

The whole "and then they betray the party" is why so many of us 1E players went the murderhobo route, once we got into the dungeon at least. At least 80% of hypothetically "friendly" encounters were only pretending to be so to get the drop on the PCs, no matter if it made any sense for the betrayers or not. "No, you can't come with us. Go away now or we'll kill you here and now" was the standard reaction to NPCs. The idea that monsters could be actual people with actual motivations and the ability to genuinely work with the party out of enlightened self-interest was groundbreaking back then.

Love your work, keep it up!

Best content on the interneeeeet! Thanks Seth!

U1 The Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh - one of the best I've ever played. Around this tiny village I created a lovely set of scenarios. Village doomed to be raided, with a plotting evil cleric hoping to reestablish a lost cult, and my players insired by the Seven Samurai, mentoring villagers to the victory.

I used this same adventure for the start of a campaign. I actually converted the whole thing to the Basic Roleplaying Game from Chaosium. It went really well and transfered easy. What happen in our game was that a storm came in and the ship they were on going somewhere else flounder on the rocks of a island. While exploring the island the PCs stumbled onto the city, and the found the cheif's son.

I just got hold of an original copy of this module, can’t wait to play!

Sweet! A new AD&D review!

I look forward to these!

I think I'm gonna swipe these maps for my own campaign's ruined subterranean swamp city that has five factions fighting for dominance with one of them wanting to rebuild the empire. Considering that I was planning to use your dungeon cards to plan out the paths to get to the city, but was drawing a blank on the guard points and the city itself, this is a godsend.