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Curse of the Azure Bonds
Submitted by:
Submitted by Migrate Wizard on 2014-08-04 10:11.
Last modified:
2016-10-16 04:45
Version:
1.21b (FINAL)
Old Vault Category:
modules
Old Vault ID:
4014
Game:
Category:
Language:
| Title | Curse of the Azure Bonds v1.21b Final |
| Author | Sarion the Wise |
| Submitted / Updated | 07-30-2002 / 04-25-2005 |
| Category | Classic PnP Conversion |
| Expansions | HOTU-1.65 |
| Setting | Forgotten Realms |
| Number Players | 1-4 |
| Language | English |
| Level Range | 6+ |
| Races | Any |
| Tricks & Traps | Medium |
| Roleplay | Light |
| Hack & Slash | Medium |
| Classes | Any |
| DMNeeded | No DM Required |
| Single or Multiplayer | Single Player or Multiplayer |
| Max Character Level | 12 |
| Max # Players | 04 |
| Min # Players | 01 |
| Min Character Level | 06 |
| Content Rating | Everyone |
| Alignments | Good Prefered |
| Description | |
| Curse of the Azure bonds Final Version 1.20b. This is a reproduction of the origional ssi computer game. You start in tilverton and will need a character of atleast 6th level to start (Although you can start with a lower level character). Mulmaster beholder corps have been added. A number of fixed applied and some feedback based updates added as well. Added Cutscene and bigger Ashabenford. Changed the XP rewards as well as they were too small. | |
Files:
| Attachment | Size |
|---|---|
 coab121b.zip (858) | 2.53 MB |
Got started, but gameplay got stuck after rescuing the princess.
A good module to play, but the henchman interface was one of the most disappointing that I have seen. I have had helpers not be able to equip what you give them before and when they level up before, but in this case you lose any of the nicer stuff you donate, without even realizing it! And there is virtually no way to get it back! I finally gave up and went without, not a big deal anyway. Really could stand an improvement if possible. The author DOES warn you, but typically the level up occurs and you forget about it, until you see the naked henchie! You can ask them to unequip and then drop the gear, I suppose, but that is clunky and non-intuitive.
Aside from that issue, not a bad module, but hard to figure out where to go.
Starts out alright, but design problems become apparent even in the first quest. Long hallways with the same enemies thrown in over and over, with some containers here and there for mediocre randomised loot. After leaving the first town, it "opens up", in that you can do main objectives in the order you wish as you can choose to explore North or East first. However, the following areas are so bland, generic and oversized, there's little incentive to explore.
Furthermore, story execution is really poor. In the beginning, you are shown that your PC has been branded with "bonds" that supposedly makes him/her susceptible to mind control / posession, and something about a Flaming Aura or Pool of Radiance. Sounds dangerous right? Um actually no. Afterwards, there's no sense of danger or urgency regarding these bonds, it ends up being a convenient excuse for you to hunt down the key items needed for the main quest.
@Bowshatter
Believe it or not, that isn't the converison's fault. That was something of an issue with the original.I still have the Apple II version of the Gold Box game "Curse of the Azure Bonds", and without it I probably would have never bought NWN. Getting that for Christmas back in 1990 is what got me into AD&D.
Anyways, due to storage issues, they could only have so many monsters per disk side. An Apple II 5.25" disk only held 140K of data per side and there were 8 sides on four disks (Unlike 1980's MS-DOS 5.25" double sided, double density disk drives which held 360K and could read both sides at the same time, the Apple II's 5.25" drive was designed in the mid to late '70s for single-sided, single-density disks. You had to use a hole puncher to use both sides of blank DSDD 5.25" disks). Also the long empty cooridors had random encounters in them with hidden treasure rooms/caches that made exploring worth it as that's where you found most of the "good stuff", and without that "good stuff" the game was much harder.
For example, in Yulsh, you get a map in the journal that tells you where the Cultists of Moander are holed up. However, you are also given a clue that somebody had passed through with something they were confident would destroy the shambling mounds that plague the area. You can go right for the cult, or you can explore the city topside and eventually find a Wand of Defoliation, which helps GREATLY when you face 3 "Bit of Moanders" and a bunch of Shambling Mounds.
In any case, repetitive monsters and great areas to explore were present in the Gold Box version, it's keeping with the spirit of the original.
This is actually a recurring thing in adaptations of old games and pnp. There's little story, no character development, huge areas and loads fo repetitive monsters. Some authors try and add modern structure or assets, but in order to stay faithful a lot stays the same. It's more whether you like adaptations or not.
Actually it get's more complicated than that. There was also an AD&D module of this with the code FRC2. Both that module and the gold box game were based on the Forgotten Realms novel of the same name by Kate Novak and Jeff Grubb from 1989. Looking on Amazon UK there appears to be an audio book of this novel and a Kindle version too. It is very possible that this particular module is based on the tsr module and not the goldbox version but don't quote me on that.
TR
Okay... got to Zhentil Keep where things got..... interesting. Visited the Black Market Shop before the main gate, and after business was done, tried to enter the Keep proper - only to find out that my mage fighter and his party had been teleported (so to speak) to the wilderness are before the Keep. So I quit the game, then restart it, hit the DebugMode (and there appears the familiar transparent yellow zone to point out something interesting), go near the main gate and get a message that says something like: Another civil war has broken out in Zhentil Keep, you can not enter the city. (there's a pointer, a notion that says "New Generic" if that's helpful)
So I'm like, 'Okay, this be interesting' and point-and-click at the main gates (which is object that the PC can interact with); and what-d'ya-know, the doors swing open and my party is free to enter and explore ZK at will: ummm, okay... ***slightly confused***
I'll keep you posted on the up-and-coming trials(of-try-and-fail?) in the, hopefully, near future.
Cleared the Beholder Corps caves. Only thing worthy of mentioning is that one chest at the treasure (?) room - the one with five chests - was located at ceiling level. Just an aesthetic bug, I was able to 'loot' it, so to speak.
And onwards we travel.
Myth Drannor Ruins: Script_helpstranger, OID:80001c61, Tag: gt Helphim ERROR: DIVIDE BY ZERO
... this is what I get, all along the Ruins. Debug mode doesn't help. Let's see what follows.
Okay, finished the module. Slayed Tyranthraxus the Ice Giant, with Lomyril (elven rogue) and Vrugdush (half orc barbarian). All in all, nice repro of an old classic, considering the framework restrictions (so to speak).
No major bugs encountered, just a few typos here and there - like, "chest to the west" was actually 'chest to the east' but no harm done IMO.