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B2: Keep on the Borderlands (NWN2 edition)
Keep on the Borderlands is a conversion of paper and pencil module written by Gary Gygax, first published by TSR in 1979. The paper and pencil module, The Keep on the Borderlands was ranked the 7th greatest Dungeons & Dragons adventure of all time by Dungeon magazine in 2004, on the 30th anniversary of the Dungeons & Dragons game.
Players arrive at the Keep on the Borderlands, where they base themselves before investigating the Caves of Chaos, a series of nearby caverns full of humanoid tribes poised to destroy the keep. It typifies the dungeon crawls associated with beginning D&D players, while permitting some limited outdoor adventures.
The module is primarily a hack and slash adventure, although I have tried to add opportunities for role playing and there are some tricks and traps. It is intended for new characters. It should work for multiplayer but I did not have the opportunity to run a multiplayer test.
DMFI
In collaboration with original module author ENoa4, the DM-Friendly Initiative (DMFI) is pleased to announce that B2: Keep on the Borderlands - DMFI Edition has just been released and is available for download on this page.
The DMFI edition of the module has additional features designed to enhance multiplayer and DM'd play, including a new DM Guide, revamped Player Guide, DM Plot Wand, the DMFI Tools, and other goodies. We hope you enjoy.
Many thanks to Carlo for all of his hard work preparing the DMFI version of Keep on the Borderlands.
Reviews
Dormammu (2007-06-22): Score = 7.29; Quick Pros = Fun hack n slash, a good tribute to D&D of old; Quick Cons = Not a lot of chances for acting out your character(s).
| Attachment | Size |
|---|---|
 b2_keep_on_the_borderlands_-_dmfi_edition.rar -- B2 DMFI Edition (1666) | 47.6 MB |
| kotbv1.0.1.rar -- Single Player / Multi-Player Edition (2388) | 46.41 MB |
On the old vault, this was a Hall of Fame entry with a score of 8.24 based on 148 votes. Here are the download totals:
It was a classic module back then, and its a classic module now. This module is a great starting module when playing either alone or with friends. Expect to get to about level 3 from this quick xp run through the Caves of Chaos. Cheers to ENoa4, Carlo, and rjshae!
I second this!
A classic back in the day and a nice mod for NWN2, but it is best played with a DM and a few friends, otherwise it will be a lonesome trip. Those expecting a lot of roleplaying will be disappointed, The Keep on the Borderlands has always been a straightforward dungeon crawl and that's the way it is represented here... but I must say it wouldn't hurt to have a more lively environment with more NPCs to meet and maybe a few more sidequests. I understand this is an attempt to provide a faithful translation to the NWN2 engine... but I think some small changes would turn the Caves into a much more colorful and exciting challenge.
But that is just a matter of opinion and taste... I can't fault the author for being faithful to the source material...
It was an enjoyable trip, though I think Tomoachan was a better example of the author's skill...
Very enjoyable hack and slash. Some great moments, well portrayed. I multiplayed it with my son!
so Glad you rescued all these!
A Classic Pen and Paper Conversion.
Although quite good in some aspects, I encountered also some slight misbehavin'. For example when you weren't on the Main character and left an area you were suddenly stuck in a virtual Limbo and couldn't go anywhere - you had to reload the saved game.
The compainions were, so so... I was missing some more background, but it's ok. Sometimes you are expecting some of the Companions to tell you something about the "Monsters" in the caves... The Dwarf, now and then does - when you enter the Orc Caves... or when you enther the other cave with the ... Oozes... But in general, it was a bit less than it could have been.
Furthermore, the game had taken some slight freedoms - but they were only a minor problem (Mainly some of the NPC's in the Keep). It was a refreshing game, but not perfect - I give it six out of ten points, putting it slightly above average. It's worth playing, and you can actually pull your character up to fifth level if you are thourough.
Agile and nice conversion of a classic, with the virtues and the flaws of the original. It took me 6h to play; reached lv5. All worked fine for me. Ah... ye good old times!
--- potential spoliers ---
I am running through the dmfi_edition as multiplayer with a friend and ran into a weird bug. Our characters gained the necessary experience for 2nd level when we completed the quest for the elf brothers by talking to them in the guild house and telling them that their third brother was dead. However, only one of the characters had the opportunity to level up, even though both had sufficient experience points. We've tried editing the character with a leveler, but so far, it resists repair. That's most likely my lack of knowledge of the game engine.
Otherwise, we are really enjoying it! Thanks for creating it.
Well, never mind. I forgot to account for the fact that the character that didn't level up is an ECL +1 Aasimar. Doh!
I and my friend finished this last night as 2-player. It's lots of fun with two players plus a couple of the potential companions. The fights are well balanced but require good tactical play to avoid being swarmed by your opponents.
Thanks to ENoa4 & Carlo for creating this module!
Nice H&S adventure, not much room for RP apart from a couple of conversations, well made overall, with extremely minor issues like the toolset names for a couple of props here and there. No bugs as far as I'm concerned. I'd suggest you play the module with friends, the format of the module will make it much more fun that way :)
Well done and true to the module as I remember it. My only real quibble is that I can't build my own party. I played an elvish mage, the last thing I needed was another mage. I really could have used a cleric.
Replayed this a few months back to develop a new PC for Scourge of the Slave Lords and Against the Giants.
The plot is pretty simple and you have to be prepared for a great deal of running back and forth to unload and restock. That said, everything worked as advertised and I finished with a 5th lvl Elven Ranger for the next module.
Love old school conversions. Will give it a try.