 The cover of the module. | |
| Code | EX1 |
|---|---|
| TSR product code | 9072 |
| Rules required | Advanced Dungeons & Dragons1st edition |
| Character levels | 9 - 12 |
| Campaign setting | Generic /Greyhawk |
| Authors | Gary Gygax |
| First published | 1983 |
| Linked modules | |
| EX1EX2 | |
Dungeonland (EX1) is a 1983adventure module for theDungeons & Dragons (D&D)roleplaying game, written byGary Gygax for use with the First EditionAdvanced Dungeons & Dragons (AD&D) rules. It is an adaptation ofLewis Carroll's 1865 novelAlice's Adventures in Wonderland, with the various characters from the book translated intoAD&D terms.[1][2][3]
TheEX module code stands forextension, as the adventure is designed to be inserted as an independent addition to another, ongoing scenario.[4] In Gygax's own campaign, an early version ofDungeonland was an extension ofCastle Greyhawk.[3] In this module, theplayer characters (PCs) are plummeted into whatWhite Dwarf reviewerJim Bambra referred to as "a strange partial plane".[5]
The adventure begins with PCs falling down an earthen tunnel. It is suggested that the portal to Dungeonland be a barrel within the dungeon ofCastle Greyhawk, but theDungeon Master (DM) may work in any premise to get them to this stage.
Upon landing, theplayer characters (PCs) find themselves in a surreal, oddly-shaped hallway which contains The Pool of Tears and the entrance to a diminutive garden. Once they have explored these areas, they cross a fungi forest and arrive at The Wilds of Dungeonland, which is essentially a wooded area containing several connected clearings.
Over the course of the adventure, the PCs run into variations of Lewis Carroll'sWonderland creatures and characters, presented in aDungeons and Dragons style. For instance, instead of theMock Turtle, a MockDragon Turtle is present. TheMarch Hare is a lycanthrope, and so on.
The story loosely follows theAlice in Wonderland novel, with all of the characters converted into hostile monsters with treasure. The PCs may leave Dungeonland when they choose, by returning to the Great Hall and wishing themselves back up the tunnel. The PCs may also explore The Land of the Magic Mirror, which adjoins Dungeonland to the West, if they are able to find the way.
Dungeonland was inspired byAlice's Adventures in Wonderland, and "includes a very dangerousMad Hatter and March Hare, a deadly game of croquet with theQueen, and a Mock (Dragon) Turtle".[2] Like its source material, the module is intended to be played in a "light-hearted and zany spirit",[6] though, unlike Carroll's Alice, the player characters repeatedly face potentially lethal combat with monsters. TheCheshire Cat, for example, is a magicalsmilodon eager to eat adventurers.[3]
Dungeonland was written byGary Gygax, with illustrations byTim Truman, and was published by TSR in 1983 as a 32-page booklet with an outer folder.[2]Dungeonland andThe Land Beyond the Magic Mirror were designed to allow the DM to place them as an extension of any existing dungeon intended for 9th–12th level characters.[5] In the afterword, Gygax mentions thatDungeonland was an early part of theGreyhawk dungeon, and that his players visited it multiple times. Dr.Joyce Brothers is mentioned as having played in a version of the scenario run at a convention.[citation needed]
The module is paired withThe Land Beyond the Magic Mirror, which is based on Carroll'sThrough the Looking-Glass. The scene on the cover of each module is from an event in the other module.
Doug Cowie reviewedDungeonland favorably forImagine magazine.[7] He noted that the module is designed to be inserted into any existing dungeon or dungeon level. Cowie praised the "excellent underlying theme" and the "whimsical", but on occasion "very black humour".[7] He also felt that this was a "good example of how module design is developing", namely "interesting and technically sound, whilst displaying more and more conceptual originality".[7] Cowie thought that the designer had done a "splendid job".[7]
The module was positively reviewed in issue No. 48 ofWhite Dwarf magazine byJim Bambra, who scored it 9 out of 10 overall. He reviewed the module along withThe Land Beyond the Magic Mirror, and enjoyed the "rich vein of humour" that runs through the two modules, both of which "offer players an exciting and humorous time".[5] He felt that while the modules could be played individually, they work best when played together as they frequently interconnect, and player characters adventuring in one module could suddenly find themselves in the other. Bambra felt that although the modules were humorous in tone, some encounters could turn extremely dangerous, and that making them for high level characters makes them inaccessible for lower level characters. However, he concluded by saying that if players do have higher level characters available then "by all means play them, you won't regret it."[5]
Robert E. James reviewedDungeonland forFantasy Gamer magazine and stated that "Overall,Dungeonland is an extremely good module. It was a very welcome addition to my world, and it can easily be added into any campaign. Keep the players in the dark about its purchase, and read the source. It's worth it."[8]
Anders Swenson reviewedDungeonland andThe Land Beyond the Magic Mirror forDifferent Worlds magazine and stated that "Given the limits ofAD&D, this is not a bad job. The idea, of course, is not to rewrite Alice but to construct a fantasy role-playing game with encounters similar to those found in the two sourcebooks. And, with this perspective in mind, the two adventures succeed nicely. I would rate these two modules as excellent, certainly among the most imaginative adventures published in our hobby."[9]
In his 1991 bookHeroic Worlds,Lawrence Schick said that the scenario was "inspired byAlice and Wonderland, but with the whimsy replaced by opportunities for slaughter".[2]
