Review: The Blackbridge Labyrinth
Today we're looking at The Blackbridge Labyrinth: Expanded Edition by Connor Ludovissy. This was originally published in the Shots in the Dark compilation but has been revised with "a more compelling narrative, an easier-to-run labyrinth for tabletop play, and more powerful treasure to boot."
We start with a rumor table and a mix of true and false rumors. There's some debate on the utility of false rumors. I believe they can be used to great effect when they lead to something interesting, and especially when they do that while subverting expectations. For example, rumor number one is that slavers have been driving wagons through town and kidnapping kids. So put some wagon tracks out there for the PCs to find, but instead of slavers they lead to a farmer beset by wolves or a peddler of strange elixirs that needs a wheel repaired or something other than "yeah there never were any slavers, you wasted half an hour of your life looking for them." The GM is the only source of truth for the fantasy game world, so straight up lying to the players isn't really fair.
Then we get to the hook - a couple of boys have gone missing. The townsfolk don't seem that interested in finding them, and one boy's brother asks the party for help. It's a simple, direct setup that you could probably drop into just about any small town or village that the party comes across. Unfortunately it's missing a section that explains the situation to the GM, so they will have to read through and piece it together just as the players will. These types of sections are important because any TTRPG will have some improv, and if the GM knows what's coming down the pipeline and exactly what the designer intended, they will be able to make sure that the information they convey and the events they improvise will be consistent with the adventure. It helps the whole thing run more smoothly and gives the GM some confidence.
We then have a perfunctory investigation in town. Nothing too complicated, and the NPCs and information provided will ensure that the PCs get headed on the right direction quickly. I like the way that this adventure uses NPCs - the missing boy's brother, the merchant and the ranger all provide a little narrative interest that push this beyond a purely location-based adventure. But the characters are also simple and archetypal enough that it could be dropped into my setting or campaign.
Once underway we have a short jaunt through the forest where we get this tidbit:
" ◦ A trained tracker or ranger is able to follow the path to the labyrinth
entrance in half an hour.
◦ An untrained adventurer may make a DC 14 WIS check. On success, the entrance is found after an hour of searching. On failure, an hour of searching is wasted, along with any light sources, and roll 1d6 for a random encounter. On a 1, the party is attacked by 1d4 wolves."
A nice little example of using backgrounds and also failing forward. It keeps the game moving while making skill checks impactful. I would like to see more of this in adventure design - a consequence for failure that is something more than "try again" and also provides an avenue for the gameplay to continue. It's almost enough to make me forgive the nonstandard ability check DCs that are used everywhere (please stick with 9/12/15/18).
A note about 2nd person perspective in adventure writing: don't do it. As we arrive at the labyrinth, the read aloud states, "You feel a sense of deep abandonment as you cross over a small hill and into a gloomy clearing. As if you have left your own home behind and stepped into a stranger country. A place that does not belong." I'm not categorically against read aloud and I believe it can be done well. But it shouldn't describe what the PCs are thinking or feeling. That's for the players to decide.
The labyrinth itself is 11 rooms and does a lot to build atmosphere but doesn't provide much in the way of interactivity. There are a few treasures to find and a few monsters to fight. For all of the environmental storytelling and foreshadowing, none of it really matters in the end. The players won't really learn anything that helps them puzzle out the dungeon or the nature of their ultimate foe. For example, from examining a corpse they will learn that it's organs have been used for necromancy. But there's no necromancer here in the dungeon and really no way for the PCs to use this information to their advantage. There's also a room full of statues with a cryptic inscription. I know my players would assume it's a puzzle and waste precious time trying to figure it out, only to stop when I would break the fourth wall and tell them to just move on. It would really elevate this adventure if there was a secret that clever and/or thorough players could learn that would help them in the final encounter. As it stands, there's some nice set dressing but it's not really gameable.
The adventure culminates in a set piece battle against a sentient floating gem and its brainwashed servants. We're told it takes place on a platform with a 5' gap around it, but we aren't told how high the platform is or how deep the gap is. Those kinds of details matter and should be included. What does it take to climb the platform? What happens if someone falls off? We have the makings for a dynamic fight but we aren't given the necessary information to make the environment matter.
The Blackbridge Labyrinth is simple and straightforward, probably too much so. Suitable as an intriguing little situation to drop in a random settlement the party is passing through. But it's missing the kinds of details that would grab the players and really make it sing.
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/507331/the-blackbridge-labyrinth-expanded-edition
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