The Hound of Hirot is Dead

I finally had a chance to run the module that came with the pre-order for Dungeon Crawl Classics. Unfortunately, if you didn't snag a copy when the game dropped a few months back, you've probably missed your chance. Actually, if you haven't grabbed the game yet, you may be out of luck for a little while. Joseph Goodman reported that the first print run of DCC has sold out, which is great news. Here is the pitch:

High above the windswept moors and darksome woods, the village of Hirot is under siege. Each night, as the sun sinks beneath the western mountains and the candles burn low, a devil-beast stalks the village streets, unleashing its savage fury on the living. From warlord to pauper, crone to child, no one is safe.

Defeating the immortal hound will require more than mere blades or even spells. To slay the beast, the characters must delve into the mysteries of the land and its Savage Kings. Only then, armed with relics forged from a bloody past, can the most cunning and courageous of adventurers challenge the hound of Hirot!

There was a rather comical moment right at the outset of the session, when my player's party, led by a gambler who had run out of money and was traveling to Hirot to take part in the lottery learned its true purpose. The adventure opens with the players stumbling upon the Jarl, his thegns, and some 30-odd townsfolk ferrying a woman to a sacrificial altar.The group learned that a villager was scarified every three days to satiate the Hound. Naturally, the group wanted to interfere.

One of the most surprising things about this adventure is how much roleplaying there is. Players will spend the majority of their time in town interacting with NPCs and figuring out how to defeat the Hound. Not that I'm complaining, there are a lot of fun personalities that enrich the scope of this adventure beyond "kill the monsters, get the treasure."

It also doesn't fall into the trap that some adventures do when there are specific kill conditions for the monster. Doom of the Savage Kings offers multiple opportunities for the PCs to acquire the tools necessary to bring peace to Hirot. Not only is this just a great module, but it's a great template for fledgling DMs looking to understand how to run a "sandbox" style game. If you happen upon this in your FLGS or see a copy on eBay, I would definitely throw down the loot for it.