''Eye of Pain'' is an adventure for the 2nd edition of the '' Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy

role-playing game A role-playing game (sometimes spelled roleplaying game, RPG) is a game in which players assume the roles of player character, characters in a fictional Setting (narrative), setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within ...

Plot summary

''Eye of Pain'' is the first part of an adventure trilogy, in which the

player character A player character (also known as a playable character or PC) is a fictional character in a video game or tabletop role-playing game whose actions are controlled by a player rather than the rules of the game. The characters that are not control ...

s are hired by a disguised elder orb to test their usefulness in its plans to overthrow a hive mother and take over its city. The inside front cover has maps of the lair of a beholder, and its location near a small community.

Publication history

''Eye of Pain'' was designed by

Thomas M. Reid Thomas M. Reid (born December 23, 1966 in Fort Collins, Colorado) is an author and game designer who grew up in Arlington, Texas. Reid attended the University of Houston where he minored in Creative Writing. Subsequently, he got a job at Wizards ...

, and featured a cover illustration by Dana Knutson, and interior illustrations by Arnie Swekel. The sourcebook ''

I, Tyrant ''I, Tyrant'' is an accessory for the 2nd edition of the ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy role-playing game. Contents ''I, Tyrant'' expands on the information given about beholders primarily in the ''Monstrous Manual'' through details of ...

'' and ''Eye of Pain'' mark the first volumes in TSR's Monstrous Arcana series, which focuses on the most popular monsters in the ''AD&D'' game.

Reception

David Comford reviewed ''Eye of Pain'' for ''Arcane'' magazine, rating it a 3 out of 10 overall. While he praised ''I, Tyrant'', he said that "''Eye of Pain'' is a different story altogether." While he felt that it "start promisingly enough" with the pair of "well-crafted maps" on the inside front cover, he felt that the adventure itself was "lacklustre and unfortunately screams of being rushed to coincide with the release of ''I, Tyrant''". He went on to say that the adventure was "extremely linear, lacking any semblance of urgency, and relies on powerful monsters to test players and form some sort of excitement. The suggested encounters exhibit little more thought - all have tenuous links and are never developed." He did note that the arrival of a rival adventure group and a "barely seen" mysterious guild member looking for a missing comrade "are good ideas, but are never realised and hardly intrude upon the player's actions". He continued with his criticism: "To exemplify the poor quality of the finish, a narrative is left with its concluding sentence trailing away to be guessed at. Later, a mysterious bust found in a woodland clearing is described as having a beard and moustache - then, on the opposite page, a clean shaven sculpted head is shown!" Comford concluded the review by saying: "Good idea, but badly executed. Let's hope the others in the trilogy get better."

References

{{D&D topics Dungeons & Dragons modules Role-playing game supplements introduced in 1996