''Test of the Warlords'' () is a 1984

adventure module An adventure is a playable scenario in a tabletop role-playing game. These can be constructed by gamemasters for their players, and are also released by game publishers as pre-made adventure modules. Different types of designs exist, including l ...

for the ''

Dungeons & Dragons ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (commonly abbreviated as ''D&D'' or ''DnD'') is a fantasy tabletop role-playing game (RPG) originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. The game was first published in 1974 by TSR (company)#Tactical Studies Rules ...

roleplaying 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 ...

. Its associated code is CM1 and is TSR's product number 9117. The adventure takes place in Norwold, which is located in the north east corner of the Known World on

Mystara Mystara is a campaign setting for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy role playing game. It was the default setting for the "Basic" version of the game throughout the 1980s and 1990s. Most adventures published for the "Basic" edition of ''D&D'' ...

. This campaign contains elements of hack-and-slash adventure, political intrigue and full-scale

war War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...

Plot summary

''Test of the Warlords'' is a

campaign setting A campaign setting is usually a fictional world which serves as a setting for a role-playing game or wargame campaign. A ''campaign'' is a series of individual adventures, and a ''campaign setting'' is the world in which such adventures and ca ...

with an adventure scenario in which dominions are being set up in the land of Norwold. The fame of 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 have earned them the right and title to run a realm of their own, under the supervision of the king of Norwold, a newly colonized region to the north of

. But even from the start, with all the troubles of establishing your own pockets of civilization in as yet untamed wilderness, Norworld has become the center of attention in the struggle between two old enemies: The sorcerous empire of Alphatia and the war-mongering realm of Thyatis.

Publication history

CM1 ''Test of the Warlords'' was written by

Douglas Niles Douglas Niles (born December 1, 1954, in Brookfield, Wisconsin) is a fantasy author and game designer. Niles was one of the creators of the Dragonlance world and the author of the first three Forgotten Realms novels, the ''Star Frontiers'' space o ...

, with a cover by

Clyde Caldwell Clyde Caldwell (born February 20, 1948) is an American artist. Self-described as a fantasy illustrator, he is best known for his portrayals of strong, sexy female characters. With his work at TSR in the 1980s, he is considered one of the artis ...

, and interior illustrations by

Jeff Easley Jeff Easley (born 1954) is an oil painter who creates fantasy artwork for role-playing games, comics, and magazines, as well as non-fantasy commercial art. Early life Easley was born in Nicholasville, Kentucky in 1954. He spent time drawing as ...

, and was published by TSR in 1984 as a 32-page booklet with an outer folder.

Reception

Credits

: Design * Tim Kilpin: Editing *

: Cover art *

: Interior art * Ruth Hoyer: Graphic design *

Diesel Diesel may refer to: * Diesel engine, an internal combustion engine where ignition is caused by compression * Diesel fuel, a liquid fuel used in diesel engines * Diesel locomotive, a railway locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engin ...

: Maps

Notable nonplayer characters

* King Ericall of Norworld: lawful 28th level fighter () * Lernal the Swill: neutral 6th level fighter * King Yarrvik the Just: lawful 9th level fighter (Oceansend) * Tarn Oakleaf: neutral 24th level druid * Madiera the Counselor: lawful 21st level magic user * Christina Marie Alanira: Neutral 25th level magic-user * Alak Dool: chaotic 19th level magic user * Sir Ernest Day: lawful 16th level fighter * Rutger Dag: neutral 15th level fighter * Sandralane of Glantri: lawful 16th level cleric * Max the First: chaotic 15th level fighter * Alissa Patrician: lawful 15th level fighter * Longtooth: chaotic 20th level thief * Mequisa, the Lawful: * Bethidia, the Neutral: * Chasandri, the Chaotic:

References

External links

*
The "CM" modules
from The Acaeum Dungeons & Dragons modules Mystara Role-playing game supplements introduced in 1984 {{D&D-stub