''The Eternal Boundary'' is an

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 ...

for the 2nd edition of the ''

Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Several different editions of the '' Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D'') fantasy role-playing game have been produced since 1974. The current publisher of ''D&D'', Wizards of the Coast, produces new materials only for the most current edition of the ...

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction that involves supernatural or Magic (supernatural), magical elements, often including Fictional universe, imaginary places and Legendary creature, creatures. The genre's roots lie in oral traditions, ...

role-playing game A role-playing game (sometimes spelled roleplaying game, or abbreviated as 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 ...

Plot summary

''The Eternal Boundary'', the first adventure for the Planescape setting, focuses on a few key areas of

Sigil A sigil () is a type of symbol used in magic. The term usually refers to a pictorial signature of a spirit (such as an angel, demon, or deity). In modern usage, especially in the context of chaos magic, a sigil refers to a symbolic represen ...

. The

player character A player character (also known as a playable character or PC) is a fictional Character (arts), 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 tha ...

s are hired to locate a madman who holds the key to a portal, and explore the slums of the Hive, meet the Bleak Cabal at the Gatehouse, and parley with

undead The undead are beings in mythology, legend, or fiction that are deceased but behave as if they were alive. A common example of an undead being is a cadaver, corpse reanimated by supernatural forces, by the application of either the deceased's o ...

in the vaults of the Mortuary. A fiery climax in another plane provides clues to a conspiracy.

Publication history

''The Eternal Boundary'' was written by L. Richard Baker III, and published by

TSR, Inc. TSR, Inc. was an American game publishing company, best known as the original publisher of '' Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D''). Its earliest incarnation, Tactical Studies Rules, was founded in October 1973 by Gary Gygax and Don Kaye. Gygax had bee ...

Reception

Rick Swan Rick Swan is a game designer and author who worked for TSR. His work for TSR, mostly for ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'', appeared from 1989 to 1995. Swan also wrote '' The Complete Guide to Role-Playing Games'' (1990), published by St. Martin' ...

reviewed ''The Eternal Boundary'' for ''

Dragon A dragon is a Magic (supernatural), magical legendary creature that appears in the folklore of multiple cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but European dragon, dragons in Western cultures since the Hi ...

'' magazine #211 (November 1994). He suggests that when the player characters "can go anywhere in an infinite number of universes, it's hard to know where to begin. ''Eternal Boundary'' ..comes to the aid of stymied plane-hoppers with an entertaining scenario". Swan concludes by saying: "Despite the reliance on familiar settings (a tavern, a mausoleum, a trap-filled citadel), the bizarre cast of characters and almost casual way that travelers flip between planes gives ''Eternal Boundary'' a feel all its own; you're unlikely to confuse it with a conventional fantasy adventure." Shannon Appelcline comments that the designers of Planescape immediately included the ideas about the elemental planes from the '' Planescape Campaign Setting'' "in the first Planescape adventure, ''The Eternal Boundary'' (1994), which includes a trip to the Elemental Plane of Fire. Taking a page from Al-Qadim, ''The Eternal Boundary'' takes players to a set, civilized locale—a 'citadel of fire.'"

Reviews

*''Backstab'' #9 *''Rollespilsmagasinet Fønix'' (Danish) (Issue 3 - July/August 1994)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Eternal Boundary, The Planescape adventures Role-playing game supplements introduced in 1994