''Castle Amber'' is a ''

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 Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. (TS ...

'' adventure module designed by Tom Moldvay. This was the second module designed for use with the '' Expert D&D set''. The module is in part an adaptation of

Clark Ashton Smith Clark Ashton Smith (January 13, 1893 – August 14, 1961) was an American writer and artist. He achieved early local recognition, largely through the enthusiasm of George Sterling, for traditional verse in the vein of Swinburne. As a poet, Smi ...

Averoigne Averoigne is a fictional counterpart of a historical province in France, detailed in a series of short stories by the American writer Clark Ashton Smith. Smith may have based Averoigne on the actual province of Auvergne, but its name was probabl ...

stories, and set in the fictional medieval French province of that name.

Plot summary

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 explore the haunted mansion of the Amber family, and encounter new monsters such as the brain collector. The module is an adventure scenario set in a castle surrounded by an unusual gray mist.
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During their night's rest on their way to Glantri, the

s are unexpectedly drawn into a large castle surrounded by an impenetrable, deadly mist. This is the result of a curse the wizard-noble Stephen Amber (''Etienne d'Amberville'') put on his treacherous relatives for murdering him. The only way to escape Castle Amber (or ''Château d'Amberville'') is to explore the castle, putting up with the demented, and at times insane, members of the d'Amberville family and the other, often hostile, denizens, and open a hidden portal to the wilderness of the world of

, where the party can find the means to reach the inter-dimensional tomb in which Stephen Amber rests, in order to break the curse and return home. In this world, magic is frowned upon, and spellcasters may come to the attention of the Inquisition.

Inspirations

The module's credits give special thanks to Clark Ashton Smith and Casiana Literary Enterprises, Inc., "for use of the Averoigne stories as inspirational material." Castle Amber (Château d'Amberville) draws from the Averoigne stories of

. The main

non-player character A non-player character (NPC), or non-playable character, is any character in a game that is not controlled by a player. The term originated in traditional tabletop role-playing games where it applies to characters controlled by the gamemaster ...

s of the module, the Amber family (''d'Amberville'' in French, as an option), are not actually in any of Smith's stories, and were created by the designer to provide a link to Averoigne. A selected bibliography is included at the rear of the module. In addition to the Averoigne references, there are individual encounters within the module that have allusions to stories written by others. One of the encounters in the module is an homage to (or copy of) the climax of

Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe (; Edgar Poe; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic. Poe is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales of mystery and the macabre. He is wid ...

's short story '' Fall of the House of Usher'', involving a brother who can hear his dead sister, named Madeline in both cases, crying out from the grave where she was buried alive. The overall module has "a decidedly Edgar Allan Poe feel to it." Another encounter calls to mind the title character and gruesome climax of Poe's Hop-Frog. Many of the creatures also had a " Lovecraftian" feel to them. The module also is inspired by

Roger Zelazny Roger Joseph Zelazny (May 13, 1937 – June 14, 1995) was an American poet and writer of fantasy and science fiction short stories and novels, best known for ''The Chronicles of Amber''. He won the Nebula Award three times (out of 14 nomin ...

's ''

The Chronicles of Amber ''The Chronicles of Amber'' is a series of fantasy novels by American writer Roger Zelazny. The main series consists of two story arcs, each five novels in length. Additionally, there are a number of Amber short stories and other works. Four a ...

'' series. One character in the first series of rooms is clearly a representation of 'Caine' Amber from the books. The Gray Mist/curse mirrors main character 'Corwin' Amber's curse he utters after his torture and imprisonment by his family, and the room 'The Hall of Mirrors' from the module is inspired by an identical room from the Zelazny book series.

Publication history

''Castle Amber'' was the second module designed for use with the '' D&D Expert Set''. It was written by Tom Moldvay and published 1981 as a 32-page booklet with an outer folder and a cover designed by Erol Otus. The module was developed by Dave Cook, Allen Hammack, Kevin Hendryx, Harold Johnson, Tom Moldvay, and

Jon Pickens Jon Pickens is an American game designer and editor who has worked on numerous products for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy role-playing game from TSR and later Wizards of the Coast. Early life and education Jon Pickens was born in Mishawaka ...

, and edited by Harold Johnson, Edward Sollers, and Steve Winter. Moldvay, Tom. ''Castle Amber'', TSR, Inc., 1981 It features art by Jim Holloway, Harry Quinn,

Jim Roslof James Paul Roslof (November 21, 1946March 19, 2011) was an American artist who produced cover art and interior illustrations of fantasy role-playing games published by TSR, Inc. during the "golden age" of ''Dungeons & Dragons''. As Art Director a ...

, Stephen D. Sullivan, and Erol Otus. '' Mark of Amber'' was a sequel/remake of the original Castle Amber. It was reprinted in 1995 in the form of a

boxed set A box set or (its original name) boxed set is a set of items (for example, a compilation of books, musical recordings, films or television programs) traditionally packaged in a box and offered for sale as a single unit. Music Artists and bands ...

, complete with an audio CD, map posters, and player handouts. It was part of the short lived ''Masters'' series. The Castle was renamed ''Château Sylaire''.

Reception

''Castle Amber'' was ranked the 15th greatest ''Dungeons & Dragons'' adventure of all time by ''

Dungeon A dungeon is a room or cell in which prisoners are held, especially underground. Dungeons are generally associated with medieval castles, though their association with torture probably belongs more to the Renaissance period. An oubliette (from ...

'' magazine in 2004, and was fondly remembered in ''Dragon'' Magazine the same year. In an earlier review in issue No. 35 of ''

White Dwarf A white dwarf is a stellar core remnant composed mostly of electron-degenerate matter. A white dwarf is very dense: its mass is comparable to the Sun's, while its volume is comparable to the Earth's. A white dwarf's faint luminosity comes ...

'' magazine, reviewer

Jim Bambra Jim Bambra (born 1956)Jim Bambra: Director Summary
Company Check Ltd is a Briti ...

rated ''Castle Amber'' 6 out of 10. Bambra saw the adventure as "an attempt to bring randomness back into ''D&D''." Bambra considered ''Castle Amber'' a chaotic adventure and did not recommend it for purchase, noting that it "depends a lot on chance, leaving little room for skill, and at times can be deadly."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Castle Amber (Module) Dungeons & Dragons modules France in fiction Mystara Role-playing game supplements introduced in 1981

Plot summary

Inspirations

Publication history

Reception

Further reading

References