''Isle of the Ape'' is an adventure module 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 Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. (TS ...

'' role-playing game ''

World of Greyhawk Greyhawk, also known as the World of Greyhawk, is a fictional world designed as a campaign setting for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy roleplaying game. Although not the first campaign world developed for ''Dungeons & Dragons''— Dave Arnes ...

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 c ...

, in which the events occur in a magical

demiplane The planes of the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' roleplaying game constitute the multiverse in which the game takes place. Each plane is a universe with its own rules with regard to gravity, geography, magic and morality. There have been various offi ...

of the same name created by the mad archmage Zagyg Yragerne.

Plot overview

''Isle of the Ape'' is a scenario in which the player characters encounter a gargantuan ape on an isolated island. The module includes two new magic spells, and uses rules from the ''

Unearthed Arcana ''Unearthed Arcana'' (abbreviated UA) is the title shared by two hardback books published for different editions of the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy role-playing game. Both were designed as supplements to the core rulebooks, containing materia ...

'' rulebook. According to '' From the Ashes'', this adventure was set in a demiplane accessed via Castle Tenser.

Publication history

''Isle of the Ape'', also referred to by its module code ''WG6'', was written by

Gary Gygax Ernest Gary Gygax ( ; July 27, 1938 – March 4, 2008) was an American game designer and author best known for co-creating the pioneering role-playing game ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D'') with Dave Arneson. In the 1960s, Gygax created an ...

as a

module Module, modular and modularity may refer to the concept of modularity. They may also refer to: Computing and engineering * Modular design, the engineering discipline of designing complex devices using separately designed sub-components * Mo ...

for the '' 1st Edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'' role-playing game. It was 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 ...

in 1985 as a 48-page booklet with a two-color map and an outer folder. Because it is one of the ''WG'' modules, it is a module intended for the ''World of Greyhawk'' campaign setting. Its product code was ''TSR 9153''. It is a challenging adventure intended for 18+ level

characters Character or Characters may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''Character'' (novel), a 1936 Dutch novel by Ferdinand Bordewijk * ''Characters'' (Theophrastus), a classical Greek set of character sketches attributed to The ...

and requires

for play. The adventure is loosely based on

Skull Island Skull Island is the name most often used to describe a fictional island that first appeared in the 1933 film ''King Kong'' and later appearing in its sequels, the three remakes, and any other King Kong-based media. It is the home of the eponym ...

in the story of

King Kong King Kong is a fictional giant monster resembling a gorilla, who has appeared in various media since 1933. He has been dubbed The Eighth Wonder of the World, a phrase commonly used within the franchise. His first appearance was in the novelizat ...

. The module is used as an example of how to switch between vastly different

magic Magic or Magick most commonly refers to: * Magic (supernatural), beliefs and actions employed to influence supernatural beings and forces * Ceremonial magic, encompasses a wide variety of rituals of magic * Magical thinking, the belief that unrela ...

levels within a

campaign Campaign or The Campaign may refer to: Types of campaigns * Campaign, in agriculture, the period during which sugar beets are harvested and processed *Advertising campaign, a series of advertisement messages that share a single idea and theme * Bl ...

. The

Crook of Rao This is a list of deities from the Greyhawk campaign setting for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy role-playing game. A Al'Akbar Al'Akbar is the Baklunish demigod of dignity, duty, faithfulness, and guardianship. His symbol is a cup and eig ...

, a significant artifact found on the isle, is rediscovered in '' From the Ashes'' written by

Carl Sargent Carl Lynwood Sargent (11 December 1952 – 12 September 2018) was a British parapsychologist and author of several roleplaying game-based products and novels, who used the pen name Keith Martin to write ''Fighting Fantasy'' gamebooks. Early life ...

and published by

Wizards of the Coast Wizards of the Coast LLC (often referred to as WotC or simply Wizards) is an American publisher of games, primarily based on fantasy and science fiction themes, and formerly an operator of retail stores for games. It is currently a subsidia ...

in 1992. In addition, stock characters from the module reappear in ''

Return of the Eight ''Return of the Eight'' is an adventure module for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy roleplaying game, set in the game's ''World of Greyhawk'' campaign setting. The module was published by Wizards of the Coast in 1998 under its recently acquired ...

'' written by Roger E. Moore and published by

in 1998. Further history of the ''Isle of the Ape'' was revealed in ''Dungeon'' Issue #143, where the origins of the tribe residing on the isle are determined to originate from the ''

Isle of Dread ''The Isle of Dread'' is an Adventure (Dungeons & Dragons), adventure for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' role-playing game. The adventure, module code ''X1'', was originally published in 1981. Written by David Cook (game designer), David "Zeb" Cook a ...

''. A portal to the ''Isle of the Ape'' was added to ''

Expedition to the Ruins of Greyhawk ''Expedition to the Ruins of Greyhawk'' is an adventure book for the 3.5 edition of the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy role-playing game. The adventure is set in the game's World of Greyhawk campaign setting, specifically in and around Castle ...

'', written by Jason Bulmahn, James Jacobs, and

Erik Mona Erik Mona (born April 1974) is an American game designer who lives in Seattle, Washington. Career Mona was the Managing Editor of issues 1 and 2 of the ''Oerth Journal'', an online publication devoted to the ''World of Greyhawk'' campaign settin ...

and published by

in 2007.

Legal History

''Isle of the Ape'' was one of many books named in a 1992 lawsuit between TSR and

Game Designers' Workshop Game Designers' Workshop (GDW) was a wargame and role-playing game publisher from 1973 to 1996. Many of their games are now carried by other publishers. History Game Designers' Workshop was originally established June 22, 1973. The founding m ...

regarding the ''

Dangerous Journeys ''Dangerous Journeys'' was a roleplaying game created by Gary Gygax, the co-creator of the original ''Dungeons & Dragons'' system. The game was originally announced as ''Dangerous Dimensions'' but was changed to ''Dangerous Journeys'' in response ...

'' role-playing game and various rulebooks/sourcebooks designed for that game. One section of this lawsuit argued that "The Multiverse adventure concept in Mythus ... and Mythus Magick ... is derived from the Multiverse system found in the AD&D 1st ed.

Dungeon Master's Guide The ''Dungeon Master's Guide'' (''DMG'' or ''DM's Guide''; in some printings, the ''Dungeon Masters Guide'' or ''Dungeon Master Guide'') is a book of rules for the fantasy role-playing game ''Dungeons & Dragons''. The ''Dungeon Master's Guide'' c ...

(pages 40, ...) ... the AD&D Isle of the Ape game module (throughout, but particularly, pages 2-3, 6 and 8); ..."

Reception

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Isle of the Ape, The Greyhawk modules Role-playing game supplements introduced in 1985