X1 The Isle of Dread is a 32-page sourcebook for Basic Dungeons & Dragons released in 1981. It is suitable for characters of levels 3 to 7.
The module was included with the Expert Set (B/X) (1981) and Expert Rules (BECMI) (1983),[1] making it among the most well-recognized and widely played modules of the era. The setting would go on to inspire the Mystara setting.[2] It was the first D&D adventure to introduce wilderness exploration.
Official synopsis[]
Hundreds of miles from the mainland, surrounded by dangerous waters, lies an island known only as the Isle of Dread. Dark jungles and treacherous swamps await those who are brave enough to travel inland in search of the lost plateau, where the ruins of a once mighty civilization hold many treasures - and many secrets!
The Isle of Dread is the first in a series of adventures for use with the D&D Expert rules. The module is designed as an instructional aid to help novice Dungeon Masters design their own wilderness adventures. For character levels 3 to 7.
Included in the module are 13 maps of the isle, 16 new monsters, and suggestions for further adventures on the Isle of Dread. A special continent map, complete with background information, is also included.
The Isle awaits! Will you be able to find the lost plateau and discover the secrets of the Isle of Dread?
Content[]
Background[]
The adventure takes place at the Isle of Dread.
Synopsis[]
The characters somehow find a fragment from a ship's log, describing a mysterious island on which many treasures can be found, and set out to explore it.
Typically, the characters will first make landfall near the more or less friendly village of Tanaroa, which is reminiscent of the village depicted in King Kong, and after possibly dealing with some troublesome factions in the village, set out from there to explore the interior of the island. In the course of their explorations, they may find a number of other villages of intelligent creatures (though mostly not of familiar species like humans and elves), numerous hostile monsters and the treasures they guard, and a band of pirates. Many prehistoric creatures, including dinosaurs, are prominently featured, especially in the original printing of the adventure. Near the center of the island is a hidden temple inhabited by monstrous, mind-bending creatures known as kopru; the characters may stumble across it or learn that it is a source of problems for the other inhabitants of the isle, and the climax of the adventure typically consists of the characters exploring this temple, battling its inhabitants and uncovering its secrets.
Development and release[]
Development[]
The book was written by David Cook and Tom Moldvay. Art was provided by Jeff Dee, David S. LaForce, Erol Otus, David C. Sutherland III and Bill Willingham.
Release[]
The Isle of Dread was released by TSR in 1981.
The 1981 version has a predominantly blue border with cover artwork by Jeff Dee. This version is laid out in the style characteristic of early D&D adventures (for example, it had no Dungeons & Dragons logo, a diagonal strip in the top left corner indicated which edition of the game it was for, and the back cover featured an illustration and a list of other D&D products of the time). This was packaged with the original version of the Expert set, by David "Zeb" Cook, and was also available separately (as was the corresponding version of the Expert Rulebook). It was often sold already three-hole punched. This version actually has several distinguishable printings of its own.
The second version, which first appeared in 1983, was packaged with the revised version of the Expert Set by Frank Mentzer. Its cover featured a red-orange border and cover artwork by Timothy Truman. The revised version used the layout elements that were typical of mid-1980s Dungeons & Dragons adventures (for example, the game's then-current logo was prominently featured on the cover, the diagonal strip was replaced with a horizontal one across the top, and the back cover featured no illustration but did have a text description of the adventure). There are a few minor differences besides appearance between this and the earlier version, including the replacement of a few monsters, and a mapping error that makes part of the final temple appear to be completely inaccessible.
On April 30, 2013, it was re-released in digital format. It is currently available on DriveThruRPG and Dungeon Masters Guild for $4.99.
Reception and influence[]
Critical reception[]
In The 30 Greatest D&D Adventures of All Time, Dungeon #116 (Nov 2004), X1 The Isle of Dread was ranked 16th.
As of 2023, The Isle of Dread reached the rank of Mithral seller on DriveThruRPG.
Influence on other works[]
The adventure came with a fairly detailed (for the time) map of a setting then called the "Known World", showing no less than 15 distinct nations on the mainland to the north, as well as much of the Sea of Dread in which the Isle of Dread could be found. These nations each received a paragraph or so of description near the beginning of the module. This, along with a few pages in the Expert Rulebook on one of these nations, was the first significant information to be made available on the world that was later known as Mystara.
X1 introduced numerous creatures to D&D: the aranea, grangeri, kopru, phanaton, phororhacos, rakasta, as well as several dinosaurs (allosaurus, ankylosaurus, brontosaurus, dimetrodon, plesiosaurus, trachodon) and animals (giant elk and megatherium).
The Isle is also a minor encounter area in the later adventure XSOLO Lathan's Gold (1984), and receives some further mention in several later D&D products such as the Poor Wizard's Almanac series.
The Isle appeared within the World of Greyhawk setting in Dungeon #114 (Sep 2004), in a remake/sequel to Isle of Dread entitled Torrents of Dread, including and a poster-style map of the island (and some smaller, surrounding islands). In this update, the island was located in the Densac Gulf, a region bordered by the Azure Sea to the north, the Pearl Sea to the south, the Amedio Jungle to the west and Hepmonaland to the east. This large expanse of ocean contains several island chains, one of which is the Isle of Dread itself. The update details a kopru plot that destroyed the city of the original Olman settlers through the power of a giant black pearl imbued with the influence of Demogorgon, the demonic god of the kopru. Today, the isle is a mad collection of kopru and other aquatic races, demonic beings, dinosaurs, and savage Olman natives.
The Isle also appeared prominently in the Savage Tide adventure path in Dungeon Magazine, including the first adventure "Here There Be Monsters", found in Dungeon #142 (January 2007), "Tides of Dread," in issue #143; "The Lightless Depths," in issue #144; and "City of Broken Idols," in issue #145.
External links[]
References[]
- ↑ Expert Set, The Acaeum.
- ↑ Designer Tom Moldvay. Wizards,com, 2007-04-24.