Eye of Doom (1996) improves upon the framework set-out in Eye of Pain. The succession plot still putters along, mostly, in the background, while a string of events entice players into an urban investigation-centric scenario. There’s a gang/cult, an interesting mutant and a hydra. Truth be told, the structure and substance reminds me a lot of parts of Enemy Within, for Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay. Watered down a bit, but still.

The villain’s plot, though, seems a bit too clever to be serious. The players don’t know it, but the secret network they’re working against is the villain’s own. The beholder’s hope is to create a smoke screen to thwart its rival’s suspicions, but that seems a bit much, honestly.

I should note that these are setting agnostic adventures, which goes against pretty much the entire previous decade and a half of D&D marketing, which almost always tied adventures to specific campaign settings. In the later 90s, as the TSR ship started to sink, there was an uptick in generic adventures. I don’t think there is much practical difference in the two types, but it is nicely refreshing to have details for locations — like this module’s town of Cumbert — that are entirely free of detailed campaign setting lore.

Another cool cover by Dana Knutson. Love a good skull castle.