We’re fully in Monte Cook territory now, ladies and gents. Dead Gods is an episodic Planescape campaign. I count it as one of the best second edition Dungeons & Dragons campaigns.

There are two plots, both involving dead gods, but the main one is the important one. It has a huge meta-plot about, well…how do y’all feel about spoilers for twenty year old adventures? Maybe squint when you read this: aside of revealing the dark of The Great Modron March (did I mention this is a soft sequel?) it concerns the plot to resurrect Orcus.

This is a Planescape campaign on an epic scale. It features all sorts of stuff, including a quick trip to the Vault of the Drow (yea, that Vault of the Drow) and some implications about the Tomb of Horrors (which would eventually be expanded on in Return to the Tomb of Horrors). There is a ton of variety here and no shortage of Monte Cook’s trademark surprises.

I have to admit, though I love this book, I find the massive meta-plot both thrilling and daunting. It is nearly overwhelming, in fact, almost intimidating you out of running it for fear of having missed a piece that connects in another product. Almost. And then there’s the problem of the fact that the Planescape had just a year left to live after Dead Gods saw publication in 1997 – much of the paradigm shift put forth in the campaign was left unexplored (indeed, in 3E, Orcus is again alive and well, despite the resurrection failing here).  

Still: lots of delicious artwork by Randy Post.