The original version of module B3 "Palace of the Silver Princess" by Jean Wells is known for having been recalled in a single day. It's nevertheless an interesting adventure, with geographic notes on the northwestern part of the B/X continental setting.
Cover to the original, orange-cover version of module B3 "Palace of the Silver Princess" (1981) by Jean Wells. Illustration of the monstrous "Decapus" by Erol Otus.
The first published indication that an original version of module B3 existed was in supermodule B1-9 "In Search of Adventure" (1987)* in the general notes to module B3, which mentioned that "An early version of this module has become a rare item".
*B1-9 edited and assembled the first nine basic modules into a series of interconnected adventures, set within the Grand Duchy of Karameikos
In February, 2000, Wizards of the Coast released a pdf of the original, orange-cover version, with an introduction by John Rateliff (while the link is long dead, Rateliff's essay is preserved here, and the pdf is downloadable here).
Review:
I posted a review of the original version of module B3 over on Dragonsfoot, in which I speculate that Princess Argenta may have been a Princess of Glantri.
As with module B1 "In Search of the Unknown", there is no underlying plot. The centrepiece of the module is a two-level dungeon beneath and within the palace, with enough extra material to run wilderness adventures in the surrounding lands.
I used the revised, green-cover version as a guide to stock the empty rooms in the original version (downloadable here), and also prepared a players' handout (here).
Illustration by Wells from Polyhedron #4, depicting Duchess and Candella, the infamous pair of thieves in both versions of module B3.
About the Author:
Wells was 23 years-old when she wrote "Palace of the Silver Princess".
She left the gaming industry soon thereafter, although gave interviews on Grognardia (here and here) and the Save or Die! podcast (here) in 2010.
Sadly, Wells passed away in 2012, at the age of 53.
New Monsters:
Archer Bushes, Baric, Bubbles, Decapus, Diger, Ghost, Giant Marble Snake, Jupiter Blood Sucker, Giant Marmoset, Poltergeist, Protectors, Purple Moss, Ubue
Illustration by Wells from Polyhedron #3, pg 10 (credited as a "Plant Creature" in Polyhedron #4) likely depicting a "Jupiter Blood Sucker", precursor to Tom Moldvay's "Vampire Roses"
Wells had a knack for coming up with new monsters, and wrote "How to Create Monsters for the D&D Basic and Expert Games" in Polyhedron #2 (Autumn, 1981).
Campaign Journal:
Over the past few years, I've run an on-again, off-again campaign for my son and his cousins, using the original version of the Palace of the Silver Princess.
You can read our campaign journal, here.
Nice. Someday I'll have to run this.
ReplyDeleteThanks. I really like the style of this module and Jean Wells' creation of the wee wilderness and its encounters and NPC. It's a real shame it got junked, but I can see why even if I think that the decision was a bit over the top.
ReplyDeleteBTW, how many of those monsters made it into the official D&D line? Did any of them feature in any other modules or supplements such as RC or Creature Catalogue?
Yes, I agree!
DeleteIn terms of the new monsters, both archer bushes and the decapus made it into Moldvay's version (and the jupiter blood sucker likely influenced the creation of Moldvay's vampire roses).
Ghosts and poltergeists re-appeared later with different stats in BECMI. None of the other creatures made it into D&D canon, as far as I know.