Saturday, September 10, 2022

X4: Master of the Desert Nomads

X4 "Master of the Desert Nomads" (1983) by David Cook is a D&D adventure for character levels 6-9.  The first module in the "Desert Nomads" series, the adventure describes the region immediately to the west of the B/X continental setting.


Module X4 "Master of the Desert Nomads" (1983) by David Cook.  Cover illustration by Harry Quinn.


The player characters are charged with an important mission in the Republic's war against the shadowy Master of the Desert Nomads.

Cook was the senior editor for the D&D Expert rulebook.  He discussed his fondness for the Desert Nomads series in this interview on Grogtalk (June 20, 2020) from 1:48:48 to 1:49:44.

The module and its sequel "Temple of Death" marked a watershed chapter in the long-running B/X campaign I ran for my brother and his friends, back in the mid-1980s.


Wilderness map of the Great Waste, from module X4 "Master of the Desert Nomads"


The Sind:

The Sind Desert is described as "more barren and stony than sandy: rocky areas, craggy bluffs, and patches of dry thorn bushes dot the landscape" evoking the Gobi Desert.

The greater region seems inspired by the Indian subcontinent.  The eastern portion was revised and expanded in an article by Bruce Heard in Dragon #169 (May, 1991).


The Kingdom of Sind, from Dragon #169 (May, 1991)


The Kingdom of Sind received comprehensive treatment in the Explorer's Manual by Ann Dupuis in the Champions of Mystara: Heroes of the Princess Ark (1993) boxed set.


New Monsters:

Bhut,* Juggernaut, Nagpa,** Soul Eater, Tabi

*from "bhoot" a type of undead creature in Hindu mythology
**seemingly inspired by the Skeksis in "The Dark Crystal" (1982)


Credits:

Design: David Cook
Editor: Michael Williams
Frontispiece: Jeff Easley
Interior Illustrations: Keith Parkinson


Additional Resources:

Redone maps by Jason Hibdon

No comments:

Post a Comment

This Month's Most Popular Posts