Does anyone have any experience running this? I started a group through Yggsburgh a couple weeks ago and they promptly headed toward the castle almost immediately. The encounters are interesting to say the least, and it certainly gives off that "magical old school" vibe I've been missing when running games grounded in history (Dark Albion using C&S).

For people familiar with the module, the party crossed the river on the barge after getting nearly bushwhacked by lizard men who were capturing slaves. They fought two lizardmen and almost had a TPK, which set the "old school" tone as they had been playing 5th edition almost exclusively for several years. Along the path they encountered the ogre who was trying to catch some kids who had escaped and promptly kicked his ass due to much better tactics than simply standing around and swinging swords. They then headed to the Dark Chateau at night in the fog( (smart...), almost had another TPK from orc/goblins hiding in the sheds, and promptly left, following the ogre tracks to his hideout.

A few things...using Castles and Crusades, the players all seem to like how quickly the game moves along and how their choices matter more than the mechanics. Really wish the castle was completed, but I suppose like all good megadungeons fleshing out the lower levels is the job of the DM. Also, I looked up the value of these books and I can honestly say WTF? The Yggsburgh hardback is now worth a couple hundred bucks and the boxed set is quite a bit more than that. I am super disappointed TLG lost the license to print more copies as I truly believe this could have been a pretty good campaign setting when completed.

Would appreciate some comments from people who've run the module.

I've run this several times, using several systems (Castles and Crusades; 1E AD&D; The Fantasy Trip). I too really appreciate it as an integrated whole: the surface works are high worthy by themselves and beautifully transition into the dungeon below, and the whole thing is nested in a great mini-setting. I'm less enthusiastic about the city book, as I think it suffers from the same problem many published D&D cities have: the authors painted with a bit too limited and  washed out of a pallet. Go read 'the rainy city' (a systemless setting that just came out) for a wonderful counterpoint.

Regarding the experience of play, I am not sure what insights I can offer. We had a blast every time we used this, in ways that are very 'old school table top gaming'. I could talk at length about goofy things that happened in various locations, but it would remind you of a dozen similar experiences you've had yourself. Basically, it is a well crafted setting with a high 'fun density'

The termination of the product line is almost criminal. And criminally insane: there was a surprisingly long time when this was arguably the premier OSR megadungeon and had a natural, growing audience that would have been delighted to purchase as many additions as they cared to add. By stopping that production and then sitting on the license for years, that opportunity has evaporated. There are now  a dozen or more excellent OSR megadungeons and any rebirth of Castle Zagyg (if that were possible) would just be one  of many and might struggle to keep  up with the volume and quality of what's out there now. So I'm afraid that ship may have sailed. Whoever was responsible for playing 'dog in the manger' with this was a dope.

So another session Friday night, the party successfully navigated their way to the castle via river. They found some boat launching area underneath a well near the ogre's cottage, and against my better judgement I let them fix it. The gnome illusionist actually had ship building as a background skill so it was hard to justify not letting him do that. They almost died (again) when they made their way up the south wall and encountered some bandits who were waiting for them.

Overall, this is an excellent module/adventure. It really is. Lots of typical Gygaxian tropes (potion of stone-to-flesh in the room next to where you encounter the medusa type crap) but it's fun. Some whimsical stuff, but for the most part there seems to actually be a very decent justification for everything to exist where it does.

If TLG can somehow release this thing, and maybe produce some of the lower levels, I see no reason why it could not be the best megadungeon ever produced for RPGs in general.

My understanding is Jeff Talanian wrote some of the lower levels, didn't he? Does a document exist somewhere unpublished of the lower works? Does anyone know why they never saw the light of day?

The NDAs were tight, and Gary owned all the work-for-here, passing it on to Gail who's sat on it for over 10 years.

Such a shame, that 99% of the potential fan base has never been exposed to Gary's dungeon; after he'd had decades of experience to draw upon, to perfect the dungeon crawl experience.

It's totally shameful.  I hope Gail was good to Gary when he was alive.

Brad, which sections of the available material are you currently focusing on?

I guess the question is more which booklet from the box?

Out of curiosity, because this seems like it would be up my group's alley, how much of the castle has material?  It's the surrounding town, the first floor above ground and the first level of the dungeon, right?

Quote from: Thornhammer on October 27, 2020, 09:51:12 PM
Brad, which sections of the available material are you currently focusing on?

I guess the question is more which booklet from the box?

Right now we're in Mouths of Madness; the players had almost zero interest in Yggsburgh, which eliminated 200+ pages of city intrigue, but then again I don't blame them as I sold it as "Gygax's last dungeon". I'm just running them through it organically, so I imagine we'll hit all the books

Quote from: Eirikrautha on October 27, 2020, 09:57:31 PM
Out of curiosity, because this seems like it would be up my group's alley, how much of the castle has material?  It's the surrounding town, the first floor above ground and the first level of the dungeon, right?

Basically the upper level, yeah. Yggsburgh is huge, and the castle grounds and surrounding areas are super expansive if you can find all the supplements like Dark Chateau. Lots and lots of stuff to do. But as stated already, I think the lower levels can be whatever you want them to be, although I'd prefer to see the real deal at some point. My guess is Rob Kuntz could write them up pretty quickly, but he'd be sued.

Rob's released a few areas of CG he developed over the years.  I've seen the stalk, the living room, and I think a couple others, on sale at the black blade booth at GC and NorTex.  And of course bottle city. 

So if making your own, there's content from back in the day that can be plugged into your own.  Just not entire levels.

The El Raja Key Archive has a few original Castle Greyhawk levels (overlapping with Rob's home dungeon), but they are super-minimalist (see the example snippet in my review).

Castle of the Mad Archmage (the OSR megadungeon) is basically designed to be the off-brand version of the rest of Castle Zagyg. And it is really  good.

There's the mini-dungeon crawl The Lost Crypt, which is part of what I wrote for Gary for CZ/Yggsburgh, you could try that.  It's really a side-adventure tho.  Egyptian, trap-filled, takes place in a pocket dimension you enter through CZ.

I had worked with Rob and Gary (mostly Rob) on the "Watery Caverns" that are beneath the Dark Chateau. I'm under a NDA so I can't say too much about it other than the whole thing got tabled as the wheels came off the Castle Zagyg project. Too bad; it was shaping up nicely, in my opinion.

RE: CotMA and El Raja, I know about those. Probably going to use the CotMA as the lower levels as I already own it and I feel lazy.

My buddy was going to give me Bottle City, I passed, think he sold it for like $500 or some nonsense. Maybe I should have taken the free offer...

As far as the Watery Caverns go, THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN GOOD TO HAVE LAST WEEK!