RPGPundit Reviews: The Grinding Gear

The Grinding Gear, by James Raggi, can best be described as an Old-School D&D Adventure Module. Its a 16 page paperback pamphlet with three non-stapled hard "covers" that each contain map aids to the adventure (one showing the outer cover and the wilderness area; another a parchment with a map the PCs might find, and a third the actual 2-level Dungeon along with a "cheat sheet" for the GM to quick-reference stuff.

The Grinding Gear is an adventure for D&D or any of its various clones, for 3-8 characters of 1st-4th level. It is a dungeon crawl, but one with a particularly curious concept: the dungeon is a kind of test of wits, designed intentionally by a powerful architect to act as a deathtrap for foolish adventurers.

"Trap" being an operative word. I have reviewed several of Mr. Raggi's works, and one can certainly say this about him: He's obsessed with traps. He adores the fucking things. And The Grinding Gear, like his previous works, features a dungeon filled with tricky and dangerous traps.  However, in this one, there is a strong sense of fairness to the traps, and the dungeon overall, there's nothing here (that I saw) that the adventurers couldn't possibly figure out, and a careful and thoughtful party can navigate these traps. They all have reason to them; they're not just arbitrary ways of screwing you over.

In fact, this entire module is probably the most rationally-designed, "fair", and traditional of all the dungeons I've seen Mr.Raggi do thus far. Yes, its low on monsters and high on traps, but it is closer to the mainstream than those of his previous works.  And on the whole, I think that's better. The mainstream is where it is for a reason; it works. And the trick is to have a clever premise and environment, rather than to fuck with the formula itself.

Anyways, on to the adventure: as I mentioned, the concept is that a rich engineer designed an intentional dungeon, as a mausoleum for himself and a trial to find who would be clever enough to find his tomb and its riches.

The name of the "Grinding Gear" is in reference to the Inn that the aforementioned engineer owned, below which rests his dungeon. In the module it is assumed that the players will examine the surface area of the now-abandoned Inn, where they may find very valuable clues to how to manage the dungeon below.
Then, its on to the Dungeon which has a series of secret doors, traps and puzzles that require overcoming if one is going to find the true burial place and riches of the engineer. I won't go into detail here so as not to spoiler anything for a potential group.  Suffice it to say that its a pretty good Dungeon crawl. The puzzles (not usually my favorite thing to have in a dungeon) are of the more intelligent less annoying variety, the traps are dangerous but escapable. There are monsters as well, though they are not the focus of the dungeon itself. The monsters are mostly your standard "dungeon vermin": stirges (here called "Mosquito bats"), giant rats, centipedes and ants, green slime, giant spiders and beetles, and some intentionally-placed monsters that can be freed if the PCs aren't careful in dealing with certain puzzle-traps (trolls and undead, mainly).

Interestingly, the dungeon even has a sense of history to it; the PCs aren't the first ones to have tried the dungeon, and its evident that this is so. This is a particularly good touch that is at times overlooked in modules.

In classic Old-school style, there is no fear of the reaper here; the dungeon can very easily be deadly to a low-level character, life is cheap and death comes swiftly. Total Party Kill is a definite possibility.
Gonzo wackiness is also a feature here, though not in excess. It is mostly done in the form of humour and in-jokes (another element of design that Mr. Raggi seems inordinately fond of). The chief example of this is in the patron deity of the engineer, and chief religious icon in the dungeon, "St. MacIver".

On the whole, this module has the looks of being a fairly entertaining and challenging adventure, and certainly something that can easily fit into any standard D&D campaign. If you're looking for something new instead of running Tomb of Horrors for the umpteenth time, you may want to take a look at The Grinding Gear.

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Cool! Thanks for the review.

This is considered my most "normal" release yet by most reviewers, but it's interesting that some people consider that a good thing, and some people consider that a bad thing.

That history element that makes it clear the players are not the first, sounds cool. It is easy to forget about that sort of thing when running or planning a game.

Quote from: JimLotFP;365743Cool! Thanks for the review.

This is considered my most "normal" release yet by most reviewers, but it's interesting that some people consider that a good thing, and some people consider that a bad thing.

I consider it a good piece. Out of all the products you sent me, this is the one I could most imagine myself being able to run in a standard D&D game, and yet it manages to be quite creative within the boundaries of that framework.

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