Dragons of Hope
Encyclopedia
Dragons of Hope is the third module in the first major story arc in the Dungeons & Dragons Dragonlance series of game modules
. It is one of the 14 Dragonlance adventures
published by TSR between 1984 and 1986. Its cover features a painting depicting a Dragon Highlord riding a red dragon, which is attacking a brass dragon.
These events are covered in the book titled Dragons of the Dwarven Depths
.
s help the freed prisoners from Pax Tharkas to escape a draconian army, and help them find Thorbardin; to do so, the key to Thorbardin is hidden deep in the lair of an ancient wizard
.
The adventure starts the adventurers having just freed 800 refugees from Pax Tharkas. Verminaard's armies then chase them through the wilderness. The goal is for the players to lead their characters to Thorbardin, the ancient home of the mountain dwarves. To do this the party must travel through the snow-capped Kharolis Mountains and across the Dergoth plains towards Skullcap.
The module contains special rules for leading the refugees to safety and the challenges in that. Bonus experience points for the players are available on how many refugees they manage to lead to safety.
Chapter 11: The Way
The Heroes of the Lance lead the refugees from Pax Tharkas through the Abanasinia wilderness to find a safe place for the refugees. Unlike earlier chapters which occur chronological, chapters 12 and 13 can occur during this chapter depending if the players enter certain locations found within this chapter.
Chapter 12: The Outpost Mines
A former outpost of the dwarven kingdom of Thorbardin may appear promising at first as leading to the main fortress. Actually, though it connects two separate wilderness locations in Chapter 11, the outpost mines are occupied only by a small group of the ludicrous Aghar dwarves.
Chapter 13: Skullcap
Skullcap is the remains of an ancient magical fortress which according to legend contains a path to the gates of Thorbardin. It does not, but inside the players will be able to find directions to the gates. They can also find the first good dragon they have seen, a brass dragon called Blaize.
Epilogue
This module is completed when the players both find the hopeful vale as a temporary home for the refugees and have found the directions to the Gates of Thorbardin.
, with a cover by Keith Parkinson, and illustration by Parkinson and Larry Elmore
, and was published by TSR in 1984 as a 32-page booklet with an outer folder and a large two-color map. The module comes with a large map and a smaller version for the DM, plus 2 detailed area maps and features art by Keith Parkinson
.
, and gave it 8/10 overall. Staplehurst considered this module an improvement in the design over Dragons of Flame
, and enjoyed this one more. He felt that this module had a lot more for players to contend with, rather than just bands of marauding Draconians and other nasty creatures. Staplehurst disliked how "much of the action turns on uncontrollable plot devices, with many poorly explained or of dubious value as contributions to the game", as well as "the rather ambiguous detailed area maps and events that were somewhat coerced and did not flow naturally from play". However, he considered that there were very few such "bugs", and noted that DMs can of course leave out anything anomalous, and concluded by stating how he "liked the free-ranging nature of the scenario ratherthan the usual confinement of dungeon pathways".
personal computer game is based on this module and DL4 Dragons of Desolation
. It is very different from the official games based on earlier modules in the series, it is one of the earliest real-time strategy
games. This module has also been converted into Neverwinter Nights
format, requiring both the Shadows of Undrentide
and Hordes of the Underdark
expansion packs as well as the original game.
Adventure (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, an adventure or module is a pre-packaged book or box set that helps the Dungeon Master manage the plot or story of a game...
. It is one of the 14 Dragonlance adventures
Dragonlance modules (DL series)
The DL Dragonlance modules are a series of adventures and some supplementary material for the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons role playing game. These modules along with the Dragonlance Chronicles trilogy of novels, which follow one possible adventure series through the modules, were the first...
published by TSR between 1984 and 1986. Its cover features a painting depicting a Dragon Highlord riding a red dragon, which is attacking a brass dragon.
These events are covered in the book titled Dragons of the Dwarven Depths
Dragons of the Dwarven Depths
Dragons of the Dwarven Depths is a fantasy novel by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman, based on the Dragonlance fictional campaign setting. It is the beginning of the Lost Chronicles trilogy, designed to "fill-in" the gaps in the storyline between the books in the Chronicles trilogy...
.
Plot synopsis
In Dragons of Hope, the player characterPlayer character
A player character or playable character is a character in a video game or role playing game who is controlled or controllable by a player, and is typically a protagonist of the story told in the course of the game. A player character is a persona of the player who controls it. Player characters...
s help the freed prisoners from Pax Tharkas to escape a draconian army, and help them find Thorbardin; to do so, the key to Thorbardin is hidden deep in the lair of an ancient wizard
Wizard (Dungeons & Dragons)
The wizard is one of the standard character class in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. A wizard uses arcane magic, and is considered less effective in melee combat than other classes.-Creative origins:...
.
The adventure starts the adventurers having just freed 800 refugees from Pax Tharkas. Verminaard's armies then chase them through the wilderness. The goal is for the players to lead their characters to Thorbardin, the ancient home of the mountain dwarves. To do this the party must travel through the snow-capped Kharolis Mountains and across the Dergoth plains towards Skullcap.
The module contains special rules for leading the refugees to safety and the challenges in that. Bonus experience points for the players are available on how many refugees they manage to lead to safety.
Chapter 11: The Way
The Heroes of the Lance lead the refugees from Pax Tharkas through the Abanasinia wilderness to find a safe place for the refugees. Unlike earlier chapters which occur chronological, chapters 12 and 13 can occur during this chapter depending if the players enter certain locations found within this chapter.
Chapter 12: The Outpost Mines
A former outpost of the dwarven kingdom of Thorbardin may appear promising at first as leading to the main fortress. Actually, though it connects two separate wilderness locations in Chapter 11, the outpost mines are occupied only by a small group of the ludicrous Aghar dwarves.
Chapter 13: Skullcap
Skullcap is the remains of an ancient magical fortress which according to legend contains a path to the gates of Thorbardin. It does not, but inside the players will be able to find directions to the gates. They can also find the first good dragon they have seen, a brass dragon called Blaize.
Epilogue
This module is completed when the players both find the hopeful vale as a temporary home for the refugees and have found the directions to the Gates of Thorbardin.
Publication history
DL3 Dragons of Hope was written by Tracy HickmanTracy Hickman
Tracy Raye Hickman is a best-selling fantasy author, best known for his work on Dragonlance as a game designer and co-author with Margaret Weis, while he worked for TSR...
, with a cover by Keith Parkinson, and illustration by Parkinson and Larry Elmore
Larry Elmore
Larry Elmore is an American fantasy artist whose work includes creating illustrations for video games, comics, magazines and fantasy books. His list of work includes illustrations for Dungeons & Dragons, Dragonlance, and the comic strip series SnarfQuest...
, and was published by TSR in 1984 as a 32-page booklet with an outer folder and a large two-color map. The module comes with a large map and a smaller version for the DM, plus 2 detailed area maps and features art by Keith Parkinson
Keith Parkinson
Keith Parkinson was an American fantasy artist and illustrator known for book cover and game artwork for games such as EverQuest, Guardians, Magic: The Gathering and Vanguard: Saga of Heroes.-Early life:...
.
Reception
Graham Staplehurst reviewed Dragons of Hope for White DwarfWhite Dwarf (magazine)
White Dwarf is a magazine published by British games manufacturer Games Workshop. Initially covering a wide variety of fantasy and science-fiction role-playing and board games, particularly the role playing games Dungeons & Dragons, RuneQuest and Traveller...
, and gave it 8/10 overall. Staplehurst considered this module an improvement in the design over Dragons of Flame
Dragons of Flame (module)
Dragons of Flame is the second module in the first major story arc in the Dungeons & Dragons Dragonlance series of game modules. It is one of the 14 Dragonlance adventures published by TSR between 1984 and 1986...
, and enjoyed this one more. He felt that this module had a lot more for players to contend with, rather than just bands of marauding Draconians and other nasty creatures. Staplehurst disliked how "much of the action turns on uncontrollable plot devices, with many poorly explained or of dubious value as contributions to the game", as well as "the rather ambiguous detailed area maps and events that were somewhat coerced and did not flow naturally from play". However, he considered that there were very few such "bugs", and noted that DMs can of course leave out anything anomalous, and concluded by stating how he "liked the free-ranging nature of the scenario ratherthan the usual confinement of dungeon pathways".
Adaptations
The Shadow SorcererShadow Sorcerer
Shadow Sorcerer is a 1991 role-playing video game. The game was the sequel to Heroes of the Lance and Dragons of Flame. It is based on the third and fourth Dragonlance campaign modules, Dragons of Hope and Dragons of Desolation.-Reception:...
personal computer game is based on this module and DL4 Dragons of Desolation
Dragons of Desolation
Dragons of Desolation is the fourth and final module in the first major story arc in the Dungeons & Dragons Dragonlance series of game modules. It is one of the 14 Dragonlance adventures published by TSR between 1984 and 1986. Its cover features a painting by Keith Parkinson which shows the...
. It is very different from the official games based on earlier modules in the series, it is one of the earliest real-time strategy
Real-time strategy
Real-time strategy is a sub-genre of strategy video game which does not progress incrementally in turns. Brett Sperry is credited with coining the term to market Dune II....
games. This module has also been converted into Neverwinter Nights
Neverwinter Nights
Neverwinter Nights , produced by BioWare and published by Infogrames , is a third-person perspective computer role-playing game that is based on third edition Dungeons & Dragons and Forgotten Realms rules. It was originally to be published by Interplay Entertainment, but the publisher's financial...
format, requiring both the Shadows of Undrentide
Neverwinter Nights: Shadows of Undrentide
Neverwinter Nights: Shadows of Undrentide is an expansion pack for Neverwinter Nights developed by Floodgate Entertainment and BioWare, and published by Infogrames Entertainment . It was released in June 2003...
and Hordes of the Underdark
Neverwinter Nights: Hordes of the Underdark
Neverwinter Nights: Hordes of the Underdark is an expansion pack for the role-playing video game Neverwinter Nights produced by BioWare and published by Infogrames Entertainment...
expansion packs as well as the original game.