Palace of the Silver Princess
Encyclopedia
Palace of the Silver Princess is an adventure module for the Dungeons & Dragons
Basic Set
. It was written in 1980 by Jean Wells, and published in 1981 with an orange cover. Palace of the Silver Princess contains a single adventure laid out in a format suitable for a single gaming
session. The module includes game maps on the unattached outside cover.
, and a giant ruby. The player character
s encounter evil creatures that have taken over the palace. The plot of Palace of the Silver Princess revolves around a country frozen in time by a strange red light. The only seemingly unaffected location and the apparent source of the glow is the royal palace. The adventurers must restore the flow of time and save the country.
. The adventure was originally written by Jean Wells and published by TSR in 1981 with an outer folder, and a tan border on the cover; art was by Erol Otus
. The first printing was quickly recalled and destroyed soon after publication. The book was largely reillustrated, and entirely rewritten by Wells and Tom Moldvay
, and published in 1981 with a dark green border on the cover.
The history of Palace of the Silver Princess is recounted in an article on the official Wizards of the Coast
website. The original version of the module was recalled on the eve of its publication, after TSR senior executive Kevin Blume flipped through it and ordered all copies to be recalled and the artwork replaced. TSR cited several serious flaws in the content and presentation of the module, and every copy that TSR could locate was returned and destroyed. All copies of the orange-covered version were consigned to a local landfill, and a new heavily revised version written by Tom Moldvay
was published shortly thereafter with a different-colored cover, new interior art, and certain edits made for the sake of playability.
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Although the removed artwork included subject matter such as "The Illusion of the Decapus" by Laura Roslof, wife of Jim Roslof
, in which a woman was tied up by her own hair, on the whole the objectionable art was rather tame relative to that released in some other products of the time, so the specifics of the recall are a matter open to speculation.
Frank Mentzer
, the editor of the module, recalls events differently. In his recollection, it was Brian Blume
, not Kevin Blume, that ordered the module to be pulled from publication; and the reason for the pulling was a particular piece of artwork by Erol Otus
on page 19 of the module, depicting 3-headed monsters called ubues whose heads are caricatures of the three directors of TSR
(the Blume brothers and Gary Gygax
) rather than objectionable artwork elsewhere in the module.
The original version of the module had treasure and monster listings left open for the Dungeon Master
to fill in, while the second printing was a more standard dungeon and lacking the fill-in encounters.
Only a few copies of the orange cover version survived. The limited number of copies made this edition a very collectible item. At the 1984 Gen Con
game fair auction, a copy came up for sale and went for $300. In 2011, a few copies are still available from out-of-print resellers; in shrink-wrapped, near mint condition these can sell for $1300 to $1500 USD ; and a copy apparently once sold for $3050 USD, the highest confirmed sale price for any single non-unique D&D module.
[ The Keep on the Borderlands
] in the D&D Basic Set
," as B2 came packaged with the Basic Set at the time.
Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
Basic Set
Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set
The original Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set boxed set was first published by TSR, Inc. in 1977, and comprised a separate edition of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, distinct from the first edition of the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons game, which was initially published in the same...
. It was written in 1980 by Jean Wells, and published in 1981 with an orange cover. Palace of the Silver Princess contains a single adventure laid out in a format suitable for a single gaming
Role-playing game
A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...
session. The module includes game maps on the unattached outside cover.
Plot summary
The module has been described as a low-level scenario, which involves the legends surrounding a ruined palace, a white dragonDragon (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game , dragons are an iconic type of monstrous creature used as adversaries or, less commonly, allies of player characters...
, and a giant ruby. The player character
Player 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 encounter evil creatures that have taken over the palace. The plot of Palace of the Silver Princess revolves around a country frozen in time by a strange red light. The only seemingly unaffected location and the apparent source of the glow is the royal palace. The adventurers must restore the flow of time and save the country.
Publication history
Palace of the Silver Princess was designed for use with the D&D Basic SetDungeons & Dragons Basic Set
The original Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set boxed set was first published by TSR, Inc. in 1977, and comprised a separate edition of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, distinct from the first edition of the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons game, which was initially published in the same...
. The adventure was originally written by Jean Wells and published by TSR in 1981 with an outer folder, and a tan border on the cover; art was by Erol Otus
Erol Otus
Erol Otus is an American artist and game designer, known internationally for his contributions to the fantasy RPG genre, most notably for the early Dungeons & Dragons franchise...
. The first printing was quickly recalled and destroyed soon after publication. The book was largely reillustrated, and entirely rewritten by Wells and Tom Moldvay
Tom Moldvay
Tom Moldvay was a game designer and author most notable for his work on early materials for the fantasy role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons .-Career:...
, and published in 1981 with a dark green border on the cover.
The history of Palace of the Silver Princess is recounted in an article on the official Wizards of the Coast
Wizards of the Coast
Wizards of the Coast is an American publisher of games, primarily based on fantasy and science fiction themes, and formerly an operator of retail stores for games...
website. The original version of the module was recalled on the eve of its publication, after TSR senior executive Kevin Blume flipped through it and ordered all copies to be recalled and the artwork replaced. TSR cited several serious flaws in the content and presentation of the module, and every copy that TSR could locate was returned and destroyed. All copies of the orange-covered version were consigned to a local landfill, and a new heavily revised version written by Tom Moldvay
Tom Moldvay
Tom Moldvay was a game designer and author most notable for his work on early materials for the fantasy role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons .-Career:...
was published shortly thereafter with a different-colored cover, new interior art, and certain edits made for the sake of playability.
Jim Roslof
James Paul "Jim" Roslof was an American artist and graphic designer particularly well known for cover art and interior illustrations of fantasy role-playing games published by TSR, Inc. during the "golden age" of Dungeons & Dragons...
, in which a woman was tied up by her own hair, on the whole the objectionable art was rather tame relative to that released in some other products of the time, so the specifics of the recall are a matter open to speculation.
Frank Mentzer
Frank Mentzer
Jacob Franklin "Frank" Mentzer III , is an American fantasy author and game designer best known for his work on early materials for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. He was a performing folk musician from 1968 to 1975, and played one concert at the White House during the...
, the editor of the module, recalls events differently. In his recollection, it was Brian Blume
Brian Blume
Brian J. Blume is noted for being a business partner of Gary Gygax in TSR, Inc., producers of the fantasy role-playing game, Dungeons & Dragons.-Biography:...
, not Kevin Blume, that ordered the module to be pulled from publication; and the reason for the pulling was a particular piece of artwork by Erol Otus
Erol Otus
Erol Otus is an American artist and game designer, known internationally for his contributions to the fantasy RPG genre, most notably for the early Dungeons & Dragons franchise...
on page 19 of the module, depicting 3-headed monsters called ubues whose heads are caricatures of the three directors of TSR
TSR, Inc.
Blume and Gygax, the remaining owners, incorporated a new company called TSR Hobbies, Inc., with Blume and his father, Melvin Blume, owning the larger share. The former assets of the partnership were transferred to TSR Hobbies, Inc....
(the Blume brothers and Gary Gygax
Gary Gygax
Ernest Gary Gygax was an American writer and game designer best known for co-creating the pioneering role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons with Dave Arneson. Gygax is generally acknowledged as the father of role-playing games....
) rather than objectionable artwork elsewhere in the module.
The original version of the module had treasure and monster listings left open for the Dungeon Master
Dungeon Master
In the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, the Dungeon Master is the game organizer and participant in charge of creating the details and challenges of a given adventure, while maintaining a realistic continuity of events...
to fill in, while the second printing was a more standard dungeon and lacking the fill-in encounters.
Only a few copies of the orange cover version survived. The limited number of copies made this edition a very collectible item. At the 1984 Gen Con
Gen Con
Gen Con is one of the largest and most prominent annual gaming conventions in North America. It features traditional pen-and-paper, board, and card-style games, including role-playing games, miniatures wargames, board games, live action role-playing games, collectible card games, non-collectible...
game fair auction, a copy came up for sale and went for $300. In 2011, a few copies are still available from out-of-print resellers; in shrink-wrapped, near mint condition these can sell for $1300 to $1500 USD ; and a copy apparently once sold for $3050 USD, the highest confirmed sale price for any single non-unique D&D module.
Reception
Jim Bambra reviewed Palace of the Silver Princess for White Dwarf magazine, giving it a 10/10 and calling it "an excellent introduction to the game for new DMs and players, being fairly simple to complete and play." He made note of the glossary of unfamiliar terms for the Dungeon Master to reference, and helpful hints on play. Bambra concluded the review by stating that "this should replace B2The Keep on the Borderlands
The Keep on the Borderlands is a Dungeons & Dragons module by Gary Gygax, first printed in December 1979. In it, player characters are based at a keep and investigate a nearby series of caves that are filled with a variety of monsters. Designed to be used with the Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set, it...
Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set
The original Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set boxed set was first published by TSR, Inc. in 1977, and comprised a separate edition of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, distinct from the first edition of the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons game, which was initially published in the same...
," as B2 came packaged with the Basic Set at the time.
External links
- http://www.rpg.net/news+reviews/reviews/rev_4112.html