The Assassin's Knot
Encyclopedia
The Assassin's Knot is an adventure module written by Lenard Lakofka
for the first edition of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons
and published by TSR
in 1983. It is designed for novice and intermediate players with characters of levels 2-4.
The Assassin's Knot is a sequel to The Secret of Bone Hill
, and is the second of three modules in the Lendore Isle series. It was ranked the 29th greatest Dungeons & Dragons adventure of all time by Dungeon
magazine.
s must solve the mystery of who killed the Baron of Restenford, with evidence pointing to somebody from the town of Garrotten. The scenario describes the town and its castle. The Assassin's Knot module is different from most of its contemporaries in that it contained no dungeon
or dungeon-like area. The longer the players take to find the murderer, the more unfortunate events occur in the village.
The village, Garrotten, is reputed to be the place to go to have someone killed. The entire village shuts down when the Baron of Restenford is found dead, mutilated beyond the possibility of magical
restoration. Three small clues are all the player character
s have to unravel the mystery.
, and the second module in the Lendore Isle series. This series was originally planned to be five modules. The third module in the series, L3 Deep Dwarven Delve
, was only available as a limited release as part of the Dungeons & Dragons Silver Anniversary Collector's Edition set released in 1999. In 2006, Lakofka announced on the Pen & Paper website that he would be releasing L4 and L5 through Dragonsfoot, introducing additional material and adventures set in the Lendore Isles
. A subsequent threaded discussion on the Dragonsfoot forum gives the title of L4 as "Devilspawn".
magazine in 2004. In his description of The Assassin's Knot in Heroic Worlds, Lawrence Schick makes light of the module by noting the obviousness of the murderers being from a town named Garrotten: "A murderer from a town called "Garrotten? Nah..."
The Assassin's Knot received a fairly positive review by Dave Morris
in issue No. 55 of White Dwarf
magazine, who scored it 7 out of 10. Morris felt that the module was not in the same class as Temple of Death
, lacking the sort of evocative background found in that adventure. He felt that it was "an entertaining murder mystery for AD&D characters", but added, "this module gives no feeling of being part of a real world with a real history... it is difficult to believe or be interested in the world of L2". He did feel that younger players may enjoy the module for its puzzle aspect..
Rick Swan reviewed the adventure in The Space Gamer
No. 71. Swan felt that the characters on the cover of the module looked bored, and that players seeking to undertake this adventure had "better be ready to join them". Swan noted that the town in which the bulk of the adventure takes place and its occupants are well detailed, but that the non-player character
s encountered were not interesting, and that the murder mystery of the plot is "a very pedestrian affair". Swan called the adventure "just plain dull" and advised passing on it.
Lenard Lakofka
Lenard "Len" Lakofka is an American writer of material for the fantasy role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons. He was an influential voice in the development of the game, as well as the author of what has been called one the greatest D&D adventures ever written...
for the first edition of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons
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...
and published by 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....
in 1983. It is designed for novice and intermediate players with characters of levels 2-4.
The Assassin's Knot is a sequel to The Secret of Bone Hill
The Secret of Bone Hill
The Secret of Bone Hill is an adventure module written by Lenard Lakofka for the first edition of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons and published by TSR in 1981. It is designed for novice and intermediate players with characters of levels 2-4...
, and is the second of three modules in the Lendore Isle series. It was ranked the 29th greatest Dungeons & Dragons adventure of all time by Dungeon
Dungeon (magazine)
Dungeon Adventures, or simply Dungeon, was a magazine targeting consumers of role-playing games, particularly Dungeons & Dragons. It was first published by TSR, Inc. in 1986 as a bimonthly periodical. It went monthly in May 2003 and ceased print publication altogether in September 2007 with Issue 150...
magazine.
Plot summary
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 must solve the mystery of who killed the Baron of Restenford, with evidence pointing to somebody from the town of Garrotten. The scenario describes the town and its castle. The Assassin's Knot module is different from most of its contemporaries in that it contained no dungeon
Dungeon
A dungeon is a room or cell in which prisoners are held, especially underground. Dungeons are generally associated with medieval castles, though their association with torture probably belongs more to the Renaissance period...
or dungeon-like area. The longer the players take to find the murderer, the more unfortunate events occur in the village.
The village, Garrotten, is reputed to be the place to go to have someone killed. The entire village shuts down when the Baron of Restenford is found dead, mutilated beyond the possibility of magical
Magic (gaming)
Some role-playing games or game systems can include a set of rules that are used to portray magic in the paranormal sense. These rules simulate the effects that magic would have within the game context, according to how the game designer intended the magic to be portrayed...
restoration. Three small clues are all 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 have to unravel the mystery.
Publication history
The Assassin's Knot was written by Len Lakofka and published by TSR in 1983 as a thirty two page booklet with two outer folders. It is a sequel to L1 The Secret of Bone HillThe Secret of Bone Hill
The Secret of Bone Hill is an adventure module written by Lenard Lakofka for the first edition of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons and published by TSR in 1981. It is designed for novice and intermediate players with characters of levels 2-4...
, and the second module in the Lendore Isle series. This series was originally planned to be five modules. The third module in the series, L3 Deep Dwarven Delve
Deep Dwarven Delve
L3 Deep Dwarven Delve is a Fantasy Adventure Module or "module" for Advanced Dungeons & Dragons .-Publication history:...
, was only available as a limited release as part of the Dungeons & Dragons Silver Anniversary Collector's Edition set released in 1999. In 2006, Lakofka announced on the Pen & Paper website that he would be releasing L4 and L5 through Dragonsfoot, introducing additional material and adventures set in the Lendore Isles
Lendore Isles
In the Dungeons and Dragons World of Greyhawk campaign setting, the Lendore Isles, also known as the Spindrift Isles, are a collection of five large islands in the Solnor Ocean, just off the eastern coast of the former Great Kingdom...
. A subsequent threaded discussion on the Dragonsfoot forum gives the title of L4 as "Devilspawn".
Reception
The Assassin's Knot was ranked the 29th greatest Dungeons & Dragons adventure of all time by DungeonDungeon (magazine)
Dungeon Adventures, or simply Dungeon, was a magazine targeting consumers of role-playing games, particularly Dungeons & Dragons. It was first published by TSR, Inc. in 1986 as a bimonthly periodical. It went monthly in May 2003 and ceased print publication altogether in September 2007 with Issue 150...
magazine in 2004. In his description of The Assassin's Knot in Heroic Worlds, Lawrence Schick makes light of the module by noting the obviousness of the murderers being from a town named Garrotten: "A murderer from a town called "Garrotten? Nah..."
The Assassin's Knot received a fairly positive review by Dave Morris
Dave Morris
Dave Morris is a British author of gamebooks, novels and comics and a designer of computer games and role-playing games.-Biography:Dave Morris is a graduate of Magdalen College, Oxford where he read Physics from 1976-79....
in issue No. 55 of White Dwarf
White 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...
magazine, who scored it 7 out of 10. Morris felt that the module was not in the same class as Temple of Death
Temple of Death
Temple of Death is a Dungeons & Dragons adventure module designed by David Cook for use with the D&D Expert Set.-Plot summary:In Master of the Desert Nomads, the nomad tribes of Sind Desert have rallied together under the leadership of the enigmatic figure known as the Master, and it is the mission...
, lacking the sort of evocative background found in that adventure. He felt that it was "an entertaining murder mystery for AD&D characters", but added, "this module gives no feeling of being part of a real world with a real history... it is difficult to believe or be interested in the world of L2". He did feel that younger players may enjoy the module for its puzzle aspect..
Rick Swan reviewed the adventure in The Space Gamer
The Space Gamer
The Space Gamer was a magazine dedicated to the subject of science fiction and fantasy board games and role-playing games. It quickly grew in importance and was an important and influential magazine in its subject matter from the late 70s through the mid-80s...
No. 71. Swan felt that the characters on the cover of the module looked bored, and that players seeking to undertake this adventure had "better be ready to join them". Swan noted that the town in which the bulk of the adventure takes place and its occupants are well detailed, but that the non-player character
Non-player character
A non-player character , sometimes known as a non-person character or non-playable character, in a game is any fictional character not controlled by a player. In electronic games, this usually means a character controlled by the computer through artificial intelligence...
s encountered were not interesting, and that the murder mystery of the plot is "a very pedestrian affair". Swan called the adventure "just plain dull" and advised passing on it.
External links
- L2 Assassin's Knot full module as a PDF file from the Wizards of the Coast website.