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Module Profile - Tales of The Hullack Forest: The Sunken Cemetery

Module Profile by Jay Watamaniuk, Aug 21 2002

Module Title: Tales of The Hullack Forest: The Sunken Cemetery Author: Lord Niah Play Time: 2-3 hours Recommended Level: 10-14 (12 recommended) Single or Multiplayer?: Single HakPak Needed?: No Flashlights?: Needed Download locations: - Neverwinter Vault

Overview:

Although still in beta form, Lord Niah has created a great, involving module. Your adventure begins with old Willo Dalloud pleading for help in returning his son who has stumbled across something horrid and has gone missing. It seems something very evil has surfaced in the Hullack Forest and it's up to you to find out what it is.

The author has created a module that is thick with tension, scary environments and some newly scripted monster abilities that will ruin your hero's day. Heavy use of dim lighting and impenetrable fog ensues characters will be forced to use there torches, light spells and other lit items to light their murky way. Lord Niah has recommended that Clerics and Paladins might be a good choice for a character class, but I found my Rogue was able to - just barely - make his way through. Look for some rules tweaks on resting and death.

Author's Description:

Tales of travelers from the Hullack Forest to the east tell of a mysterious cemetery that has arisen from the earth cloaked in eternal night. You have traveled the road from Arabel in the west through the rolling hills and forests of Cormyr for what seems like ages -- uneventful ages -- at least until now. Do you dare go forward to see if these tales hold some truth?

 

Interview with the Author - Lord Niah

1. Where did you get the idea for your module?

Well... actually I got it from playing around with the beta toolset. I was just fooling around with the rural tileset and put together this really creepy looking graveyard covered in mist, and walking out of the mist something unpleasant. From there, I put together a back story, which changed as I developed the module. My aim was to create something more combat oriented, but I still wanted a story in there. I also wanted to put something together quickly. I started the module the week of July 4th, so I guess the process didn't go as quickly as I thought, but I was still learning.

2. You have spent a great deal of effort to convey the creepy atmosphere- what do you consider essential elements (sounds, lights, creatures etc.) to establishing the mood of an area or module?

Sound, and also sound. Did I mention that sound is key? Have you ever listened to a scary movie without the sound? It's not very creepy anymore. Most people take sound for granted, but it's incredibly important. When I am watching a movie, I can tell within a couple of seconds whether its going to be good or just another B movie by listening to the film's score. The lighting and everything else is also important, but it seems like most people are forgetting the sound.

3. You have changed the resting rules for your module in that you only allow rest every two hours of game time. Did you like the result?

I'm still experimenting with resting and death rules. For a solo player game, the full HCR ruleset seems a little harsh. On the other hand, being able to rest anytime takes away some of the tension that a player might feel. I don't want to create a death trap game that no one can get through, but I don't want it to feel too easy.

4. Has putting your module up for download in it's beta form been a benefit to you? Would you recommend other module makers do the same?

Very good question. I don't know yet. I haven't gotten much feedback (which is to be expected, considering the amount of modules players have to shift through). Also, I suspect that most people would rather just play a finished game rather than act as beta testers. My advice is that a beta should be mostly finished and playable. I learned this from reading comments on other modules that were released as betas. Every module needs to be tested by several people, though. A builder will never catch all their own bugs and design mistakes.

5. Can we expect more tales from Hullack forest?

Yeah, of course. They may not all be single player, though. I want to try out several different types of module design. Something for multi-player would be nice. I will probably try my hand at a larger scale dungeon crawl. Something more heavily story driven would also be nice. I already have a rough outline for future modules. I'll probably do something for lower levels that is more purely story driven.