Shadowdark in the Lost City

Out of all of the introductory Dungeons & Dragons modules, The Lost City B4, has always mesmerized me with its depth and endless possibilities. My friends and I played the adventure in what must have been around 1983 but I’m pretty sure its mystique was largely missed at the time. But I definitely remember the final epic battle against the horrifying Zargon in its pit of slime. 

As I matured and got more into the roleplaying aspect of Dungeons & Dragons, I would return to The Lost City from time to time and dream. What would it be like to play this classic adventure on a grander scale with the party immersed in the bizarre politics of the various Cynidicean factions, plotting an uprising against the priesthood of Zargon in the hidden city beneath the burning sands? What eldritch horrors from the Underdark might be secretly pulling the strings behind it all?

So, forty-two years later, here I am putting pen to paper with the goal of bringing my version of Tom Moldvay’s classic to the gaming table at long last! My goals are to create a more rational overall ecology for the pyramid, make the four factions more central to the story, entwine the players in their machinations and politics, and explore a society literally trapped in a time capsule and led by a death cult. In the spirit of the Mystara campaign setting, I’ll also be adapting the society to be a slightly cracked mirror image of an ancient Assyrian city-state. Lastly, I’ll be adapting the basic game mechanics for use with Shadowdark RPG.

I already have a pretty good start and I’ll be sharing updates as I progress. Just to be super clear, this is all being done strictly for fun and I in no way have any rights to The Lost City IP nor make any such claims. I’m not seeking to profit in any way whatsoever from this effort. In fact, if people like what I’m doing, I will happily share my content once I have it in a reasonably consumable form.

So, don your mask, breathe deep the intoxicating perfume of the black lotus, and join me as we journey into Shadowdark in the Lost City!