Game Review: 1 on 1 Adventures #1: Gambler's Quest

Gambler's Quest is a 20 paged module for D&D 3.5 and the d20 System. It is designed for a single Game Master (GM) and single player, a level 2-4 rogue. In its layout and organization it takes a standard module form. It begins with an introduction with background information and a synopsis of the overall adventure. The basic storyline is that a town discovers their ruling noble is behind a monster raid on the town. The character is sent to a gambling competition to discover the reason behind the raid.

The actual competition is described, with the GM being given both quick and detailed methods for simulating the results of the games. The competition is a dice game popular to the region, and the module gives complete rules for playing it using d6s. There is no information on how to get to the keep where the adventure takes place, which is quite useful as it allows GMs to either skip the travel segment or incorporate it into their own campaign world without having to alter things too much. The rooms and other encounter areas are described in detail with scripts to read to the player provided. Creatures and NPCs are accompanied with full stats and information on basic motivations and probable responses.

The adventure is interesting and plausible and the challenges to the character are appropriate for the recommended level. The level of detail provides sufficient information for the GM to deal with a wide range of character choices and actions. There is no need to railroad the player down a set plot path. One of Gambler's Quest's strengths is that there are several ways for the adventure to progress and conclude which gives a great deal of room for role-playing and the development of the character's motivations, which can be especially important for the often devious rogue class.