Welcome to Nogard, a solitaire scenario
for the AD&D® game designed specially for
player characters of ultra-high level and
world-shaking power. The adventure takes
place in an environment unlike any that
your character has ever experienced, and
you and your character will both face challenges
that you never thought were possible
in an AD&D game adventure. And all of
this is achieved without once placing your
favorite incredibly powerful character in
jeopardy. Your PC can't help
but survive a journey through Nogard ?
but his life will never be the same again.

Instructions
You will serve as both the player and the
DM, so to speak, in this solitaire
adventure. Except for your character?s
record sheet and a pencil (which you'll need
only briefly; don't bother to get up for it
now), no materials are needed to run this
adventure other than the rules you are
reading. Begin by setting the scene with the
background, then start with Section I of the
adventure itself. After you play through the
events of a section, turn to the section
you?re directed to at the end of that passage.
At times, you or your character will
be called upon to make decisions ? but you
always get as much time as you need to
make up your mind. There are no tricks,
traps, or unfair surprises in this scenario.

Nogard is actually 4 adventures in one
-- certain passages in the text are read
differently for <priest>, fighter, magic-user,
and thief characters. Depending on what
kind of character you?re running, insert the
appropriate passages where indicated. To
revive the adventure after several playthroughs,
try mixing passages for different
classes for a completely different adventure
every time.

Background
In your career as a PC, you
have not simply reached the pinnacle of
achievement -- you have defined it. But for
years now, ever since you became

    C : Protector of the Universe,
    F : Warrior Without Peer,
    M : Supreme Spellcaster,
    T: Sultan of Stealth,

life hasn't had as much zest as it did before.
Your accomplishments are unparalleled,
your talents beyond compare and your
riches beyond counting -- but all of it is
coming to mean less and less. Lately, you've 
found yourself wondering whether you can
ever feel challenged |or| motivated again.

Being a person of tremendous INT
and wisdom, you decide that there must still
be challenges unrealized for you, because it
doesn?t make sense that someone as powerful
as you should be forced to be this miserable.
Then, one day, it happens. Just as you
concentrate mightily, trying to figure out
where this place of challenge is and how to
get there, a sharp noise resounds (like the
sound of a book being closed) and you are
whisked away.

THE ADVENTURE

I: After a journey that takes only 2
eyeblinks longer than teleporting, you find
yourself in the middle of a large expanse of  
gray space. Amazingly, you have arrived in
a state of full readiness -- equipped for any
adventuring challenge you meet. At your
feet are some of your most prized possessions,
including

    C: Thor's hammer, plus a complete
        operating room inside a satchel
        of holding.
    F: Your collection of +5 laser blasters
        and a 20-gallon jug of potion
        that does anything I want.
    M: A 32-volume set of spell books
        and an amulet of protection from
        rules.
    T: A key that opens any door and
        defuses any trap, plus a cloak
        that always stays invisible
        (funny, I thought I saw it a minute
        ago . . .).

You don't see much going on, but that
doesn't lull an experienced stalwart like you
into a false sense of security. You know this
is an adventure, and sooner |or| later something
is bound to happen to you if you
simply:

Stand there and wait -- go to Section II.
Sit down and wait -- go to Section III.

II. After a while, you START to get bored
with just standing there, so you sit down.
Go to Section III.

III. Sitting doesn't seem to help. Neither
does pretending you?re asleep. You decide
that nothing is going to sneak up on you, so
you start to move toward the gray area in
the distance. It doesn?t take long to notice
that everything is a gray area in the distance.
You become even more watchful,
thinking that attack from an unseen enemy
could come at any moment. The suspense is
building ? surely this will be a tale to
regale even the most jaded of your friends
back home! Go to Section IV.

IV. Nothing at all happens to you for what
seems like ages. You get more edgy as Time
goes on, moving gradually from a feeling of
anticipation to one of anger: Why isn't
anything happening? As time goes on and
on (which, for Game purposes, is twice as
long as just "on?"), your mood becomes one
of panic: Why isn't anything happening??

    If you want to stick it out a while longer,
        go to Section VI.
    If you want to end the adventure now,
        go to Section VII.

V. There is no Section V.

VI. You aren't sure how much longer you
can stand this horrible combination of
suspense and boredom. Once in a while you
SEARCH furiously for some way out of the
gray, but that never takes long because
there's nothing to look at. You've even
considered doing away with yourself as a
way of escaping, but

    C: Because of the enchantment
            placed upon you years ago by a
            deity who's a buddy of yours,
            your wounds always heal instantly.
    F: Your AC is so low that
            not even you can hit you.
    M: A spell you once researched
            turned your body into a magic
            item, and whenever you CAST a
            spell on yourself, all you do is
            recharge.
    T: You can't very well stab yourself
            in the back, and who ever died
            from picking his own pockets?

The pressure is getting unbearable.
You're not sure if you can stand even another
minute of this existence. . . .

. . . and you've just decided it isn?t
worth it. Go to Section VII.

. . . but you're determined to get your
money's worth out of this adventure. Go
to Section VI.

VII. Being an adventurer of ridiculously
high INT and WIS, you must
have figured this out by now. But just in
case, a voice booms out this brief message:
?This extended vacation in Nogard comes
to you through the combined efforts of the
Gods of Game Balance. You do not need the
assistance of your player for the remainder
of this adventure. Proceed to Section I, and
be on your guard -- something could happen
at any minute.?

Epilogue: For players' eyes only
While your character goes back to Section
I, you should read and follow the instructions
in Section VIII.

VIII. Go get the pencil we said you'd need.
Across the top of your character sheet, write
the word "Retired." Get out your next most
incredibly powerful and awesome character
and START the adventure over again. At least
this Time you won't have to get up in the
middle to find a pencil.