Survival tips for the Slave Pits
by Dave Cook

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Dragon 43	-	-	-	Dragon

GenCon XIII, if notable for nothing else, had the largest single
AD&D tournament yet staged. In the four days it ran, the tournament
became an endurance test for players and judges alike, as nine-character teams battled their way past orcs, goblins, gnolls and other perils 
to discover the secrets of the powers of the slavers of the Pomarj in 
the World of Greyhawk. Five first rounds were required to narrow the 
contestants down to a mere 135 semi-finalists which in turn became 
only 45 finalists, To do all this required 5 different first-round scenarios,
a semi-final round, and a final-round design. 

The tournament scenarios which were used form TSR's new "A" 
series modules. Of the 4 modules of the series, one has been released 
and the others will appear in the months to come. Released now is 
A1: Slave Pits of the Undercity, while coming in the future will be A2: 
Secret of the Slavers Stockade, A3: Aerie of the Slave Lords, and A4: 
In the Dungeons of the Slave Lords. Each module contains one or 
two of the scenarios which were used, plus further information and 
encounters for use in a campaign.
 
Briefly sketched, the modules deal with the Slave Lords and their 
ring, an organized band of raiders. A1 starts the characters in a port 
city of the wild Pomarj, a regiion overrun by humanoids, there to 
destroy the denizens of a ruined temple and gain information leading 
to the next step. From the information gained, the characters travel to 
A2, a deserted fort used as a stopping point for caravans of slavers. 
Here they must discover the secret which the leader of the stockade 
holds. After this, led on by clues, the party must enter the secret town 
of the Slave Lords (A3) and find and destroy the slavers' council. The 
final module leads adventure in the hidden dungeons of the town, 
and here, in A4, the characters will be tested to the utmost of their wits 
and skills. 

The following sections will give both the players and judges of the 
first module in the series (A1: Slave Pits of the Undercity) some advice 
and suggestions for good play, based on the experiences of 
players and judges in the GenCon tournament. 

During the 2 sessions of tournament play presented in A1 (the 
temple and sewer sections), it soon became obvious what made a winning 
team. Several of these qualities have been printed before, but in 
some cases it was obvious that the lessons had not been learned. The 
most important factors for the teams that did well were organization 
and decisiveness. Organization shoed in many ways. Since players 
were working under a 4-hour time limit and their time began the 
minute they were given the character sheets, long set-up times hurt 
the party, cutting into the actual amount of time they had to actually play. 
Therefore, quickly deciding who should play what character and listing 
(either on paper or a blackboard) the hit points, class, level, and 
special items of each character helped to quickly get things under 
way. The choice of caller was also important; a strong, quick-thinking 
caller whom the others obeyed often pulled a mediocre team into the 
upper ranks. Quick decisions about what to do and bold actions usually 
succeeded in pulling a group through a tough situation. No party 
was helped by the Magic-User who said, "I think I'll cast this spell-- 
no, maybe I won't -- well, I don't know." This type of play only slows 
down the game, frustrates other players, and allows the DM more 
time to plan his or her actions. 

Players entering A1 should not be afraid to fight. In some ways this 
module is a hack-and-slash piece, although there are some surprises. 
The sewers and the temple are well guarded and players will have to 
take on several defenses that are designed to kill intruders. At the 
same time, several situations will require the players to stop and think 
and some (especially the non-tournament areas) are best handled by 
running away. When fighting, characters should also do their best to 
distribute the damage among the party members, rotating the point 
position when necessary. Nine somewhat wounded characters will 
prove to be more more useful than 4 or 5 fit characters. 

When playing the tournament, as in all tournaments, it is important 
to always advance. Players who ignore an obvious route because it 
looks too dangerous or impossible or characters who waste time 
searching dead ends when there is someplace else to go are not going 
to win. Speed is important in timed situations. One should never go 
back when there is a way forward. Again, this applies to being ready to 
attack, make quiick decisions, and act. Players should always have one 
eye on the clock, watching the amount of time they have left. 

The spells and special items of characters hvae been chosen 
specifically for those characters given in the back of the module. 
Certain encounters in the sewers and the temple have been designed 
to make the best use of these spells and items. The character who has 
a Wand of Fire should realize that it was intended that he or she use 
that item in the module. Therefore, spells and items should not be 
hoarded and never used, but should be saved until that moment when 
they can do the most damage to the enemy. This is a tricky guessing 
situation for the player and a good team will show its talent in using its 
powers well. Those characters with spells and items should be sure 
they understand these thoroughly, including ranges, areas of effect, 
durations, and limitations. In tournament play, spellcasters often 
managed to kill or severely injure more members of their own party 
than monsters. Many situations in the module can prompt a panicked 
reaction -- casting a Fireball without thinking about space, or a Color 
Spray from the center of the party, were two of the examples that 
occurred. Such errors will quickly serve to reduce a party's chances. 

When judging Slave Pits of the Undercity, it is important that the 
monsters act to the best of their ability. For example, orcs and half-orcs 
are intelligent and will know a great deal about fighting and how to 
survive. Aside from the instructions concerning how to handle monsters 
that are given in the module, certain other tactics may be normally 
followerd by intelligent monsters. In corridors and constricting 
spaces, the greatest number of attacks will be made against leaders -- 
those in front, obvious spellcasters, and those shouting orders. In large 
spaces where combat is more general, intelligent monsters will attempt 
to surround and isolate party members, increasing their attacks 
on weaker-looking members unless the instructions giiven say otherwise. 

One option not stated in the module that an enterprising DM might 
want to consider is attempting to capture the party. Several areas -- 
the false slaves, the final area of the tournament sections -- would 
have more than enough figures to attempt to overpower a weakened 
or small party of characters. Should such an attempt succeed, the 
slavers will try to learn how much the characters know of the operation 
-- either through trickery, spells, or torture. Once any information 
has been gained, the characters would be treated as slaves to be taken
to the main stronghold of the slavers and from there sold into slavery 
(an adventure in itself). Of course, proper precautions would be taken 
to prevent thieves from escaping., Clerics from praying, or Magic-Users 
from regaining spells, and all equipment would be taken away (never 
to be seen again?). However, if the DM does not want to go to all this 
trouble, it might be just as likely that the slavers would cut the throats 
of the party as a warning to other foolhardy adventurers of the risks 
they take. 

There are two corrections to be made on the map of A1, both of 
which should be obvious to those DMs who have already read the 
module. The first is in the upper section (temple) at area 16. This 
should be lettered 16A, 16B, and 16C; not 16, 16A, 16B. The other is 
on the key to the module -- a circle indicates a trap door in the floor, 

A1 is fun and tough, a good challenge for a band of hearty adventurers 
of mid-level. As one player in the tournament said, "I'm 
going to get this module and inflict it on my friends." If he did, they 
were sure to have some challennges. 

The Winners!  Out of more than 800 players who competed,  this nine-member team emerged as the  top group in the AD&D Open at GenCon XIII:  Michael Lang (also named Best Adventurer) Paul Nielson Kurt Jeffries  Mark Liberman  Debi Miller  Robert Jeffries  Daniel Sample  Martin Miller  Ella Ozier  Also honored as Best Judge of the 40-plus  volunteers who acted as DMs for the event was David Emigh of Urbana, Ill.  Dragon offers its congratulations to David  and the winning team, and its thanks to the hundreds of other people who worked and played to make the tournament a success.