It is for this reason that so much of the module is devoted to advice for running and playing the adventure. Written for characters of first through third level, B2, Keep on the Borderlands is designed to work as an introductory module for both DM and players. The wilderness surrounding both the Keep and the Caves of Chaos is also home to numerous inhabitants, some of whom if encountered, will be as deadly a threat as any to be found in the Caves themselves. At the rear of the ravine lies the Shrine to Evil Chaos, from within which the forces of, well Evil and Chaos, plot the downfall of the Realm of Man. The caves are themselves home to a variety of monstrous humanoids, from Kobolds and Goblins up through Orcs and Hobgoblins to Gnolls and Bugbears. They consist of eleven cave complexes of varying size and complexity overlooking a steep ravine dotted with barren trees.
The Caves of Chaos are almost literally up the road from the Keep. Already, the adventurers know of the Caves of Chaos and armed with a rumour or two about the area, and have merely to finish equipping themselves and perhaps hire a henchman or two, before sallying forth. The intention is that young adventurers will travel to this border region, and using the Keep as their base of operations, strike out into the untamed wilderness beyond the walls of the lawful redoubt. Just as the Realm of Man has its bastion of civilisation in the region – in the form of said Keep, the forces of Chaos have their own stronghold, a network of caves and tunnels – the Caves of Chaos, dominating a ravine lying just two miles and over a hill away from the Keep. It is set in a Keep – or castle, and said Keep does stand on the borderlands, in this case on the borderlands that lie between the civilised lands that comprise the Realm of Man and the wilderness beyond. The setting for B2, Keep on the Borderlands is stated as simply and as clearly as possible in the title. Whether or not I get a chance to run the scenario is moot, but in the meantime, I can at least give it my best thoughts and a review.
It was definitely used, full of pencil marks, some of its pages separated, but everything was there. So thus I dug out my copy of the adventure from the battered box that is my copy of Basic Dungeons & Dragons and found it to be in almost as worse a state as the box and rulebook are.
I am not sure that I ever played it, but I certainly ran it, and it is the chance that I might run again – one player in my Monday night group not having played it, and neither has my partner, Louise – that spurred me to take another look at the module. Like those gamers, B2, Keep on the Borderlands was my starting module. Gary Gygax’s module holds a certain place in many a gamer’s heart, and has since been celebrated with a sequel, Return to the Keep on the Borderlands – released for Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, Second Edition as part of TSR’s 25th Anniversary a reprint as one of the modules included in the TSR Silver Anniversary Collector's Edition boxed set and a revisit for Wizards of the Coast’s Dungeons & Dragons Essentials line as part of its in-store “ Encounters Programme.” In addition, B2, Keep on the Borderlands appeared at position number seven on “The 30 Greatest D&D Adventures of All Time” in issue one hundred and sixteen of Dungeon magazine – as described here. For three years, between 19, it appeared in that boxed set, providing the base template for adventures to come as well as hours of play. For gamers of a certain age, for those that began play with the Basic Dungeons & Dragons box set, it was their introduction to both the game and gaming. That B2, Keep on the Borderlands is perhaps, one of the most famous modules ever released for Dungeons & Dragons is hardly a surprise.