UK3 The Gauntlet (1e)

Indomitable it stood for centuries, a symbol of order in a world of chaos. Bastion of the pass through the Kamph Mountains, the very stones of the Keep of Adlerweg were the stuff of legends. What evil power had strength enough to take it? How were its defenses swept aside?

Fell creatures now attend the battlements that overlook the only pass between Berghof and the sea.

This is not a pretty problem to be solved by the militia of the local villages. These and more may be needed to withstand the mayhem stirred up by the fall of the keep. Indeed, if the Keep is not retaken, and retaken soon, the Hold of the Sea Princes itself may not be secure.

Now is the time for heroic action. Aided by the Sentinel, former protector of the legendary Guardians of Adlerweg, have you the courage and the determination to rid the keep of its sinister occupants?

For characters level 3-6.

Product History

UK3: "The Gauntlet" (1984), by Graeme Morris, is the third "UK" series adventure and the second half of the two-part Adlerweg series. It was run as a tournament at the GamesFair '83 Open, then published in 1984.

A Shared History. The history of "The Gauntlet" is largely shared with that of UK2: "The Sentinel" (1983), the first half of this tournament adventure. Like its predecessor, "Gauntlet" is set in Greyhawk, in the Hold of the Sea Princes. It would be the last TSR UK adventure set therein. As with its predecessor, UK3 is also laid out as a few encounter locations with wilderness in between.

The UK Feel. Like many of the "UK" adventures, this one is plot-heavy. In fact, it may be the first TSR UK adventure to have received criticism for that fact, with Graham Staplehurst saying, "I found the the amount of channelling and character manipulation offputting" in White Dwarf #60 (December 1984). He was probably talking about the artifact won in UK2, which tells players what to do at some points in "Gauntlet."

Generally, the "UK" adventures have been very well received, but if someone doesn't like them, it's probably because of the plot. That said, "Gauntlet" is also more of a hack-and-slash module than its immediate predecessor. As with many "UK" adventures, this one makes heavy use of Fiend Folio monsters, including blood hawks, ettercaps, a forlarren, an ogrillion, a revenant, skulks, a volt, and finally a giant two-headed troll.

A Huge Siege. "Gauntlet" rather uniquely includes a huge siege with platoons of hobgoblins (and lots of other monsters!) attacking a castle. This sort of thing became more common with the release of Battlesystem (1985), but it may have been a first for TSR at the time of UK3's release.

Artifacts. "Gauntlet" also focuses on two artifacts, the eponymous Sentinel and Gauntlet, even going so far as to making their destruction an important element of the plot. It appears to have been the first TSR adventure with this sort of focus.

About the Creators. Like its predecessor, "Gauntlet" was conceived of by Tom Kirby and Graeme Morris - written by Morris, then edited by Kirby. The two would continue working together in this way in UK4: "When a Star Falls." This adventure also introduces a new production member to the TSR UK team: Phil Gallagher, who would become part of the writing team for later "UK" adventures.

About the Product Historian

The history of this product was researched and written by Shannon Appelcline, the author of Designers & Dragons - a history of the roleplaying industry told one company at a time. Please feel free to mail corrections, comments, and additions to shannon.appelcline@gmail.com.