D&D: The Lost City Comes to 5E
An obscure 1st Edition adventure is getting a 5th Edition Facelift from Goodman Games. Keep your eyes on 2020 (and this article) to explore the Lost City.
The ruins of a lost city rise up out of the sands, at its heart, a double-pyramid and a one-eyed monster named Zargon. This is The Lost City. Originally one of the basic D&D adventures, the Lost City was designed to help fledgling Dungeon Masters get experience fleshing out adventures. So the original module was only partially complete and features the player characters finding a sunken city rising slowly out of the sands.
In the original adventure, which takes place in a huge step pyramid, the rest of the Lost City exists as an outline for the DM to fill in. As they explore, players can learn the lore of Cynidicea, the city, and its downfall at the hands of a monster named Zargon. Who still lives, and indeed, still awaits the players in the depths…
Now Goodman Games, the same folks that brought you the updated Keep on the Borderlands and Expedition to the Barrier Peaks are shining their 5th Edition conversion lamp on this old module. Let’s take a look.
At Gen Con 2019, Goodman Games announced their next release in the Original Adventures Reincarnated line: The Lost City! As with previous releases in the OAR series, this one will include scans of the original Basic iterations, a conversion to 5E, and new 5E material filling in some gaps from the original module.
As of now, OAR4: The Lost City is slated for a 2020 release. PHD will announce the official solicitation as soon as it is made available.
Written by Tom Moldvay, it was first published by TSR in 1982 and was designed as a standalone adventure for use with the Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set. The working title for the module was The Lost City of Cynidecia. Moldvay designed the module as a low-level scenario to give novice Dungeon Masters experience in fleshing out adventures such that the original version is only partially complete. It is both well known and an enduring favorite for those who played it during its heyday. The 5E conversion is consistent with the original design principles, and it also offers new avenues for exploration.
AdvertisementThe plot involves the player characters discovering a ruined subterranean city slowly rising out of the sands. The adventure is set inside a huge step pyramid, with the lower pyramid only sketched out and the city itself described with a list of the major areas and a map. The adventure’s main villain is Zargon, a giant one-eyed monster and his minions. The entire double pyramid, not including the city, contains over 100 rooms.
The OAR volume will, presumably, also include complete scans of the original publication. This is great news for fans who have an old ragged copy of Lost City in their personal collection, as they will soon be able to discover a fresh copy that will allow them to leave their original untouched.
Happy Adventuring!
