I’ve written about Dungeon Crawl Classics funnel modules before.  They do set a tone.  With this one, Brendan J. Lasalle does something that seems especially unique to DCC.  He throws a situation at the PCs that seems completely, totally, shockingly beyond their capability.  And it’s awesome.

This one is going to go up there with the two zero level funnels I’ve run before, Portal Under the Stars and Sailors on the Starless Sea.  Portal Under the Stars is a brutal, but small dungeon exploration scenario, which should prove very challenging and deadly, and be completed in a single three or four hour session.  Sailors on the Starless Sea, on the other hand, feels like an epic quest, which I can imagine easily taking two sessions to get through, and might even involve characters going from level 0 to level 1 before it’s over.  Hole in the Sky has the epic, over the top vibe of Sailors on the Starless Sea, but the more compact nature of Portal Under the Stars, and it should be possible to complete in a single session.

If you’re using this as the start of a campaign, and not as a one-shot or a game at a convention, then you should know that it definitely sets a tone and you’re going to want to be prepared for it.  When your PCs live through the events of this story, they’re not going to be content with some small-time dungeon crawls or killing rats in basements.  You’re going to want to find world-hopping, god-fighting, totally gonzo modules.  I wouldn’t, for example, take my PCs through Doom of the Savage Kings after this, as that module feels far too “grounded.”  I haven’t read it yet, but I might lean toward something like Dweller Between the Worlds, as it seems to have more cosmic concerns.  Just know, you’re setting up some big things with this one, so be ready to follow it up with some crazy, hellzapoppin’ material.  I imagine you’ll be interacting with and possibly fighting gods and demons in short order.

I’ve been picking up some old D&D stuff to port over to DCC, and I think if I were to grab any Planescape material, this might be the funnel I’d use to start that campaign.  

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