I don’t remember where I first heard about this Skerples penned dungeon, but I’ve seen several references to it being a really handy starter dungeon module, and it’s cheap as free digitally, or very inexpensive in print.  So, I figured, what the heck, and picked it up.  It is written as a sort of OSR training module, both for GMs to understand dungeon design, and for players to “learn lessons” about dungeon delving.  As such, it seems pretty good. 

It’s a sizable dungeon, with fifty two keyed locations spread over three levels.  The general theme is related to serpent-people, though it wouldn’t be too difficult to shift it over to something else, I suppose.  There’s also a lot about death, mummies, and necromancy tied up with the serpent-people.  There are also things called Fungus Goblins in it, which honestly seem like their own thing, and would take pretty much no effort to have them unconnected to any other traditional goblins you might have in your game, if your game features goblins at all.

I like that it shows a map at the beginning with all the numbered rooms, but then as you go through the book, it breaks the dungeon down into smaller bits, where you focus on a few rooms which are described on that page.  There’s also a big spread map at the back that has a lot of the info written on it in little break-out boxes.  I imagine you could essentially run the scenario off that latter map once you felt comfortable with it, not even needing to dip back into the book.  Many of the rooms feature brief descriptions of what can be found within, and have a small text box with a related “lesson.”  Sometimes these lessons are as simple as “secret rooms may have treasure,” or “there are secret rooms.”  Sometimes the lesson is more conceptual, like “the dungeon is organized.”  Meaning, there is a logic and a pattern to what you’re going through.  

Generally, I enjoyed reading this, and I’m definitely planning to plug the Tomb of the Serpent Kings into the roster of modules and scenarios that are populating the sandbox setting I’ve been building (for DCC and/or ShadowDark, but whatever your Fantasy game of choice, it shouldn’t be difficult to adapt).  My only technical complaint is about the dungeon’s “3D” nature.  I did find myself a bit confused about where/how one got from one level to another, but for better or worse, I figured out how I’d do it if running the scenario.  I could have maybe used an isometric image of the dungeon, but that’s asking a lot.  Generally, the cartography is nice.  I don’t care for Scrap Princess’s art.  That’s just never going to be a thing I’m into.  My last complaint may be a purely personal thing; baggage I bring to the table.  I often find a sort of “vibe” in OSR spaces, writing, videos, etc.  A sort of smug, self-satisfied, vaguely confrontational, elitist thing.  I did feel that while reading parts of this book, getting the sense that the author wasn’t just showing how you might do something, how you could use the book, etc.  But that you should do it a certain way, and any other way is inherently wrong.  That may not have been the author’s intent.  That may be me being predisposed to picking up on that kind of thing, even when it’s not there, because I’ve run into it so many times with OSR advocates.  But I felt it.  Will you?  I don’t know.

All that said, I absolutely recommend Tomb of the Serpent Kings.  It’s free in PDF.  It’s cheap in print.  I think it’s got value for new GMs as well as experienced GMs.  Maybe you won’t learn anything new, but in the worst case scenario, you’ve got another little dungeon to use as you will.  

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