Nikki Debuse, Mayfair Magazine GOTM, April 1974.

Mayfair (1973) Ph. Barry Lategan

We did a whole episode of the podcast on Swordthrust (1984) last year. That probably tells you something about the adventure’s place in the line. If not, I’ll say it directly: this is probably Role Aids at its weirdest, most experimental and, consequently, at its best.

In short: a titan sleeps atop a high mountain. The party goes in the titan’s ear and explores his brain, looking for a powerful artifact that is calling to them. Inside, there are monsters that have taken up residence, angelic creatures that are manifestations of the titan’s better nature, reptilians that embody his baser impulses, and strange apparitions that are, essentially, his dreams and memories made flesh, making for a very odd variety of environments inside what is supposed to be a complex of ice caves.

All of this is super interesting, especially for the year it was released (compare this to any give Dragonlance module, for instance). It doesn’t go as hard or as bizarre as it could, but that’s OK — it paved the way for plenty of others to get weird (Silent Titans sprints immediately to mind) and leaves plenty of room for the GM to odd it up.

Cover art is another recycled Boris Vallejo, though in this case, the authors incorporated the scene in the adventure — there, this guy is one of the Titan’s dreams who left the brain to live on the mountain and has, essentially, become real. He’s an interesting chap. Interiors are by Robin Wood. She did a lot of Role Aids work and it’s rather variable — I think she was using it as an opportunity to experiment with different styles. These drawings are pretty solid!

Imagine hating a girl so much, that not only do you steal her man, but you then manipulate the system so that she’s sent to her almost-certain death in a bloody arena fight with 23 other kids

Mayfair was absolutely wild for that

The Royal Arcade, Mayfair

The Royal Arcade is London’s oldest shopping arcade

Birgetta & Kay Mayfair

Mayfair Games DC Comics The Apokolips Sourcebook Cover Art by Mike Mignola

50 years ago, Deborah, Mayfair Magazine GOTM, February 1974.

Packard 1604 Super Eight Coupe coach work by Mayfair 1938. - source Cars & Motorbikes Stars of the Golden era.

Yoshitomo Nara: London Mayfair House (2006)

Right off the bat, I love the name of Evil Ruins (1983). It doesn’t get more generic than that, and generic is sort of the Role Aid aim, right? Second, the Boris Vallejo cover painting is a favorite. To my knowledge, it was originally used on the Science Fiction Book Club edition of Roger Zelazny’s Nine Princes in Amber (1979) and it is just as preposterous there as it is here.

The adventure itself is pretty good. The ruins (modeled after the real-world Castle Tintagel for no particular reason) have a rich history of tragedy and betrayal. Unraveling that history is the only way to entirely deal with the pair of evils currently inhabiting the dungeons. The story isn’t super surprising (resentment and murder among the royal residents several generations ago lead to the establishment of a temple of evil in the depths, as well as the haunting by a tormented spirit) but it works as a good puzzle to drive exploration and keep players thinking. I like this one a lot.

Solid interior art by Hannah Shapero. The altar of Arawn is particularly nice.

"Gormley Suite," The Beaumont Hotel London, United Kingdom

DTM replica Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.3-16