Frozen in Time is a now-classic DCC RPG module, and one of the most reprinted and readily available adventures out there for the system. Its mix of classic fantasy with sci-fi elements in the vein of Keep on the Borderlands makes it a great throwback to the early days of RPGs. If desired, it also offers a transition into the world of Mutant Crawl Classics…
This is module #79 in the DCC line. Michael Curtis is the writer, with art by Doug Kovacs, William McAusland, Jeff Easley, and Stefan Poag. My group finished it in two sessions, so about 7 or 8 hours.
The rest of this post is intended for fellow judges running the adventure. If you’re a player, stop here to avoid ruining the surprise.
Our story begins with a collapsing glacier in the north reveals two dark holes spewing green steam. The neighbouring barbarian tribe tasks the party to explore the source. After climbing the sheer glacier wall and crawling through steam ducts, the party will find themselves in a dilapidated time machine, full of futuristic treasure, malfunctioning machinery, and arctic dangers. Its previous owner was a collector of art, weapons, and living treasures from different eras, and there’s plenty for players to explore. Along the way there’s a shagadelic space bachelor pad, a menagerie of humanoid trophies, and of course, a working deck for time travel. The adventurers will collect keys that slowly unlock different rooms throughout the station, meaning there is some doubling back and hopping from floor to floor. I recommend a player map of some sort, for everyone’s enjoyment, as the structure is a little confusing.
The module really has two possible endings, assuming the adventurers survive. If your players are brave enough to jump onto the time pad, they will transported through time. I recommend you prepare a follow-up adventure that takes place in another era, should they not be able to return to their own era. Many Mutant Crawl Classics adventures should fit the bill - Marzio Muscedere’s “Last Life Guardian” from the 2022 DCC Adventure Pack, with its ruins of coffee shops and water parks, was my backup. Conversely, they could be transported to a prehistoric time. Since I’d already decided to incorporate MCC rules, I swapped out the Power Plant Console Malfunction Table for a random mutation from the MCC Core Rule Book, which is how my party ended up with a level-0 caveman with wings.
The second possible ending is that they escape the exploding time machine. Again, I recommend preparing ahead by planting an item that could lead to their next adventure. The collections and galleries are full of art, weapons, and other magical objects. This is the perfect place to plant a hook for your next adventure and incorporate the dungeon into a larger campaign.
While you’re prepping the museum pieces, mind the author’s note to replace any artworks and artifacts with things that your players will recognize and enjoy. Several of my players are artists or work in the museum industry, so I chose a few works I knew they would like. I threw in Yoko Ono’s “Ceiling Painting/Yes Painting,” and a player used the ladder to plant a spike in the frozen dinosaur’s open mouth. Another player stole the magnifying glass, which I imbued with a comprehend languages spell, but only for written languages. There’s a lot of opportunity for customization here!
The book offers tips to run the adventure as a funnel, but I actually ran it as a hybrid. One player joined our group after the others had already levelled up from zero. Wanting her to get the full DCC experience, I had her run four level-0 cavemen alongside the five-member level-1 party. I’d never run a hybrid game like that before, but it worked well. The second printing of Frozen in Time includes a 4-page mini-gazetteer for the Forlorn North, which is especially useful for those running the adventure as a funnel in need of a home base. The Primitive Occupations table gives you Forlorn North-specific occupations, but unfortunately it leaves out the rarer demi-human races described in the appended mini-setting. Has anyone made a player character race for the Odobenmen walrus race?
Although it’s one of the most popular modules for DCC, I have encountered some critics of the adventure. Personally, I think it really shines and is a great introduction to the tenor of DCC - anything goes, not only for the Judge, but for the players to try to solve encounters in clever and non-violent (or semi-violent) ways. It's a memorable adventure with a lot of possibilities, and I'd recommend it for any DCC group.
No comments:
Post a Comment