Necromancer Games is one of the newest third party publishers to take advantage of WotCs Open Gaming License. This is the best third party adventure to be released for the Dungeons and Dragons game to date. I had high hopes for this company from what I had seen on their web site. They have been around since the 3rd edition first came out. A few months ago they released their free adventure "The Wizards Amulet." It was interesting and original, but it seemed to have some very fundamental errors. It made me all the more curious about their future products and I am happy to say that The Crucible of Freya meets and exceeds all that I had hoped for.

The Crucible of Freya is an adventure for four to six characters of first or second level. The adventure is site-based and takes place in a village and the surrounding countryside. The adventure revolves around retrieving a magic item stolen from a temple in the town of Fairhill. The characters will adventure in the town, the surrounding countryside, and will eventually wind up in a ruined keep in their search.

Though place names are given, it is very easy to fit the 50 square mile area into any existing campaign. The entire adventure is easily adapted to any setting, and Necromancer has gone out of their way to add advice and instruction on manipulating the adventure for specific needs.Hearkening back to the days of yore, the cover has a band across the upper left corner and a "letter-number" signifier (W1). The cover is very attractive, with a satiny green finish and a picture of a female holding a flaming bowl. The inside covers are blank, most likely due to publishing costs, though I would have enjoyed detached covers with the maps on the inside. The maps are located in the center of the adventure, and it boasts 48 pages. Of these, 46 are devoted to the adventure, with the 47th being the Open Gaming License and the 48th being an advertisement for Necromancers upcoming titles. This is the longest published adventure yet and every page is useful and filled with quality information.

The interior artwork is also high quality. Boldly drawn monsters and men battle each other across the pages and the artwork pertains to the surrounding text. The maps are also well drawn and easy to understand. Maps are given for the village of Fairhill (the central focus of the adventure), the surrounding area, and a ruined keep. It is also mentioned that additional players maps can be found at Necromancers web-site by using the code word that is included in the adventure.

The adventure begins with an introduction and notes for the DM. From there it moves into a description of all the keyed areas on the maps. Finally, on page 32 of the adventure, begins the prologue and timeline for the adventure. Though it makes sense to lay out the adventure in this fashion, it does make a thorough read of it prior to play necessary.

One problem I had, though minor, were the text blocks. They were especially dark and done with a gothic font. This makes it difficult to read in low light. Also, in the text blocks, the writers seem to take great liberty with what the characters "feel" and "do" rather than just describing the location. Some DMs might want to make adjustment to these descriptions.

Another minor problem I had is the games constant reference to their free, introductory adventure "The Wizards Amulet." Many encounters have two sets of descriptions: one for players who have gone through Amulet, and second for those who have not. While this is necessary, it is an added complexity for a novice DM. They also refer to many of their future products throughout the text. While it could be useful to know that such and such might lead them to Necromancers soon to be released whatever, it often looks like shameless plugging. The Crucible of Freya is split up into three acts. This adventure is very basic, centering on the party recovering a stolen treasure. The first act begins as the characters arrive in the town of Fairhill. Once there they will meet a variety of NPCs, each of them with stats, background, history, and personality. These townspeople are finely crafted and believable. There is plenty of opportunity for good role-play. A rumor chart is also given.

Soon after their arrival, and event will occur which propels the characters on their quest. They will search out the HIGHLY DANGEROUS countryside and eventually come face to face with the main villains of the adventure. It is a common theme, but it is done extraordinarily well.

The adventure proclaims that it is suitable for novice players, but let all be warned: powerful foes lie hidden in the woods surrounding town. Beginners may want to charge right in against any enemy they meet, but some of the creatures inhabiting the lands around Fairhill could easily eat a first level party for breakfast. Tactics and wisdom will be required to survive this adventure.

Every encounter has detailed descriptions about what tactics the monsters will use, and they have included variables (such as time of day, if X has been killed, etc.) which will give the adventure a dynamic quality. The final confrontation is very suspenseful and dangerous, and if successful, the players should feel like they have truly done great deeds.

The people at Necromancer Games have done a bang-up job of putting together a first class adventure. It is totally enjoyable to play, has a great cast of friends and foes, and a solid plot. The problems I found were few and did not detract from the excellence of the adventure. This is the way "modules" were meant to be written. I give the Crucible of Freya a SOLID 9 (can I give it a 9.5?) and to Necromancer, I offer you a congratulatory pat on the back for a job well done! Keep it up Necromancer!