Goodman Games Original Adventures Reincarnated #5 - Castle Amber

The pages are nice and thick. Most of the content is in monochrome less the cover reprinted module scans and a beautiful inside cover illustration. And of course the classic blue map foldout. Actually, not fully monochrome, each page has a grey footer. More on this later.I saw a video review of this book that complained about the foldout maps having the map portion of those sheets center-bound through the map itself, but my copy of this book didn't have that problem at all. The map is entirely on the foldout and no central binding cuts through any of them.The editorial notes are an interesting read that provides a greater appreciation of what's included. The 5E conversion is pretty solid and adds a lot of stuff in the same flavor of the original.One thing to keep in mind is that, while this is for levels 3 through 6, it's for between 6 and 10 players which is IMO an awful lot for 5E. A total of 26 - 34 levels is indicated for the original adventure and, while old levels aren't strictly the same current levels 1:1, I would consider that about right. You're definitely going to want a dedicated Cleric and Wizard in the party.The introduction text on the original module suggests this would take anywhere between one and four sessions to complete. This prediction is preserved in the 5E version, but with all the new content and that 5E can get pretty slow sometimes, I would say no way to those estimates.Monsters, at least for the 5E conversion, are helpfully one per page with an illustration of each. You also get details on the Amber family which is also nice. There is another conversion out there (that still requires a purchase of the original module) that has some pretty bad reviews for swapping a lot of the unique monsters out for generic ones found in the MM. I think Goodman Games paid the adventure the reverence it deserves.One major downside is that the bottom footer on each page has the page number and the name of the book and nothing else. No indication on what chapter / appendix you're on, no indication between the original reprint and the conversion, no side indexes which I think ever the core rulebooks could benefit from. The footer then is just wasted space. And, speaking of, the font size of the conversion is IMO excessively large, especially when you compare to the pages that contained the reprinted original, inflating the page count and cost / price.That said, it sure is impressive on a shelf. About the same size as the core rulebooks but twice the thickness (for fewer pages!)Overall, I quite like it and I'm excited to be able to run this as a new DM.

Castle Amber was one of my favorite adventures when I started playing D&D as a kid in the 80s. Forty years later when I introduced our son to RPGs I did my own conversion of the original and he really loved it as well. The original was just a fun, quirky, easy to run adventure. Goodman Games does a perfect job of retaining all of that, and I appreciate the solid job they did in not just converting to 5e, but also of noting areas needing adjustment in the original. For example, the map scale in the original (10 feet per square) appears to have been a mistake, and 5 feet per square makes much more sense.I don't agree with commenters who don't like the page layout. The layout is easily readable (bonus: the font is large enough us aging gamers). The art and maps are perfect and have an old school vibe, which I prefer to the more-polished-but-less-inspired style typical in 5e.A common complaint of the Goodman Games "Original Adventures Reincarnated" series is that the books are just so big. So if bookshelf real estate is important to you, note the product dimensions. But I think it's absolutely worth it and this is one of my favorite items in my library.Note for OSR Folks: If you never run 5e, you'd be better off just buying the original version of Castle Amber, which now can be purchased POD from elsewhere.

First off...this book is beautiful! I was told the castle map had a seam right through the middle of it. Guess what?!! They fixed that in these new versions!!! I really could not be happier.

If only Wizards of the Coast produced their rule books with the same quality and attention to detail as this fifth edition conversion and classic homage of Castle Amber, produced by Goodman Games. Thick pages, crisp artwork and text, high quality bonding (stitched, with a ribbon)... I couldn’t ask for more.We’re presented with the original module, plus the 5e conversion. The conversion is more than that, though. It includes new levels and some new art. Goodman has released four other conversions- Into the Borderlands, The Lost City, Expedition to Barrier Peaks, and Isle of Dread, with plans to release a 6th - Temple of Elemental Evil - later in 2021. I’ll get them all!

Have you ever played a game like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Arcade Game on the NES? If you have then you'll notice that Konami added a couple of levels that were not in the arcade version: The snow level and the Japanese castle level. Goodman Games did the same kind of thing here, they added new floors to the West and East Wing, as well as the Hunting Lounge deep in the indoor forest. The book kinda has that enhanced remake or upgraded port feel to it, especially with all the love and care they put into it. It's a bit different from Lost City where they extended the game like 10 levels beyond Zargon, to where it's like this mega dungeon or mini campaign. I'd say buy this one if you are a fan of the classic adventures, especially since they have the original version here.

Update:The replacement copy I was sent is complete and I am happy. This was apparently a rare anomaly.Original:Though it pains me to do it, I have to give this book a single star.I don't know if it was a whole print run or just mine, but it has several blank pages where content should be.The following pages were blank in my copy: 90, 91, 94, 95, 98, 99, 102, & 103If you bought it already, check your book just in case.The photo is an example of what I'm talking about.