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B7 Rahasia (Basic)
 
$4.99
Average Rating:4.4 / 5
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B7 Rahasia (Basic)
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B7 Rahasia (Basic)
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast
by Aaron B. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 01/24/2023 19:56:37

This review is just about the pdf and print-on-demand, not the content of the module.

The pdf and POD both look good. Both have some spots where the original was stained, but it’s not distracting. The only issue I have is the page containing Rahasia’s Letter. The text is superimposed over a picture, which makes it a little hard to read.

WARNING - The print-on-demand version loses a point for being “perfect-bound” (aka glued). Original modules of similar length were stapled and would lay flat when opened. This POD does not lay flat when opened, and I’m afraid to press it flat for fear of cracking the spine and making the pages come loose.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
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B7 Rahasia (Basic)
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast
by Bruce G. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 12/16/2021 11:19:01

Bought as a print-on-demand as the originals are now commanding ridiculous sums of money. Very good quality paper and images all bound sturdily into a usable book. The only issue is the maps are contained within the bound book so I will reprint them separately myself.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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B7 Rahasia (Basic)
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast
by Benjamin A. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 10/23/2020 13:36:29

When I put my DM hat and robes on for the first time in nearly two decades, it was because my oldest children expressed interest in playing Dungeons & Dragons. I immediately went to the nearest local gaming store and bought the core 5th Edition rulebooks. I then giddily dragged out some of my old D&D stash. After a nearly-fatal asthma attack brought on by years of accumulated dust, I cracked the cover of Rahasia and started working out a 5th Edition conversion (I eventually bought an excellent conversion guide from the DM's Guild). My kids and I had several amazing sessions before finally rescuing Rahasia and returning her to a grateful village. Definitely one of my favorites!



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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B7 Rahasia (Basic)
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast
by Timothy B. [Featured Reviewer]
Date Added: 06/02/2020 15:36:28

Originally posted here: http://theotherside.timsbrannan.com/2020/06/review-b7-rahasia-becmi-special.html

"You soon are lead to an elven maid, whose veiled grace and beauty outshines all others present as the sun outshines the stars-she is Rahasia. "Will you aid me?" she asks."

B7 Rahasia is an adventure for the BECMI version of the Basic rules. Since module B5 the Basic modules all featured the new BECMI trade dress, but B7 Rahasia is an older adventure with some solid history in the D&D game. But I am getting to the middle of the story.

Back in 1979 Tracy and Laura Hickman wanted to play AD&D but needed money to be able to buy the Dungeon Master's Guide. So like so many after them they wrote an adventure to sell so the could afford to pick up the DMG. That adventure was Rahasia.

Later the Hickmans would go to work for TSR and here they would give us what is arguably one of the greatest adventures of all time, Ravenloft, but before that, they republished Rahasia in 1983 under the RPGA banner. In fact, RPGA 1 Rahasia and it's sequel RPGA 2 Black Opal Eye were the first two RPGA adventures for the new BECMI Basic game.

Rahasia is for levels 1-2 and then Black Opal Eye for levels 2-3.

These currently go for a lot of money on eBay now. RPGA2 Black Opal Eye is available on DriveThruRPG, but the RPGA1 version of Rahasia is not.

Rahasia would get a third printing again in 1984 as the new adventure module B7 Rahasia. This new version was a combination of the two earlier editions.

For this review, I am considering the PDF from DriveThruRPG and my original print copy from 1984.

Module B7 Rahasia Tracy and Laura Hickman. 32 Pages, color cover, black & white interior. Cover art by Jeff Easley. Interior art by Jeff Easley and Tim Truman Maps by Diesel & D.C. Sutherland Ill

This adventure is a primary example of what has been called "the Hickman Revolution" and while it was independent of the design of the BECMI rules, it does dovetail into the rules and feel rather well. The Hickman Revolution can best be explained with the original requirements the Hickmans set for themselves in their adventures.

A player objective more worthwhile than simply pillaging and killing. An intriguing story that is intricately woven into the play itself. Dungeons with some sort of architectural sense. An attainable and honorable end within one or two sessions playing time.

Another very strong point is an NPC/Antagonist that is more than just a mindless monster. This can be seen in Dragonlance and can be seen in its ultimate form in Count Strahd from Ravenloft.

These all exist in one form or another in this adventure. We have an evil cleric known as the Rahib, but is he really our "Big Bad" of this tale? No. But again I jump ahead.

The plot begins as a simple one. The characters agree to help an elven maid named Rahasia defeat a great evil that has come to her lands. This evil, the Rahib, has captured two elf maidens (Sylva and Merisa), Rahasia's father, and her fiancee. So the characters have to rescue the Prince this time! He has also taken control over a group of elven cleric/monks (essentially) known as the Siswa.

This is an important bit, so I am going to interrupt myself here. The Siswa are all mind-controlled, normally these are the elves that guard the temple, so they really should not be killed. In the Hickman Revolution simply killing things is never the way to go. This is true here. The characters need to find ways to incapacitate the Siswa, but not kill them.

Defeating the Rahib is fine, and getting to him is the first half of the adventure. The second half is discovering the REAL Big Bads. You might have seen them on the cover.

Part 2, or the part that was covered in Black Opal Eye, deals with the real villains of this piece. Here we learn that the Rahib had made a deal with the spirits of three dead witches, Karelena, Solorena, and Trilena. These witches have now taken over the bodies of the elf maids and want to get Rahasia for Trilena. They can accomplish this with the Black Opal Eye. When all three witches are freed they are much more powerful, so getting them before they can get Rahasia is the goal. Failing that any female character with a Charisma of 15 or higher is the target.

There are some traps, some false leads and some clues in the form of wine bottles. But all in all a very effective adventure with some nice twists. More importantly, it also gives us three (well four I guess) memorable NPCs. While the Rahib can be defeated, and ultimately forgotten about, the witches, Karelena, Solorena, and Trilena, are far more interesting and really should come back again in a future adventure.

There are maps, pre-rolled characters to use, and of course an elven princess who will be in your debt.

The adventure also features something that the "new" BECMI modules all would feature, new monsters.
Here we get the haunt, the water weird (an AD&D import), and the bone golem who will not see an AD&D rendition until Ravenloft.

Ravenloft Connections

I have often stated that I feel that Barovia, the lands of the mists featured in the Ravenloft adventure and line, came from the B/X & BECMI world of Mystara. Here is another connection. First, the idea of body-snatching undead witches is a strong horror trope. I am sure there are dozens of horror movies made before 1979 that feature this. I am sure I have seen at least a dozen or more of these myself.

Plus like Ravenloft, Rahasia was written by the Hickmans. Even in the 5e era the Curse of Strahd adventure for 5e lists Rahasia as an influence. Plus there are some other solid connections. Like finding the same wines in Rahasia's Wizard tower and in Ravenloft.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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B7 Rahasia (Basic)
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast
by Martin S. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 10/05/2017 11:57:40

Spoilers Alert

This adventure begins with the characters travelling through a forest in elven territory. On the trail ahead, they find the corpse of an elf warrior. If they look at the body, they find a letter penned by an elven maiden called Rahasia. The letter beseeches anyone who reads it to seek Rahasia in the nearby village and help her get rid a great evil come to her people.

After the characters agree to help, they must get to the temple in Gray Mountain, find the Rahib and in so doing, figure out why elven maidens are disappearing and free the elves called the siswa from the control the Rahib has over them. To accomplish this, they must explore the temple and the ruins of a tower once belonging to a powerful wizard. The adventure ends with the defeat of the Rahib and the three witch sisters.

The module is a nice one and well designed. The temple feels inhabited and as the player characters explore it, they can uncover what has transpired and even the ancient history behind the creation of the temple. Many of the adversaries (including the witches) are elven victims and as such, it would be unwise of the characters to just kill anyone they encounter. This sets the adventure apart from its predecessor and is a nice change of objective for low-level characters. It does change the way the adventure unfolds when the majority of your opponents should not be killed. Also, a nice twist of the story is that the characters must find an artefact and use it to destroy the witches.

I enjoyed the adventure and I think that the change from the regular explore the dungeon and kill everything makes it a very interesting playing experience. One thing that I think the GM should revise are the random encounter tables. While ok, some of the monsters do not make a lot of sense. For example, the temple is not in ruins and was used daily even before the Rahib arrived. Why would spiders be running free in the corridors? Unless the Rahib had an army of spiders at his disposal, which would be odd, I cannot find an explanation as to why they would be there. Besides that, the rest is well designed and worth playing as is or adapted to another rule system.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
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B7 Rahasia (Basic)
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast
by Joshua R. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 03/16/2014 19:03:00

This is basically my favourite published TSR work ever. I love the puzzles, mood, setting, coherence, goals, everything.

However there are flaws with the pdf. No one corrected the OCR, so there are the typical errors like Ld4 and HDLL, but more importantly the map is very awkwardly cut into pages which makes it difficult to read in spots.

I've cleaned up my copy using ABBYY software and by scanning my original map, but really if WOTC is selling this they can do the same.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
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B7 Rahasia (Basic)
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast
by Dave B. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 05/30/2006 00:00:00

A great adventure with lots of puzzles to keep PCs occupied. Well written, easy to use. Great quality scan.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Excellent<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Very Satisfied<br>



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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