any, though half-orc would clash slightly with the module's themes
Tricks & Traps
Light
Roleplay
Medium
Hack & Slash
Medium
Classes
designed for a combat worthy PC, spellcasters may find it tough going
Scope
Medium
DMNeeded
No DM Required
Single or Multiplayer
Single Player
Max Character Level
08
Max # Players
01
Min # Players
01
Min Character Level
06
Content Rating
Teen
Alignments
a PC of ustanding moral character, good or neutral
Description
It was the dirty end of Autumn when the call went out. Sellswords and mercenaries from across the Northlands travelled to the small town of Amplehill in the foothills of the Spine of the World mountains. Their task was simple and the money was good, no orc or goblin was to be left alive in the High Vales by the time of the Mid-Winter festival, by order of Duke Dawnoff of Amplehill. But that was only the beginning... Of Kings and Desperate Men; a medium sized, cinematic module of dark secrets and betrayal, set against the background of a mercenary campaign in the cold North. Featuring- Custom creatures, fetid dungeons, 24,000 words of dialogue, dark secrets, daring rescues, foul murders, crimes of passion, mystic visions, acts of vengance and betrayal, the most under-rated tileset reskin on Neverwinter Vault, labyrinthine scripting, brooding darkness, cannibalism, tragic ghosts, broken oaths, fearsome foes, stalwart allies and much, much more...
Posted by Delf at 2010-02-09 02:13:01 Voted 9.00 on 02/09/10
A good and probably underrated module. Starts out very conventional, you run around town doing miscellaneous sidequests and then head out to kill orcs, but then the story takes a sudden turn, creating a most interesting scenario that was fun to play through.
**spoiler**
One problem I had with the module was that at the end, after all the fuss about setting the demon free, actually fighting him was anti-climactically easy. Not extremely easy, and of course he keeps coming back and you can't kill him for good, but given how central he was to the whole story it really seems as if he should have been a bit more formidable. Granted you couldn't have made him too tough if a less-than-epic level PC was to survive, but it seems you could have done something like provided more dwarven ghosts or something like that to distract him, giving the PC a chance against a more powerful foe.
Posted by olivier_leroux at 2009-03-11 09:52:51 Voted 9.00 on 03/11/09
Some areas were a bit large compared to what they held in store for the player and typing errors were not that sparse, but overall I found this to be an enjoyable mod with worthwile setting and plot, a suitable atmosphere, satisfying quests and memorable NPCs, and I recommend you play it!
Posted by micon at 2008-07-31 12:50:10 Voted 9.25 on 07/31/08
Jules
Faultless really, nearly gave up at the nigh end with the repeditive spawning fire spirits but eventually I found the way. _________________________ micon
Posted by Jamro at 2008-07-20 17:45:41 Voted 9.50 on 07/20/08
Well I didn't finish it but it was okay anyway.
Posted by Jamro at 2008-07-06 09:04:00 Voted 9.50 on 07/20/08
I got stuck after Ashrack camp. Spent a good half an hour trying to find a hidden entrance behind some rock.
I'm not even sure if I'm seeking the right map (the one before the camp?) or if my search skill is just too low.
Posted by ChrisH at 2008-05-20 04:06:52 Voted 9.25 on 05/20/08
Good module: well written story with lots of nice touches.
Conversation about orc and treaty won`t fire since I don`t believe I ever even talked to an orc chief at the orc camp. I honestly don`t even think he was there.
Not sure what can be done now...
Posted by edsan at 2006-12-23 11:07:10 Voted 8.00 on 12/23/06
Damn nice module, too bad its so short. I loved the poor tavern maid who gets offed at the worst possible time and the hechman "Nobody", I hope we will be seeing him in future modules. :)
Excellent dialog and setting atmosphere. When I finally met the demon I was actually scared because of all the build-up about "the beast under the mountain.
Would still like to know who is the vagrant you meet at the very begining though...
Posted by Steve_Savicki at 2006-10-29 09:43:12 Voted 10.00 on 10/29/06
A boost for a future Hall of Famer.
Hak was just incredible. _________________________ Steve's Characters - please don't forget to vote on them if you play them.
Thanks,
Steve
Posted by Steve_Savicki at 2006-10-10 10:20:13 Voted 10.00 on 10/29/06
So is this mod going to be remade? _________________________ Steve's Characters - please don't forget to vote on them if you play them.
Thanks,
Steve
Posted by Yangsmoth at 2006-07-26 18:51:16 Voted 10.00 on 07/26/06
Loved it, the conversation, the combat, etc. Just great _________________________ "I just love your pointy ears" Said the orc. "Really? I do like your large fangs" Replied the elf.
after I've returned from the second Duke's Mision, nothing happened... I've previously done all "in-city" quests, and the only option I've got is to resigned from the Duke's sellsword. I reed the walkthrough and I've discovered that I'm to met somme errand from Thel, but, even if I go everywhere on the streets, noone come to me me and I'm stuck in the city... Maybe it's because I killed every orc around the mansion without noticing meeting the chief and speking to him, but the Quest Log told me the quest was over... What can I do, I do love your story and the general background and i REALLY want to go further ... Help me Master Jules !!! ;)
SPOILER END _________________________ Ooooppppsss, I've mistaken your pocket and mine, no big deal, buddy... Hey, man, could you stop punching me when I'm talking to you ? Ooooch !
Posted by Drexar_Heulbric at 2006-07-02 19:59:03 Voted 8.75 on 07/02/06
Nicely done overall; first half (in town) was much better; second half had tedious fighting; large maps; encountered scripting problem; typos; thanks for making it.
Posted by krickerd at 2006-06-17 02:55:14 Voted 9.50 on 06/17/06
Outstanding!! The storyline and dialogue are about as professional as they come. The side quests were good (I missed one however). The experience and items given were very fair. The maps were reasonably good as well. I liked the original monsters you included as well. I blew through this in an evening (stayed up until past 2 AM but it was worth it. I liked this one better than ShadowGuard, if that's any comparison. Much kudos to you!! _________________________ Defeat the Black Knights! Play Phantasie
Very slow progress... held up by too much RL (baby maintenance etc) But watch out for the name TORADOS
Posted by Lariam at 2006-03-19 13:45:04 Voted 9.50 on 03/16/06
jules - Someone mentioned here another project of yours that was in progress, at least, at some point. Are there any plans for any new mods? _________________________ Forgotten Realms Weave
cheers for the comments. The thing with the orc chief has always been an issue for some reason that I've never got to the bottom of- the convo about Nobody being dead should only trigger if a variable has been set on his death- but it sometimes seems to start up anyway despite that. It's a (very annoying) mystery to me.
Actually the thing with the bodies should rely on finding four bodies- unless you've got a very high inteligence/wisdom in which case there wasachance you could make a guess having found fewer (Seemed like a good idea but you've shown the downside of that design descision!!). Thanks again.....
Posted by Lariam at 2006-03-16 13:48:00 Voted 9.50 on 03/16/06
Posted by Lariam at 2006-03-16 13:47:31 Voted 9.50 on 03/16/06
Wow, underrated, indeed. Thanks for the very nice mod, jules. I loved the dark mood and the great story. Some very nice areas, too. And a cool companion. As has been noted, the spelling could be checked. At least one problem and one weird quest spring to my mind...
**** SPOILERS ****
When I finally met the orc chief, I had no other option than telling him that my companion had died. But there he stood, next to me. And at no point had he died. This made me wonder if he should have died, or if I should kill him before I continue. I didn't, and that seemed fine. He had sensible things to say afterwards, too.
The ritual murder quest... I think I first ran into anything related when I walked into a room with a body in there. This seemed interesting... Chasing murderers -type of city adventuring is usually a lot of fun. But then I walked into the next room (the door was open, again, and my curious bard couldn't resist the temptation after having heard that there's some interesting chap upstairs), and the mystery was solved... Perhaps I did things in an order not intended.
Posted by mcwkjoyce at 2005-12-28 03:49:43 Voted 9.00 on 12/28/05
Nicely done. Although I felt I was railroaded into becoming a fugitive too quickly (Didn't finish some of the other "quests")
Also would like to thank Berliad for the heads up on the "underappreciated" module lists.
Posted by whosyrdad at 2005-11-25 22:23:42 Voted 9.50 on 11/25/05
Great mod! Very interesting premise of no true good or bad.
Posted by Eowien_Theile at 2005-11-13 18:45:27 Voted 8.50 on 11/13/05
The storyline was stellar. The town quests were better than the typical "rat stomp" and helped move the story forward. The plot twists do build slowly but inexorably to the climax. I personally liked the intimate voice of the walkthrough. Jules' "voice" is very welcoming!
As others have already noted, the quality of the storytelling was lessened due to spelling errors. My PC was female, but in cases where gender is mentioned, I was usually referred to as male. Other dialog missteps include the conversation with Asharak.
I would not have played this game without the guidance of "Underrated and Underdownloaded Mods". Thanks Berliad!
Posted by Armin at 2005-11-04 12:40:35 Voted 7.50 on 11/04/05
A very nice story with a great atmosphere, however the story really tells itself pretty much without the player's intervention. A bit very low on choices and options and very linear, even for a story-driven mod.
One thing that puts a severe dent into the immersion factor and kinda counters the excellent writing is that the dialogue contains too many flukes and mistakes. I keep being adressed as "Sir" and "Lord" (I played a woman), I'm called a human (played a dwarf) and have to report that I "put people to the sword" (monk... unarmed specialist.. sigh ;)
Fights are extremely easy and straightforward and several areas are way too large with basically nothing in them.
Still, all in all a nice and entertaining mod for a rainy evening. _________________________ With magic, you can turn a frog into a prince...
With science, you can turn a frog into a Ph.D....
... and still keep the frog you started with.
Posted by Slygar at 2005-11-03 15:02:59 Voted 9.50 on 11/03/05
A spectacular mod that only loses points (from me) due to poor spelling/grammar at many points
Posted by rep628 at 2005-08-22 08:50:50 Voted 9.75 on 08/22/05
The best module I have played yet! Very, very enjoyable. No compaints, no bugs, very smooth start to finish.
I look forward to seeing another module from you.
Posted by Berliad at 2005-08-21 16:38:37 Voted 9.50
I just noticed that "the body" is not cleared from your inventory at the end of this module. Just started another mod with my paladin, and discovered the poor man in my magic pouch. Had to dump him unceremoniously in a room at the inn. :) _________________________ My NWN Blog FRW Character Creator
Posted by Tai_Chi at 2005-08-19 19:18:53 Voted 8.00 on 08/19/05
Strong and intriguing storyline. Total lack of interactivity. You kill. They tell. You only need a brain to understand the plot.
Posted by Tai_Chi at 2005-08-19 19:10:29 Voted 8.00 on 08/19/05
I played v1.4 of this module on v1.66 of NWN. I had no dificulty with regard to the game bug. I started with a monk of 6th level, and the combat wasn't too hard nor too easy with Very Difficult Game Option though I had to reload couple times. I pretty much enjoyed its strong and intriguing story, but I found little or no interactivity in it. In this module, what players can do is just killing villains, and I couldn't report to the authorities when I found a dead body in town. One of the best part of NWN is that we can get so much more than just combat, I think. That's why we have persuade skill and such.
Posted by Green Catmoon at 2005-08-15 17:46:34 Voted 9.00 on 08/15/05
Very nice module with great atmosphere.
Posted by Berliad at 2005-07-29 12:01:26 Voted 9.50
(I posted this "review" with my vote, but I am including it here to provide feedback to the author. Thanks for a great mod!)
Of Kings and Desperate Men was a surprisingly good module and is clearly among the most underrated modules on the vault. I began the mod with my lv 7 paladin, who was fresh from Chris Huntoon�s excellent mini-series, A Halo of Flies/Shadow from a Soul on Fire. The story is that Amplehill has put out a call for adventurers to help it deal with a new Orcish threat near its borders. The module begins with a very creepy encounter with some sort of vagrant on the road, but you soon find yourself in Amplehill, playing a small role as a mercenary soldier in the employ of Duke Dawnoff. The town itself has been taken over by mercenaries. Some of the merc�s include a rather notorious group of bandits who, while powerful, have begun kidnapping locals or throwing them out of their houses. It�s a pretty nasty place to live.
You can play two roles at the beginning of this module. First, you certainly can work in the employ of the Duke, assisting them in dealing with the orcish threat (which is much more complex a situation than it sounds). Second, you can try to right some of the wrongs that the mercenaries have imposed on the townspeople. Eventually, however, these two roles come to head in a very unexpected way. I won�t spoil anything, but I will say that this module has a terrific, exciting second half and a thrilling ending.
This module does an excellent job with mood. Pop-up text is used extensively to give a nice sense of atmosphere, and this is continued later in the module with your henchman�s occasional comments as you move along (he was definitely a highlight). The rolling hills tileset was very nice and made the environment feel far more like a hillside than original rural tileset. The CEP is also used well, with CEP monsters and items making frequent and welcome appearances throughout the module. Overall, there was great detail in this module all the way through.
Combat seemed well balanced, if perhaps a bit easy for my lv 7 paladin. Difficulty actually increased a little bit once I got a henchman, because he wasn�t quite as durable as my character. Still, I found it enjoyable and very well varied � lots of fun stuff to kill. The medium H&S label is appropriate here�some stretches are a bit combat light, while others are a bit intensive. I never got bored with combat, which I often do in the �heavy� combat modules.
The only real problems I had with this module were the frequent typographical errors in the dialog. I *highly* recommend that the author makes use of NWN Spellchecker (by Hans Olsen) to search for and correct all the typos. I can deal with a few, but they were quite frequent. For example, �afraid� is spelled at least two different ways in this mod, both of which are incorrect: affraid, and affeared (which I realize may be an effort to make the language sound a bit more archaeic�but it�s not a word). This would be so easy to fix, and would vastly improve the overall sense of polish to the module. There were a few other consistency �errors� I found as well, and I�m relaying those to the author.
Overall, though, this module is really outstanding, and again is vastly underrated. I very much look forward to playing his future works! �B
A few specific comments for the author (includes spoilers!):
* The smith guy was very creepy and was placed very well in the mood to put you back into the sense of unease one feels at the very beginning.
* The barkeeper still tells you to talk to Bains, even after you rescue his daughter. Seems like that should be modified, just like Thel�s speech was modified.
* The Drow Sniper that appears in the forest prior to entering the caves really needs a great deal more explanation. What the heck is a DROW doing up top, screaming �for the spider queen!� as he attacks you?
* Many of the shopkeepers had absolutely no voice greeting, which felt really odd.
* The sounds on the fire spirits near the end were a bit annoying and loud. Maybe if they were about 1/3 as frequent, they�d be a nice touch.
* I think it�d be nice if there was a better mechanism used to separate dialog from your narration. You used ellipses (�), but I find using quotes to indicate spoken dialog or []�s to denote narration feels a bit more natural to the reader.
* In Thel�s dialog, there is a spot in my response to her (I think) that says �it�s only just that a man stands up.� My character was a woman.
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