Review 5: The Hills that Hunger
This review will mark the first (but not the last) time that I've run an adventure using a different system than it was written for. "The Hills that Hunger" is a Weird Frontiers module written by Stefan Surratt. It is included in a two-pack of adventures, the other being a holiday-themed module that I have yet to run. Weird Frontiers is a weird west hack of Dungeon Crawl Classics (and is very cool if you're into that type of setting), but to my personal taste it is a bit too much crunch-- the rulebook is something like 900 pages. I decided to try running this one with Frontier Scum, an acid western RPG written by Karl Druid, which is a lot lighter while still maintaining that weird western feel, albeit with no supernatural character abilities.
Getting it to the Table
Since Frontier Scum is a much lighter system, converting from one that is more complex is very simple. Just to give you a harrowing insight into the way my brain works, I'm going to slightly loop in a third system (Cairn) because it has a brilliant guideline for conversion in its SRD that can be applied to nearly anything:
Read the original stat block and surrounding commentary, then write a few sentences about the creature. Then convert what you’ve written to the Cairn monster stat block.
This is essentially the method I use for everything-- I use the fiction of the monster as it is presented, and then I think about how to translate that to the mechanics of a particular game. Using this as a guide, I quickly whipped up Frontier Scum stats for the monsters/NPCs in "The Hills that Hunger" except where I could directly insert an existing Frontier Scum stat block (for poisonous snakes, for instance). Thematically, not much had to be changed at all; although Frontier Scum "as written" does not include much in the way of supernatural things apart from the "Strange Relics" table, the introductory adventure certainly has some weird shit in it, which I'll review at a later date!
Now, onto the module itself! Being a third party production, "The Hills that Hunger" was able to avoid some of the layout pitfalls that DCC modules commonly run into. There is a small background section to establish the context, and then it immediately jumps into a great rumor table as a way to draw the players in. One thing I would have preferred would be for the map to come before the key, so that I have at least a visual memory of the layout before I start reading what things are. However, this is a small quibble and entirely personal preference. As it is, the area descriptions are clear and include relevant detail, though they are presented in paragraph form as opposed to bullet points, which can make quick reference a little more difficult. Monster and NPC stat blocks are included where they are needed, which is always a plus! Overall, the info you need is given to you in an efficient manner, and you don't have to dig through a lot of fluff to find it, so getting it to the table is pretty easy.
What Worked?
- Non-linear dungeon layout! There are multiple ways into the house and the mines, so it's not just a straight trudge through set pieces.
- Eggs! Creepy black rotten eggs that don't get an explanation until it's too late, usually after a PC has eaten one.
- Stat blocks where you need them. I will always count this as a win; never leave them all in the back where you can't get to them.
What Didn't Work?
- Area descriptions in paragraph form rather than bullet points. Again, personal preference.
- A random encounter table would have been a nice addition.
Final Thoughts
Some of my favorite adventures are those that are simply presented as an interesting location with plenty of stuff to interact with-- provided that there is ample detail about all of the parts, the GM can just let the players poke around and find weird stuff or learn about what's happened, rather than guiding them through a planned story. "The Hills that Hunger" definitely accomplish that, giving you a nice "The Hills Have Eyes" vibe plus all of the grimy spaghetti western goodness. Playing this with Frontier Scum gave it an interesting alternate dynamic too, as that system is a lot less forgiving when it comes to combat, so the players had to be a little smarter when considering how to approach fights.
You can get the adventure two-pack "The Brimstone Cradle and The Hills that Hunger" from Stefan's itch.io page. Thanks for reading!