Axian Spice, whose delightful OSR zine collection Axian Library is worth checking out, just released an Old-School Essentials module called Falkrest Abbey, a little dungeon module for characters of level 1-3, and costing the ruinous sum of a whole dollar. So feeling decadent and awash with gold pieces, I decided to splurge and pick up the PDF.

And I’m glad I did.

Falkrest Abbey is a ‘classical module’ in the best sense. Not ‘classical’ in the sense that its age or pedigree automatically gives it cookie points, nor ‘classical’ in the sense that it’s a cornerstone of any grander campaign arc or campaign setting. It is classical in a much better way. It is everything this sort of module should be, in a refreshing, succinct, and precise no-frills way. Much like the official OSE modules, it is intuitively formatted, easy to parse, and extremely helpful towards the GM.

I haven’t put it to the table yet, but after a couple of reads, I’m absolutely stoked to do so.

A Cornucopia

The premise of Falkrest Abbey is straightforward: The titular clerical holdout was, in olden days, a place where monarchs where crowned and buried, and eventually some terrible doom befell it. The choice of location is interesting, however. Rather than the typical temperate, faux-European valleys and dales, the Abbey rests at the side of a cold mountain.

The adventure provides some solid hooks and rumor tables (although they do contain the dreaded time-wasting “false!” rumors too – if you’re anything like me, just ignore them). A small cast of NPC’s are sketched out to serve as quest-givers, each with their own little delightful reward they can offer the PCs. Good, straightforward, and well-executed stuff. Get used to those three adjectives; they carry throughout the whole module.

From there on, the adventure is a cornucopia of gleefully executed dungeon crawling stables. Everything has this wonderful dark fairy tale vibe (think Dolmenwood but colder), and leaves blank space for the referee to slot it into their own setting without too much fuss. The language economy is excellent; just enough descriptions to set the conversation at the table going, with enough precise and well-chosen words to prompt the GM to improvise meaningfully.

A number of modern and welcome conveniences are present as well. There is a nice index in the beginning listing the monsters and treasures of each room. More modules should have this. Formatting is generally incredibly strong in the adventure, emphasizing readability and quick information access.

The adventure revels in the imagery and the elements of classical dungeon crawling adventure fantasy, but it so without feeling trite or tired. Everything has just the right sense of wonder. There are guardian statues, there are monsters hiding in wells, there are chess puzzles, there are ghosts of haughty queens, there is a wannabe-lich – and yet none of them seem to be there out of obligation or to check off a list of obligatory clichés. Nothing here is cut-and-paste, and even the most standard monsters and rooms are infused with personality and charm.

Falkrest Abbey is not an exotic module, and it doesn’t try to be. It is a brilliant piece of earnest, uncomplicated, and utterly joyous classical fantasy adventure purity. In a way, it almost feels like something from another age, reformatted to modern OSE standards. Something from a time where ruined monasteries, ghosts queens and chess puzzles could still be sources of wonder, delight, and adventure.

Check it out. A dollar is an effing steal for this kind of writing.