B3 - Palace of the Silver Princess (orange cover) in French!
Jul 15, 2022 13:28:28 GMT -6
jeffb and poohgyrr like this
Post by asaki on Jul 15, 2022 13:28:28 GMT -6
Every once in a while, I think to search for some of those lost D&D relics, and today I actually found one!
Not sure how much of this is okay to share, so I guess I'll leave that up to the mods to decide.
According to Google translate, this first link translates to "Module B3: In search of lost rooms":
Room 36 appears to be missing half of the description, and rooms 37 and 38 are not described at all.
That's gotta be a real bummer for anyone running the adventure without reading it first!
The rooms are present in the green version, they are listed under the numbers 45 for 36, 47 for 37, and finally 48 for 38. I also note that, as I suspected, room 36 is incomplete in the orange version because in the green version there are several additional paragraphs which describe the interior of the room. On the other hand, there is no way of knowing if the rooms of the green version take up what was written by Jean Wells for the orange version or if they have been modified by Tom Moldvay. After reading these, I must say that I don't really recognize Jean Wells' style, especially for rooms 47 and 48 (which in this version therefore correspond to rooms 37 and 38 of the orange version). In 47 [37] there are troglodytes, whereas you don't come across a single one in the rest of the palace, while in 48 [38] there are many elements that seem to come from the revision of Moldvay (the reference to Arik and the red eye). For room 45 (which therefore corresponds to room 36 of the orange version), I think it corresponds well to what Jean Wells could have written, apart from a few small details which are surely due to Tom Moldvay.
Obviously, this is all just speculation on my part, but given the total absence of any clue or information as to what might have been originally written on these rooms, what else can we do?
Because indeed, I find it a shame to release a version translated into French of this module in which these rooms would still be missing. So I decided to fix it. For room 36, it's not too complicated, I take almost everything that is written in room 45 from the green version, I just delete the paragraph with the ring +1 (magic object a little too powerful compared to what we find in the rest of the module). For room 37, I decided to rewrite it entirely (trash the troglodytes!) trying to keep a style close to what Jean Wells herself could have written (yes I know, it's a bit presumptuous to say that ^^). When at 38 I take a small part of what is in the green version while deleting what seems to me to be an addition by Tom Moldvay.
Obviously, this is all just speculation on my part, but given the total absence of any clue or information as to what might have been originally written on these rooms, what else can we do?
Because indeed, I find it a shame to release a version translated into French of this module in which these rooms would still be missing. So I decided to fix it. For room 36, it's not too complicated, I take almost everything that is written in room 45 from the green version, I just delete the paragraph with the ring +1 (magic object a little too powerful compared to what we find in the rest of the module). For room 37, I decided to rewrite it entirely (trash the troglodytes!) trying to keep a style close to what Jean Wells herself could have written (yes I know, it's a bit presumptuous to say that ^^). When at 38 I take a small part of what is in the green version while deleting what seems to me to be an addition by Tom Moldvay.
Second link, I'm a little less sure about sharing, it's a complete PDF of the French translated version they made.
Mostly I'm interested in the dungeon map, because the one included with the old free PDF that Wizards used to offer is nigh unreadable, and definitely not suitable for printing!
It's not a huge deal, but I might try to put the English labels back onto it at some point, if nobody else beats me to it (or I suppose I could just ask for the original scans).
But here is the French translation of those rooms back into English:
<< denotes boxed player description >>
36. << Behind the portcullis that blocks the entrance to this cave, one can see black water and, from time to time, a golden shimmer. A blast of hot air seems to be coming from this area. The droplets that fall on the ground hint at the humidity that covers the walls. The air is filled with a moisture that adheres to clothes, skin and hair. The floor is slippery from the hot water. >>
During their first round in the room, all characters have a 10% chance of falling due to the slippery floor. Thereafter they are no longer at risk because they will have become accustomed to the humidity, but not to the heat. Once they manage to lift the portcullis (35 strength points are needed because it is very rusty), it stays in place.
When the characters have entered the cave, they will be able to see on the other side of the pool a large statue of a man wearing a crown. The statue appears to be bronze. His eyes are small rubies (50 gp each). The golden shimmer comes from the crown placed on the head of the statue. It appears to be gold. In fact the statue is in bronze but the crown is only painted gold.
The liquid in the basin is a kind of ink. The water in the basin is heated by hot springs, and this hot water absorbs the color of a particular mineral covering the walls of the basin. This results in this dark purple ink. Anything that comes in contact with the ink will turn purple. As it is a permanent ink, the color can only leave naturally (1-6 days). The ink will not stain non-porous surfaces that do not absorb water well (such as steel). It is safe for the characters.
37. << In the center of this room is a table with 4 stools and against the south wall are aligned 4 mattresses. On the table are placed 4 goblets, a pitcher (empty) and a set of 3 dice to play. To the right of the door on the west wall is a small lever placed in the up position. Everything is covered in a thick layer of dust. >>
This is the old rest room of the guards who were in charge of the lookout in NE 38. The dice are made of bone and of ordinary construction (no value). In the staircase is a pit trap (3m deep, 1-6 damage) that triggers under a 50kg (1000g) weight. The small lever makes it possible to defuse the trap when placed in the low position (it closes the hatch if it is open and keeps it closed).
Freak :
38. << This room overlooks the surrounding countryside and allowed the guards to watch the surroundings from windows in the north, west and south walls. You notice a trapdoor in the ceiling >>
Freak :
Trap :
During their first round in the room, all characters have a 10% chance of falling due to the slippery floor. Thereafter they are no longer at risk because they will have become accustomed to the humidity, but not to the heat. Once they manage to lift the portcullis (35 strength points are needed because it is very rusty), it stays in place.
When the characters have entered the cave, they will be able to see on the other side of the pool a large statue of a man wearing a crown. The statue appears to be bronze. His eyes are small rubies (50 gp each). The golden shimmer comes from the crown placed on the head of the statue. It appears to be gold. In fact the statue is in bronze but the crown is only painted gold.
The liquid in the basin is a kind of ink. The water in the basin is heated by hot springs, and this hot water absorbs the color of a particular mineral covering the walls of the basin. This results in this dark purple ink. Anything that comes in contact with the ink will turn purple. As it is a permanent ink, the color can only leave naturally (1-6 days). The ink will not stain non-porous surfaces that do not absorb water well (such as steel). It is safe for the characters.
37. << In the center of this room is a table with 4 stools and against the south wall are aligned 4 mattresses. On the table are placed 4 goblets, a pitcher (empty) and a set of 3 dice to play. To the right of the door on the west wall is a small lever placed in the up position. Everything is covered in a thick layer of dust. >>
This is the old rest room of the guards who were in charge of the lookout in NE 38. The dice are made of bone and of ordinary construction (no value). In the staircase is a pit trap (3m deep, 1-6 damage) that triggers under a 50kg (1000g) weight. The small lever makes it possible to defuse the trap when placed in the low position (it closes the hatch if it is open and keeps it closed).
Freak :
38. << This room overlooks the surrounding countryside and allowed the guards to watch the surroundings from windows in the north, west and south walls. You notice a trapdoor in the ceiling >>
Freak :
Trap :
3m pit can be rounded up to 10 feet, 50kg weight is roughly 110 lbs. (although I don't know how much a D&D GP weighs in kg, that would be the important measurement)
I like how Google translates "Monstre" into "Freak" =)
I like how Google translates "Monstre" into "Freak" =)
Edit: Looking through their French translation of of Moldvay Basic, it says 20 gp = 1 kg. That's about what I would have estimated.
Also woah, the French version of Moldvay Basic has all different illustrations! :0 Looks like a lot of it's Jeff Easley.
