Arden Vul

In July 2022 the all-new Arden Vul Bundle presented The Halls of Arden Vul, a vast megadungeon from Expeditious Retreat Press for old-school D&D, AD&D, and OSR retroclones.

Twelve centuries ago the cliffside city of Arden Vul was a wealthy and secretive administrative center of the Archontean Empire. Seeking the mysterious element known as arcanum, the Archonteans delved deeply underground, finding gold, legendary artifacts, and the crafts of several past civilizations. After a terrible civil war destroyed the empire, Arden Vul was lost — yet now, a millennium later, the abandoned city remains strangely intact, unplundered. Why? The player characters may start to understand after they face Arden Vul’s goblins, lizardmen, beastmen, halfling thugs, intelligent four-armed giant albino baboons, multiple cult temples (and a ziggurat), Varboka the Troll Thegn, Laocoon the Shadow Lord, Psalor-Ki the vivisectionist, Olaf the Bee-Whisperer, the Order of Planar Explorers, and the Great Tongue.

Originally published in five volumes in 2020 – the hardcover set runs US$275 – the 1,100-page Arden Vul is one of the largest megadungeons published for old-school gaming, with more than 2,000 keyed encounter areas spread across ten main levels and 15 sub-levels. The scale of the Halls and the variety of experiences ensure no two groups encounter the Halls in the same way. In fact, the same player group might run several different parties through the Halls and never see a given area twice – even the entrances.

Arden Vul has a rich backstory (really, many rich backstories) involving secrets, powerful foes, and great treasures. The Halls present familiar monsters, traps, puzzles, and treasures in new interpretations and variations that challenge the most grizzled grognard. Those who prefer combat can confront 149 new monsters, and the culminating encounters provide suitably epic, campaign-defining combats. Yet the Halls are also ripe for negotiation, plotting, and politics, with 12 factions of sapient creatures willing to negotiate with like-minded parties. In addition, the Halls encompass two major trading centers, a strange “inn” for travelers, and an arena – neutral grounds where parties can catch their breath, heal, and exchange goods and information. Ultimately the Halls provide a lot of everything.

This offer presented DRM-free .PDF ebooks of The Halls of Arden Vul Complete (retail value $109) plus the pay-what-you-want Maps of Arden Vul and The VTT Maps of Arden Vul for virtual tabletops.

Ten percent of each payment (after gateway fees) went to this Arden Vul offer’s pandemic-related charity, Direct Relief. Direct Relief sends protective gear and critical care medications to health workers, with emergency deliveries to medical facilities across the US and to regional response agencies across the world.