''AC2 Combat Shield and Mini-Adventure'' is a 14-page accessory designed for the Basic Set and Expert Set of the ''

Dungeons & Dragons ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (commonly abbreviated as ''D&D'' or ''DnD'') is a fantasy tabletop role-playing game (TTRPG) originally created and designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. The game was first published in 1974 by TSR (company)#Tactical ...

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role-playing game A role-playing game (sometimes spelled roleplaying game, or abbreviated as RPG) is a game in which players assume the roles of player character, characters in a fictional Setting (narrative), setting. Players take responsibility for acting out ...

. It was published in 1984 by

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and written by David Cook.

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wrote ''Combat Shield and Mini-Adventure'' as a supplement with two purposes in mind. First it included a screen to hide a

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's material and

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rolls during the course of play and provide useful tables for quick reference. Secondly, a small adventure, ''The Treasure of the Hideous One'', came in the same supplement.

Combat Shield

This DM's screen contains tables for the Basic and Expert ''D&D'' rules. The Combat Shield in this supplement is a precursor to far more elaborate GM screens used today. It can be used with either/or the Basic or Expert set. It included tables for saving throws, thief abilities,

undead The undead are beings in mythology, legend, or fiction that are deceased but behave as if they were alive. A common example of an undead being is a cadaver, corpse reanimated by supernatural forces, by the application of either the deceased's o ...

turning, to-hit rolls, the combat sequence, monster experience tables, and player experience tables among other items.

The Treasure of the Hideous One

Plot summary

This adventure follows along relatively traditional paths. The group of

player characters A player character (also known as a playable character or PC) is a fictional character in a video game or tabletop role-playing game whose actions are controlled by a player rather than the rules of the game. The characters that are not control ...

finds a message that indicates a long hidden treasure lies somewhere in a swampy region. An expedition led by an intrepid explorer attempted to find the treasure but came to an untimely end. The group eventually fights their way through various enemies to secure the treasure and learn the fate of the original expedition. The module lists several possible treasures to choose as the final reward. Despite the shortness of the adventure it requires a fairly advanced party because of the presence of Rosentos the

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Publication history

AC2 ''Combat Shield and Mini-Adventure'' was designed by

, with cover art by

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, and was published by TSR in 1984 as a cardstock screen with an 8-page pamphlet. The ''10th Anniversary Dungeons & Dragons Collector's Set''

boxed set A boxed set or (its US name) box set is a set of items (for example, a compilation of books, musical recordings, films or television programs) traditionally packaged in a box, hence 'boxed', and offered for sale as a single unit. Music Artists ...

, published by TSR in 1984, included the rulebooks from the

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, and

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sets; modules AC2, AC3, B1, B2, and M1, Blizzard Pass; Player Character Record Sheets; and dice; this set was limited to 1,000 copies, and was sold by mail and at

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17.

Reception

Doug Cowie reviewed AC2 for ''

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'' magazine, giving it a positive review. He particularly praised the looks of the product, singling out the cover art as finally offering a credible visual of the game's monsters. Cowie liked the functionality of the referee screen, noting the sensible choice of tables and the effort to create a single "to-hit" table for all character classes. However, he found the latter "quite difficult to read". Cowie also faulted the screen's three-page player side for containing not just the excellent cover and one page worth of information but also one page of "hype". Cowie thought the mini-adventure "rather good", "original and carefully thought out". According to him, the adventure alone was worth the price of the product, with the screen a "reasonably useful" bonus.

References

External links

*
AC2 Combat Shield
an

at the TSR Archive. {{DEFAULTSORT:Combat Shield And Mini-Adventure Dungeons & Dragons modules Mystara Role-playing game supplements introduced in 1984