Book Review: The Dungeoneers
6/23/2024
The Dungeoneers
Pauli Kidd
Pages: 580
hard Core Scale: 3/4
Normal Scale: 8/10
Publish Date: 2023
About: Sneeki the Goblin finds a map leading to a promised magical fountain
that can grant wishes or curses. She harbors a great wish. Along her way she
will meet new friends and foes who also seek the magical fountain of the
dreaded Wolf’s Head Tor. Based off Pauli’s excellent and fun low level dungeon from the Blue Book age -
Wolf’s Head Tor.
Review:
Decades in the making and decades of writing and it really shows how much they have improved on their
style and voice and structure coming to this production. A delight to read. One
of her best as far as writing is concerned. Decades in the making as parts of this come from her high school
games and dungeon. It is a fine feat of finishing this dream at last, shared
with the world. It is fun seeing the dungeon coming to life from the rules and
layouts to what a party goes through. For a dungeon spelunking fantasy
adventure classic fan just beautiful and fun. A bit long, but a hoot. Some meta
plot reflective of the real world, acceptance of and thriving in the good weird
versus that ancient bigot evil that lingers age to age and how to work with it.
There is a justified argument of how to handle bigotry versus forgiveness, but
the book handles this fairly in the circumstances.
One debated element of waste with the all-human party, but it’s ok.
Debate too of a character violently losing their cloths only to get a new
dress.
Enjoyable character concepts even if lacking in depth. Banter is for the most
part is fast take fun.
Now this is where I have to give pause on my scaling. Part of this is on me
reading so much Pauli back-to-back. This thing is ripe with Pauli traits. It is
their book after all, but reading the Justicar saga right before this, somethings
are rather too similar. Snekki the Goblin is very much the fairy all over again
aided by a "paladin." The same good foods and board games played, the same spell
and planning use, and always same confrontation with evil (but well justified
confrontation). Similar quotes I have read out of Pauli’s characters other
mouths, the blank is wise got old pretty past. This book is an amalgamation of
Pauli’s favorite things. Nothing wrong of that ultimately, but it’s a bucket of
the author’s tropes. If you’ve read a lot of their work, you will have seen a
lot of this before in play by play.
But there is always so much fun to be had. Perhaps it is a path to redemption
for past things. Was a redemption for the throw away transformative battle at
the end of “Fangs of K’aath.” Perhaps the Justiciar series pulls were a pull back at
lost copyright and spite of Wizards of the Coast, a reclamation of good things
from a company that has left your work in the dust. Something I very much
understand. The final battle even if repeat of her others in planning is
written the best out of all of them, solid, and fun.
A weakness of Pauli’s work is often her endings, but here she concretely
delivers and fulfills on author’s promise on top of getting the elements lined
up just right. I must applaud them on that. A job well done. Like I said
redemption. Years of redemption for past mistakes, past grievances, past
dreams. That end a fine thing and very justified. Could have ran into bad
corners hurting plot and character, but Pauli understood the equivalent
exchange necessary for that outcome and I literally applauded after reading
that scene. Other author’s of LGTB characters please take note.
Strong positivity in body and friendship. As always I dig the Teratophilia in party creation. Plus, major Kudos for
Skelly bros. Always have to have skelly bros. Breaking bad old tropes for wondrous imagination.
For a master of the RPG in play and design, you can really feel the love, even
if there is meta humor. That’s part of the fun. I don’t think there are many
who actually captures and translates the tabletop of a true and caring party
and the fun of playing.
Its not deep fantasy, but it is fun fantasy, especially for a
Role-player. There is a serious meta narrative uncurrent though and it needs
respected.
You can tell this is for the players, for the dreamers, and for all the past
readers and it has been done well.
If you have never read a Pauli book before, this is a good one to read.
Though have to say, this cover is rather ass. Sorry Margot Wilson.
*Spoilers!*
The Sausage is on Page 28! Do I win
Pauli trope bingo?
Can buy your copy here: https://perceptionspress.ca/dungeoneers/
And that ancient lovely tabletop adventure here: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/403281/Wolfs-Head-Tor
