Picture this situation: Odd things have been happening at a remote US Army base. Worse, people sent there haven't come back. Possibly to be expected with members of the National Guard, but when Marine Recon teams get lost there may be a problem. So the Army is being sent in, with some Air Force support in the shape of a bombing run dropping napalm to clear the area... only one of the bombers was taken out by a dragon. A DRAGON??? Um. And you, of course, are the Army point team that's first in...

This adventure comprises what happens when the above situation is investigated. Maybe the soldiers will die (if they are lucky), maybe they will find out what's going on, maybe they will even survive long enough to help solve the problem. Maybe.

The first part of the adventure covers in reasonable detail the initial reconnaissance mission our intrepid heroes are to undertake. It ends with their first horrific discovery, and options are presented to the GM at this point: either the Pentagon issues orders over the video link they are using to leave recording devices and move out or they are ordered to attack. The first option is best if you are intending a campaign, while the second will round off a one-night adventure or serve to entertain players who are looking for a good fight whether or not you intend to continue the adventure afterwards.

Next comes an Adventure Generator section. Of particular use to those GMs planning a campaign around this situation, this provides ideas and encounters for those who explore the area further. There is a system for random cavern generation, as much of the action is underground, or you can use an existing cavern map from another game if you don't want to spend a lot of time on mapping rather than populating the area. It's quite a comprehensive system and should come in handy any time you need a good set of caves, even if you don't use it now. A good collection of adventure seeds for possible missions is also included.

Appendix 1 describes the array of creatures that are to be encountered and fought, while Appendix 2 describes the weaponry available to them. Finally, maps for the core adventure are provided.

If the idea of running military-style missions against alien attacks appeals, then this is an excellent example of how to do it. While the adventure presented is quite straightforward the various options, adventure seeds and concepts provided enable the imaginative GM to create further missions or a whole campaign with ease. Alternatively, as a one-off military/horror adventure, this stands well run as given.

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Reviewed: 19 November 2006