Fermentum Nigrum Dei Sepulti (LOFTP) Review

  A couple of nights ago I finished reading the module of "Fementum" edited by Lamentations of the Flame Princess, and I can say that in many aspects it is a classic D&D adventure but with a huge amount of random tables, which serve to generate an extremely violent and random start of the conflict. 

ART

The module has several finishes that refer to the typeface and religious documents of medieval times, which fits well with the type of adventure, which is based on the novel of the name of the rose and a series of experts on medieval brewing. It sounds a little strange, but everything is well explained and the images serve as a suitable background.

By way of criticism, it seems to me that some of the illustrations are in the way or are larger than they should be, unnecessarily extending the length of the book, which seems to be a one-shot but reaches 100 pages, a situation that in the 90's was considered the norm, but now seems to me to be a bad use of space.

And although art achieves its mission of transporting us to a specific moment in history, it totally fails to generate repugnance or surprise, almost all the illustrations are plain and most of them work.

STRUCTURE

The structure is largely efficient, since all the information is distributed in a sequential way, where the information you may need at the moment is easy to locate, the beginning of the adventure is in the first pages and the end in the last ones, the information is clear and the skills of the creature (one of the best points of the module) are well explained. But the problem is that in some parts the information is a bit excessive, especially in relation to certain tools, which are important, but I feel that it would have been better to summarize the information in a compact format where the main ideas are indicated.

The story is not at all complex, the adventurers must visit St. Christopher's Abbey, they may have some encounters on the way, but once they arrive at the temple, they will have to use all their skills to solve the random conflicts or escape with life, carrying the slight illusion that they are not making the situation of the small world they inhabit worse. Throughout the module there is a historical context of the place, the castle, preparation of the beer, labors and beliefs of the monks locked up in the abbeys. In the same way, the events that happened weeks before the adventure began are detailed, as well as the nature of the creature and a great number of tables that will define part of the events, many of which do not need the presence of the players to be carried out. 

CONCLUSIONS

Although I don't feel the purchase of Fermentum Nigrum Dei Sepulti is mandatory, the truth is that the module has everything necessary to generate a somewhat frenetic and exciting game experience, which can be better if you have the full cooperation of the players and a good reading of the whole module. This is not just another adventure, as it has its unexpected twists and that bizarre/loftp touch, but it lacks it. I like it, but it lacks more personality or interesting npc's.