Expedition to the Barrier Peaks
Code	S3
Rules Required	1st Ed AD&D
Character Levels	8-12
Campaign Setting	Greyhawk
Authors	Gary Gygax
First Published	1980
Linked Modules

Expedition to the Barrier Peaks is a 1980 Dungeons & Dragons adventure module. Its associated code is S3. It is probably the most elaborately illustrated of all early Dungeons & Dragons (D&D ) modules. Cover of D & D module, covered under fair use, original from The Acaeum (http://www. ... The cover of the Living Greyhawk Gazetteer, published in 2000 by Wizards of the Coast. ... Ernest Gary Gygax, 2004 Ernest Gary Gygax (born July 27, 1938 in Chicago, Illinois, son of a Swiss immigrant father and an American mother whose family came to North America circa 1642) is best known as the author of the well known fantasy role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons (D&D... 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ... T1 module Cover Throughout the early history of Dungeons & Dragons, TSR released numerous modules for users to play. ... Dungeons & Dragons (abbreviated as D&D or DnD) is a fantasy tabletop role-playing game (RPG) published by Wizards of the Coast. ...

Description

This module is the favorite of many D&D fans. While D&D is a largely a fantasy role-playing game, S3 disrupts this pigeonholing by introducing science fiction elements. Fantasy is a genre of art, literature, film, television, and music that uses magic and other supernatural forms as a primary element of either plot, theme, setting, or all three. ... A role-playing game (RPG) is a type of game in which players assume the roles of characters and collaboratively create narratives. ... Science fiction is a form of speculative fiction principally dealing with the impact of imagined science and technology, or both, upon society and persons as individuals. ...

The official description from the module:

The Grand Duchy of Geoff has recently been plagued by a rash of unusually weird and terrible monsters of an unknown sort. This western area, particularly the mountain fastness which separates the Grand Duchy from the Dry Steppes, has long been renowned for the generation of the most fearsome beasts, and it has been shunned accordingly—save a handful of hardy souls with exceptional abilities. Within the last few months, however, a walled town not far distant from the area, and four small fortresses as well, have been destroyed by mysterious attacks!

It is the adventurer's job to find the source of these monsters and, if possible, put a stop to them.

Many monsters appear in this module and nowhere else. Additionally, this module features robots and mighty powered weapons such as blaster rifles and laser pistols. This module also contains a fabulous suit of powered armor that allows characters to achieve almost god-like feats (characters have an 18(00) strength while wearing it). Many a Dungeon Master was dismayed to find players with characters wielding these genre-crossing arms, with some of the more conservative DMs (in terms of gameplay) banning them outright outside the confines of the module. Because of these special entities, the module is liberally illustrated to help aid players in understanding their mysterious encounters. A humanoid robot playing a trumpet In practical usage, a robot is a mechanical device which can perform complex tasks either according to direct human control, partial control with human supervision, or autonomously (that is, fully under computer control). ... The range of sizes in which lasers exist is immense, extending from microscopic diode lasers (top) to football field sized neodymium glass lasers (bottom) used for inertial confinement fusion. ... Alternative meanings: vehicle armour, Armor (novel) A hoplite wearing a helmet, a breastplate and greaves (and nothing else). ... God is the term used to denote the Supreme Being ascribed by monotheistic religions to be the creator, ruler and/or the sum total of, existence. ... The primary sense of Dungeon Master (or dungeonmaster or DM) is the organizer of a role-playing game. ...

The players will discover that this "dungeon" consists of part of a downed spacecraft, supposedly its inhabitants having succumbed to some sort of disease and died off. Many of the ship's robots are still functioning, however, and the players must either avoid or defeat them (a few are benign, however, and may be ignored). Wandering police robots and an overzealous weightlifting instructor are just two of the automatons that must be dealt with. One of the module's most curious encounters is a medical robot trying in vain to find a cure for the disease which has already killed off the ship's crew. In games, a dungeon represents a dangerous area with many hidden secrets to explore. ... Ariane 5 lifts off with the Rosetta space probe on March 2, 2004. ... A disease is any abnormal condition of the body or mind that causes discomfort, dysfunction, or distress to the person affected or those in contact with the person. ...

Artwork

Most of the artwork for this module, including the cover, were produced by Erol Otus. Several of his contributions were included in full color, highly unusual for modules of this era. His distinctive style permeates the module. Jeff Dee, Greg K. Fleming, David S. LaForce, Jim Roslof and David C. Sutherland III provided additional illustrations for the module. Erol Otus is an American artist. ... Jeff Dee (born May 15, 1961) is an artist and game designer. ... David C. Sutherland III was an early Dungeons & Dragons artist. ...

Trivia

The starship in this game is a portion of Warden from another TSR game called Metamorphosis Alpha (1976). This article is about the vehicle for interstellar travel. ... Metamorphosis Alpha is a science fiction role-playing game created by James Ward and originally produced by TSR, the makers of Dungeons & Dragons. ... 1976 (MCMLXXVI) is a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ...

External links

• RPGNow entry on S3
• The Pen-Paper.net entry on S3
• The Acaeum's entry on the "S" modules