The Land Beyond the Magic Mirror
Encyclopedia
The Land Beyond the Magic Mirror (EX2) is an adventure module, written for use with the First Edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons
roleplaying game. It is set in the World of Greyhawk
campaign setting.
s plummet into a strange partial plane. They meet the Jabberwock, the Bandersnatch
, and the Walrus and the Carpenter
, and become involved in a giant game of chess.
, is a close adaptation of a work of fiction by Lewis Carroll
, in this case Through the Looking-Glass
. The module was written by Gary Gygax
and illustrated by Jim Holloway
. It was published in 1983 as a 32-page booklet with an outer folder. Gygax adapted the module from his own D&D campaign.
To maintain the element of surprise, the module advises dungeon master
s to keep the players in the dark about what is happening as long as possible, although well-read players will eventually recognize the literary source of the encounters.
In keeping with its sense of oddity and surprise, the cover of this module depicts a scene from its companion adventure EX1 Dungeonland (a battle with a hangman tree). Similarly, the cover image of EX1 Dungeonland shows an encounter from this module (the attack of the roc raven).
Dungeonland and The Land Beyond the Magic Mirror were designed as extensions of existing 9th-12th level dungeons.
magazine, rating it 9 out of 10. He enjoyed the "rich vein of humour" that runs through both this module and Dungeonland. He felt that while the modules could be used individually, they were best played together as they sometimes interconnect, and players adventuring in one module could suddenly find themselves in the other. Bambra noted that since the modules were designed for higher-level characters, some encounters were inaccessible for lower-level ones; however, he concluded that if players had high-level characters available, they should "by all means play them, you won't regret it."
Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
roleplaying game. It is set in the World of Greyhawk
Greyhawk
Greyhawk, also known as the World of Greyhawk, is a fictional world designed as a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game...
campaign setting.
Plot summary
In this module, the player characterPlayer character
A player character or playable character is a character in a video game or role playing game who is controlled or controllable by a player, and is typically a protagonist of the story told in the course of the game. A player character is a persona of the player who controls it. Player characters...
s plummet into a strange partial plane. They meet the Jabberwock, the Bandersnatch
Bandersnatch
A Bandersnatch is a fictional creature from Lewis Carroll's 1872 novel Through the Looking-Glass and 1874 poem "The Hunting of the Snark". Although neither poem describes the appearance of a Bandersnatch in great detail, in "The Hunting of the Snark" it has a long neck and snapping jaws, and both...
, and the Walrus and the Carpenter
The Walrus and the Carpenter
"The Walrus and the Carpenter" is a narrative poem by Lewis Carroll that appeared in his book Through the Looking-Glass, published in December 1871. The poem is recited in chapter four, by Tweedledum and Tweedledee to Alice. The poem is composed of 18 stanzas and contains 108 lines, in an...
, and become involved in a giant game of chess.
Publication history
This module, like its companion DungeonlandDungeonland
Dungeonland is an adventure module for the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game, written by Gary Gygax for use with the First Edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons rules...
, is a close adaptation of a work of fiction by Lewis Carroll
Lewis Carroll
Charles Lutwidge Dodgson , better known by the pseudonym Lewis Carroll , was an English author, mathematician, logician, Anglican deacon and photographer. His most famous writings are Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and its sequel Through the Looking-Glass, as well as the poems "The Hunting of the...
, in this case Through the Looking-Glass
Through the Looking-Glass
Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There is a work of literature by Lewis Carroll . It is the sequel to Alice's Adventures in Wonderland...
. The module was written by Gary Gygax
Gary Gygax
Ernest Gary Gygax was an American writer and game designer best known for co-creating the pioneering role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons with Dave Arneson. Gygax is generally acknowledged as the father of role-playing games....
and illustrated by Jim Holloway
Jim Holloway (artist)
-Background:Jim Holloway was self taught in illustration, although he was able to study some oil paintings by his father.-Works:Jim Holloway has continued to produce interior illustrations for many Dungeons & Dragons books and Dragon magazine since 1981, as well as cover art for The Land Beyond the...
. It was published in 1983 as a 32-page booklet with an outer folder. Gygax adapted the module from his own D&D campaign.
To maintain the element of surprise, the module advises dungeon master
Dungeon Master
In the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, the Dungeon Master is the game organizer and participant in charge of creating the details and challenges of a given adventure, while maintaining a realistic continuity of events...
s to keep the players in the dark about what is happening as long as possible, although well-read players will eventually recognize the literary source of the encounters.
In keeping with its sense of oddity and surprise, the cover of this module depicts a scene from its companion adventure EX1 Dungeonland (a battle with a hangman tree). Similarly, the cover image of EX1 Dungeonland shows an encounter from this module (the attack of the roc raven).
Dungeonland and The Land Beyond the Magic Mirror were designed as extensions of existing 9th-12th level dungeons.
Reception
Jim Bambra positively reviewed the module in issue 48 of White DwarfWhite Dwarf (magazine)
White Dwarf is a magazine published by British games manufacturer Games Workshop. Initially covering a wide variety of fantasy and science-fiction role-playing and board games, particularly the role playing games Dungeons & Dragons, RuneQuest and Traveller...
magazine, rating it 9 out of 10. He enjoyed the "rich vein of humour" that runs through both this module and Dungeonland. He felt that while the modules could be used individually, they were best played together as they sometimes interconnect, and players adventuring in one module could suddenly find themselves in the other. Bambra noted that since the modules were designed for higher-level characters, some encounters were inaccessible for lower-level ones; however, he concluded that if players had high-level characters available, they should "by all means play them, you won't regret it."