В поисках неизведанного: Приключение для Подземелий и Драконов

Dungeons & Dragons adventure module
the book of the same name

In Search of the Unknown is a module for the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game, designed for use with the Basic Set of rules. It was written by game designer Mike Carr and was first published in 1978 by TSR, Inc. The module details a hidden complex known as the Caverns of Quasqueton. Reviewers considered it a good quality introduction to the game that was written in the so called dungeon crawl style, where the primary goal of the players is the exploration of a dangerous labyrinth to battle monsters and obtain treasure.

The module was included with the first edition of the D&D Basic Set. The module is coded B1 because it was created as the first adventure for the Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set, though it is possible to convert it to Advanced Dungons & Dragons. The updated 1981 edition featured front and back cover art by Darlene Pekul. A lengthy introduction explains the workings of the adventure and provides many tips for novice DMs and players. There is a character roster which contains forty eight first level pre generated player characters that players can use if they wish, and a section displaying the availability of henchmen and hirelings for use as non player characters to travel with the party and details of these characters for the DM. The module includes a number of unkeyed rooms and caves meant for the Dungeon Master to fill in with their own monsters and treasure, selected from tables provided in the module. Carr received royalties for In Search of the Unknown when the module was sold alone and when it was included in the Basic Set. After the September 1979 disappearance of James Dallas Egbert III, Dungeons & Dragons received "mainstream notoriety. And with that, sales of the Basic Set rose dramatically. Right before the steam tunnel incident, the Basic Set might have sold 5,000 copies a month. By the end of 1979, it was trading over 30,000 copies per month, and only going up from there". A variety of monsters wander through the finished upper level of the dungeon including orcs, troglodytes, and giant rats. The DM checks periodically to see if the group encounters these menaces in addition to the dangers in each individual room. Most of the rooms come with blank spots where the DM fills in whatever monster or treasure is most suitable for their campaign. The finished upper level served as a home for Rogahn and Zelligar and contains much of their personal possessions. A number of traps await an unwary group. Some of these rooms include an area filled with pools (some hazardous and others not) and a wizard's laboratory. The randomly generated monsters in the lower, unfinished level differ from those above and include zombies and goblins. Some of the pre filled rooms on this level include a museum, an arena, and grand cavern, but many of the caves on this level include no description at all and the DM must devise contents for these areas. The end of the module includes a list of foes and treasure for the group to fight and find. It also includes a list of characters of various classes the group might encounter while exploring the dungeon. Also included are a number of pre generated characters the group might use to play through the adventure.

With its simple, straightforward plot and design, In Search of the Unknown was regarded as a good introduction to running the D&D game. Don Turnbull reviewed In Search of the Unknown in issue No. 13 of the magazine White Dwarf (June/July 1979), and gave the module a rating of 9 out of 10. He compared this module to Against the Giants and Descent into the Depths of the Earth, complimenting In Search of the Unknown'''s "excellent format, for instance, and the comprehensive way in which the scenario is introduced. TSR's high quality has not been in any way compromised." The module was reviewed in Shadis magazine in 1996. Ken Denmead of Wired listed the module as one of the "Top 10 D&D Modules I Found in Storage This Weekend". John Sprunk of Black Gate commented on his recollections of the adventure, as part of the basic D&D box set: "I was hooked from the start, controlling this awesome new game that stretched our imaginations. Even though it’s been more than thirty years, I still remember the cool tricks and traps. Especially the chamber of pools, the teleportation rooms, and the young red dragon I placed in one of the dungeon storerooms just for fun." Commenting on In Search of the Unknown in Black Gate, James Maliszewski said "It held my hand just enough to teach me what dungeon maps should look like and how to stock them. In this purpose, I think it's unsurpassed, which is why I think it a shame that later versions of the Basic Set (both the version I owned and the later 1981 edition) included The Keep on the Borderlands'' instead. That's no knock against module B2, which is a classic in its own right, but it's not very good as a tutorial for tyros."