There will be spoilers for the short story in the article below…
When I first saw the title of this particular story, I thought of the eponymous adventure book by Kobold Press. As I read further, the influence at a broad level by this particular Howard story on the latter work became even more apparent. The tropes of a dungeon created by an evil wizard and populated with otherworldly monsters, the results of arcane experiments or communion with still greater evils.
This direction is a bit unexpected, setting in the era of Conan as King of Aquilonia, rather than the thief, rogue, or sea wolf. It is out of the frying pan and into the fire as his army is betrayed and destroyed. The major focus of the story is on the descent to the underworld, in which the hero confronts the nightmarish horrors of the dark dungeon Tsotha, the wizard said to do demonic deals. Conan’s duel with the great serpent in the depths and rescue of a mage rival of Tsotha’s. The higher level politics are also fun details—one whole section details the activities of Conan’s loyal supporters in his kingdom’s capital and the efforts of a treacherous ally to seize the throne.
All the elements described in the milieu of early roleplaying here are present—the ascendancy of the fighter, Conan, to political leadership. The adventure that brought the hero once more into the depths of a dungeon. These elements shine through in the early editions of the hobby and many of the aspirations of our modern games. The battles to be war gamed out, the adventures of the hero in the world shaped by these battles. Another intriguing touchstone in the mosaic of the tabletop roleplaying game hobby and its larger influence on society.
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