Red Box Solo – S1 – Bortuz the Grim
Original Play Date: September 10, 2020
This is a short play report from several expeditions I made with the solo adventure from the Mentzer/BECMI Red Box set last year. As a kid, this solo adventure was my entry point into the game and I've come back to it several times over the years.Bortuz didn't make it very far, and using RAW was cut down with the very first hit in the very first encounter. I took some creative liberties, drawing inspiration from Searchers of the Unknown and letting the dwarf get captured instead of dying outright.
Rules applied
- BECMI Ruleset
- Random tables I created as needed.
- Wandering monsters tables
I’ve put game details in [Braces and italics].
First Sortie
Bortuz the Grim
Dwarf, L1
AC 3 [16] HP 1/3 Save 15 BHB +1
60' Darkvision; Detects secret doors in 40'
Plate mail
Bortuz investigates the rumor of a local dungeon, which is a short trek from town. Rumor has it that a rogue Magic-User has been making this dungeon his lair and base of operations. In the side of a wooded hill, he finds the tunnel entrance.
In the square entry chamber (50' square) he discovers the stone statue of a woman in the center of the room. Bortuz goes to investigate the statue, but it seems to be totally ordinary. He then carefully searches the rest of the room. There are exits in all directions. The south heads back into the sunlight. He finds a small scrap of paper in a niche in a wall. It says:
RATS EAST GOBLINS NORTH BEWARE WEST!
"Seems like good advice," Bortuz the Grim grumbles, adjusting his plate armor. He decides that goblins don't sound too bad, and heads to the north.
Knowing there are probably goblins, Bortuz goes carefully. He hears some quiet talk in a guttural language and spots two goblins talking to each other. [Goblins have a 1 in 6 chance of spotting him... 1! Spotted!] Unfortunately, his armor clanks and the goblins spy him and turn to attack.
Grey Goblin #1 HP 5 AC 8 D 1d6 curved sword
Yellow Goblin #2 HP 5 AC 8 D 1d6 wicked dagger
Bortuz has advantage and leaps out of the shadows with axe raised. The goblins scramble back, and Bortuz slashes at the yellow goblin. [19+1+8=28, hit!] He cleaves off the goblin's head, sending it clunking across the stone floor, black blood spraying. He lets out a war cry as the second goblin attacks.
The grey goblin looks scared at seeing his comrade cut down by the crazy dwarf, but it screeches and charges at Bortuz, curved sword raised high. [18+2+0=20; hit!] The goblin slashes at Bortuz, driving the dwarf backwards, and forcing him to his knees. The goblin knocks him out with a blow from the hilt of his sword.
[DM note. I took inspiration from Searchers of the Unknown, which says that characters don’t die when they reach 0 hits but are simply taken out of the fight. I’ve decided to give that a try here rather than starting over.]
Bortuz wakes up with his arms tied behind him. There are several goblins in front of him arguing about what to do with his stuff: loot, axe, shield. Bortuz isn't sure what they're saying, but it doesn't sound friendly.
[Ruling: Bortuz can make a Saving Throw to try to escape the ropes. 12 - fail.]
Bortuz decides to talk to the goblins.
"What you want?" one goblin says. "You kill Thrgg."
"Let me go and I can lead you to a large treasure," Bortuz says.
"Me not believe dwarf," the goblin says. "Dwarf who kill Thrgg is liar."
"No really, huge treasure. Let me go and I'll lead you to it."
An argument starts amongst the goblins about whether or not to let the dwarf lead them to this "treasure". [Success on 2 in 6. 1 = success!] The goblins decide to let Bortuz show them to the treasure. They don't untie his hands.
"Show me to the exit," he says.
The grey goblin hisses, but they lead him to the exit of the dungeon. Outside it's a sunny day. There are five goblins following him. Bortuz walks out into the sunlight and the goblins squint and hesitate to follow. "Aagh, bright," they hiss.
"Do you want the treasure or no?" he says.
The goblins reluctantly leave the caves and Bortuz leads them through the forest. They shield their eyes and there is lots of hissing and complaining. After about twenty minutes, the goblins are getting very restless.
"Maybe instead we cook dwarf!" one says.
[Random encounter: elves! Their attack rolls are pitiful, so they miss the goblins but drive them off.]
Just then, an arrow whistles out of the woods and thuds into a nearby tree. Bortuz starts to run. Another arrow narrowly misses the lead goblin, who shouts and gnashes his teeth. Half the goblins start to run away, but two draw their swords.
"Getting away!" one screeches.
Another two arrows slam into the leafy forest floor at the feet of the goblins, and both scream in fury. Two green and brown clad elves emerge from the undergrowth with fine bows in hand. The next volley of arrows, one strikes home and sticks into the grey goblin's thigh. It shrieks and turns and starts running away, and so does its companion.
Bortuz falls at the feet of the elves.
"Well, well, what have we here?" a blonde elf says. "A dwarf keeping company with goblins?"
"Tsk, tsk," the other says. "What is the world coming to?"
"Just untie me," Bortuz says.
"How do we know that you're not a threat?" the elf says.
"How do you..." he splutters. "How do you... Do I look like a threat? I have no weapon! I'm a prisoner!"
"Likely story," the elf says, but cuts him loose. After a short chat, they escort Bortuz to the edge of the woods and send him back toward town. He won't be exploring the dungeon today!

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