Palace of the Vampire Queen

created by anyend

(thing) by anyend (3.8 wk) (print) ? (I like it!) 1 C! Tue Oct 05 2004 at 6:49:21

"Palace of the Vampire Queen" is a D&D module published in 1976 by a company called Wee Warriors. It has the distinction of being the first free standing¹ commercial dungeon module published for D&D. It was written by Pete and Judy Kerestan.

For a timeTSR sold and distributed the module, although the company had no official relationship with TSR. TSR must have been desperate to pad out its catalog as "Palace of the Vampire Queen" was utterly amateurish stuff, even by TSR standards in 1976. Early editions were basically 17 loose-leaf, typewritten pages sold in a ziplock bag. It wasn't until the module's fourth edition printing (there were five editions in total) that Wee Warriors improved aesthetics, adopting the booklet sized parchment format TSR's used for its original D&D supplements (e.g., Greyhawk, Blackmoor, Eldritch Wizardry, Gods, Demi-Gods, & Heroes, Swords & Spells).

Despite the cheap quality, "Palace of the Vampire Queen" is highly valued by collectors. Mint first or second edition copies can sell for $750. Even a copy rated in poor condition can fetch $350.

The module's plot involved a isle of dwarves. For three centuries a vampire queen and her minion were using the island as their own Kwik-e-Mart, making periodic raids for blood. They'd also carry off children for unknown nefarious purposes (likely body slaved out to work in '70s American sitcoms like Eight is Enough and Diff'rent Strokes). The vampire queen mostly snatched the children of peasants but in a recent raid she grabbed the dwarven king's own daughter. Desperate to get her back, he offers a pile of riches, titles, and lands to any group of stout adventurers who rescues his daughter.

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¹ Arguably the first module published is "Temple of the Frog" in 1975 Blackmoor D&D supplement. However Temple of the Frog was part of a greater rule book and not a "module" as such. The first module written and published by TSR was G1 Steading of the Hill Giant Chief.

The name itself "Palace of the Vampire Queen" bears a passing resemblance to a later TSR D&D module "first' called "Palace of the Silver Princess". While Vampire Queen was the first ever module, Silver Princess has the distinction of being the first D&D module written by a woman, Jean Wells. The idea was Silver Princess was going to be the first of a series of female-themed, female-friendly modules to bring more girls and women into role playing. Unfortunately, despite Ms. Well's best textual efforts, the boys in the graphics art department proved true to their sweaty palmed "Slavers of Gor" mental origins. The module was replete with pictures of scantily clad women bound and subject to torture and humiliation. A less than auspicious start...

printable version
chaos

Lair of the Vampire Queen	Gor	Palace of the Silver Princess	Vampire Queen
Eight is Enough	Diff'rent Strokes	Auspicious	Make shit up
Firelock	Module	Kwik-E-Mart	D&D
Tomb of Horrors	TSR	Jared Diamond	Greyhawk
Blackmoor	Aesthetics

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