Undermountain I vs Undermountain II

[Halaster Blackcloak]

Not sure if I should have put this in the general section, but since it's related to Ruins of Undermountain (and will probably touch on some info for Ruins of Undermountain III: The Deadly Levels, I guess it fits this sub-forum.

I'd invite people to just pick some random rooms in Ruins of Undermountain, the original box set, and read them. Maybe 5 or 6 rooms. Just pay attention to the level of detail, the tone, the mood, the feeling you get reading it. Then take Ruins of Undermountain II and do the same thing. Then compare the feeling. This is why I've dismissed everything related from Ruins of Undermountain II (though I do allow the monsters from there as there are some good ones). It's like reading two different dungeons, two different games, two different settings. The original had such a mood, a feeling - almost claustrophobic in a good way, sinister, mysterious. The second box set...it was like reading a paint-by-numbers generic product. It just didn't have the magic. God was it a disappointment!