Melanda, land of mystery - and its enchanting modules

Another glimpse into Melanda: someone asked for it, and here it is.
After all, someone has to talk about this obscure object of desire. This is- as far as i know, the only existing review about Melanda, it appeared in Different worlds magazine many, many years ago.


It is interesting to note that Wilmark dynasty apparently published some of the most astounding adventures ever-they are sought after by several collectors since they are hard to find.

"The Wilmark Dynasty published 6 adventures for Dungeons and Dragon (or they could also be used in the Wilmark Dynasty's original role-playing game : MELANDA). Each received critical acclaim for the concepts and depth of roleplaying. The modules are not up to today’s standards as far as artistry and presentation which is amateurish at best. However the modules have been widely lauded for their uniqueness of design and the cleverness of their challenges. All in all a module which is an absolute must for the serious collector!" -- from Days of Knights auction webpage.

have a look here.


It is interesting to note that all of the the Days of Knights auction webpage's claim that 500 of each title were printed with a claim that fewer than 100 survive. This could be bold speculation or an insider's perspective. It does differ from the claims made in the interview provided within this site. Alas that period in time was more than 25 years ago. Sometimes details can be muddied over time. It is up to us to draw our own conclusion based on the information available to us. (text taken from TOT website)

As an example, we have the lejendary "Burgundy pit" (which i would REALLY love to play someday...):

The Burgundy Pit is a scenerio in a Wizards stronghold to retrieve a magical crown.

"This module originally run as the final for a D&D tournament at Penn Con in 1978. The module has a legend concerning it. According to its author, he has run it over a dozen times and no individual who entered ever lived to tell the tale. So it is not only a very special addition to any Dungeons & Dragons collection but it is also a rare find for those players who are sure they can conquer any enemy. However, beware, might does not conquer all in this fascinating adventure! Characters must cooperate, think ahead and be very clever to succeed!" -- from Days of Knights auction webpage.

Print run on this item was set at 500 copies according to the Days of Knights auction webpage. (text taken from TOT website)

Finally, we have an interview made to Lee McCormick, one of the founder of Wilmark Dynasty along with John Corradin, the interview can be read here.
This is the part of the interview that i love the most:

QUESTION: Would you say the pre-Melanda material was made with D&D specifically in mind? If not what are the differences in the gaming mechanics, in your opinion?

ANSWER" [...] "The more married we became to Melanda, the less compatible pieces were because of the tremendous differences in gaming mechanics and philosophy."

As a personal note, i tried to contact John Corradin through mail, because it seems he is still active in the RPG community, but to no avail.I wonder if he could make Melanda available to the world again, and perhaps all this rare and interesting modules.