Islands of the Wheel, a scenario by Tarl Roger Kudrick, was one of the initial scenarios designed for BOE, and as such, made good use of the early experience of the larger BOE community when it came to game design. However, for those players familiar with Tarl’s Tatterdemalion and some of the other tight scenarios which have come by of late, Islands may be a bit of a disappointment.

The plot itself is well developed — you start stranded on a strange island where everything is provided but all the inhabitants slowly lose their minds. The story unfolds slowly, as you meet the few lucid individuals still around and discover journals left behind by previous adventurers. The bits and pieces you get here and there can be assembled into a somewhat cohesive whole, and many of them actually play multiple roles in the development of the overall story as well as the plot.

However, gathering these bits can be tedious. This is not a scenario for people who dislike wide open, empty, spaces. Plenty of those abound, both on land and at sea. Additionally, the choice of graphics in many locations runs counter to the way the standard graphics are typically used. This creates aesthetic problems, generates confusion, and is generally distracting. Further, many of the clues you are searching for (journals, etc.) are hidden in locations that you might not check (for instance, in a chair). This may lead you to spend extended periods of real time searching for places you figure must exist, because you missed stuff from the places you have been.

The scenario is solvable, and one can reach the climactic battle(s) with some effort. Those battles are a bit of a let down, however, both in terms of tactical challenge and plot development. Even after you have put together all the pieces of the puzzle, you are left with a feeling of “and...”, and are in many ways left hanging even though the scenario has ended. The story and plot, while interesting, resolve themselves only part way.

Overall it was an interesting scenario, but one which has been surpassed by many. My score 6.0.

— Ben Frank

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