by Wynne MacLaughlin

Pros
•  excellent plot
•  the focus on thieves works well
•  little special effects like the polymorphing and a guard dog add to the excitement level

Cons
•  a little on the short side
•  need too many keys for being a thief

The Bottom Line - Looks like the beginning of a plot-driven epic starring thieves. Bring on Part 2!

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Review

Based (in part) on Raymond E. Feist's Riftwar novels, Grand Theft Otto is the initial module of the In The Company of Thieves series. Modules based on thieves have been done before, but this one is something special. From the masterful plot to the interesting side missions, Grand Theft Otto captures your imagination and then holds it to the game's conclusion. Even something as simple as interacting with dog on one of your missions adds to the whole experience.

Whereas Raymond Feist had the Mockers as a thieves' guild in his books, the main thieves in this module are known as the Shadowdwellers. Basically, a king has died leaving two sons and one of the sons has control of a rival thieves' guild, called the Bloodeaters, that is downright evil when compared to the Shadowdwellers. In the midst of all this, the title character (Otto Cutpurse) is imprisoned and you are responsible for rescuing him. 

From there you will have to go on a few side missions just to meet a few of the Shadowdwellers. These missions are not really challenging combat-wise, but they do call upon you to make judgment calls like whether you should trust other thieves or not. The only downside to these missions, and later rescuing Otto, is the need for too many "special" keys. Part of the attraction of being a thief is being able to go places, because of the thief's lock picking skills, where most other characters have a harder time going to. Now having a "special" key or two in order to introduce a boss fight is fine, but any more than that is pushing it.

Lastly, I was disappointed when the module ended because I was thoroughly enjoying the game. Hopefully, Part 2 will be released soon because this is definitely the best thief-focused module yet.

Game Ogre's Rating (out of 10):

9.25

 

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