Letters from the Dark Vol. IV: The Borderlands
by Chris Powell

“Hirelings make adventuring so much easier! I remember this one time: we found a fireball trap, so we went back into town and hired four halflings, and-
Wait… you’re not writing this down, are you?”

_{Rex Dangerous, pg. 9}

Torchlight Score: 4/5 – Bright

Widely regarded as an excellent and even “near perfect” supplement, this book stands out for its re-imagining of the classic Keep on the Borderlands.

Reviewers highlight strong new mechanics, including detailed rules for hiring retainers and mercenaries, and a streamlined system for building and improving player keeps. An introductory hex crawl and the multi-faction Caverns of Kowse dungeon are praised for teaching varied play styles, with social encounters given equal weight to combat.

While it follows Shadowdark’s terse design and packs a great deal into limited space, some GMs find the hex map too sparse and note the absence of new classes or monsters that other volumes in the series provide.

Delve Deeper: 3 Sources

This supplement is designed to introduce new players and GMs to the game, offering a structured yet flexible framework for adventure in a wild frontier.

It adds rules for NPC hirelings who handle simple tasks and mercenaries who fight alongside the party. Players can also build and expand their own keeps, serving as safe havens for rest, treasure storage, and trade. Adventure content includes Darlan Keep, a randomized first-level dungeon, and the Caverns of Kowse, a multi-faction dungeon featuring rival groups such as goblinoids, orcs, deep ones, lizardfolk, gnolls, zombies, and cultists.

Additional guidance is provided for running a West Marches-style campaign, reinforcing the supplement’s focus on exploration and player-driven play.