from the introduction: It is 1875. Professor Beatty of the Royal Society is planning an expedition of adventure and discovery to the South Seas! He has tracked down 18 th century sailors’ stories of a mysterious island in the South Pacific, an island inhabited by frightened villagers, living beside a vast wall that cuts off their penninsula from the island proper. According to their stories the wall was built by an ancient race the villagers refer to as ‘gods’, and it protects them from terrible monsters further inland. They also passed on to the sailors tales of a lost city, ruined tombs full of treasure and the terrible influence of the gods. He villagers whispered fearfully about the power of the gods and the magical, fist-sized diamond from which this power comes. Of course many later adventurers had set out to find this Isle of Dread as they called it, but the way was blocked by pirates living on the intervening islands. It is only in the age of science that men like Professor Beatty have the wherewithall to overcome this deadly obstacle. He shall ride to the Isle of Dread in a balloon! Over the last three years he has recruited a number of hardy souls to join his expedition. Hey will take everything they need with them, although they will be constrained by the size of the balloon basket, and the weight it can carry. user comment: This is an alternate set of rules and setting for use with The Isle of Dread. This scenario variant uses the Basic D&D rules but provides alternate equipment and skills to shift the setting to the Victorian era (1875).