The Spire of Iron and Crystal is Matt Finch's second Swords & Wizardry adventure module. It's a site-based tournament adventure for PCs of 5th through 8th level. The brief backstory will sound familiar to any seasoned player: the adventurers have some limited information about a mysterious and dangerous structure which no explorer has ever penetrated, and the place is thought to be filled with unplundered riches. However, players will swiftly realize that this is far from a typical excursion into an underground labyrinth or wizard's tower. I was a playtester for the module, and can tell you that it is one of the most bizarre and fascinating dungeons I've ever run across.
The Spire offers a unique and challenging adventuring environment that feels very alien in nature. Some elements of the dungeon are reassuringly familiar (there are cooridors, rooms, et cetera), but even those familiar elements have bizarre differences from the norm. Other elements are far from the norm, and often quite unexpected. When running my PC through the Spire, I had the feeling that anything could happen, and that I had crossed over into an uncertain world, almost like another dimension. The Spire possesses genre-bending weird-tech elements, but the presentation and the play feels natural (i.e. not jarring) and very suspenseful (fear of the unknown). I think the best way to describe the feeling I got, adventuring in the Spire, was that it reminded me of the anxiousness and uncertainty I remember from my earliest D&D experiences, going "in search of the unknown" and not having any idea what I might find. For a jaded gamer who has played since the 70s, that's quite a thrill.
Like many of the best modules from the olden days, The Spire of Iron and Crystal is presented in a no-nonsense style that avoids boxed text and heavy scripting. It provides the referee with the essential information and details that he needs to run with adventure, while offering plenty of hooks for expansion, if desired. Since it is a tournament module, there are a few more details than might be the norm for this style of adventure, but the module remains easily adaptable and insertable into a regular game.
As you might expect, the Spire is a dangerous place. It's tough! Matt Finch has filled it with traps, tricks, environments and monsters that will surprise and test the mettle of even experienced players. There is also a very rich stock of treasure in the place; but you'll earn it, getting it out! The Spire is challenging. The module offers plenty of opportunities for combat, but it is also definitely an adventure designed with exploration and thinking in mind. Creative play can reap great rewards within the Spire.
Obviously, I liked this module a lot. My only quibble with it is that I have mixed feelings about the time constraints imposed by the tournament approach. The Spire offers a great deal of adventuring and exploratory possibilities; players running through it "on the clock" may not get the full experience, in my opinion. Note, however, that the time constraints do add a sense of urgency that contributes to the atmosphere and play experience, and the module isn't completely limited by them in non-tournament play. That is, time pressures would still be present, but possibilities exist for the resourceful and thourough (if that sounds obscure, it's because I don't want to give too much away). I know this is a tournament module, but I think shines brightest as a non-tournament adventure, or even the start of a greater campaign (much like B4 or D1-2 could ignite a full-blown campaign).
I think your group will get a lot of play and enjoyment out of the module, which is priced at $9.95 through Lulu. A PDF will soon be available (if it isn't, already, by the time you read this). If exploring challenging and cool site-based adventures is something your players enjoy, definitely give this one a try.