If you were adventuring through the early days of Dungeons & Dragons (D&D), there’s a good chance you encountered some rather unusual third party supplements. One such treasure trove of content was The Misty Isles, released in 1977 by Judges Guild. This supplement was part of their early, wild west era of RPG publishing, where house rules, fresh ideas, and a little chaos reigned supreme.

Let’s take a deep dive into this mist shrouded supplement and see why it remains a fascinating, if often overlooked, part of D&D’s history.

Judges Guild and the Wild Days of RPG Publishing

Before we get to the meat of The Misty Isles, it’s worth understanding the context of its creation. Judges Guild was one of the first third party publishers to create content for Dungeons & Dragons. Founded by Bob Bledsaw and Bill Owen in 1976, the company specialized in game aids, adventures, and campaign settings that pushed the boundaries of what was possible with TSR’s ground breaking RPG.

Unlike the more structured approach of TSR modules, Judges Guild products had a distinct “sandbox” feel, offering settings and scenarios rather than strict narratives. The Misty Isles was part of the “Wilderlands” series, a collection of interconnected settings that could be slotted into an existing campaign or played on their own.

What’s in the Box? (Or, More Accurately, the Booklet?)

Like many Judges Guild products of the era, The Misty Isles wasn’t a rigid module with a set story. Instead, it provided a heaping helping of content, locations, encounters, and oddities, to drop into your campaign. Here’s a rundown of what you’d find:

• The Misty Isles themselves, a strange, fog drenched chain of islands filled with peculiar settlements, dangerous ruins, and mysterious magic.
• New monsters and NPCs, many of which feel uniquely Judges Guild in flavor. This means they range from fascinating to completely bonkers.
• A collection of dungeons and adventure locations, each with a healthy dose of deadly encounters and intriguing mysteries.
• Strange magical effects and supernatural occurrences, because nothing says “fantasy adventure” like stepping into a mist covered realm where reality doesn’t always behave as expected.

The adventure was designed to be dropped into the Wilderlands setting, but with a little tweaking, it could easily be adapted into any D&D campaign.

Fog, Mystery, and Mayhem: The Themes of The Misty Isles

One of the defining features of The Misty Isles is its heavy use of the unknown. The very nature of the setting, a fog covered chain of islands, makes it an ideal place for Game Masters (GMs) to inject elements of mystery and horror into their campaigns.

The mists aren’t just for show, either. The islands are filled with magical distortions, strange shifts in reality, and creatures that seem just a little bit… off. If your players think they’re just going on a routine island hopping adventure, they’ll quickly learn that The Misty Isles has other plans for them.

Notable Locations and Features

While The Misty Isles has a fair share of dungeons and standard fantasy adventuring fare, some locations really stand out:

• The City of the Mists – A settlement that seems to exist in multiple places at once, shifting in and out of visibility depending on the time of day. Some inhabitants claim to have lived there for centuries, while others insist they just arrived yesterday.
• The Whispering Caves – A network of caverns where the very walls seem to murmur secrets to those who listen. Are they the voices of lost adventurers, trapped spirits, or something far worse?
• The Black Tower – An ominous structure that appears on different islands at different times. Some say it’s a gateway to another dimension; others claim it’s merely an elaborate illusion. Few who enter return to tell the tale.
• The Living Fog – A sentient mist that moves with eerie purpose, sometimes helping lost travelers, sometimes leading them to their doom.

New Monsters and Hazards

No classic D&D adventure is complete without some fresh horrors to throw at your players, and The Misty Isles delivers in style:

• Fog Wraiths – Ghostly beings that emerge from the mists to whisper cryptic messages… or drag adventurers screaming into the unknown.
• The Mistborn – Humanoid creatures with shifting, smoky forms, rumored to be the remnants of travelers who wandered too far into the fog.
• Time Eels – Yes, you read that right. Eels that, when they bite, cause their victim to experience flashes of the past or future. Because regular eels just weren’t unsettling enough.
• The Forgotten – Once human beings who have lost their memories (and perhaps their souls) to the islands’ strange magic. They may be allies, enemies, or both, depending on what slivers of their past remain.

Why The Misty Isles Still Holds Up

While The Misty Isles may not be as well known as some other Judges Guild products, it remains an intriguing and flavourful addition to any old school D&D campaign. Here’s why it’s still worth checking out:

• Modular Design – Unlike rigidly structured modules, The Misty Isles offers a wealth of locations and encounters that GMs can plug into their own campaigns however they see fit.
• Atmospheric and Unique – The eerie, mysterious tone of the setting makes it perfect for GMs who want to inject a little extra weirdness into their adventures.
• A Sandbox with Surprises – Players can explore freely, but they’ll never quite know what’s around the next corner, or hiding in the mist.
• A Classic Judges Guild Experience – If you love the DIY, anything goes feel of early D&D, this supplement is a prime example of that ethos in action.

Final Thoughts

The Misty Isles is one of those old-school D&D supplements that embraces the weird, the unexpected, and the eerie. It’s a setting where reality isn’t always stable, time might not flow the way it should, and players can easily find themselves in over their heads if they’re not careful.

For GMs who love to keep their players on their toes (or just love a good dose of eerie fantasy), it’s a fantastic addition to any campaign. And for players? Well, if you ever see a strange island emerging from the fog, you might want to think twice before stepping ashore.

Or don’t. But don’t say you weren’t warned.