The dragon caught in amber: Greyhawk novels as narrative adaptations of adventure modules.

This article focuses on the adaptation of tabletop role-playing game (TRPG) adventure modules into fixed-narrative tie-in novels, specifically examining Thomas M. Reid’s *The Temple of Elemental Evil* and Pauli Kidd’s *White Plume Mountain*, both based on classic Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) modules. It explores how these novels negotiate the tension between the participatory, open-ended nature of TRPGs and the fixed narrative form of novels by employing what the authors term the "logic of unfolding" and the "logic of cartography," reflecting the spatial and narrative structures of the original modules. The study highlights how the novels engage in intertextual dialogue with the modules, recreating familiar settings and plot points while also exercising creative liberties to appeal to readers familiar with the source material, thereby contributing to the larger realized world of D&D. The article situates these adaptations within the broader context of role-playing game studies and media tie-in fiction, emphasizing their cultural significance and the need for further scholarly attention to this under-theorized genre.