The Da Vinci Code--20 Years Ago in Campaign History

Today, March 18th, marks twenty years since the first publication of The Da Vinci Code, written by Dan Brown. At the time, even though I was working on what would become D20 Modern Treasure Hunter, I somehow missed the initial release of the novel. I certainly heard about it later, though, as it went on to sell 80 million copies. When I did finally read it, I enjoyed it quite a bit. Here are some of my thoughts about it, both at the time and now in hindsight. 

• Perhaps most importantly, I thought that the puzzles were created well. It is a difficult balance to make them not too hard but not too easy, and Dan Brown did a good job with them. 
• I also enjoyed the pacing of the story. It is perhaps a Dan Brown trademark to have chapters that are as short as one page, but it certainly helped keep me turning the pages. 
• As with the other novels featuring Robert Langdon as the protagonist, this provides a good example of how one can create an exciting adventure that is not so heavy on combat.
• The MacGuffin in this novel is both good and bad. While it makes for some high stakes, there is also a sense of irreverence. This is something that occurred to me a while after I read it, but especially after watching the movie. I was, admittedly, a little surprised when the movie did well, but not extraordinarily so. 
• Part of the reason for that, I think, is because the villain's hope is to find irrefutable proof to contradict the story of Jesus from the Bible. That stands in stark contrast to movies like Raiders of the Lost Ark and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, which respect the idea that there is a higher power beyond our reckoning. 

-Nate