tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post2314724900011108292..comments2024-03-19T05:48:34.142-04:00Comments on GROGNARDIA: 30 Greatest D&D Adventures of All TimeJames Maliszewskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00341941102398271464noreply@blogger.comBlogger42125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-56957493603411160292022-06-10T07:59:33.299-04:002022-06-10T07:59:33.299-04:00I realize this blog post is pretty old, but I'...I realize this blog post is pretty old, but I've referred back to it several times over the years. As such, I wanted to share some thoughts on a few that James wasn't familiar with at the time:<br /><br />1) Return to the Tomb of Horrors - personally, I don't particularly like this one as more than bathroom reading material. I'd never run it. It's basically the deadliness of Tomb of Horrors expanded into a mini-campaign. Realistically, unless the DM is quite lax the players shouldn't make it very far. That works for a short adventure like ToH, but for something of this size? Kind of silly.<br /><br />2) The Forge of Fury - pretty darn good for a WotC 3e era entry. This is probably the adventure that set off the beginnings of another downward spiral - the challenge rating system. There are a couple of dangerous (but avoidable) encounters far above appropriate character level - as it should be for old school play, but apparently caused enough complaints to change WotC's whole school of thought. The other common criticism is lack of faction play, but this is an easy mod for a half-way decent DM. Top 30? Probably top 40. <br /><br />3) City of Skulls - one of my favorites, and one of the few good 2e era adventures. Requires a few read throughs on the part of the DM and some definite prep work, but we had a blast with it. A stealth adventure with a great mechanic for managing notoriety. Definitely in my personal top 30.Seanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05092818475992478576noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-6583815537502140432012-10-10T21:44:29.466-04:002012-10-10T21:44:29.466-04:00Which game system are you planning to use? I'l...Which game system are you planning to use? I'll just assume you'll be playing AD&D since that system seems to have the biggest library of "classic" modules. Anyway here is my recommendation of essential modules to use for an old school AD&D campaign that would take your character from level 1 to 20 or so. Note that I tended to choose dungeon-crawl type adventures since these are more straightforward to play and run.<br /><br />1. Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh <br />2. The Assassin's Knot<br />3. Slave Pits of the Undercity<br />4. Hidden Shrine of Tamoachan<br />5. Ghost Tower of Inverness<br />6. Ravenloft<br />7. Dwellers of the Forbidden City<br />8. White Plume Mountain<br />9. Expedition to the Barrier Peaks<br />10. Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth<br />11. Giants + Drow series (G1-3, D1-3)<br />12. Tomb of Horrors<br />13. Die, Vecna, Die<br />14. The Mines of Bloodstone<br />15. The Throne of Bloodstone<br />16. The Apocalypse Stone (to end your campaign)opa-opanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-68959666907235066352012-10-10T11:35:42.634-04:002012-10-10T11:35:42.634-04:00This top 30 list omits Sargent's "Night B...This top 30 list omits Sargent's "Night Below". Its argument is invalid. (But, I would say that . . .) "City of Skulls" is great though; and it plays just as well on the assumption of Gygax-Greyhawk. Give it a try, seriously.<br /><br />The supermodule "Giants" supercedes G1-3, and should be separate from D1-3+Q1.Zimrielnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-51431398200054344212012-03-29T17:46:59.121-04:002012-03-29T17:46:59.121-04:00Hi, folks.
First of all... Great blog! Great com...Hi, folks. <br /><br />First of all... Great blog! Great comments! <br /><br />The first time I stepped into an RPG table was to play MERP, back in 1989. I'm pretty much sure you guys had already played everything out there, through and through. But I'm from Rio (Brazil) and RPG was not popular here back then, you see. Note: I knew nothing about neither Tolkien nor fantasy literature by that time.<br /><br />It's funny to hear about how people behaved regarding RPG in the beginning, especially after reading the post about Tomb of Horrors. Because we never really cared much about the DUNGEONS themselves here. We were concerned about the storyline and about role playing. But I must admit that a good dungeon added a great amount of excitement to the experience. I'd never really stopped to think of that before. In addition, we hardly ever used modules, although I have many nice ones taking place in Middle-Earth.<br /><br />I remember that, at least here in Brazil, there used to be this silly rivalry between TSR's and ICE's tribes. While one roared about AD&D's playability, the other grunted about Rolemaster's realism. Though I belonged to the latter tribe, I used to nourish a secret sympathy for AD&D and its campaign settings. It all seemed more alive, more mysterious, more FANTASY than good old Middle Earth. Besides, D&D cartoon had also made a good impression on people from my generation. Nowadays I look back and see how stupid that realism speech was. The important thing is having fun.<br /><br />It turned out that I went to uni, started dating, working and bla bla bla... "Adios, RPG". Never again, except for a few sessions of 'Werewolf: The Apocalypse', conducted by a guy who worked with me some six years ago. It was fun, but didn't last long.<br /><br />Well, I don't know exactly why, but a few months ago I decided it was time to gather the "old troupe" and start gaming again. But, since I'm now looking for greener pastures, I felt rather keen to play the real classics: all of these amazing adventure modules I hadn't had the opportunity to enjoy in the past.<br /><br />Recently, I stumbled into Grognardia and have been eagerly reading your articles and our mates' comments. I'm really interested in hearing about old-schoolers' experience, about how things used to be, how the players mindset was etc. It is, indeed, an amazing body of knowledge.<br /><br />This one here happens to be my favorite post, with comments about the list issued by Dragon Magazine. However, I still feel a little lost. Although I've read compliments and complaints about many of these modules, I don't know where to start yet. Can you "old-timers" (hehe, sorry for that) help me? All I need is a little guidance. What are the most recommendable modules for us beginners? I beg you to consider the following:<br /><br />a) We plan to use around 10 to 12 of them;<br /><br />b) Except for the DM, no one has REAL experience with D&D. Only by playing videogames (those old turn-based ones and the modern 'action RPGs') and by reading the novels (Dragonlance and Forgotten Realms, mainly);<br /><br />d) Unfortunately, we are not kids anymore (I am 36). So, consider to put away a bit of the nostalgia if you believe a module will be too childish for us;<br /><br />c) We want to have REAL FUN. Old times fun. That good old RPG 'look & feel', if you know what I mean.<br /><br /><br /><br />Cheers, mates!<br />Rico<br />ricomorgado@gmail.comRicohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15666431346703757277noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-50958696759837173792011-05-28T07:13:57.313-04:002011-05-28T07:13:57.313-04:00@Internal_Combustion: Another way to parse that wo...@Internal_Combustion: Another way to parse that would be to say he gave non-linear exploration-based games based on players working together to overcome actual challenges higher ratings than railroad 3E modules that hold the players' hands to make sure they keep up with the plot revolving around a bunch of NPCs. Each to his own, huh?redmoldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02207204444768770701noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-24863185688373023552011-04-07T18:05:41.062-04:002011-04-07T18:05:41.062-04:00I was going to comment on how you obviously gave c...I was going to comment on how you obviously gave crappy, rogue-like dungeon crawls that suffer from extreme difficulty higher ratings than story-driven 3e modules but I realized I found this through google and its called grognardia... what was I expecting.Internal_Combustionhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10073983398956522469noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-89582207120295991882011-02-17T17:45:33.848-05:002011-02-17T17:45:33.848-05:00There have been so many great modules from TSR tha...There have been so many great modules from TSR that it's hard to pick one as my favorite. Now that my 13 year old son plays, he'll often ask me which is my favorite... I've told him it's a tie between Keep on the Borderlands (because it was my first module ever), Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh (great way to start out 1st level chars), and G1-2-3 (probably, because I had a giant-slaying weapon). lolThrowiGameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05133660079104504377noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-72557131072109300582010-09-05T05:34:29.990-04:002010-09-05T05:34:29.990-04:00"The Dancing Hut of Baba Yaga" is, hands..."The Dancing Hut of Baba Yaga" is, hands down, the best adventure I've ever DMed. "When Red Roses Bloom" would be close second. As I started to play D&D, 2nd Edition was on the rise so I missed most classic adventures...Elephant Jackhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14655525239078556711noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-4976702078860779092010-06-20T09:17:08.711-04:002010-06-20T09:17:08.711-04:00Years back I was on a kick to try and get every mo...Years back I was on a kick to try and get every module (more of a challenge, since I haven't played in so long...) I have pretty much every "classic"/old module, and if anyone is interested I would be willing to sell them for the going rate. There is a great site that offers fair value prices for all D&D stuff:<br /> http://www.acaeum.com/ddindexes/modcode.html<br /><br />Feel free to contact me at CurtFBPool@aol<br /><br />P.S. A great module published in Dragon#41: The Halls of Beoll-Dur, is one of my all-time favorites. Very complete for a mini-module out of the mag.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-58667984619785960542010-02-22T16:39:05.624-05:002010-02-22T16:39:05.624-05:00You can download 3.5 edition updates of Tomb of Ho...You can download 3.5 edition updates of <a href="http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/oa/20051031a" rel="nofollow"><i>Tomb of Horrors</i></a> and <a href="http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/oa/20051207a" rel="nofollow"><i>White Plume Mountains</i></a>. I can’t personally speak to the quality of these updates or how they compare to the originals.<br /><br />Three other classic modules—<a href="http://www.wizards.com/dnd/article.asp?x=dnd/dx20020121x7" rel="nofollow">the original B3</a> and <a href="http://www.wizards.com/dnd/article.asp?x=dnd/dx20020121x8" rel="nofollow">EX1 and 2</a>—can also be downloaded in their original form. Although, these aren’t ones that made “the list”.<br /><br />I’ve had a lot of luck finding classic modules on eBay and at second-hand book stores. They tend to be quite affordable. (The few that command high prices do so mainly on rarity rather than quality.)Roberthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16733274876782876659noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-42777342749499351342010-02-19T23:40:25.266-05:002010-02-19T23:40:25.266-05:00Adrian,
Unfortunately, none of the old TSR module...Adrian,<br /><br />Unfortunately, none of the old TSR modules are available anymore in any electronic form, since the current rights holder, Wizards of the Coast, removed them all from sale some months ago. You can buy them second hand through eBay and other vendors but that's the only legal way to obtain them at the moment, alas.James Maliszewskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00341941102398271464noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-86640516799202595392010-02-16T22:52:37.754-05:002010-02-16T22:52:37.754-05:00Hello, I've played D&D since I was in 3rd ...Hello, I've played D&D since I was in 3rd grade and have loved it ever since. Having missed out on the classics, I've been wanting to at least find them online and download to play with friends. I was wondering if anybody had access to a site or link with these adventures - updated or not. Thank youAdrianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01501751940067994199noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-50675164462622070082010-01-12T10:02:37.851-05:002010-01-12T10:02:37.851-05:00Thanks for spotting the mistake.Thanks for spotting the mistake.James Maliszewskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00341941102398271464noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-3685803425415376102010-01-10T16:59:55.977-05:002010-01-10T16:59:55.977-05:00#7. The Keep on the Borderlands is B2, not B1.#7. The Keep on the Borderlands is B2, not B1.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-84468103019038840492008-10-30T19:18:00.000-04:002008-10-30T19:18:00.000-04:00I dunno how they could have left out Master of the...I dunno how they could have left out Master of the Desert Nomads. That module was able to immerse you into an empires-at-war storyline like no other. It also had really well designed encounters..although the thing at the end in the monastery was a bit anti-climactic. Also the sequel Red Arrow, Black Shield was pretty awesome as well.tkyang99https://www.blogger.com/profile/10080936804554418878noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-22713220626666309942008-09-30T01:49:00.000-04:002008-09-30T01:49:00.000-04:00given that it's the second rather than the first r...<I>given that it's the second rather than the first release in WotC's 3e adventure path, I'm a bit baffled as to why it's here.</I><BR/><BR/>Because <I>The Sunless Citadel</I> was awful. It was a pretty silly situation. Wizards was already wary about putting out modules, but they did put out this series. (Which they played down as an “adventure path”, but which sure looked like one to many customers.) Looking like a series meant that, if people didn’t like the first one, there was a good chance they wouldn’t buy the second one no matter how much better it might be. Since <I>The Sunless Citadel</I> wasn’t very good, it didn’t sell well, but since it was the first of the series, that meant it sold better than the rest of the series. This, of course, just reinforced Wizards’ belief that modules were a bad idea.<BR/><BR/><B>Re: Necropolis:</B> Foster, didn’t you play in an AD&D version of this that Gygax ran at a con? That would make it <I>originally</I> an AD&D module, even if that version was never published.<BR/><BR/><B>Re: Despot:</B> I picked this up on account of Gary always citing it as a favorite. I was pretty surprised when I read it, since it is not—IMHO—a good general example of how to make a good module. But then, I don’t think it is intending to be. For a one-off or side-adventure, it might be good.Roberthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16733274876782876659noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-70282583458499493402008-09-20T23:57:00.000-04:002008-09-20T23:57:00.000-04:00Thanks for your response, & clearing that stuf...Thanks for your response, & clearing that stuff up for me.<BR/><BR/>I found the whole Ravenloft deal quite fun, but it does take a specific kind of breed of player to really get a kick out of it. <BR/><BR/>I liked it because it was smaller then Forgotten Realms, and that it had tons of adventure hook ideas that went nowhere so that the DM can just do what he wanted to do with them.<BR/><BR/>The books were a blessing and a curse, I think that in the long run they caused more problems then they were worth as they developed a set time-line, which in a campaign world that is always going to be unique to a given DM.<BR/><BR/>Granted, many of the books were thrilling reading and fun stories, but I know that a few of my stories were made pointless to me because TSR decided to put out a product that I had already created myself. Hey, I was young and dumb and always desired to run 100% Ravenloft games; That was always my biggest beef with it.<BR/><BR/>As far as important NPC's, well my players always got a kick out of trying to find them and interacting with them, and as a teaching point, it shows a DM exactly how much work that one can put into a villain. I found the NPC's to be a highlight of the game, not a hindrance, but I can definitely see your point on the matter.RipperXhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03506064393275174920noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-84141420780732852902008-09-20T20:11:00.000-04:002008-09-20T20:11:00.000-04:00The "Return to the Tomb of Horrors" boxset that Wo...<I>The "Return to the Tomb of Horrors" boxset that WotC published just before the 3E era is actually pretty good, James; you might want to check it out.</I><BR/><BR/>Go figure. Maybe I should check it out. I was generally unimpressed with most of the late 2e era "Return to the X" products that WotC produced (not unlike the late 3e "Expedition to X" series), but you have piqued my interest now.James Maliszewskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00341941102398271464noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-35228457560310506952008-09-20T16:35:00.000-04:002008-09-20T16:35:00.000-04:00Ripper X,First: I have a huge soft spot for Ravenl...Ripper X,<BR/><BR/>First: I have a huge soft spot for <I>Ravenloft</I>, both the original module and the campaign setting it spawned.<BR/><BR/>That said, I am convinced that, like <I>Dragonlance</I>, <I>Ravenloft</I> (both the module and the setting) marks an important break point with the old school. One of the most important elements of this break is the shift not just toward heavy-handed plots -- they existed in some old school modules too -- but toward plots centered on NPCs rather than the PCs. <I>Ravenloft</I> and its successors are particularly guilty of this. I'm also less than fond of the wide variety of game "fiction" these modules spawned, by which I mean stuff like poetry, songs, diary entries, and the like that serve no purpose other than "setting the mood." That is, they're not meant to help the PCs overcome challenges in the adventure. <BR/><BR/><I>Ravenloft</I> is by far a mild offender on these counts, but it set a precedent and, because of its popularity, it encouraged TSR to use it as a template for what came later, often going even further than the original ever dared. I don't hate the module by any means; I do, however, think it provided a very poor example for the future that laid the groundwork for much of 2e's failures.James Maliszewskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00341941102398271464noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-85017231529300580712008-09-20T13:49:00.000-04:002008-09-20T13:49:00.000-04:00Okay, I've got to ask.Ravenloft is probably my all...Okay, I've got to ask.<BR/><BR/>Ravenloft is probably my all-time favorite module. Granted, now you have challanged me to change the way that I DM, back when I was first cutting my teeth, I always believed that a good adventure HAD to be a railroad job. What can I say? Monkey see, monkey do. <BR/><BR/>Modern modules have a terrible requirement of consuming your entire campaign, and I can see how Ravenloft can do that, but some of your other comments leave me rather wanting.<BR/><BR/>Could you please elaborate on them a bit? How was Ravenloft's influence baleful to the development of modules? And I kind of do want to get you started on the fetishization of Strahd, not my favorite character, but he was the start of my favorite campaign setting.RipperXhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03506064393275174920noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-66808507528924555082008-09-20T02:38:00.000-04:002008-09-20T02:38:00.000-04:00Great post.I think I'm alone among old schoolers i...Great post.<BR/><BR/>I think I'm alone among old schoolers in that I can't stand S1. To me it reads like a primer in how *not* to design a dungeon--lots of capricious encounters, rewards that aren't commensurate with the risks, instant and unavoidable death around every corner, weak internal logic. It's Gary's worst.<BR/><BR/>The "Return to the Tomb of Horrors" boxset that WotC published just before the 3E era is actually pretty good, James; you might want to check it out. I think you'll appreciate its reverence for the original. The author (Bruce Cordell?) constructed a fairly interesting and meaty campaign around the original Tomb that drips with old school flavor. And when I say "original" I mean it literally--the box comes with an exact replica of the old S1 module for the DM to crack open if and when the players actually enter the Tomb. It's not a reinterpretation or a "reimagination."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-31307760005939981572008-09-19T13:05:00.000-04:002008-09-19T13:05:00.000-04:00This is fascinating. I got into gaming in the earl...This is fascinating. I got into gaming in the early-to-mid 90's so all these early adventures passed me by. Also, we tended to play scenarios from <B>White Dwarf</B> or home-brewed settings; the only two official <B>D&D</B> adventures I've played to date have been one that came with I think the "Black Box" Basic Set, and the first bit of <B>Night Below</B>. So hearing about these classics is great for me. Keep it up!thekelvingreenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01928260185408072124noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-60480907238945340312008-09-19T12:01:00.000-04:002008-09-19T12:01:00.000-04:00I'm a Bone Hill "hater" -- it's always been one of...<B>I'm a Bone Hill "hater" -- it's always been one of my least favorite modules because it seems so bland and by-the-numbers; too much focus on trivial and mundane detail and not nearly enough sense of wonder or unique elements I couldn't get by extrapolating what's in the rulebooks. Even the new monsters feel like blandly obvious variations on the existing monsters.</B><BR/><BR/>I agree that on the face of it Bone Hill is just another locale and dungeon. But sometimes that's all my players and I need to make magic. We made magic with Bone Hill.Jeff Rientshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17493878980535235896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-84707990153009466122008-09-19T09:11:00.000-04:002008-09-19T09:11:00.000-04:00I could be wrong here but I believe he's talking a...<I>I could be wrong here but I believe he's talking about 'Castle Amber', 'Isle of Dread', and my favorite, 'The Lost City'.</I><BR/><BR/>That's correct. I call them that, even though there's no connection between the three modules, because each one -- X1, X2, and B4 -- is heavily influenced by some aspects of pulp fantasy. X1 is a "Lost World" adventure, with bits of Tarzan thrown in. X2 is a weird fantasy that uses Clark Ashton Smith's Averoigne tales as an explicit tie-in. B4 is a Lost Race adventure that's almost certainly inspired by Howard's "Red Nails," among others.James Maliszewskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00341941102398271464noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-52354619920460590392008-09-19T09:06:00.000-04:002008-09-19T09:06:00.000-04:00Please tell me more about Tom Moldvay's "Pulp Fant...<I>Please tell me more about Tom Moldvay's "Pulp Fantasy Trilogy."</I><BR/><BR/>I could be wrong here but I believe he's talking about 'Castle Amber', 'Isle of Dread', and my favorite, 'The Lost City'.Gamer Dudehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05006232842482959060noreply@blogger.com