Let’s keep this short and sweet: what do you think is the best introductory scenario ever written for a roleplaying game and why?
At the end of last month, I posed a similar question focused on Call of Cthulhu. This time, I’m widening the scope to include any RPG published from 1974 to the present. I already have a few favorites of my own, which I’ll be sharing in some upcoming posts, so I won’t give away my picks just yet.
What I am eager to hear are your choices, especially the reasons behind them. As I’ll explain later, it’s the why that really interests me. What makes a scenario a great introduction to a game or even the hobby as a whole? What stuck with you? What worked for your group?
Crisis at Crusader Citadel for Villains and Vigilantes is a great intro to the game that also gives the new heroes a chance to *become* the new Crusaders superhero group by the end of the adventure.
ReplyDeleteI thumbs up this one as well!
DeleteI was just going to say the same thing. But also the NPCs are tailored to display virtually every power in the game so that the GM has a chance to see them in play, which was quite clever in the design. The mystery is smart but straightforward and the villains plans make sense.
DeleteIt's certainly the best intro adventure for a supers game, even if the system it's written for is perhaps not the best. Which probably explains why I've seen it adapted for Champions, M&M, the Mayfair DC game, and Superworld. There's probably others out there i haven't run into.
DeleteWhether it's the best intro outside of its sub-genre I'm less sure of, but nothing else springs to mind at the moment.
I'll agree on this one and I dislike pre-made adventures in general and don't like them for ones' first adventure specifically.
DeleteThat said, I have run this particular adventure as the introduction to various Villains and Vigilantes campaigns a number of times because its just that good.
The Tower of Zenopus in the Holmes Basic book is really excellent. It is incredibly well-scaled for 1st level adventurers, and introduces many of D&D basic concepts to players right off the bat, and it is easily useable with OD&D, Basic, B/X, or even AD&D...a perfect mesh of a teaching tool for both DMs and players alike, in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteAnd I write this as someone who found the Holmes version later in life (I learned D&D through Moldvay). Much as I like B2 as an introductory adventure, the Tower of Zenopus is much, much better.
Probably Tower of Zenopus in the Holmes basic set, because it fires the imagination (just read the few paragraphs of intro), it is short, has a great map you can just stare at and imagine, and has great encounters: pirates, a captured pretty girl, underwater violent octopus, giant spider, ghouls, a dancing dagger that will attack you, and a bronze face that answers riddles, among other things, oh, and the phrase Things Better Left Alone.
ReplyDeleteT4 - Treasure Hunt, for AD&D, hands down. The first 0th level adventure ever written, it starts the game off with the players taking the parts of just regular townsfolks who are captured by orc slavers. By playing through the adventure, the players struggle to survive and how they play their characters and the decisions they make point them to one of the character classes. If they survive the adventure, they end the game as a 1st level character in the class that they chose by their actions in the adventure, ready to start a new campaign.
ReplyDeleteThe adventure is not only a great campaign starter but a great way to introduce players to the concept of role playing in general. Players can get into the action without having to think about what class they want to play or without needing to know any of the rules. I can't tell you how many campaigns I began with just this one module nor how many life long gamers I've created.
My favorite follow-up to Treasure Hunt is to eventually lead the campaign to A1 - Slave Pits of the Undercity and the other adventures in the Slave Lords series as the characters seek revenge on the slavers who originally forced them from their homes at the beginning of Treasure Hunt. Great stuff.
God no. Its dull.
Delete0 level AD&D is a kink for jaded veterans, not for newbies
Rebel Breakout, WEG Star Wars
ReplyDeleteI like Tatooine Manhunt a lot as well as an introduction to SW D6.
DeleteThe Rainbow Mounds from Apple Lane for RuneQuest. It's a neat small "dungeon" that shows several aspects of how to run a dungeon and shows off the mythical aspect of the game (I've made a recent argument that it includes the first hero quest published for the game with the quest to slay the lizard mother).
ReplyDeleteI've always remembered "Terror in Warwick House," from the original CHILL box set back in the eighties. It could be tough for an inexperienced GM, trying to build up the tension through the creepy atmosphere and spooky haunted house tropes, but it was a pretty straightforward adventure for the players. It was just difficult enough to give the PC's a run for their money and "show them the ropes" of the CHILL universe without running them off. CHILL was a great system that never really got its due.
ReplyDeleteFor me it is B-3 Palace of the Silver Princess for D&D. A classic dungeon crawl that just checks off everything that an intro adventure should be. A simple premise to nab a fabulous ruby from some castle ruins and delve into a dungeon. The best bit being the boxes of text describing every room as the players see it and then the details for the DM under out which includes stats for every monster, trap, and treasure. A great map of the area with lots of room for expansion (same as the dungeon) and plenty of adventure seeds sprinkled throughout the adventure. Now some may say it is a bit of a Monty Hawl (yes misspelling is intentional) and that some of the monsters seem illogical (why are there monkeys in the jail cell?) but I think it is the best representation of what a starter dungeon should be. I must also give a shout out to DCC#67 Sailors on the Starless Sea. Zero level gongfarmer goodness! It introduces new players to the funnel concept and the gonzo style of DCC as well as the concept that all monsters are unique. A great premise: to save your town and a great ending with the ship sailing out into the underground sea. Perfect if you want to continue the adventure into the underground (DCC’s version of The Underdark) or have it sail out into your campaign world. Again with this adventure everything is presented and nothing needs to be “looked up” or invented, unless you want to.
ReplyDeleteI agree with B3 (green cover) being a great intro adventure for both new players and new DMs.
DeleteI've had the most success with "Escape From Zanzer's Dungeon," originally featured in the 1991 black box. It's straightforward enough that new players don't get overwhelmed while they learn the basic concepts, but also "funhouse-y" enough that it shows off a broad range of classic D&D tropes, so it gives them a good idea what they'll be getting in to. It also includes a few "choose your own adventure"-style sections leading up the the adventure proper, designed to ease people in to the concept if they don't have an experienced referree to teach them (the utility of which I can't speak to, as I never used them).
ReplyDeleteI’m surprised some people are mentioning that fragment of an adventure ‘The Tower of Zenopus’. It is definitely evocative…but I didn’t qualify it as an adventure…was there a fully-fledged version? My boxed set had B1, *In Search of the Unknown*…which I still love despite its eccentricities. It was so inspiring.
ReplyDeleteI do think intro scenarios have become more “user-friendly”, even if sometimes they are hand-hold-y.
A different question would, what is the best example of play in a rulebook?
"Hand-holdy" is a good way to put it. Hand-holdy to me is incredibly tedious. It feels like shackles. I like Zenopus because it's short, makes my imagination wake up, has lots of great ideas that I can access quickly and do with them what I will.
DeleteI guess another question for division would be best intro adventure for new players, and best intro for new GMs. I can imagine many great novice scenarios that would sing in the hands of an experienced GM, but with which a novice GM might struggle. I never tried to *run* Zenopus, but I spent a lot of time trying to flesh it out. It is very evocative. Whether what I came up with at 13 was any good, well…
DeleteI've run it several times as an adult and it worked well. When I was 13 I loved it, and I just read it and imagined the heck out of it, but there was no one to play with then. Come to think of it, I probably would have needed a little hand holding back then. I came back to the hobby in my early 40s, to have something fun to do with my teenagers, and man we had fun with it, and with a lot of other adventures. They're now a lot older and talk about the alt-world childhood they had with dad.
DeleteI am biased, because the first D&D game I ever played was the one I DM'd: Moldvay's B4 - The Lost City. The fact that it provided (to my knowledge) the only published megadungeon, and one that was incredibly focused and easy to generate (this was back in the day when the Mapper was critical to "winning") made it brilliant and thrilling, even for about 6 novices - 2 who had never seen a rule set, one who was working from Holmes, one from the Players Handbook, one from Moldvay, and one from Mentzer!
ReplyDeleteI was going to say Treasure Hunt to Aerie, but goeticgeek nailed it. It really is a perfect intro for people who might not otherwise gravitate toward games, while being hugely challenging and different for experienced players.
Jim Hodges---
ReplyDeleteThe Lost City, D&D.
The book "What is Dungeons & Dragons" by John Butterfield, Philip Parker and David Honigmann (Penguin, 1982), had an excellent scenario 'The Shrine of Kollchap' for Moldvay Basic but you could run it with the Mentzer Red Box or AD&D. Because it was a paperback, it was also cheaper than actual modules and usually available at both school and local libraries. Plus there was loads of backstory and lore scattered throughout the rest of the book. Ran it lots of times and even set up a campaign world using it and other sources for inspiration.
ReplyDeleteBuffalo Castle (1976) for Tunnels & Trolls. It's a solo, solving the "who learns to be GM first?" problem, has a good mix of puzzles, fighting, and a few negotiations. There's multiple paths so you can replay it at least 3 times and never see the same things, or not from the same angles!
ReplyDeleteMany other T&T books are good, City of Terrors is the best, but BC knocked it out of the park for introducing a game.
How fun to encounter another T&T fan. Agreed, Buffalo Castle was (is) great.
DeleteBone Hill smacked us right in the face with the killer cover. Who the hell needed more? One of Charlie's Angels blasting some creep with a foreboding ruin in the background. Further words unnecessary.
ReplyDeleteBut I think Saltmarsh did it with words. I don't even remember the words, but they setup a creepy haunted house, which is relatable to a new gaming (kid) enthusiast, and present a mysterious and brooding danger. I still don't remember the words but I will never shake the feeling of wonder and provocation.
The U-series remains one of my favourite series…the atmosphere and depth of scene was a marked difference from the very fungible but abbreviated adventures of modules like G1–3 and D1–3. The writing was excellent.
DeleteNevertheless…I ran U1 with some modifications for a 5e group of mine some years back, and was struck by how “empty” it felt. Despite all of the charm and care of composition, my players spent a lot of time looking around without finding things. Some of it is pretty random (classic of 1e), like a bit of treasure stuck halfway down a well…and there is such great emphasis placed on exploration and curiosity…but it is also easy for certain players to lose interest.
It is also far cry from today’s “adventure path” style, with calculated encounters and branch points.
I had never run the scenario back in the 80s, for various reasons, and I did not do it justice, I’m afraid.
I agree wholeheartedly that the language is rich and full of wonder. If I ran it again, I would bring more of myself to the adventure, which is honestly what I should have done a few years ago. Live and learn.
I did run Bone Hill back in 85 or 86, and my players had a blast. It was a bit chaotic, but it was a very easy adventure even for an awkward dork like me to run. Lakofka gave us a great module therein
DeleteOur gaming group at the time included "that one guy" who liked to torture kobolds and all that nonsense. That clown in your neighborhood who likes to light cats on fire. That guy.
DeleteAnd as you say, he could drag a great scenario like the House down because he needed constant action. I prepped for him (he had ruined some other fun thing, like maybe a woods-trek on the way to the Caves of Chaos) by filling an upstairs hall with a geli-cube under a crumbled part of the ceiling. Elsewhere I arranged a similar sort of jagged-boards and makeshift "beggars' trap" to give his character either a squint or a limp for a while.
That guy drifted away into skateboards after a while, so he was not present when we ran Bone Hill for what was probably 200 hours of endless fun, and Descent for another 100, and oh man, Tsjocanth!
We grew up in the woods (suburban woods) and I have always wondered if that informed our bent towards a combination of exploration and overland/underland adventuring.
Legion of Gold was a good one. It might have been a little tough for beginning characters , but hey, welcome to the apocalypse, right? For D&D, I also like Village of Hommlet. Going through the town is a little slow, but we always found the moathouse to be a good challenge and had an interesting story.
ReplyDeleteTo be honest, I think the best one is the Delian tomb by Matt Colville. It is super simple in scope and design, thereby helping a first time GM getting into the groove of things. It has roleplay in the beginning , exploration and a short dungeon in one little package.There is effectively a video walk through on how to run it on YouTube. Most published scenarios simply fail on the introduction part, i.e. try to be to complicated, while the only thing they should do is help the beginner gym along.
ReplyDeleteLightless beacon for call of Cthulhu is good as well, but suffers from a lack of social interaction
This may be a bit of a cheat, but any of the scenario playbooks for Beyond the Wall or Through Sunken Lands. While the players create their characters (using a quick life path system) who have associations with each other (answering "why is this party together?"), there are prompts/options for the referee to fill out the introductory scenario (what is the problem, who is the antagonist, important NPCs, what are the obstacles, what is the treasure, etc.). It's a low-prep way to run an adventure in a single session, and I've used them many times to introduce D&D-style gaming, and gaming in general.
ReplyDeleteI think adventures that show something of an explorable sandbox are the best: talking "tsr d&d" Secrets of Bone Hill is one of my favorites, along with B2.
ReplyDeleteThese days my vote for fantasy/osr goes to The Black Wyrm of Brandonsford or In the shadow of Tower Silveraxe
B1 In Search Of The Unknown has such a fantastic flavor, with its talking walls and disappearing cats, yet suffers from its creative randomness. The referee should do some work, yes, but the relationship of the dungeon to the outside world, its specific points of entry, its overall environment, etc. are all kept vague.
ReplyDeleteOnce inside, the funhouse atmosphere (every room has its trap/puzzle to figure out) and use of utterly random monsters (who are these berserkers and how did they get in here?) create a sense you are bouncing from world to world at every door. It was my introduction to D&D, and I found it quite fascinating, especially the aspect of it being a location mysteriously abandoned by its original occupants. Yet that same desert-island approach left some holes in the way I thought about adventure design in RPG for too long.
No argument with this. It is probably telling that I never ran it after my first few adventures with my friends in the heady days of 6th grade. It is very random, quite funhouse in its orientation. No attempt at realism or even logic.
DeleteI will say though that for a preteen/teen like I was, the haphazard but flavorful and rich presentation was inspiring and suggestive. I was new to the game, to RPGs, and everything, and it made me excited to be exploring what was ahead.
Its focus on setting on atmosphere and setting and exploration also left a giant impression on me. The monsters and treasure are only laid down over the tapestry of the curious and full dungeon…the emphasis is on creative adventuring in the design of the dungeon, rather than on “combat encounters”, and while I would have devoured anything fantasy at that age, I was especially disposed to love exploration. My players probably didnt share my approach!
Both Bill and Anthony expressed my thoughts better than I could. For no plausible reason, neither B1 nor Hommlet ever, ever occupied our adventuring space. Restenford forever! With a side of Saltmarsh.
DeleteAlso (while I'm thinking of it) did anyone ever run Tamoachan and really make it sing?
B1 is great if you bring your own backstory. How about this: Melissa's parents hire the PCs to enter the dungeons of Qasqueton and either bring her back to them or bring word of her fate. They've heard nothing from her since Rogahn and Zelligar went missing. No one knows that all 10 of her handmaidens turned into ghouls and now haunt the caverns in their tattered, once-fine white robes, killing and devouring anything that moves, and seeking Melissa, who hid from them in a secret room on the second level and took a potion of temporal stasis to keep herself young, as she awaits Rogahn's return to rescue her (which will never happen bcz he's dead). The PCs will have to explore the caverns and fend off ghouls as they seek for Melissa. This would keep my teens playing for a session or three.
DeleteGood suggestions! That gives the place an intrinsic tension and a running storyline that the room descriptions can play off of, rather than have to carry the whole adventure. Melissa was Rogahn's "greatest treasure," so it makes sense she would still be there, waiting to be uncovered. You need to explain why the handmaidens went bad on her, though.
DeleteYeah, I sprinkled some extra descriptions/clues in a few of the rooms, places where Melissa would hang out with her maidens before they went bad... 'You find a very fine ivory comb on this chair, and a silver mirror, as if just forgotten," "some of the barrels are empty and the food is gone." Etc. Haven't considered why the maidens turned into ghouls. Maybe they ran afoul of one of Zelligar's experiments. When PCs encounter them, they madly, compulsively hiss "Mistress, where are you," or "come with us mistress..."
DeleteMaybe they know what happened to that cat in the laboratory!
DeleteHa! That mysterious cat! Maybe they do know.
DeleteOh, and they picked the dead adventuring party at area #1 clean, so PCs will just find gnawed bones there, which is a clue as to what's in the dungeon.
In addition to the many great suggestions already made, I'd add Albie Fiore's "The Lichway" from White Dwarf magazine in 1978.
ReplyDeleteAn incredible map, and an ingenious concept that became LotFP's "Death Frost Doom."
Yes an awesome adventure. I still have a dungeon inspired by it.
DeleteEvery dungeon needs a cack-handed Amdor
DeleteI just read “The Lichway” for the first time. The central idea is great, but it feels like there are too many visitors showing up at once. You have goblins separated by only one room from the ruffians the PCs heard about in a rumor, and why is Cack-handed Amdor there by himself? Presumably someone ordered him to go there, but four groups all at once besides Dark Odo’s group, their prisoners, and the normal residents? Is someone running ads for this mini-dungeon? The dungeon otherwise seems to be aiming for Gygaxian naturalism, so I would take out a few of these extra visitors.
DeleteI’m also wondering what the Susurrus has been eating and who built the north wall to the fire pit.
The Lichway is great, Zenopus is great, and most of the low level alphabet soup D&D modules are great, but I have a soft spot for the demo adventure in the Moldvay box called the Haunted Keep. Secrets of the Towers from Dungeon magazine is another great one, and basically sets up a whole campaign framework. Had some fun with the more recent Tomb of the Serpent Kings as well. And there are a number of One Page Dungeons that would serve nicely.
ReplyDelete