I have a decent array of old (Gygax-designed) and newer modules that I have collected over the past decades. I admit that there are some which hold greater appeal to me than others, for various reasons (typically, though, I am drawn to an intricate plot more than a hack-and-slash dungeon crawl). What are some of your favorites...and why?
For the record, I enjoy the following, in no particular order:
-the Slave Lord saga (A series): one epic saga, full of some rough foes with expansive resources to command, who gave my PCs one helluva time, and later proved equally dangerous to some people in my campaign
-Saltmarsh saga (U series): I liked the layered plot...not what you'd expect at first glance, and more than just a hackfest but somewhat like a mystery
-Village of Hommlet (T1): this one has special meaning since this was the very FIRST adventure through which my own DM placed my ranger, fighter/mage, and bard, with a twist of his own; it nearly killed my PCs!
-Lost Caverns (S4): classic dungeoncrawl filled with some really nasty monsters and traps
My all-time favorite series is G1-3 Against the Giants along with D1-2 Descent Into the Depths of the Earth and Vault of the Drow. Queen of the Demonweb Pits can be done well, but it needs lots more tweaking by the DM.
My favorite beginner module has always been B2 The Keep on the Borderlands.
Some of my other favorite modules include Ravenloft, The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth, The Isle of Dread, Isle of the Ape, Ruins of Castle Greyhawk (not the punny version), and Secret of the Slavers' Stockade. (Note that I don't particularly rank the other modules in any of those series in the top.)
I have enjoyed many of the adventures in Dungeon Magazine as well. Some of my favorites from that periodical include The House of the Brothers and The Jingling Mordo Circus. In addition, I found the Savage Tide Adventure Path to be the best in its category.
Thank you for your reply, SirXaris. I look forth to hearing from others, as well.
Why do you like the Giants saga so much? I ran it many, many years ago (I think it was during high school, and that dates me like a Mesozoic fossil) with a good friend of mine who played a half-drow bard and a transmuter mage character. I don't recall how far we got (only the hill giants?), but I remember that it was really tough, and the idea of giants working together with drow manipulating the back-story (of course, this was before Forgotten Realms made drow the sinister manipulators behind EVERYTHING) was different.
What did you think about the Silver Anniversary edition? I really like what they did with it as a liberation of Geoff adventure. And with giants A LOT tougher with their updated stats, it's a real meat grinder. I haven't used it (yet?) but it looks pretty good to me.
I also have the D series and enjoy the detail of the subterranean systems, including the drow, kua-toa, and other nasty humanoids. I never used them (never had characters high enough level to try them out), but I can understand your vote for those modules.
Funny you should mention that your fave beginner module is B2. I have it, have used it, and I think it may have been my very first module EVER.
thanks for your comments, and looking forward to reading more.
Against the giants but my version no subrace of drow imc so it was merely the giants claiming back lands lost or abandoned long ago and they see themselves as the rightful heirs.
Otherwise I usually use my own very little use of modules but used ideas from them every so often.
I have to say that B2 'Keep on the Borderlands' was my favorite, although we didn't use it in the Greyhawk campaign when we played it. _________________ Dymond
-My kingdom for a Shield Lands map!
Thank you for your reply, SirXaris. I look forth to hearing from others, as well.
Why do you like the Giants saga so much? I ran it many, many years ago (I think it was during high school, and that dates me like a Mesozoic fossil) with a good friend of mine who played a half-drow bard and a transmuter mage character. I don't recall how far we got (only the hill giants?), but I remember that it was really tough, and the idea of giants working together with drow manipulating the back-story (of course, this was before Forgotten Realms made drow the sinister manipulators behind EVERYTHING) was different.
It's my pleasure to post in fun threads like this one. Thanks for starting it.
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What did you think about the Silver Anniversary edition? I really like what they did with it as a liberation of Geoff adventure. And with giants A LOT tougher with their updated stats, it's a real meat grinder. I haven't used it (yet?) but it looks pretty good to me.
I wasn't really all that impressed. I liked some parts of it - like the addition of the evil Cloud Giantess and her cohorts - but didn't care much for other parts - the new Frost Giants' lair, for example.
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I also have the D series and enjoy the detail of the subterranean systems, including the drow, kua-toa, and other nasty humanoids. I never used them (never had characters high enough level to try them out), but I can understand your vote for those modules.
It takes quite a bit of work on the part of the DM to bring the stats up to a newer edition of the game and to fill in the gaps in the backstory, but Gygax gave plenty of information for a DM to do just that while leaving it vague enough for you to fit it in however you wish in your own campaign.
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Funny you should mention that your fave beginner module is B2. I have it, have used it, and I think it may have been my very first module EVER.
Since I started in 7th grade with the Basic Set (red box), it was also my own first real module. Through the years and various editions of the game, I updated it and constantly added to the storyline to make the adventure fit within my vision of Greyhawk. (The Keep is located north of the Deepstill River in the Vesve Forest and ruled by a minor lord from Perrenland who is off to the east with most of the Keep's garrison fighting the forces of Iuz. That explains his absence, the reason why the Keep doesn't have the manpower to patrol the Caves area, and the presence of such an eclectic collection of humanoids and evil priests all living so close to each other - Iuz! )
I am pleased that you enjoy this thread, SirXaris. I was reluctant to start such a post, thinking perhaps that people would find it redundant or obsolete. Thanks for your vote.
I think I still have my old box sets (red and green come to mind), but they are in my childhood desk at my parents' house far, far away.
Does anyone know (I sure someone will) where the original setting for the Keep is situated? That factoid currently eludes me.
I agree that many of the Gygax modules should be used as a type of skeleton format upon which creative DMs must add flesh, so to speak, to make them more in-depth. I constantly do this to all my older modules just b/c they are so 'flat' and need some depth. For instance, in a game that I am currently running through the Lost Caverns, the PCs are playing a cat-and-mouse game with a party loyal to Iuz, each of them trying to destroy the other while attempting to locate and 'steal' Iggwilv's trove. There's also a back story I used, but won't bore you with those details.
Return to the KotB is officially set in the Yeomanry and I've seen others online, years ago, put it in Tehn, which I think worked fairly well. However, I like my placement of it in the northern Vesve better than either of those choices.
Pretty much all of the classic 1E modules are excellent. A couple sleepers I've really enjoyed are I2 Tomb of the Lizard King and and R2 Investigation of Hydell. I ran I2 years ago and my players really enjoyed the sleuthing, role playing, and wilderness adventuring in the first half the adventure. The dungeon itself has some awesome mass combat and good assortment of very cleaver traps and dangerous NPCs. All nine PCs died quickly, but it was a blast.
I don't know to describe R2. Like most of Mentzer's adventures, it has a weird feel to it that keeps players off balance and unsure what they're up against. Well worth tracking down a PDF or picking up a copy of I12.
A lot of the official 2E GH adventures are junk. Liberation of Geoff is terribly boring and uninspired. WGR6 and WGS1 are great, especially in terms of problem solving and sneaking around, as is Night Below. The Shattered Circle is good. Vecna Reborn is the best Vecna adventure, IMO.
I know very little about some of the modules mentioned, but am intrigued by the mention of the Tomb of the Lizard King. Many people on various forums have mentioned it. I would be interested to know more about the gist of the module in case I want to get a copy. Perhaps a "spoiler alert" is needed, just in case, on that one. I don't want to ruin a surprise for anyone, or feel free to send me a PM, if that is a better idea instead.
I really enjoyed the Saltmarsh series, as mentioned earlier, for the intrigue. On the surface it appears little more than a dungeoncrawl or hack-and-slashfest, but, in reality, it is much more than that. The lizard men are really not 'bad guys' at all (contrary to many depictions, including the old cartoon in which they served Venger as minions and lackeys), but merely trying to survive against a much more ominous and truly savage/evil foe.
It would be easier to say if it hadn't been almost 30 years since I played them! A and D series and S series 2-4, didn't like Tomb of Horrors, S3 was VERY interesting and the G and N series. Used the old Blackmoor little brown book, enjoyed it too. _________________ Servant of Azmekidom the Most Prudent Despot, The Unapproachable One
Just wondering if anyone liked some of the more recent modules for the game setting. In another post, the Falcon series was mentioned, but I didn't toss in my two cents since it was an older thread...see I am learning, people! (BTW, what is the normal convention on that, anyhow? What is the statute of limitations for posting replies? I really wanna know...)
At any rate, I liked that module series from the perspective that it fleshed out the City a bit more as well as enhancing the faiths of Iuz and St. Cuthbert just a tad (though I wonder why the additional spells noted for the priesthood of Iuz was not at all even mentioned in From the Ashes or, perhaps more importantly, Iuz the Old).
Yet, I will agree that the cultists really stepped in it when they "dared" to assault the temple outright. I guess they understimated the faithful of the cudgel too much, or overestimated themselves! There were other comments made with which I agree...but perhaps people should read that post before I spoil anything.
I never had a chance to DM, play, or even read through the Falcon series, so I can't offer an opinion there. However, I can say that Five Shall Be One and it's sequel didn't impress me much. I think it was because it led the PCs around by the nose much like the old Dragonlance and Forgotten Realms modules did.
My players and I hated having to do exactly what the storyline said we had to do and do it within a limited timeframe. We much preferred the open-optioned adventures like Keep on the Borderlands, The Isle of Dread, etc. where the PCs could choose where to go and what evils to confront whenever they wanted to. Even the Giants and Drow modules allowed the PCs to choose when and how to assault the bad guys and gave them all the time they wished to explore side treks to their hearts' desire.
I always find it interesting to see what various folks think about various adventures....for example; I really enjoy the A series (particularly the 4th and last module; I just LOVE having the PCs start off with no weapons, armor or equipment!) and most of the S series (S1, S2, and especially S4....S3 is a bit "out there" for me; but a neat bridge to Ward's Metamorphosis Alpha).
My personal favorite is T1-4....LOVE IT....
On the other hand; I've never really understood the mass apeal of B2; I like the Keep as a setting; but find the cave system full of various monsters pretty blah....just me, though!
As for some of the newer stuff; I didn't think Liberation of Geoff was that bad; but I don't particularly care for the mutant-Giants that spring up here and there. City of Skulls is good; I enjoy parts of Fate of Istus; I liked the Sargent "5 blades" modules....I'm not certain; but I believe a 3rd module was planned and it somehow "morphed" into the background info of the Greyhawk Wars set (which I Still very much like...the background story that is; the game is pretty so-so).
I liked Return of the Eight (lots of nice homages to "old" characters) alot; and I do enjoy two books that aren't really "modules"; but more like "settings which can be incorporated into an adventure"; these being "Rary the Traitor" and "Slavers".
I know many do not like Rary the Traitor; but I think this more for the way the story of Robilar unfolded....I think the idea is an interesting one; and the setting for a group of adventurers to enter the new "Bright Lands" and seek out Rary and Robiliari s a good one; though I would've liked to have seen some more NPCs that work for both of these "villians".
"Slavers" is my personal favorite of the "new" Greyhawk material though; I think it's a VERY well done book in which a nice, long campaign can be created......though I think the multiple "clones" of a certain female Elf was a bit much.
Anyway, just my two cents....and again; though they aren't "modules"; I think many of the Adventure Cards that came in both the "City of Greyhawk" and "From the Ashes" box sets are really cool; in particular I enjoy "Vote for the Goat"; "Bath Time for the Hopping Prophet"; "Mayhem at World's End"; and "The Final resting place of Dorshak Krane".
Last.....if I'm not mistaken; the original B2 wasn't placed in Greyhawk at all; but rather in the "Known World" of Basic D&D....somewhere near the borderlands of the Duchy of Karameikos, I think....
L1 "The Secret of Bone Hill" and L2 "The Assassin's Knot". L1 being a huge sandbox adventure where the players can run around all over the place with lots to do. L2 with a good story and plots for the players to investigate. And for what ever reason I allways liked UK1 "Beyond The Crystal Cave".
I'm really happy to see so many people casting their votes on this one. It seems I should, in like spirit, offer my perspective on some of the views presented earlier. Let me work backward on this:
About The Keep, I would agree that its main appeal is one of nostalgia, at least for me. If I were to use it now, I'd have to overhaul it, or find some rational excuse (a quirk of mine...I am a science person after all!) for all the tribes and humanoids overly crowded into such a confined region without killing each other. Like small children (and some grown-ups), humanoids don't 'play well with others.'
I have The Secret of Bone Hill from my early collecting days, but not the others mentioned by Baronzemo. The former just collects dust and I haven't cracked it in...don't recall when.
Maxvale and I are of like mind about the A series (which I mentioned from the onset). The SlaveLords, in the 'proper' hands, make exceedingly worthy enemies more than their collective worth in salt. My PCs were victimized by those ^&*$%^!!! (excuse my language), and I, in vicious turn, unleashed them on my current main PC's Heironean paladin some time back (the Slavers are now in our campaign, pardon the expression, locathah/sahuagin chum in the Wooly Bay, with the exception of those mentioned who escaped like Ketta and Theg; I think that was in The Slavers sourceguide). That entire module series makes for a great stroke, counterstroke, cat-and-mouse, wartime epic saga, and that is how I played it (not necessarily in numerical order, either!). If ever there was a Greyhawk movie made (anyone paying attention on that hint?!) based on a module series, I would cast a strong vote for this one (besides, it starts first in the alphabet).
I think I also feel the same way as 'zemo about the S series. Tomb of Horrors is fine, but I think White Plume is better (I like it better than Ghost Tower of Inverness). I don't care for Expedition to Barrier Peaks much either for the same reason (too zany for my tastes). Of the whole series, though, Lost Caverns gets my primary vote, though I have adapted and modified it a bit, especially granting more 'realism' to the whole ecology of the place and making certain regions of the system treacherous b/c of the environment itself (think of all that bat crap in HUGE mounds, pumping out noxious ammonia fumes, crawling with biting beetles, crawling things...).
Of the T series, I know but a bit. However, Village of Hommlet gets a big vote from me b/c it was the first Greyhawk-based module for my 3 main PCs. Lareth was the reason why my 1st lvl half-elf ranger picked drow as a species enemy (it was likely partly subconscious on my part that I was getting utterly sick of all the drow elf hype that Drizzt and Forgotten Realms generated...). We barely survived that adventure, maybe only b/c of some luck and a few tricks on my part.
OK, I better stop typing my reply lest I get carpal tunnel. Tis someone else's turn now.
I might be not be interpreting what you're saying correctly here; but are you saying that when you played T1; Lareth was a Drow?
I ask this because a few years back I was talking with another gamer who had always made that assumption as well. (I guess because Lareth is a cleric of Lolth). It never states that Lareth is a Drow and it certainly doesn't give him any 'built-in' spells like Drow can utilize; but if that's how you experienced/ran him; I find it interesting that I know someone else who has done the same thing.
The thing about the Drow that everyone seems to forget; is that as they are written in 1st Edition (GDQ series; Fiend Folio entry); they have some SERIOUS limitations....attribute wise and character level wise. This all seemed to be thrown out the window with the Drizzt and Menzoberranzan set. If I remember correctly; there was a Drow listed in the book with something like an 18/50 STRENGTH score... by their original rules; males could only have a max score of 12 and females 14! ARGH! So, I definitely know what you mean about getting really sick of the Drow hype, really quickly!
Anyway; I agree with a lot of your posts; and I did forget to mention N1 Cult of the Reptile God....good module! I've heard lots of good things about L1; but I've never run/played it.....have to try and add that one for the collection! :)
Your eyes do not deceive you. My DM interpreted that Lareth the Beautiful was a drow elf, and I agreed, even though, according to the passage, it does not mention anything outright of his racial origins. I guess we both merely assumed that any cleric of Lolth (Lloth, take your pick) had to be a drow elf. The description of that vile character surely seems to imply a drow, though in actual black-and white (for you "by the book" folk) says nothing if he's human, drow, or talking monkey. At least not that I see.
If you have access to Monster Mythology (one of my favorite accessory tomes), there is a complete entry about Lolth and her clergy, though, if you have, as I do (I HATE TO ADMIT THIS!) Drow of the Underdark (Forgotten Realms sourceguide), they give a FULL rundown of all things dark elf (including priesthood). Personally, I don't see Lolth having many male priests in her sexist clergy, but, perhaps Lareth is one of the few exceptions. It happens, yes?
Anyhow, my DM really did a great job those MANY years ago (high school) running Lareth as a wicked drow elven priest. We barely slew (?) him (or perhaps he fled...don't recall the details), with the help of some of the Hommlet NPCs (Elmo, and one of the St Cuthbert priests, come to mind, but not Burne or Rufus). Much later on, Lareth returned 'from the dead' to plague my PCs as a drider (cursed by Lolth for his failure).
I nearly forgot about Cult of the Reptile God! Man, that is truly a great module, akin to Hommlet in terms of lethality for low lvl characters, with a truly sinister plot. At least, I really liked running it as a DM. I am fairly sure that my main player would agree on that, b/c the adventure there comes up infrequently, even after so many yrs. A spirit naga had not featured, to my recollection, in another adventure until The Falcon series was created. So the idea wasn't quite unique, but I liked it nonethless.
thanks again for all the great input!
-Lanthorn, Drow-slayer (only b/c we aren't in the Realms where they are gods!)
p.s. don't get me wrong; I DO like the drow elves, but I think it is easy to 'powergame' with them given all their recent attentions and seemingly limitless abilities...here's another admission: I do read the Drizzt novels (gasp!) but am usually rooting against his demi-godlike abilities and enjoy it when he doesn't seem to always win
Last edited by Lanthorn on Tue Aug 30, 2011 12:07 pm; edited 2 times in total
For those of you who care (and Maxvale), the monstrous drow elf you mentioned earlier is a Weapons Master from one of the 'ruling' houses in Menzoberranzan (barrison del'Armgo, I believe) named Uthegental. He is noted for his spiky hair (gelled by boiled rothe' udders comes to mind), incredible strength (I think it's natural, not magical, but could be wrong, if someone wants to reference it...this is ALL of the top of my head), and the use of a trident, his preferred weapon. Uthegental wanted to fight Drizzt's (now long dead) father, the Weapons Master of House Do'Urden, but never got the chance to prove himself the better warrior, and much desired to get a "crack" at Drizzt. To my recollection, this never happened. I don't recall his level, but it is in the double digits; almost positive about that.
(sigh) NO, people, I don't intend to switch to Team Forgotten Realms! As I like to say, "Know thy enemy."
Funny no nods for B1 huh? :) I ran my kids through it and it was a decent amount of fun.. The pools and the teleportation room come to mind. I believe this module was also supposed to be grounded in Greyhawk somewhere up north. _________________ Dymond
-My kingdom for a Shield Lands map!
B1 was In Search of the Unknown which was a fun little dungeon filled with lots of interesting traps, and puzzles. It was built by a wizard if I remember correctly.
One of the things that I remember the most about it is the d20 you could roll to do random effects. Another one was a series of magical pools that had different things in them (like illusionary treasure in a pit of clear acid that looked like water.)
Sort of silly at places, but then again B2 was sort of silly as well.
Your very welcome! I mined it for idea's a long time ago. I never used the idea's for anything though now that I think about it.
In fact other than one of the Slavelord adventures I have only used the old Moathouse which I ran for Crystaltears a few months ago. I haven't really run or used many of the old adventures at all.
Iressi, you are missing out on some 'classics.' Many of those previously mentioned modules are great, though I guess you'd have to get them off Ebay or something at this point (or out of print book stores...how I love those places...like a candy store of literature).
I have enjoyed most of the Greyhawk modules, the A series is one of my favorites simply because it's a mid-level adventure series. The S-series was also fun with the Lost Cavern's being a stand-alone favorite. A pair of modules however that really stand out to me was the Sentinel and the Gauntlet in the UK series set in the Hold of the Sea Princes. Those two modules were ones that while useful were also an excellent read. UK 2 and 3 I think they were.
Dymond, I was just checking the CF modules list, no B1. You'll have to remind me which one that was. Or did you mean B2?
*does the 'I stumped the Scholar' dance*
It was a bit of silliness but alot of fun to run. My kids just finished the top floor last night. But they are out of supplies so they are headed back into town.
I believe I read that 'if' it was to be used in Greyhawk it was best to place it in Tenh or 'The Pale' since it references Barbarians from the north. _________________ Dymond
-My kingdom for a Shield Lands map!
While the 1st edition series of modules was great, and are all calssics, I think the 2nd edition series that leap to find is [/i]Falcon Master. The best part of it was that it forced the characters to engage in dtective work, and also developed the city quite thoroughly. The only drawback was that the characters were expected to be unfamiliar with the city when they arrived, so if you had sent them to Greyhawk before, it could be troublesome. Overall, I found it an engrossing series, and one that used the background of the city to immerse the characters.
I have most of them. I bought a whole bunch of 1st and 2nd edition pdf's back when Wizard was selling them. I am glad I did since they are no long carrying them.
I might very well run her through some of the classic adventures one day. :)
I very much like the Slavers series; though there are several minor inconsistences (like the name of a certain High priest; Stalman Klim or Mordrommo? :) ); but these are minor things....I didn't particularly care for how they changed things in the Super Module A1-4.
U1-U3 is a good series...I've only played U1; but someday; I'd like to paly the others!
I've always heard good things about L1-L2 as well; but I've never seen them.....yet! :)
As for Lareth; in looking at T1 and Especially T1-4; I'm more and more convinced that Lareth is a human. His stats if nothing else; pretty much ensures this. Allthough Gygax/Mentzer make a few "rule" mistakes here and there in the module (such as the +1 to damage for STR 15 which occurs several times); the rest of the super-module is VERY much designed for "by the book" campaigning. They specifically mention numerous folks' who can help with training for the levelling up (also, one of the reasons why I think the Dungeon is such a "monty haul" in terms of coinage/treasure).....etc., etc.
As Gygax created the Drow in the GDQ modules; I don't think he'd have a male Drow with a Strength of 18 since males were limited to 12 and females to 14 in his write-up on them. This is just a "gut feeling" on my part.....but I think Lareth was intended to be human.
However; everyone's campaign is thiers to do with as they please.....I have run T1-4 three times (and am currently running it for a 4th time); and in one of those times; I transported the bulk of the adventure to my own home-brew world and made several changes here and there....one of which was making Senshock a Blue Dragon Polymorphed into Human form to keep an eye on the CE "cult" of the Temple. He appeared to the PCs and gave them some info/assistance to help him clear out these "chaotics"; as he felt they had grown too powerful and were too close to getting "out of hand"....
Hello, would like to share as well...gods! there are sooo many!
S1..."The Tomb of Horrors" ...went thru about 3 pc's before I learned to let the thief to go first! My first game adventure... was introduce to AD&D by this mod. Ahh... the memories... the Fall of 1981!
L2..."The Assassin's Knot" .... memorable moments. Played it in one long, fantastic evening of gaming! Pass the cheetos!
I too enjoyed the "Saltmarsh" series and "Tomb of the Lizard King", amoung a dozen + others.
Outside of a few more, I enjoyed several (of many played) Living Greyhawk adventures, back in the day. Also, old issues of Polyhedron and Dungeon had some great adventures. There are literally hundreds of adventures to source, and many of them half decently written. A great many "home" games to add to that, one of my most successfull games was "Stones and Scrolls".
Lasted over 18 months and had two groups of 7 to 9 players (averaged 8 per group, sometimes 6 sometimes 9) who played in the same time frame of the game, I alternated weekends for the groups, with some incidents affecting the other group, while they travelled all over Oerth in search of items, locations, and certain artifacts...with the final game having both parties at the table... a bit difficult with 17 people at one table, but it was done and enjoyed! Some day I'll organize my notes and compile my materials on it... lots of paper, maps, & props!
Working on a new "Home" mod now, with mystery and revenge! Will actually be using some old PCs from games long ago, and using them to populate historical reference and a tomb or two.
Thanks for dusting off the memories Lanthorn, more pointedly to your original question... the adventures bonded us as players and through the game we also shared some great social times... life long friendship have been born of a few of these weekend mods... and it didn't involve drugs or booze or vandalism... buts lots of laughs, some arguments, lessons in problem solving and co-operation, late nights/long weekends and... lots of pasta & pizza and pop.
Glad to be of service, BusterBudd, and everyone else! It is always nice to resurrect fond memories.
It seems most of us can agree that the A series is a winner. Time and again those modules are mentioned as faves. The same seems true of the Hommlet module, and numerous posts also award the Saltmarsh series as noteworthy.
I was a sophomore in high school (1980) when my friend asked me to play. He didn't explain very well how the game was played, so it took some question-asking before I finally understood. The first adventure we went through, on a sunny crisp Autumn Saturday, was the example dungeon that appeared in the first edition DMG. When we were done I was totally enthusiastic for another play. It was a revelation. My next adventure was Mike Carr's In Search of the Unknown (B1). The background was much more detailed than the DMG adventure, and I found that the background was one of my favorite parts.
And for the next few years we play constantly, after enlisting a few other friends who had introduced my friend to the game. Without a doubt one of the best adventures we had was going through Slave Pits of the Undercity (A1). We died so many times, and had to regroup (or start a whole new group altogether) to finally defeat the dungeon. It was great, sometimes we would hire someone to join our group (after someone died), or sometimes we rerolled a whole new party. Each time we made up new background for a character, new reasons for having the group together. That was almost as much fun as playing the module.
Other standouts were the G series (Steading of the Hill Giant Chief , Glacial Rift of the Frost Giant Jarl, Hall of the Fire Giant King), Tomb Of Horrors and others.
Of course, the one thing that could possibly interrupt game play, struck me a like a ton of b ricks when it happened - GIRLS!
So I stopped playing for a few years. When I finally came back to it, we had all new players except for my friend who had gotten me into it in the first place. This time adventures like the Desert series (Pharaoh, Oasis of the White Palm, Lost Tomb of Martek), Ravenloft and many others stood out.
Another few years passed without playing. One day we got the first band back together and spent another few years playing. During this time we made good use of Greyhawk and I a lot of fond memories of the time.
I haven't played since 1997. Here is a few more standouts and I either played or DM'd.
T1 The Village of Hommlet T1–4 The Temple of Elemental Evil
The U series (Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh, Danger at Dunwater, The Final Enemy)
White Plume Mountain Baltron's Beacon Castle Amber Eye of the Serpent The Sentinel and The Gauntlet All That Glitters...
And a special mention to Judges Guild, especially time spent in The City State Of the Invisible Overlord.
Great times. Thanks Gary. May you rest in peace.
Otto. _________________ Always the beautiful answer that asks a more beautiful question. – e.e Cummings.
Back in the day I ran the crap out of the G series, White Plume Mt. and the Tomb of Horrors. Why? Because I didn't have much else. I do like them alot but since then I've collected many that I missed out on, like Saltmarsh which is an excellent low level module.
My favorite mod of all time however has to be Mordenkainen's Fantastic Adventure (added to Dungeon 112's Maure Castle).
Way back in the first few years I was playing D&D I ran through the G series and my favorite was G2 - Glacial Rift of the Frost Giant Jarl. I loved the setting and the monsters presented. Now I'm running a campaign set in Sterich I'm looking at converting it as the finale of this leg of the campaign, although I'm changing it to be a rescue mission to free Marquess Querchard, who was captured by the frost giants while on campaign against them in 579 (current year is 581), and was presumed dead. The Marchioness will discover this on a planned adventure where the players are escorting her to an oracle within the Chapel of Time (DNG # 118). Yes, I am departing quite a bit from canon events. Anyway, looking at G2 again after all these years it has really withstood the test of time, although for my purposes there are still a few things I'll be wanting to change. I can't stand not to tinker with stuff.
Anyway, looking at G2 again after all these years it has really withstood the test of time, although for my purposes there are still a few things I'll be wanting to change. I can't stand not to tinker with stuff.
I absolutely agree!
When I updated G2 for 2nd edition, I added a head shaman and a few undershamans, wrote short histories for most of the magical items found as treasure in the module, and equipped Jarl Grugnir with the magical items listed as part of his hord of treasure: He wields Brobdingnagian, the Hammer of Thunderbolts (it magically sizes to fit him and possession of it easily explains how he came to rule the clan), and the human-sized Two-handed Sword +4 (as a shortsword/dagger in his left hand) and wears the Tower Shield +1, +4 vs. Missiles as a buckler strapped to his left arm.
Jarl Grugnir was a much more dangerous opponent that time around.
I tinker with things so much that I should be a Transmuter mage. But, darned it all, sometimes you just need those Abjurations to save your hash against the enemy!
I ran the A modules out of order, and incomplete, as a series. My main player (with a Heironean paladin as the 'leader') launched into A1, Slave Pits of the Undercity, followed by a subsequent campaign against A2, Secret of the Slavers' Stockade. I didn't get a chance for his characters and NPCs to go through either A3 or A4 (though two of my hapless characters were placed, helpless, in the Dungeons, and barely escaped), but I did have some mighty naval battles. He even faced off once with the "Inner Circle" as I called them. It was a protracted campaign, and we still talk about it fondly. In spite of the fact that I 'tinkered,' and I'm OK with that.
I also tinker with NPCs in modules, and try to 'flesh' them out and give them purpose and depth. I don't like to run 'stock' villians, especially if they have a pivotal role in a campaign. Some of the best games have been run with a stroke and counterstroke between the heroes and their arch foes (the Slavers come to mind, again).
And, as some of you know by my other posts, I 'tinker' with rules.
Like so many, my favorites include the Giants, Drow and Temple of Elemental Evil. My campaign still uses the sites, especially since the PC's were not successful in clearing out the Temple of Elemental Evil, before provoking Iuz as set forth in that module. (I was actually rather surprised about that.)
Linkage to the Giants and Drow series is easy given the activities of Eclavdra, and since one of the long-time PC's is a male drow, there is some built in motivation for attacking Erelhi-Cinlu and its matriarchs.
Another adventure I and my players really enjoyed was "Chagmat" in Dragon Magazine #63. (I suddenly just found a pdf of this by Googling now that I thought of it!! The cover of my original had long since torn away). I DM'd it twice way back when and everybody seemed to like it. It has an outdoor section as the parties ascend a mountain, and then an interesting dungeon. The long-time drow PC mentioned earlier still keeps that amulet of Chag.
It seems that most folk agree that the old 1st edition modules are the best. I definitely agree. For me there are way too many 1st editon modules that I love. Especially C2-Ghost Tower of Inverness and L1-Secret of Bone Hill. I still own many of these modules and horde them.
That being said, I'm gonna step outside the box for a minute. I DM-ed 2 very exciting and quite large modules that I absolutely loved. Both were 3rd edition modules. The 1st was by Necromancer Games called 'The Bonegarden', which was basically the PC's being trapped in this huge cemetery that had a whole life of its own, both above ground and under ground. It took months to complete it and I think each PC died at least once. My players still talk about it. It was the darkest game I've ever ran and I played dark music from Nox Arcana and Midnight Syndicate to add to the ambiance. A couple of years later the PC's returned to 'The Bonegarden' to have it cleansed and liberate the people living underground.
The 2nd module was the Incursion campaign from Dragon Magazine #309 & Dungeon Magazine#100. In Dungeon Magazine it was called 'The Lich Queen's Beloved'. It was for 18th level PC's and was a world spanning event. The PC's had to travel to the Astral plane to stop the Githyanki Lich Queen from becoming a god. It was epic man! I really dragged this one out and had Githyanki popping up in other campaigns and assaulting different worlds. I used it as a tool to bring in older players that I had played with years before. It was a lot of fun.
I usually like base settings in modules better than the adventures themselves. Once the primary adveneture is done, the adventures continue: Restenford, Garrotten, Orlane, Hommlet, Nulb, The Keep on the Borderlands, Saltmarsh, Dunwater... and Greyhawk. Some of the towns in "Fate of Istus," and even the villages in "Patriots of Ulek" too (as an adventure, PofU is a little too "lead by the nose"). Even the universally hated "Gargoyle" provides a setting for future use in the Tors and Rushmoor.
A-Baneful-Backfire wrote:
...Another adventure I and my players really enjoyed was "Chagmat" in Dragon Magazine #63. (I suddenly just found a pdf of this by Googling now that I thought of it!! The cover of my original had long since torn away). I DM'd it twice way back when and everybody seemed to like it. It has an outdoor section as the parties ascend a mountain, and then an interesting dungeon. The long-time drow PC mentioned earlier still keeps that amulet of Chag.
-I've thought about integrating that. I figure somewhere around the Lortmil. I'd even keep the NPC's name intact: Akron Oheeyo, IIRC!
I once converted a Boothill adventure "Taming of Brimstone" into AD&D and set it in the Good Hills.
SirXaris wrote:
Return to the KotB is officially set in the Yeomanry and I've seen others online, years ago, put it in Tehn, which I think worked fairly well. However, I like my placement of it in the northern Vesve better than either of those choices...
-I put it at the confluence of the Jewel and Handmaiden Rivers (and turned the directions).
SirXaris wrote:
...Through the years and various editions of the game, I updated it and constantly added to the storyline to make the adventure fit within my vision of Greyhawk. (The Keep is located north of the Deepstill River in the Vesve Forest and ruled by a minor lord from Perrenland who is off to the east with most of the Keep's garrison fighting the forces of Iuz. That explains his absence, the reason why the Keep doesn't have the manpower to patrol the Caves area, and the presence of such an eclectic collection of humanoids and evil priests all living so close to each other - Iuz!
-That'll work. I asume that the post is financed by a combination of a trade guild (which ranges from the Ulek states, to Verbobonc, Celene, and the Wild Coast), temples of St. Cuthbert, Heironeius, and Zilchus, and the County of Ulek. The guild covers the guild in the keep. The
SPOILER ALERT (for the two people who need it)
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xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx...priest and his minions are spies for TEE...xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
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END SPOILER ALERT
and the humanoids are the decades-old ash & trash left over from the cleasening of the Lortmils. They were allies, not anymore!
I am still running a campaign through The Lost Caverns (second time...vastly different theme and plot), and next plan to add on a jaunt through the nearby Lost Temple of Tharizdun (just got my hands on it), but want to make it more than just a 'hack and slash' dungeon crawl (don't care for those these days). The A series...awesome. The Village of Hommlet...as per my initial post...brings me back to my first major adventure. (sigh)
I have a decent array of old (Gygax-designed) and newer modules that I have collected over the past decades. I admit that there are some which hold greater appeal to me than others, for various reasons (typically, though, I am drawn to an intricate plot more than a hack-and-slash dungeon crawl). What are some of your favorites...and why?
For the record, I enjoy the following, in no particular order:
-the Slave Lord saga (A series): one epic saga, full of some rough foes with expansive resources to command, who gave my PCs one helluva time, and later proved equally dangerous to some people in my campaign
-Saltmarsh saga (U series): I liked the layered plot...not what you'd expect at first glance, and more than just a hackfest but somewhat like a mystery
-Village of Hommlet (T1): this one has special meaning since this was the very FIRST adventure through which my own DM placed my ranger, fighter/mage, and bard, with a twist of his own; it nearly killed my PCs!
-Lost Caverns (S4): classic dungeoncrawl filled with some really nasty monsters and traps
There may be more, but those come to mind.
I am interested to hear your answers.
-Lanthorn
As people may have guessed I was an LG player. I have played very few pre Living Greyhawk mods from any setting. I know that the year 1-5 LG Geoff story arch was based on the original Against the Giants. I had much more fun with these adventures than I did later in Geoff with the fades. I always thought the fades was kind of a cop-out. Of these adventures my all time favorite was the “Song of Three Summonings” GEO04-03, GEO05-02, and GEO05-08. I thought Calisse’s character development and the history of Geoff presented in these adventures was very well done. They were hard but mixed roleplaying and fighting very well. They also involved a love story of Owen and Calisse that showed they really did love each other. Very Very well done.
Insearch of the Unknown was and is one of my favorites.... was the first I played as a player and have DM'd it as a starting off point to many an adventurer's career.
I modified it everytime I played it keeping up with things that moved, bodies that fell.... after many many years of that it added richly to the enviroment. Was fun to hand over partial mape (of previous deceased PCS) to the next to attempt to conquer the unknown. Quite amusing when the newbie thinks just because you found a map doesnt mean a) the "surveyor" knew anything about map making accuracy, or b) that the "residents" didnt do "home improvements"!
Of course I had to modify it to have more than the "three alcoves to the left and right entrance" (added cave entrances, and a "not so secret tunnel" to the reverse side of the fortification) so that some of the "more seasoned" players didn't recognize it so quickly. As said I found its a great starter game to imerse the newbie PC into the realm.
Against the giants but my version no subrace of drow imc so it was merely the giants claiming back lands lost or abandoned long ago and they see themselves as the rightful heirs.
Chaotic Evil to the core and you guys (gals?) organized this big plan?
Yeah, not buying it.
Argon, I think your version is better than what they put, hands down.
However, in my campaign, I made the Illithids the hidden enemy.
Lawful, brilliant, cowardly, prefers to use dupes and slaves...
Thanks for the compliment. The illithids are a good choice as their ability to use psychic energy can help them influence events. Though my main reason for clearing out the entire world IMC of a drow subrace had more to do with the over abundance of drow stuff and elves for that matter in D&D in general.
Besides how or why would giants ally with the drow. They are a lesser race much like the humans who have infested the former lands of the giants. My take on giant society ideology. Though no drow subrace IMC instead drow is what elves call those who have been cast out of elven society. So they need not be evil though most are. Valley elves do not believe or take part of casting out members from their society and they themselves are often under circumspect from other elven subraces.
Though my main reason for clearing out the entire world IMC of a drow subrace had more to do with the over abundance of drow stuff and elves for that matter in D&D in general.
Argon
Gents, you can blame Forgotten Realms (and Salvatore) for the drow hype. I can empathize with your perspective and dislike of the dark elf mania. It quickly became a monty haul approach to everything...
-Lanthorn
Note: don't confuse CE with a lack of planning or strategic brilliance.
Last edited by Lanthorn on Fri Jul 13, 2012 6:12 pm; edited 1 time in total
Thanks for the compliment. The illithids are a good choice as their ability to use psychic energy can help them influence events. Though my main reason for clearing out the entire world IMC of a drow subrace had more to do with the over abundance of drow stuff and elves for that matter in D&D in general.
N/P (That's my shorthand for "no problem", you'll see it a lot).
You earned it; I just pointed out the quality of your work.
I completely agree with your logic regarding the overabundance of elves et al.
I also understand why most folks shy away from the Illithids, since they're psionic, but they just fit too flawlessly (IMO) to pass on the opportunity.
Plus they're alien/aberrations so the psionic angle doesn't bug me, personally.
I like psionics though I call them psychics. I know phonetics but psychic sounds like a better fit to D&D then psionic. I like what 2e did for them, though the system needed work. I don't like to think of them as spells and am working on a 3.5 version that takes for the 2e core. In truth Green Ronin has a psychics handbook with some very interesting ideas on the class.
In case your wondering, no I was not influenced by Green Ronin at all. I have been using the name psychic since 2e. However, if you were to read the psychics handbook it is reminiscent of the 2e version.
In case your wondering, no I was not influenced by Green Ronin at all. I have been using the name psychic since 2e. However, if you were to read the psychics handbook it is reminiscent of the 2e version.
One my quirks/pet peevs is I must give credit where it's due and place blame where it's deserved.
I wouldn't dream (seriously) of saying the idea was anything but yours unless I had overwhelming evidence to the contrary.
The very fact you're on this board shows me you're a creative individual.
Why couldn't you have beaten Green Ronin to the punch?
Well for 2e I did though that was publish on the old TSR forums. My friend Lincoln edited it and I no longer have a copy of it. Though he's in Spain now I have not talked to him in a while. He probably still has it somewhere. Next time I speak to him I'll have to see if he stills has a copy.
Now Green Ronin beat me to 3e because I was late to the dance. Like announcement of 4e late to the dance for 3.5e.
Note: don't confuse CE with a lack of planning or strategic brilliance.
-Agreed. Lawful Good doesn't mean stupid. Neither does Chaotic Evil.
Argon wrote:
...Besides how or why would giants ally with the drow...
-Magic, an effective intelligence service, perceived planning smarts.
Argon wrote:
...Though my main reason for clearing out the entire world IMC of a drow subrace had more to do with the over abundance of drow stuff and elves for that matter in D&D in general...
-True. I'll add the Drow to my list of Iuz, Iggwilv, Vecna, and Zagyg as over-used puppet masters.
DrassustheGaunt wrote:
...I also understand why most folks shy away from the Illithids, since they're psionic, but they just fit too flawlessly (IMO) to pass on the opportunity...
-For those playing D&D 3.0/3.5, you could simply turn psionicists into sorcerers.
IMC giants use magic rune magic. Hence, my rune magic articles on CF. Rune magic origins are in the Jotun alphabet and many of its symbols are used to invoke the runes. Therefore they would have need of no additional magical assistance from the lesser races as giants would perceive a human, demi-human, or humanoid race. Dragons and giants are natural rivals each believing one is superior to the other though they have a mutual respect for each other. Dragons and giants both agree they are a superior race well beyond those of mankind. Another reasons you will never see half-dragons IMC it makes 10000000% no sense to me for such a species to exist at all. However, I could possibly see the rare or more likely unique giant/dragon crossbred. Half-giants I would say are possibly more likely, yet still rare. for at least their are anatomical similarities between the two races especially in smaller giant sub-races.
IMC giants use magic rune magic. Hence, my rune magic articles on CF. Rune magic origins are in the Jotun alphabet and many of its symbols are used to invoke the runes.
Again, that makes 2 of us.
What rules are you using for rune magic?
I ended up using the rules in the 3rd ed Forgotten Realms book.
Argon wrote:
Dragons and giants both agree they are a superior race well beyond those of mankind. Another reasons you will never see half-dragons IMC it makes 10000000% no sense to me for such a species to exist at all.
Agreed.
I never cared for them and didn't consciously realize why that was.
...Dragons and giants both agree they are a superior race well beyond those of mankind. Another reasons you will never see half-dragons IMC it makes 10000000% no sense to me for such a species to exist at all...
1) Hill Giants see themselves as superior to humans?
Must be my arrogant human racism.
2) Elves are pretty arrogant, but they seem to (ahem) get along with humans. But most combinations between humans on one hand and either orcs or ogres on the other would be at the humanoid's instigation...
3) For that reason, I'd say half-dragons could exist, but they'd be very, very rare. I think having an entire section in the D&D 3.5 Monster Manual dedicated to them was a bit wasteful. Same for half-fiends and half-celestials and tieflings. The soace would have been better spent on xvarts.
I have created my own rules for runes. I was originally writing this for 2E then 3 runes away from finishing my master piece my computer was infected with a virus and I lost everything on it. So a few years later I started to attempt it again this time with 3.5 e rules though easily converted to any edition. View the links below for more info.
There will be more to come. I just figured I would release them in smaller submissions so if I lose everything I still have a place to regain them from.
I have created my own rules for runes. I was originally writing this for 2E then 3 runes away from finishing my master piece my computer was infected with a virus and I lost everything on it.
Yeesh, that's awful.
Well, I'm glad you didn't let it beat you and went back to it.
One thing you'll learn from me on these boards is I never quit! Yeah, it hit me like a bulette to the gut. However, it took me a while to regather my composure do other things and come back with a fervor. Its 4th and goal 3 seconds on the clock what do you do?
Suck it up! place that ball in between your arms and plow on through the opposition!
On another note since your a fan of psionics aka psychics I listed two links below related to psychic energies. One was written a while ago the other was inspired by rules from Green Ronin I hope you enjoy.
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but am usually rooting against his demi-godlike abilities and enjoy it when he doesn't seem to always win
As I like to say, "Know thy enemy." 
Hello, would like to share as well...gods! there are sooo many!
