Against the Slavers reprint

Am I the only one who finds this sort of a weird choice to reprint? While the S series is incredibly iconic, the A series, while it was also created during the heyday of 1E, doesn't seem to have the same cachet to me.

I ran the modules, back in the day, and while I enjoyed A2 for its realistic-for-the-time enemy stronghold that actually reacts to intruders and have enormous love for the Gollum-crossed-with-Nightcrawler boggle, it's not a series that screams out to me to be iconic nor particularly illustrative of 1E that I can see.

The most iconic 1E series big enough for a hardcover compilation is GDQ. It's not a series that has been under-reprinted, but it's still worth reprinting, IMO. It's the first appearance of the drow, first planar series, features a variety of different adventuring locales (including an Underdark sandbox map) and is highly adaptable to other incarnations of the game.

If WotC didn't want to reprint it -- maybe it's being held back as the first supermodule for 5E, or something -- printing the B series of BD&D modules seems like another sure-fire hit. For 1E, the Saltmarsh series is also iconic -- moreso than the L series, as much fun as L1 was -- and T1-4 also seems like a no-brainer.

(There's also many great modules not part of a long enough series that could just be compiled. N1, EX 1 & 2, X1, X2, I6, the early Ravenloft modules, almost anything related to Planescape, the original Dark Sun modules, etc.)

Is there something I'm missing? Is the A series secretly the module series that everyone but me wanted to see reprinted next?

I think the A series was much better than the S series. As a series, the S modules were hit or miss with a lot of players. Sure, they have a certain iconicity, but not always in a positive way. I don't hear of too many groups who didn't at least have some fun with White Plume Mountain, but Tomb of Horrors seems to draw as much loathing as respect. Expedition to the Barrier Peaks is much the same - plenty of groups didn't like the sci-fi element added to their D&D.

But the Slavelords? Easy to find motivation, nice multi-chapter tale, a chance to affect politics across the entire Wild Coast, pretty good stuff to work with all around.

But is it better than T1-4 or GDQ?

billd91 said:

I think the A series was much better than the S series. As a series, the S modules were hit or miss with a lot of players. Sure, they have a certain iconicity, but not always in a positive way. I don't hear of too many groups who didn't at least have some fun with White Plume Mountain, but Tomb of Horrors seems to draw as much loathing as respect. Expedition to the Barrier Peaks is much the same - plenty of groups didn't like the sci-fi element added to their D&D.

But the Slavelords? Easy to find motivation, nice multi-chapter tale, a chance to affect politics across the entire Wild Coast, pretty good stuff to work with all around.

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Agree. It is more grounded than the S series. It is a pretty nicely threaded series of mid level adventures. I especially like A2 for some reason. Maybe it was the Boggle.

Whizbang Dustyboots said:

But is it better than T1-4 or GDQ?

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Much better than T1-4. A good lead in to GDQ, though.

G&D (not sure on Q) is probably coming. And others may be as well.

While the S series was awesome...I agree with Bill 91 and Raith 5 that the As are an obvious choice for a set of linked low to mid-level adventures with a pretty strong brand. (T1 is great, but Temple of Elemental Evil has issues...). And with A0, you can make much of a campaign with it.

I'm with you on the T2-4 (as if there's really three modules in the series after Homlett), but T1 is so solid ...

G1-3 and D1-3 (and yes, Q1 is ... quirky) just feel like they're more adaptable, more representative of 1E and more iconic than the A series. Honestly, the most "1E" aspect of the A series, in my mind, is the utter screw job A4 is outside of a tournament setting (where it originally came from). People who scream about railroads today clearly never showed up loaded for bear at the end of A3, only to have the rug pulled out from under them, with no chance to fight back. (That said, the slavers' island headquarters is pretty cool, if someone at WotC wanted to write it all out as more of a sandbox environment like D3 is.)

And I still think the U series is better.

I've got the silver edition Giants ... and the originals, also the original Slavers. Love the Giants, and the Slavers are great for low-mid level. They're both easily adaptable to 3x/PF too. I think the Slavers is worth a reprint.

still have no interest in 4e nor 5e.

I'm kinda surprised they didn't reprint either Slavers or Desert of Desolation. The other supermodules have all had the "Return to ..." treatment in prior editions, but not those two.

Well, Slavers IS getting reprinted, this June. But I think the Desert of Desolation is even more of a non-classic than Slavers is; I'd reprint Ravenloft or Tamoachan or Dwellers of the Forbidden City or Secret of Bone Hill first, myself.