OD&D Best Classic Adventures?

[Weiley31]

I have it for 5e. But I don't think this group of players particularly likes megadungeons.
Do megadungeons even work in Basic/OSR? Like, I would think the entire game mechanic of combat, rest, recovery would breakdown very quickly.

Temple of Elemental Evil is pretty much a Mega Dungeon(ish) IIRC technically. So yes they pretty much should.

 

[LordEntrails]

Against the Slave Lords... (A1-A4)
I'm sure it's full of problems, but another I remember fondly and is on my list to remix and re-run some day.

I too like Bone Hill as mentioned before.

Against the Giants (G1-G3) always had potential. Again, probably would have to re-write it to fill in the holes, but

 

[ccs]

Dungeonland & Land Beyond the Magic Mirror.

They've allready been mentioned, but I've always liked Horror on the Hill & Rahasia.

And you can never go wrong with:
I3: Pharaoh
I4: Oasis of the White Palm
I5: Lost Tomb of Martek
I6: Ravenloft

 

[reelo]

I have it for 5e. But I don't think this group of players particularly likes megadungeons.
Do megadungeons even work in Basic/OSR? Like, I would think the entire game mechanic of combat, rest, recovery would breakdown very quickly.

Megadungeons like the Barrowmaze are not meant to be explored in one go! Far from it! That's why you have several settlements, points of interest, and questhooks close by. You explore the barrow field, you get back to town. Once you discover the entrance to the maze, you explore a couple rooms and head back. Do other stuff, head back and explore some more. From the inside, you find a shortcut leading out, which next time you can use as an entry. Do some more outside stuff. Head to the maze again. These dungeons take MONTHS of in-game time! Hire henchmen. Trade loot for equipment. Discover how certain NPCs are involved. Deal with factions. It's all connected. The dungeon is the focal point of the campaign, but there's more to the campaign than the dungeon!
It's the original way of playing D&D, pretty much.

 

[aco175]

My favorite was Under Illefarn. Might be that it came out at the right time when I was just getting in DMing or that it was a whole campaign in one module.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

A lot of the modules mentioned (e.g. Saltmarsh series, I3-6) I would class as "early modern" rather than Old School. For a genuine Old School feel, I would recommend these:

Castle Amber
Expedition to the Barrier Peaks
Dungeonland & Land Beyond the Magic Mirror.

 

[Sacrosanct]

A lot of the modules mentioned (e.g. Saltmarsh series, I3-6) I would class as "early modern" rather than Old School. For a genuine Old School feel, I would recommend these:

Castle Amber
Expedition to the Barrier Peaks
Dungeonland & Land Beyond the Magic Mirror.

Why is that? Saltmarsh was written at the same time the others were. What is the dividing line between old school and early modern?

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Why is that? Saltmarsh was written at the same time the others were. What is the dividing line between old school and early modern?

It's a matter of style, not date. Saltmarsh was well ahead of it's time, it plays like a modern adventure. there is plenty of stuff written well after Saltmarsh that feels more old school.

 

[Sacrosanct]

It's a matter of style, not date. Saltmarsh was well ahead of it's time, it plays like a modern adventure. there is plenty of stuff written well after Saltmarsh that feels more old school.

I guess I'm still confused. How do you mean specifically? I'm guessing you have an idea of what old school feels to you (and Saltmarsh isn't it), but I suspect it's still very much old school for a lot of others. Is it because it's not a railroad dungeon crawl like KotBL? "Old school" is pretty much any style using the OD&D/AD&D/BECMI rules, as just like now, different tables had different styles, and they were all "old school" because they were played at the same time and used the same rules.

 

[Weiley31]

Vault of the Drow: Not for the ending to it with Lolth and the spaceship or even the Against the Giants part.

But mostly because of how it describes the main Vault itself and Erelhei-Cinlu itself especially. And then the Dragon Magazine #298 expanding upon it and it just creates a very strange/disturbing/wonderland scene that just seems killer appropriate for the CE image of the Drow. (STRICKLY just the messed up due to Lolth Drow. This has no reflection upon Drow who reject that and decide to leave the Underdark to get away from that madness.)

Also the Alabaster Slab just sounds like a crazy disturbing Bordello place.

I want Goodman Games to make a 5E conversion of it. Although right now I'm currently happy with Temple of Elemental Evil being done by them.