Did the Brits do it better?

[The Shaman]

I didn't care for the Saltmarsh modules, and I'm personally unfamliar with any of the other modules not part of that series.

So for me, not so much.

 

[Jhaelen]

In one word: yes!

Though the adventure did include various dungeons, they probably wouldn't be considered "dungeon crawls" like what TSR US was producing. They weren't tournament products, either. They had plots and plot twists, they had logical dungeons and encounters.

Exactly. Back in the days the UK modules were the only 'official' D&D modules I considered to be worth playing. As for why: well, I guess we Europeans just have different tastes and preferences (and accents, too )?

All of the other published modules I used were intended for different rpg systems and all of them were decidedly less 'dungeon-crawly' than the TSR US modules.

The final nail in the coffin of the US modules was their cost: They were very expensive (at least here in Germany!), particularly compared to their very low page count.

I think these early US modules are a large part of the reason why D&D got such a bad rep here in Germany.

 

[S'mon]

I LOVED Saltmarsh as a standalone- the other two didn't (nor still do ) much for me.

That's how I feel - I tried running them and U1 is great, but U2 & U3 seem like rather uninspired maze-dungeons to me.

The Alderweg and other TSR-UK modules are interesting and different from the regular TSR stuff of that era (early '80s), maybe a bit more cerebral, but I'm not sure they're objectively better. All that 'silver age' stuff seems vastly superior to TSR product of the late '80s & '90s, IMO.

 

[Andor]

I have very fond memories of running both Beyond the Crystal Cave and All That Glitters as a teenager. One summer at camp I ran All That Glitters three times for three different groups of kids and councilors.

I'm excited that Wizards is updating Beyond the Crystal Cave for 4E.

They are? Oi. They'd better not pull a Lucas on one of my favorite module memories. You hear that Greedo?

 

[alms66]

If you really want to see how the Brits did it better, pick up the British answer to D&D...

Dragon Warriors, now owned by Serpent King Games. It's the best version of D&D I've ever played, despite not actually being D&D. The system, the setting and the adventures are better than anything I've ever bought from any version of D&D.

 

[juboke]

Where did the Githyanki appear before the Fiend Folio?

White Dwarf #12

 

[Keefe the Thief]

In one word: yes!
Exactly. Back in the days the UK modules were the only 'official' D&D modules I considered to be worth playing. As for why: well, I guess we Europeans just have different tastes and preferences (and accents, too )?

All of the other published modules I used were intended for different rpg systems and all of them were decidedly less 'dungeon-crawly' than the TSR US modules.

The final nail in the coffin of the US modules was their cost: They were very expensive (at least here in Germany!), particularly compared to their very low page count.

I think these early US modules are a large part of the reason why D&D got such a bad rep here in Germany.

Also, marketing and translation ranged from bad to abysmal. First, we had these guys:

Vanished without a trace. Then we had Amigo - well known for bringing out a boxed set that contained nothing else than the PHB (and dice, perhaps). Feder & Schwert took then over the heavy burden of forgettable marketing and crappy translations, and since they dropped it, nobody was courageous enough to pick up the license again. Ulisses pushes Pathfinder because, well, every German RPGer is instilled with the idea that D&D is pure hack'n'slash. Selling something that is some kind of D&D without being called D&D is much easier.

/tangent

 

[Azgulor]

Short version: Yes, they did it better.

Long version:
While I think that modules like Ravenloft and the Desert of Desolation series showed that the US could do good story-driven adventures in interesting settings with interesting characters, the UK series did it first (or at least I was exposed to them first).

U-Series Saltmarsh is classic. It's probably my favorite 1st-level module of all time. The others in the series are also good, however, they were different than U1 or the traditional dungeon-crawl fare being produced at the time. U2 had a wide range of outcomes depending on whether it was run as a simple monster lair or run as a community of beings defending their home (civilization vs. displaced natives). U3 introduces the challenge of underwater considerations and, IMO, has yet to be beat for handling it (no gimmicky pseudo-submarine crap or other nonsense). The only times U2 & U3 didn't shine are the times that I ran it poorly.

The Alderweg series.[/B] Great adventures taken separately & an excellent pair taken together. Iconic for having to storm a castle and then defend it. Also iconic for showing my inexperienced DM eyes how to approach giants as an intelligent force and the first in-game example of the Fantasy Bad Guy Army.

When a Star Falls. Probably my favorite adventure locale. The Tower of the Heavens just seemed (and still does) so iconic -- the settlement of oracles that people travel to in search of wisdom, power, enlightenment, etc. The history and dynamics of the place just rock. Even if the adventure in total doesn't appear, the Tower of the Heavens has made an appearance in every campaign I've run since I first ran this module.

Eye of the Serpent. Compared to the ones above, I considered it a so-so module. However, I dusted it off, updated it to PF, and ran it for my kids as their intro adventure. I was impressed by home much detail it had and it held up remarkably well.


If I had to boil it down to one reason why the UK authors did it better, it's because they challenged me as a DM. The backstory, characters, plot all combined in a way that every adventure was memorable if I treated it as more than a dungeon crawl. I think I would have arrived at that eventually, but these modules were like an express lane for an inexperienced DM. It benefited my players, as well as myself. Great, great stuff.

 

[pemerton]

Another vote for Night's Dark Terror.

Where did the Githyanki appear before the Fiend Folio?

White Dwarf, like most of the Fiend Folio monsters. (It was compiled from the White Dwarf Fiend Factory, plus some addins like Drow and Lolth.)

 

[PapersAndPaychecks]

Githyanki, Githzerai, Death Knights and Slaadi were all by Charles Stross, who went on to become a sci-fi and fantasy author in his own right. We're fortunate that Mr Stross' other efforts didn't make it into the D&D canon, because the world doesn't need Zytra, Demon Lord of Mindflayers!!!!one!1!eleven.

The Sons of Kyuss are another of my faves from that book. The Fiend Folio is a bit patchy, but when it's good it's excellent.