First Level Adventures Are The Hardest to Write

[LizardWizard]

Although it may sound weird, adventures for 1st-level characters are notoriously difficult to create.
I mean *original* adventures. For this purpose, "original" signifies "one that does not feature kobolds, goblins, brigands, monstrous centipedes, rats, skeletons, zombies, and an ogre as a boss monster".
Alas, the majority of low-level modules are of the "Against the Kobolds and Goblin" fare. Everybody seems to complain about the difficulties of challenging PCs of levels 10+, but I think it is just as hard to provide low-level characters with an interesting opposition (especially if they are run by experienced players that have seen it all).
One of the most refreshing 1st-level modules is "Dead Man's Quest", a Freeport adventure in the February issue of Dungeon/Polyhedron. The plot is a bit less clicheed, and the only run-of-the-mill monster is a ghoul.
Do you know any other adventures that deviate from the "Keep on the Borderlands" standards?
P.S. Oops, wrong forum. Could anybody move it to "General RPG Discussion"?

 

[drnuncheon]

One of the most refreshing 1st-level modules is "Dead Man's Quest", a Freeport adventure in the February issue of Dungeon/Polyhedron. The plot is a bit less clicheed, and the only run-of-the-mill monster is a ghoul.

While you're looking at Freeport, Death in Freeport might fit your bill. There are low-level undead and an evil cleric, but there's a good mystery that keeps it from being cliche. Similarly, Of Sound Mind may feature goblins, but it's got enough twists that the goblins are almost incidental.

J

 

[Wraith Form]

I'm of the same mind as you, LizWiz. I get tired of the "monsteroid" BBEGs--where are the good old evil humanoid (emphasis on human) bad guys?

I pulled out from my collection every Dungeon magazine that's been published from the release of D&D 3.0 to present, and skimmed them. There are hardly any low-level--i.e. 1st or 2nd level--adventures {I could end the sentence here, but that's not my point....} that don't feature some silly "Goblin with the Flannel-Wearer template" or "Half-Dragon Kobold Pacifist Monk of the God of War" as it's boss. Bleh.

Give me Goldfinger or Doctor No. Give me Elaith Craulnober. Give me Darth Vader, a human under all that armor and angst. Give me Lex Luthor (or even Lionel, Smallville fans). The series Firefly showed us that human opponents can be just as horrible and evil as any "monster".

I challenge you adventure and module writers to lay off the monsteroid bad guys and start including more human(-oid) bad guys..!

So, what's left?

The Dungeon adventure Deep Freeze in ish #83 was a decent low-level challenge without resorting to too much silliness. It was also a minor hommage to Lovecraft's At the Mountains of Madness.

The Freeport adventures are the first (IMHO) successful attempt to bring the Cthulhu mythos into a fantasy world without "silliness".

These are not enough adventures to keep the 1st level party challenged for too long...! Any other suggestions?

 

[LizardWizard]

While you're looking at Freeport, Death in Freeport might fit your bill. There are low-level undead and an evil cleric, but there's a good mystery that keeps it from being cliche. Similarly, Of Sound Mind may feature goblins, but it's got enough twists that the goblins are almost incidental.

J

Yeah, I've checked that out too. Death in Freeport is darn good, although the idea of serpentine cultist undoubtedly hearkens back to Lovecraft, Howard, and their imitators (which is not a bad thing, BTW) .

2 Wraith Form
Although your pet peeve with low-level modules seems to be somewhat different, I wholeheartedly agree that there is too many silly dungeoncrawling in those modules, instead of something different.
The famed "Gorgoldand's Gauntlet" is an attempt to spice up the dungeoncrawling, but is incredibly childish.