D&D 5E Good Introductory 5E Adventure?

[Werebat]

I have the three core 5E books as well as the first WotDQ book, and am thinking of testing the 5E waters with some friends.

I've heard mixed reviews of WotDQ, though, and wonder if there might not be a better adventure out there to introduce people to 5E (we're all old players, from 2E and before).

Any suggestions?

 

[Nergal Pendragon]

I've heard that Lost Mines of Phandelver is a very good introductory adventure. Comes with the starter set.

 

[SirAntoine]

A better litmus test is to run an adventure you were familiar with from before, but with 5th Edition.

 

[Ackbladder]

I have the three core 5E books as well as the first WotDQ book, and am thinking of testing the 5E waters with some friends.

I've heard mixed reviews of WotDQ, though, and wonder if there might not be a better adventure out there to introduce people to 5E (we're all old players, from 2E and before).

Any suggestions?

I'd recommend the Starter Set (Lost Mines of Phandelver) to start with. It's an excellent adventure that will take you from L1 to L5. I've GM'd it (sadly, group wiped half way through the last big dungeon due to tough encounter and stupid/careless play).

Warning: HotDQ spoiler!

I'm currently playing in a HotDQ campaign, at L5, and I'm not that fond of it. There are some bright spots (first adventure, although it can be brutal), but lots of kind of aimless slogging. I've heard it has many issues with uneven encounters, and our group bears that out, but I have no idea if GM messed with it or not. I do know we entered an inn and 2 of our characters got WTF/pwned (pretty much insta-gibbed) by 4 clowns drinking at a table. Perhaps if half our party weren't out seeing to the wagons and animals they may have had a chance, but one doesn't usually worry about splitting the party when going into an inn as part of a caravan on a busy trade route.

So, before I'd resort to HotDQ, I'd consider converting a classic AD&D adventure (I recommend U1:Saltmarsh or N1:Cult of the Reptile God) or a Paizo Adventure Path. It's a lot of work - I'm currently converting the Paizo Shattered Star AP for my group. Another good candidate might be The Sunless Citadel 3.x module.

 

[SirAntoine]

Consider starting at high level also, which opens up the field to most modules. You want to get a taste of all that 5th edition has to offer.

 

[Sadras]

As others before me have said the Lost Mines of Phandelver is a pretty good starting adventure and requires minimal-to-no DM prep work which is what you want initially for a new group/campaign. Something easy and light.

 

[gweinel]

I would say Wizards Amulet from Necromancer Games. It is a free sweet 1st lvl adventure. It is a conversion of their successfull adventure from 3rd edition and I would highly recommended. It can be played out of the box with minimum of preparation. It isn't flawless (it was written before MM and DMG) but it is free and you can give it a try.

 

[Werebat]

I've heard that Lost Mines of Phandelver is a very good introductory adventure. Comes with the starter set.

Any way I can get my hands on it without buying the starter set (I waited and bought all the hardcover books as they came out)?

 

[meomwt]

I started two 3E campaigns with NeMoren's Vault and both worked well. There's a great mechanic for getting the players together, and almost all of the monsters in there would - off the top of my had - be found in the Basic Rules.

Although it is a fairly simple crawl, there's actually a dark story hidden in there. It's impressive.

 

[Galendril]

I'm starting my game with N1 Cult of the Reptile God. It was very easy to convert.