Greyhawk module before Scourge of the slave lords?

[Alzrius]

that makes a little more confusing yeah. I prefer to run GDQ has designed, without extra levels.

Bear in mind that GDQ "as designed" would leave off the Q. To quote from Shannon Appelcline's product history for Q1 Queen of the Demonweb Pits (affiliate link):

The Official Story. As the seventh adventure in a path that ran through G1-3 (1978) and D1-3 (1978), most folks expected the finale to be by the same author — which is to say Gary Gygax. Instead, Dave Sutherland was brought in to finish up Gygax's epic. In a preface to "Queen of the Demonweb," Gygax explained why: He said that "The Temple of Elemental Evil" (then also unfinished) had kept him from finishing Q1 because they were too similar in nature. He also praised Sutherland's work to the outer planes, saying that he'd personally chosen to put the adventure into Sutherland's "capable hands" and that the result was "a superior design" and "a fitting climax" (to the adventure path).

The Real Story. It turns out that Gygax was putting on a good face, and that Q1 was in fact produced against his express wishes, apparently at the insistence of Gygax's partner, Brian Blume. It would be the first outward sign of a division in the company that would lead to its takeover by Brian and his brother Kevin in 1982, and Gygax's subsequent exile to California (where he'd get the Dungeons & Dragons cartoon on the air).

If you look closer at Q1, you can see the cracks - i.e., that it's not actually the sequel Gygax intended. A careful reading of the G- and D-series modules suggests that the villain of the piece was the Eilservs drow clan, who worshiped the Elder Elemental God. If anything, Lolth should have been an erstwhile ally for the player characters in a final adventure against the EEG, rather than a final foe.

Gygax said that the villain got changed after Sutherland discovered the "demonweb" pattern in a hand towel and talked Blume into making Lolth the Big Bad.

 

[Greggy C]

Bear in mind that GDQ "as designed" would leave off the Q. To quote from Shannon Appelcline's product history for Q1 Queen of the Demonweb Pits (affiliate link):

I just mean keeping the modules at the levels they were made for. I heard the history on Q1 (and actually ran it in the 90s as part of my FR campaign).

 

[David Howery]

Of course, GDQ was supposed to be 8-14, so now you're kind of overrunning those levels, but I recall GDQ being pretty easy to make harder.

depends too on which edition you're using. IIRC, the giants were bigger in 2E. No idea about the later editions....

 

[Bacon Bits]

depends too on which edition you're using. IIRC, the giants were bigger in 2E. No idea about the later editions....

That's definitely true. Giants and dragons both change so much between editions it feels like you've just been told wildly diverging myths about them.

 

[Voadam]

depends too on which edition you're using. IIRC, the giants were bigger in 2E. No idea about the later editions....

Frost Giants:

Oe HD 10d6+1= 36 hp average 18' tall.
1e HD 10d8+1-4=47 hp average Large 15' tall.
2e HD 14d8+1-4=67 hp average Huge 21' tall.
3.5 HD 14d8+70=133 hp average Large 15' tall.
4e Level 17 Brute 201 hp, Large.
5e HD 12d12+60= 138 hp average Huge 21' tall.

 

[el-remmen]

I raised the levels for N1 - Against the Cult of the Reptile (remixed as Against the Cult of the LOAF in the first three issues of my zine HOW I RUN IT) to 3 to 5 because when I ran it in the past, I had a near TPK (6 PCs walked in, only 2 walked out alive) and played in it TWICE and both times were TPKs!

Spoiler: Spoilers for U1-U3 and connecting to A1-4

If I were going to connect the U1 and U2 modules to the A1-4 modules (skipping U3 because it is higher level and harder to make fit), I'd change it so that the threat the lizardfolk are arming against are the slavers (maybe they are taking lizardfolk slaves leading to possible conflict between uninvolved humans and angry lizzies), which could lead the PCs to hunt down the slavers to dish out justice and stop the potential conflict. If you wanted to replace one of the A-modules with U3 you could then say one of the primary purchasers of the lizardfolk slaves are the sahuagin. If you make the slavers part of the Scarlet Brotherhood, they could be temporarily ignoring their humans-first philosophy to have the sahuagin sweep in and attack Saltmarsh and neighboring coastal towns to undermine local government and have people turn to the SB's for help.

 

[Sacrosanct]

I think it depends on what you mean by "before". Publishing order? Order they were supposed to have taken place in Greyhawk? Order of progression for levels?

I've always heard that the progression was "supposed" to be T1-4, then A1-4, then GDQ1-7.

I don't know how that would work, as by the end of T4, most PCs will be around level 8 (that's what the adventure says, and IME, that's where they landed). Which would be too high for A series

The last time I ran T1-4, I followed it up with White Plume Mountain

 

[Akrasia]

While I could start with A0 Danger at Darkshelf Quarry, it feels like cheating.

Why would using A0 feel like "cheating"?

Anyhow, if you're using 1e AD&D (or are fine converting to your preferred edition), I don't see what's wrong with using A0.

Then, before A1-4 proper, you could run the adventure "Lowdown in Highport" (for levels 3-5) from Dungeon #221.

A0 + "Lowdown" might be enough to improve your characters to level 4. But you may want to insert another adventure (before or after A0). B2 might do nicely, as one of its suggested locations is on the edge of the Pomaj. (Or use B2 instead of A0, if you're really opposed to A0.) And/or track down "Citadel by the Sea" (Dragon # 78).

After running A1-4, you could cap the series off with "The Last Slave Lord" from Dungeon #215.

That's would I would like to do someday: run A0, "Lowdown," A1-4, and "Last Slave Lord" (with perhaps an adventure or two before or after A0)...

 

[QuentinGeorge]

I don't know how that would work, as by the end of T4, most PCs will be around level 8 (that's what the adventure says, and IME, that's where they landed). Which would be too high for A series

The last time I ran T1-4, I followed it up with White Plume Mountain

The actual progression that is being misremembered here is T1-4 then S4 then the Lost Shrine of Thrazidun.

 

[Greggy C]

Why would using A0 feel like "cheating"?

Just because it was written 30 years later to feel like a 1980s module as opposed to being an original 80's child.