1st level Starting Adventures - Which is the Best?

[WizarDru]

[*]Sunless Citadel is a good way to start a first level party, and the best of the "Adventure Path" series IMHO. It has combat, possible interaction with monsters, some traps and even new ideas. What it lacks is a context - it is just a dungeon you go into, clear and then go away. Maybe two sessions - unlike, say, Keep on the Borderlands.

Hmm. Not my experience at all. It took us 8 sessions to complete Sunless Citadel...and that was BEFORE most of my games story and political tie-ins had begun. Both SC and Forge of Fury are excellent in that they don't marry you to a particular story (though they offer some) and offer lots of beginner DM advice.

 

[WizarDru]

I'm well aware of what level ToH is appropriate for.

That was assumed. But without the smiley, other folks who weren't might get the wrong idea, which is why someone pointed it out.

Originally posted by Melan
Actually, if you take the time to remove the ONE combat encounter for ToH, it is very suitable for a larger group of first level PCs.

Just imagine: hordes of characters, and finally a select few will find the treasure and become very powerful for 1st level!

Actually, there's up to four combat encounters...and the last one is both Treasure AND boss monster. At best, they'd get to choose HOWand WHEN to die, not IF they die.

 

[Melan]

WizarDru: ah, but you don't really need to fight that last one. Just do what Lord Robilar did - scoop up the better looking stuff and run for it!

 

[Sir Whiskers]

If you have the issues, consider these from Dungeon:

Issue 82: Evil Unearthed. A small village with some npc's and a problem with a local temple. The players really wanted to get the bad guy (once they realized how badly he had suckered them). I started my first 3E campaign with this one.

Issue 83: Depths of Rage. Goblin barbarians in mountains being shaken by minor tremors. It's designed for a 3rd level party. My players went through this after Evil Unearthed and only had a bit of trouble (mainly thinking "they're just goblins...")

 

[Richards]

I'll put in a plug for "Gorgoldand's Gauntlet" from Dragon Annual #5 and the freebie CD that was packaged in issues of Dragon, Dungeon, and Star Wars Gamer. Definitely on the "puzzle" side of the adventure spectrum, however.

Johnathan

 

[diaglo]

well, if we are pulling adventures from DUngeon.

i have 98 of them...

Dungeon #4 Trouble at Grog's is probably the best beginner lvl of them all.

 

[Endur]

Keep on the Borderlands

B2 Keep on the Borderlands. Highest print run of any starting module ever.

It was originally written for 1e, so you would need a conversion for 3e.

Tom

 

[Grifter86]

Atlas and Necromancer Games

For best introductory adventures, I'd go for either Three Days to Kill by Atlas Press, for sheer noir value combined with tactical complexity, or Crucible of Freya by Necromancer Games, for lethality.

 

[LostSoul]

Are there any 1st level adventures out there that start out with action? And by action I mean a wave of attacks that brings the group together. Maybe the first wave of an orc war that the PCs run into.

 

[Someone]

I prefer "The longest night" over "Sunless Citadel" any day, so I´m surprised nobody mentioned it either.