D&D 5E A (good) 5E adventure for Basic Rules only

[NineLizards]

A friend of mine is a teacher, and he plans to let his class run through a (simplified) 5E adventure, using only the Basic Rules.

I've been looking around, and I wondered if there is an adventure (preferably a good one ) which is a. free and b. entirely playable with the Basic Rules. I've been looking for one, just to satisfy my curiosity, but haven't been able to find one.

(Let me add that I do find the 5E Starter Set pretty impressive, probably the best starter set TSR / WOTC ever cooked up. I'd suggest regular (interested / potential) players to go Starter Set -> Basic Rules + Something -> PHB -> DMG + MM -> Mortgage -> Sell both kidneys, but that's not the point )

Anyone any suggestions?

 

[JeffB]

Not too much free out there that I know of. I believe FGG/Necromancer re-released The Wizards Amulet for 5E.

 

[Parmandur]

Keep in mind that there is zero in the full rules that is needed for any Adventure: any could be run with the Basic Rules. So, any free Advent would fit your parameters, and there are several for free on the DMsGuild.

 

[MockingBird]

It's not free but this situation screams Essentials Kit. It's the basic rules with some adventures and let's you level up to 6th level. The books, much to my surprise, are perfect bound (am I correct?) and very professional looking. Plus all the condition and magic item cards are very new user friendly.

 

[darjr]

The AL mods republish monster stats used in the adventure. So you don’t HAVE to have them from another source. Also many of the intro ones are free. The DDEX 1-1 is also very good. Five one hour low level adventures.

 

[Volund]

How about Princes of the Apocalypse?

Wizards released the low-level chapter of PotA for D&D Encounters play:
https://media.wizards.com/2015/downloads/dnd/DDEN_PrincesoftheApocalypse.pdf

There are a few stat blocks in the adventure that aren't in the basic rules, but WotC also released a supplement so you can play it without the MM:
https://media.wizards.com/2015/downloads/dnd/PrincesApocalypse_AdvSupplementv1.0_PrinterFriendly.pdf

I've run this for new players and they enjoyed it. Wizards also did a similar release for Hoard of the Dragon Queen, but I haven't run it.

 

[Cyan Wisp]

Heh, I'm also a teacher setting up child-run games using Basic Rules. Here are some "pay what you want" (you can pay $0 if you want) adventures from DMs Guild. There are more for minimal outlay - including a bundle for $2 NZ. Just do a search for "Basic Rules".

A Most Potent Brew
Horror at Havel's Cross
The Hound of Cabell's Tomb
The Horn of Plenty

As someone else has suggested, there is a plethora of free adventures out there and Basic Rules will work just as easily, generally, or will be easily adapted.

 

[NineLizards]

The AL mods republish monster stats used in the adventure. So you don’t HAVE to have them from another source. Also many of the intro ones are free. The DDEX 1-1 is also very good. Five one hour low level adventures.

I think DDEX isn't free (anymore?) so that one doesn't qualify.

(It actually makes me wonder what happened to all downloadable stuff on WOTC's website. There was tons of stuff, some of the deep links actually still work, but there's no TOC, index, anything. A very few items have moved to DM's Guild, the rest appears to be gone.)

 

[NineLizards]

Heh, I'm also a teacher setting up child-run games using Basic Rules.
...
As someone else has suggested, there is a plethora of free adventures out there and Basic Rules will work just as easily, generally, or will be easily adapted.

Yep. I was just surprised it was so hard to find something explicitly 'only needing the BR'.

Edit: I never thought searching through the DM's Guild using the search term 'Basic Rules' Ooops! That helped. Thanks!

We've been looking at quite a bit of material now, and checking out the suggestions made in this thread. We might actually build our own adventure, in a bit of a 'Points of Lights' / 'Midnight' inspired setting. (I didn't like 4e, but the concept of isolated villages surrounded by monsters works well for an introduction campaign I think.)