Best campaign starter

[fletch137]

I've been impressed with a lot of the adventures WotC has been putting out lately for D&D. I can't wait to run my group through 'Reavers of Harkenwald', 'Madness at Gardmore Abbey', and the current re-scripting of the Giant series.

Unfortunately, my friends haven't played 4e before, and I'm looking for that one, great 1st level adventure that really showcases the game and makes them anxious for more.

Any advice?

 

[Herobizkit]

Not "Keep on the Shadowfell". I don't have more advice than this at the moment..

 

[fletch137]

Not "Keep on the Shadowfell". I don't have more advice than this at the moment..

Hah! Yeah, I already played that one with my old gaming group before I moved out of state.

Don't want to make that mistake again with the new group I found locally.

 

[Unwise]

Isn't Reavers a 1st level adventure? I forget.

Personally, I like to run a session which is obviously set aside as a tutorial game. It generally involves the PCs meeting up. When I am up front about it, I get to introduce a lot of different game elements in a railroady fashion and everyone is OK with that.

A typical tutorial session might be, PCs meet on the road, introduce each other (but don't go into backgrounds at this stage). Attacked by kobolds (introduce minions, brutes, artillery). Track them back to their base using clues found on their bodies and tracks (nature/religion/history/dungeoneering/etc) skill challenge.

Introduce surprise attacks (one way or the other depending on skill challenge). Introduce Soldiers and Controllers (shaman with guards). Social skill challenge to get them to surrender once the leader is beaten and/or find out who is behind it all.

Finally bring it all together with a set-piece encounter. Fighting a solo wyrmling in an area with bridges over acid pools and some in-combat skill challenge they have to complete.

Can steal stats from the Chaos Scar:Hidden Library adventure in Dungeon mag.

It all really depends on your players. If they are truly newbies, they might appreciate a tutorial adventure before they start on the 'real' adventure. If they die in the tutorial, they just change the name on their character sheet (hence my suggestion to not have them go into backgrounds initially).

 

[Dr_Ruminahui]

That's pretty close to how my campaign started - party all together (they were diplomats, having "met" some time before), skill challenge, social interaction with NPCs, fight with just at-wills, 2x fight with at-wills + encounters, 2x fight with all abilities, level up.

That said, that progression made a lot of sense in my campaign world, as the magic level in their world was decreased (they were conceptually level 12 3.5 PCs) and they had to figure out why it had all changed.

 

[Quickleaf]

What about "The Slaying Stone"? I hear it's a great non-linear intro adventure.

 

[OnlineDM]

Dangit, you're asking too soon. I'm working on exactly this - a nice little intro adventure, with all of the cliches of D&D. It's a bunch of notes written on scrap paper, but not turned into an actual adventure yet.

That said, I do have two other suggestions. I've been told that the adventure in the Red Box is designed to get a party to level 2, at which point they head into Reavers of Harkenwold. I've run (and loved) Reavers, but haven't run the Red Box adventure (The Twisting Halls).

Finally, the first of my adventures in the Staff of Suha trilogy, The Stolen Staff, is fine for first-level characters. The second adventure, Tallinn's Tower, would be all right, too, but the third adventure, Descent Into Darkness, while it has a low-level version, is really ideal for level 6 and up. They're all free, so feel free to have a look and use them or not, as you like.

 

[OnlineDM]

What about "The Slaying Stone"? I hear it's a great non-linear intro adventure.

I had heard such great things about the Slaying Stone, too, so I got it last month. I've read most of it now, and it seems pretty good to me. It is indeed non-linear, and I love some of the touches like the backgrounds, the "future adventures" stuff and the treasure parcels in the last few pages.

I think that Madness at Gardmore Abbey is something of an evolution on this approach (a site with different factions that the PCs can explore in several different ways) and I've definitely had fun with that one, but I'll reserve judgment on The Slaying Stone until I actually have a chance to run it.

 

[Jack99]

What about "The Slaying Stone"? I hear it's a great non-linear intro adventure.

^^Arguably the best we have for 4e. YMMV of course.

 

[jshaft37]

if you have players that haven't played any D&D before, then I'd recommend the twisting halls from the red box. If they are familiar with D&D/RPG's then the Slaying Stone is excellent. I found that the slaying stone is VERY easy to expand upon for further adventures and even link to other WOTC adventures.