Best D&D Adventures

[Lancelot]

1) B4 - The Lost City (OD&D)
2) GDQ1-7 - Queen of Spiders (1e)
3) Dead Gods (2e Planescape)
4) S4 - Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth (1e)
5) Red Hand of Doom (3e)

 

[Morpheus]

Ravenloft (I6)
Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil
The Red Hand of Doom
The Banewarrens
Fane of the Witch King

 

[knightofround]

It would be interesting to see people post how long they've been playing along with their choices. I am shocked to see so many 1st/2nd adventures in here, because quite frankly I found them to be incredibly boring compared to more modern ones. The only way I can see all those 1st e stuff being on the list is for nostalgic reasons.

Like I picked up keep on the borderlands just because I heard it was a cool old-school adventure, and I thought the thing was terribly designed. Good for its time perhaps, but not something I would prefer to play today. The same goes for a large number of "oldies" here that I've read; T1-4, G1-G3, U1-3....

So here's my more "modern" list =P

1. Drow War, Mongoose
2. Banewarrens, Malhavoc
3. Return to Temple of Elemental Evil, WotC
4. Ravenloft I6, TSR (See I can appreciate some old stuff =P)

 

[Korgoth]

It would be interesting to see people post how long they've been playing along with their choices. I am shocked to see so many 1st/2nd adventures in here, because quite frankly I found them to be incredibly boring compared to more modern ones. The only way I can see all those 1st e stuff being on the list is for nostalgic reasons.

Oh, well if "knightofround" found them boring then they must be. There's no chance that he might have missed the point of their design philosophy. I must have been experiencing some Matrix-type illusion all that time they were rocking my face off. If only I could take off my rosy-colored glasses. It's like the opposite of They Live or something.



Or, I may be going out on a limb here... maybe they were written with a different set of priorities. Maybe they still stand up after all this time because they were actually good. Maybe modules are different nowadays because they have a different set of assumptions and priorities.

Let's take "Sunless Citadel" for example, a module many here have probably played. It was basically linear in nature, with at most two paths, a sub boss or two and a main boss. To people who are looking for a "story" then that may work, but where I come from it's boring design. Where's the labyrinth of passages, the sublevels, the spelunking, the challenge? If the players don't (or can't) miss half the encounters, it's not a dungeon.

 

[James Jacobs]

I'd have to pick...

1: Queen of the Spiders
2: Mordenkainen's Fantastic Adventure
3: Expedition to the Barrier Peaks
4: Dwellers of the Forbidden City
5: The Forgotten Temple of Tharizdun (despite it having the worst art ever)

Unless we're expanding out to include other game systems, in which case Call of Cthulhu's "Masks of Nyarlathotep" and "Beyond the Mountains of Madness" would probably bully their way onto the list.

 

[Fedifensor]

* Against the Giants (G1/G2/G3) - it feels like cheating, since it's actually three modules, but there is enough of a link between the three to justify it. One of my favorite D&D memories is the epic fight in the center room of the Hill Giant keep, where we barely survived.
* The Lost Island of Castanamir (C3) - A wonderful module. Loved the room portals, which made things very interesting for the party. The Gingwatzim were also a nice addition that added a lot of flavor, particular the naranzim.
* The Gauntlet (UK3) - Technically, this should also include The Sentinel (UK2) because the modules were a single story in two parts. Defending the keep against an entire attacking force (including a giant!) was very, very cool, and the final encounter was well done.
* Treasure Hunt (N4) - 0-level characters trapped on an island trying to escape, reaching 1st level in the process. Written by Aaron Allston (who has moved on to bigger and better-paying gigs), this was very well done.
* The Hall of the Rainbow Mage (Necromancer Games G3) - Perhaps the pinnacle of "3rd edition adventures, 1st edition feel". I DM'd this module instead of playing it, but I think both the players and myself had a lot of fun.

 

[vazanar]

In no order, my favorite have been to DM (and the first play)

Temple of Elemental Evil
Adams Wrath
Night of Dissolution (with the Ptolus path intro)
Rise of Runelords: Burnt Offerings and Skinsaw Murders

 

[Dykstrav]

It would be interesting to see people post how long they've been playing along with their choices. I am shocked to see so many 1st/2nd adventures in here, because quite frankly I found them to be incredibly boring compared to more modern ones. The only way I can see all those 1st e stuff being on the list is for nostalgic reasons.

I chose a superlative adventure from each major edition (1E, 2E, and 3.5), it just so happens that I like the style and narrative of 1E adventures, so that's what rounded out the list.

There have been some good modern adventures too--the Forge of Fury and Heart of Nightfang Spire stand out in particular. But since the question is about opinion, I'm not terribly surprised to hear some common elements among the opinions.

 

[RichGreen]

Unless we're expanding out to include other game systems, in which case Call of Cthulhu's "Masks of Nyarlathotep" and "Beyond the Mountains of Madness" would probably bully their way onto the list.

That would get Horror on the Orient Express on to mine!

 

[Erik Mona]

I think that "butchered" is a pretty strong word, as many of the modules that were reworked for In Search of Adventure started life as little more than completely random or largely unrelated encounters set in vaguely defined locations. Still, I know some people that really think there is something special about completely random and unrelated encounters set in vaguely defined locations. I'm not one of them, though

The changes I was referring to were not "improve by fleshing out" but "make fit in 128 pages (or whatever) by cutting out whole levels and subplots.

Or am I mistaken? It's possible, as I am far more familiar with Realms of Horror (which fits my criticism perfectly) than I am with In Search of the Unknown.

--Erik