Best D&D Adventures

[Celebrim]

Of Sound Mind: Piratecat wrote this and I'm still waiting for the sequal!!
I've ran two D&D campaigns since the module was written and I have used it in both campaigns, the only module written for 3ed that I've done that with. It is creative and fun and a little bit off which realyl helps it.

Indeed. One of the better modules ever written. I adapted this to my latest campaign as well by changing the psionic theme to a necromancy theme and expanding the map a bit. The conversion of the backstory from sapphire dragon to green dragon seeking to convert to a dracolich was easy and fit well. I can't help but think the module was unfairly overlooked because of the psionic hook. Like me, a lot of people probably just don't like psionics, but its a great module that does everything a module should do.

I even ran the next stage of the campaign as what I thought was suggested by the text for the sequel - an adventure to stop an evil cult at one of the foundries from stealing the bell in order to melt it down for an evil plot.

I'd love to here from [MENTION=2]Piratecat[/MENTION] about what he was intending to follow up the module with.

Sinister Secret of Salt Marsh: This is a very good little mystery and investigation. It doesn't feel like a typical dungeon crawl and it isn't.

This would make my list if only the next two modules weren't so fatally flawed.

 

[Crothian]

This would make my list if only the next two modules weren't so fatally flawed.

I've ran the Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh many time but never ran the two sequels. The module stands alone perfectly and doesn't need the others.

 

[Mark CMG]

Indeed. One of the better modules ever written. I adapted this to my latest campaign as well by changing the psionic theme to a necromancy theme and expanding the map a bit. The conversion of the backstory from sapphire dragon to green dragon seeking to convert to a dracolich was easy and fit well. I can't help but think the module was unfairly overlooked because of the psionic hook. Like me, a lot of people probably just don't like psionics, but its a great module that does everything a module should do.

I even ran the next stage of the campaign as what I thought was suggested by the text for the sequel - an adventure to stop an evil cult at one of the foundries from stealing the bell in order to melt it down for an evil plot.

I'd love to here from [MENTION=2]Piratecat[/MENTION] about what he was intending to follow up the module with.

I believe I heard a rumor that a sequel was being commissioned.

 

[Lanefan]

The Temple of Poseidon (Dragon magazine #46), by Paul Reiche III

I actually just finished running this one last weekend, somewhat modified to fit my campaign. It's not bad at all - particularly for a Drag-Mag throw-in - and the author goes into some of the "what ifs" decently enough; but there's still some places early on where the party can easily stand the module on its head by doing something fairly obvious e.g. approach by land instead of by sea and-or fly or climb into the balcony rather than row into the caves.

Lan-"I put a part of Cthulhu in the basement - fortunately the party didn't wake it up"-efan

 

[daemonslye]

I'm such a sucker for these things. Here's my list:

1. Gary Gygax, "Dungeon Module G3 Hall of the Fire Giant King" (Lake Geneva, WI, TSR Games: 1978)
2. Harold Johnson and Tom Moldvay, "Dungeon Module A2 Secret of the Slavers Stockade" (Lake Geneva, WI, TSR Hobbies, Inc.: 1981)
3. Tracy and Laura Hickman, "Ravenloft" (Lake Geneva, WI, TSR Inc.: 1983)
4. Mark Acres, "Tomb of the Lizard King" (Lake Geneva, WI, TSR Hobbies, Inc.: 1982)
5. Gary Gygax, "The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth" (Lake Geneva, WI, TSR Hobbies, Inc.: 1982)

Continuing on past five:

6. James Jacobs, "There Is No Honor" (Bellvue, WA, Dragon Magazine #139: October 2006)
7. Aaron Allston, "Skarda's Mirror" (Lake Geneva, WI, TSR Inc.: 1987)
8. Monte Cook, "A Paladin in Hell" (Renton, WA, Wizards of the Coast Inc.: 1998)
9. Daniel Greenberg and Sam Shirley, "Swordthrust" (Chicago, IL, Mayfair Games: 1984) - pure nostagia
10. Frank Mentzer and Paul Jaquays, "Egg of the Phoenix" (Lake Geneva, WI, TSR Inc.: 1987)
12. Gary Gygax and Frank Mentzer, "The Temple of Elemental Evil" (Lake Geneva, WI, TSR Inc.: May 1987)
13. Greg A. Vaughan, "Curse of the Crimson Throne: Skeletons of Scarwall" (Bellvue, WA, Pathfinder Adventure Path #11, Paizo Publishing, LLC.: July 2008)
14. Richard Pett, "The Sea Wyvern's Wake" (Bellvue, WA, Paizo Publishing, LLC., Dragon Magazine #141: December 2006)
15. Roger E. Moore, "Return of the Eight" (Renton, WA, Wizards of the Coast Inc.: 1998)
16. Philip Meyers, "Baltrons Beacon" (Lake Geneva, WI, TSR Inc.: 1985)
17. David "Zeb" Cook, "Vecna Lives!" (Lake Geneva, WI, TSR Inc.: 1990)

This was much harder than I thought, once I started writing them down and force-ranking. It is hard (for me) to separate nostalgia from well written adventures, but I suspect many of these combine the two (with a couple exceptions). Also, some of these were totally new formats when written (ex. Ravenloft) which increases their weight with me. This kind of list helps me prioritize as I'm in the middle of converting a few of these to Pathfinder RPG Rules (in the Paizo Messageboards). So, thanks!

Cheers,

~D

 

[Lidgar]

1. GDQ - Queen of Spiders
2. T1-4 - Temple of Elemental Evil
3. A2 - Stockade of the Slave Lords
4. DCC #28 - Into the Wilds
5. DCC #51 - Castle Whiterock

Had a blast with all of these...

 

[Ariosto]

...the party can easily stand the module on its head by doing something fairly obvious e.g. approach by land instead of by sea and-or fly or climb into the balcony rather than row into the caves.

I don't recall any reason to consider those possibilities disastrous to a fun game. Maybe I should have a look to refresh my memory of the situation. Not, as I tried to make clear, that I seriously mean to place the scenario in the top 5 of all time! Paul wrote in his introduction that he had learned some things since that design.

Sometimes people want very different things from a D&D scenario, though. A case in point:

17. David "Zeb" Cook, "Vecna Lives!" (Lake Geneva, WI, TSR Inc.: 1990)

That is #1 on my personal hit list of worst D&D scenarios! Granted, that may be because it was the last nail in the coffin of my interest in TSR's 2e AD&D output. It might be nice reading material for a DM interested in Dave Cook's version of Greyhawk, but for my money (Oh, rue that dark day!) it's a big steaming pile as a game for players.

 

[Ariosto]

FA2 Nightmare Keep, by Rick Swan, also came out in 1990, I think -- and was for my taste much superior to "Vecna Railroads!".

Edit: Wikipedia says 1991, so maybe "Vecna Lives!" was not really quite the last nail. I do know that after '91 I pretty much lost interest in TSR product, so there could be worse rubbish I never encountered (along with some gems, too, perhaps).

 

[Lanefan]

I don't recall any reason to consider those possibilities disastrous to a fun game. Maybe I should have a look to refresh my memory of the situation. Not, as I tried to make clear, that I seriously mean to place the scenario in the top 5 of all time! Paul wrote in his introduction that he had learned some things since that design.

No the possibilities are not at all disastrous (in fact I prefer it when such things exist); my quibble was simply the writer made no account for them whatsoever and simply assumed the party would enter as the writer intended.

Lan-"1st law of adventuring: go in through the back door, out through the front"-efan

 

[lordxaviar]

What are your top 5 published D&D adventures? By D&D I mean any edition - OD&D, BECMI, 1e->4e - and I would also include Castles & Crusades, HackMaster and Pathfinder.

EDIT: Added HackMaster.

A series.. love A-4 - (learn to improvise)
U series - especially 3 (learn to run away)
S-3 Barrier Peaks (omg techno- cant wait to work on this for 3.5)
Temple of Ra accused by set - Judges guild
Dark tower - Judges guild

guess that works..