best non TSR/WotC/d20/OGL published fantasy adventures

[Akrasia]

My favorite non-D&D adventure--maybe my favorite adventure period--is the Court of Ardor by Terry Amthor from the golden age of ICE...

This is probably my favourite campaign/adventure module of all time as well. Amthor's "Cloudlords of Tanara" (written around the same time) is also a favourite.

The thing I like about those old ICE campaign settings is that they give you a great overview of the region in question, lots of useful maps (including beautiful regional maps that put most of today's maps to shame), a number of interesting NPCs and adventure hooks, all without a lot of tedious and unnecessary detail. There are no 'hand holding' sections or lengthy narratives in those products. They cut right to the action, and trust the GM to fill in the details.

I would take "Court of Ardor" over any current campaign product. "Ardor" had more good stuff in 64 pages than most current campaign/adventure settings do in 200+. (Yes ICE used a relatively small font, but the ICE modules were succinct nonetheless.)

 

[Psion]

Though they were d20 in spirit, I found Mayfair's Lich Lords and Elves to be good, flavorful adventures with interesting challenges that were hard to find in official adventures of the day.

Before Vampire came out, White Wolf magazine published an anothology of generic fantasy adventures (that unlike the Mayfair adventures, were truly systemless). One called (IIRC) Isle of Dreams, was a personal favorite. In fact, I plan to run it again soon.

 

[Cergorach]

So i'm not the only one that likes old ICE stuff, the first thing i got from ICE was the Bladestorm boxed set (new at around $2 because no one buying it at full price and it was taking up shelf space at my old FLGS), and it's still one of my favorite rpg books/boxes. I'm not a big fan of the described skirmish system, but the setting sounds so kewl. Especially when the pcs find themselves on the island by accident and need to learn how to survive in this rather strange environment (you start a battle that's to big and you get cut to pieces by a bladestorm)...

 

[HellHound]

Back in the day, a strangely large percentage of the creative staff at Iron Crown were architecture majors, so their building maps were just incredible.

Wow. Thanks, suddenly that makes SO much sense. I have always been in awe of those products as a gamer, and the maps were a huge part of the awe.

---

Teh reality, for myself, is that I never bought any other S&S adventures - by the time I settled into other RPGs from D&D, I was happy writing my own material - the exceptions were for sci-fi games, where I own a large number of cyberpunk and cyberpunk-styled adventures. The only non-D&D adventures / modules I had were the MERP stuff statting out the various fortresses.

 

[jester47]

The ICE MERP mine seems very promising.

WHFRP does also.

As does pre avalon hill RuneQuest (I have been doing a little homework).

Aaron.

 

[qstor]

what MERP adventure has the Nazgul Citidal in it? I have most of the campaign modules like Moria and Southern Mirkwood but I don't have the fortress ones.

Thanks

Mike

 

[Akrasia]

what MERP adventure has the Nazgul Citidal in it? I have most of the campaign modules like Moria and Southern Mirkwood but I don't have the fortress ones.

Thanks

Mike

The first version of "Southern Mirkwood" has a sketchy overview of Dol Guldur.

In later years, an entire campaign setting was released for Dol Guldur (which included something like 20 pages of maps alone). It was pretty substantial. (I assume that this is what Monte Cook is referring to.)

 

[qstor]

The first version of "Southern Mirkwood" has a sketchy overview of Dol Guldur.

In later years, an entire campaign setting was released for Dol Guldur (which included something like 20 pages of maps alone). It was pretty substantial. (I assume that this is what Monte Cook is referring to.)

Thanks. I have the Southern Mirkwood setting but thought there might be a map of Minas Morgul or something like that.

Mike

 

[Monte At Home]

what MERP adventure has the Nazgul Citidal in it?

I screwed up. Nazgul's Citadel is the name of a cool Citadels of Middle Earth product by ICE--the fortress of one of the Ringwraiths. It's very cool and has amazing maps. What I really meant to be referring to, of course, is a product named Dol Goldur. It details the volcano fortress of the Necromancer. It is perhaps even better, if for nothing else than it's epic qualities.

 

[RichGreen]

Hi,

If Court of Ardor has countries called Geshan, Koronande and Chennacutt in it, we're currently playing in it now -- our D&D game is set in some part of Middle Earth to the far south of Gondor and Mordor.

I would recommend the outstanding Enemy Within campaign for Warhammer FRP and Horror on the Orient Express for Call of Cthulhu which is an amazing campaign. Also had fun playing on Griffin Island and in several MERP campaigns.

I have Walker in the Wastes but we only managed one session before the group split up.

Cheers


Richard