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<blockquote data-quote="thedungeondelver" data-source="post: 3275025" data-attributes="member: 34865"><p><span style="font-family: 'century gothic'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'century gothic'">Well, let's analyze this a bit:</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'century gothic'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'century gothic'">Overcoming <strong>S1 TOMB OF HORRORS</strong> (at a time when there was <strong>nothing</strong> like it on the market) meant that you and your group were players of very high caliber in terms of problem solving skills; equally, running it and impressing such a challenge successfully on your group meant likewise that you were a Dungeon Master of equal abilities. Likewise, <strong>S2 WHITE PLUME MOUNTAIN</strong> presented a similar challenge for both players and Dungeon Master.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'century gothic'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'century gothic'"><strong>S3 EXPEDITION TO THE BARRIER PEAKS</strong> put typical <strong>AD&D</strong> characters and tropes in a wholly new setting: a wrecked spacecraft, filled with pulp SF tropes! The characters would leave armed with goodies like blaster pistols, powered armor, grenades, healing technology, and so forth. I personally know of two <strong>AD&D</strong> campaigns that were shifted, courtesy of a few <strong>wish</strong> spells and a rejuvenated spacecraft, to outer space.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'century gothic'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'century gothic'"><strong>B2 KEEP ON THE BORDERLANDS</strong> had the advantage of being (along with its predecessor, <strong>B1 IN SEARCH OF THE UNKNOWN</strong> the first thing out there for a great many players. They're famous simply because they were the first place that many adventurers tread, and many early Dungeon Masters cut their teeth on these modules, introducing gonzo events to the players that left a strong impression.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'century gothic'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'century gothic'"><strong>T1 THE VILLAGE OF HOMMLET</strong> brought players, for the first time, very, very close to being <em>in</em> Gary's <strong>WORLD OF GREYHAWK</strong> campaign as played out in Lake Geneva: notes on the battle of Emridy Meadows, rumors of the nearby abandoned <strong>TEMPLE OF ELEMENTAL EVIL</strong>, implications for activities in <strong>T1</strong>. Furthermore, like <strong>B1 IN SEARCH OF THE UNKNOWN</strong>, it served as the jumping off point of many campaigns. Its follow-up <strong>THE TEMPLE OF ELEMENTAL EVIL</strong>, built on that experience.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'century gothic'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'century gothic'"><strong>A1 SLAVE PITS OF THE UNDERCITY</strong>,<strong>A2 SECRET OF THE SLAVER'S STOCKADE</strong>,<strong>A3 ASSAULT ON THE AERIE OF THE SLAVE LORDS</strong> and <strong>A4 IN THE DUNGEONS OF THE SLAVE LORDS</strong> represent some of the better virtues of <strong>AD&D</strong> in places: they give the Dungeon Master an area of the world in which to place the adventures, real-time events happening during the course of that adventure, dungeon crawls, infiltration of a castle (which was, coincidentally, the subject of the very first <strong>DUNGEONS & DRAGONS</strong> tournament game played although the actual adventure was different), and (should the characters find themselves unable to overcome the Slave Lords at the end of <strong>A3</strong>), a marathon escape attempt in the end culminating with the <em>gottdamnrung</em> conclusion for the Slave Lords' hideout-town! The <strong>AERIE</strong> series is a tournament event (as are many of the great old modules) and laid out such; overcoming the challenge means that the players are, like in <strong>S1</strong> definitely up to winning their way through difficult challenges!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'century gothic'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'century gothic'"><strong>G1 STEADING OF THE HILL GIANT CHIEF</strong> through <strong>Q1 QUEEN OF THE DEMONWEB PITS</strong> (regardless of your feelings about the latter), gave new definititon to the term <em>epic adventure</em>. The series takes a group of adventurers from merely "tough" to "near impossible" challenges, and places a mystery before them (and, if the Dungeon Master plays it right, gives them the uncomfortable choice of letting an evil demigoddess live instead of being played for suckers by Lolth's enemies on the Prime Material Plane). Getting through these seven modules is a memorable event for any group, regardless of the ruleset or players.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'century gothic'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'century gothic'"><strong>U1 THE SINISTER SECRET OF SALTMARSH</strong>, <strong>U2 DANGER AT DUNWATER</strong> and <strong>U3 THE FINAL ENEMY</strong> deserve equal mention with <strong>T1 VILLAGE OF HOMMLET</strong> and <strong>B2 KEEP ON THE BORDERLANDS</strong>: it is a series of memorable adventures for low level parties and a great jumping off point for many a characters' adventuring career. But more than that, it introduces a very well woven story-line and, even more than <strong>Q1 QUEEN OF THE DEMONWEB PITS</strong> makes the playes make choices that could have serious implications in the future of the adventure.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'century gothic'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'century gothic'"><strong>X1 ISLE OF DREAD</strong> gave Dungeon Masters and players their first taste of the non-european themed "dungeon" adventuring by creating a tropical setting and letting them loose in it. Rather than a single story arc, the whole of the island is left open for the Dungeon Master, complete with fantastic, Burroughsesque atmosphere (Edgar Rice, not Wm. S.). Further, it probably represents the first "outdoor" adventure for many Dungeon Masters and players alike (aside from the wilderness presented in <strong>B2</strong>).</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'century gothic'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'century gothic'">The <strong>DRAGONLANCE</strong> campaign, whether you find it distasteful or love it (put me in the former column...) gave <strong>ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS</strong> players a chance to step in to a literary world for the first time in a published setting, instead of a world dressed up with tropes from different fantasy sources. Regardless of the immutability of the storyline and inflexibility in the overall of the entire series of modules, it accomplishes the task of letting people "play" in the <strong>DRAGONLANCE</strong> campaign world. Unfortunately it did it in a way much like <strong>REBEL ASSAULT</strong> and <strong>REBEL ASSAULT II</strong> the computer games let people "play" in the <strong>STAR WARS</strong> universe: by putting them on an unchangable course while the pretty scenery flies by, totally without the ability to interact with any of it.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'century gothic'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'century gothic'">...</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'century gothic'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'century gothic'">Unfortunately, I can't speak of any of the others as I haven't the faintest idea about them beyond the titles! <img src="http://www.enworld.org/forum/images/smilies/nervous.png" class="smilie" loading="lazy" alt=":heh:" title="Nervous Laugh :heh:" data-shortname=":heh:" /> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'century gothic'"></span></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="thedungeondelver, post: 3275025, member: 34865"] [font=century gothic] Well, let's analyze this a bit: Overcoming [B]S1 TOMB OF HORRORS[/b] (at a time when there was [b]nothing[/b] like it on the market) meant that you and your group were players of very high caliber in terms of problem solving skills; equally, running it and impressing such a challenge successfully on your group meant likewise that you were a Dungeon Master of equal abilities. Likewise, [b]S2 WHITE PLUME MOUNTAIN[/B] presented a similar challenge for both players and Dungeon Master. [b]S3 EXPEDITION TO THE BARRIER PEAKS[/B] put typical [b]AD&D[/b] characters and tropes in a wholly new setting: a wrecked spacecraft, filled with pulp SF tropes! The characters would leave armed with goodies like blaster pistols, powered armor, grenades, healing technology, and so forth. I personally know of two [b]AD&D[/B] campaigns that were shifted, courtesy of a few [b]wish[/b] spells and a rejuvenated spacecraft, to outer space. [b]B2 KEEP ON THE BORDERLANDS[/B] had the advantage of being (along with its predecessor, [b]B1 IN SEARCH OF THE UNKNOWN[/b] the first thing out there for a great many players. They're famous simply because they were the first place that many adventurers tread, and many early Dungeon Masters cut their teeth on these modules, introducing gonzo events to the players that left a strong impression. [b]T1 THE VILLAGE OF HOMMLET[/B] brought players, for the first time, very, very close to being [i]in[/i] Gary's [b]WORLD OF GREYHAWK[/b] campaign as played out in Lake Geneva: notes on the battle of Emridy Meadows, rumors of the nearby abandoned [b]TEMPLE OF ELEMENTAL EVIL[/b], implications for activities in [b]T1[/b]. Furthermore, like [b]B1 IN SEARCH OF THE UNKNOWN[/b], it served as the jumping off point of many campaigns. Its follow-up [b]THE TEMPLE OF ELEMENTAL EVIL[/b], built on that experience. [b]A1 SLAVE PITS OF THE UNDERCITY[/B],[B]A2 SECRET OF THE SLAVER'S STOCKADE[/B],[B]A3 ASSAULT ON THE AERIE OF THE SLAVE LORDS[/B] and [b]A4 IN THE DUNGEONS OF THE SLAVE LORDS[/B] represent some of the better virtues of [b]AD&D[/b] in places: they give the Dungeon Master an area of the world in which to place the adventures, real-time events happening during the course of that adventure, dungeon crawls, infiltration of a castle (which was, coincidentally, the subject of the very first [b]DUNGEONS & DRAGONS[/B] tournament game played although the actual adventure was different), and (should the characters find themselves unable to overcome the Slave Lords at the end of [b]A3[/b]), a marathon escape attempt in the end culminating with the [i]gottdamnrung[/i] conclusion for the Slave Lords' hideout-town! The [b]AERIE[/B] series is a tournament event (as are many of the great old modules) and laid out such; overcoming the challenge means that the players are, like in [b]S1[/B] definitely up to winning their way through difficult challenges! [b]G1 STEADING OF THE HILL GIANT CHIEF[/b] through [b]Q1 QUEEN OF THE DEMONWEB PITS[/B] (regardless of your feelings about the latter), gave new definititon to the term [i]epic adventure[/i]. The series takes a group of adventurers from merely "tough" to "near impossible" challenges, and places a mystery before them (and, if the Dungeon Master plays it right, gives them the uncomfortable choice of letting an evil demigoddess live instead of being played for suckers by Lolth's enemies on the Prime Material Plane). Getting through these seven modules is a memorable event for any group, regardless of the ruleset or players. [b]U1 THE SINISTER SECRET OF SALTMARSH[/B], [B]U2 DANGER AT DUNWATER[/B] and [b]U3 THE FINAL ENEMY[/B] deserve equal mention with [b]T1 VILLAGE OF HOMMLET[/B] and [b]B2 KEEP ON THE BORDERLANDS[/B]: it is a series of memorable adventures for low level parties and a great jumping off point for many a characters' adventuring career. But more than that, it introduces a very well woven story-line and, even more than [b]Q1 QUEEN OF THE DEMONWEB PITS[/B] makes the playes make choices that could have serious implications in the future of the adventure. [b]X1 ISLE OF DREAD[/B] gave Dungeon Masters and players their first taste of the non-european themed "dungeon" adventuring by creating a tropical setting and letting them loose in it. Rather than a single story arc, the whole of the island is left open for the Dungeon Master, complete with fantastic, Burroughsesque atmosphere (Edgar Rice, not Wm. S.). Further, it probably represents the first "outdoor" adventure for many Dungeon Masters and players alike (aside from the wilderness presented in [b]B2[/b]). The [b]DRAGONLANCE[/B] campaign, whether you find it distasteful or love it (put me in the former column...) gave [b]ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS[/B] players a chance to step in to a literary world for the first time in a published setting, instead of a world dressed up with tropes from different fantasy sources. Regardless of the immutability of the storyline and inflexibility in the overall of the entire series of modules, it accomplishes the task of letting people "play" in the [b]DRAGONLANCE[/B] campaign world. Unfortunately it did it in a way much like [b]REBEL ASSAULT[/B] and [b]REBEL ASSAULT II[/B] the computer games let people "play" in the [b]STAR WARS[/B] universe: by putting them on an unchangable course while the pretty scenery flies by, totally without the ability to interact with any of it. ... Unfortunately, I can't speak of any of the others as I haven't the faintest idea about them beyond the titles! :heh: [/font] [/QUOTE]
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