Classic for Basic

[rounser]

Hard to track down, but I'd recommend "The Lost Seneschal" from the Creature Crucible named Tall Tales of the Wee Folk.

It plays like a fairy tale, rewards courage and resourcefulness, tests moral fibre, is easy to run, and is in general an excellent introduction to the storytelling potential of D&D (as opposed to the monster-bash-a-thon potential, which B2 has covered, but can get a mite boring if we were being honest). For students, it would be perfect.

If considering running B2, also try and track down the tribute modules; 2E AD&D's Return to the Keep on the Borderlands and Hackmaster's Little Keep on the Borderlands. Both offer a whole host of ideas that embellish and put different spins on the original. You don't have to use it all, but it should open the floodgates on what is possible. Between the original and those two modules there is an entire campaign setting hidden away, somewhere...maybe set it in a magical snowglobe if you don't want to deal with an outside world beyond the Keep and it's Borderlands.

 

[Grimstaff]

For that age group, I'd recommend B7 - Rahasia

 

[JeffB]

Seems like all the B's except B3 have been mentioned

Green Cover B3 gets my vote- fits your needs perfectly, and IMO is a true introductory adventure.

T1 (original version) would also be perfect.

 

[RFisher]

Weren't a lot of those early modules designed with some open-ended stuff so the DM could fill in areas?

In some ways B2 is kind of like a school workbook. Here’s an example X. Now here’s a start on another X for you to complete yourself.

 

[Betote]

Thanks for all the replies

Ritght now, I think I'll use B2, using NPCs at the keep for some missions (maybe make a mission for each NPC, so they'll do something different depending on which one they talk to). I'll check out other modules suggested here, too.

I need to encourage speaking in character and actual roleplaying to "justify" it as an academic activity I teach English, and this is supposed to make them talk.

I'll let you know how it goes

 

[Chainsaw]

Thanks for all the replies

I need to encourage speaking in character and actual roleplaying to "justify" it as an academic activity I teach English, and this is supposed to make them talk.

I'll let you know how it goes

I hear you, man. I definitely wasn't criticizing the importance of various role-playing techniques to D&D. Some my best memories involve characters that only came alive because we spoke in character and made them memorable. You just have to know what your kids are ready for, that's all. I had a bunch that probably would have just shut-down at the thought of "acting" in front of other students (given that we weren't in drama class). If you're teaching English and you spin it as "storytelling" or something, then you might get the result you're looking for. In the end, you know best how your students will react.

Let us know how it goes!