D&D 1E Crowdsourcing suggestions for 1e or 2e module for a 5e game

[CanadienneBacon]

I'm soliciting suggestions from the field for 1e or 2e adventures compatible with 5e.

For those whose opinion varies depending on specifics: I'm running five characters (dwarf rogue, dwarf abjurer, halfling barbarian, human cleric, and human fighter) through a 5e PbP version of Stonefast. The party is currently 3rd level, we're a third the way through, and I anticipate the group hitting somewhere around 5th level (maybe as high as 7th level, depending) by the time they complete Stonefast. Another long dungeon crawl with tight passageways is probably not what we want to spend another twelve to fifteen months of our gaming lives doing next (some dungeon crawling ok, just not a mega dungeon).

What are some of your favorite 1e or 2e modules that you think 1) would be compatible with 5e; and 2) would be suitable for play-by-post? My experience with PbP is that a module of less than 40 pages is optimum; in fact, the shorter the better. I've had great success running modules as short as eight pages for previous PbP games. I'd really like to run a well-regarded throwback, something my players and I can get excited about.

 

[lowkey13]

*Deleted by user*

 

[dracomilan]

It's not really a module (so I'm sorry if I'm off topic) but I successfully ran Umbra, an AD&D adventure from Dungeon magazine, with no changes at all (and I was quite happy to discover that all the Planescape monsters are in the 5e Monster Manual).

 

[CanadienneBacon]

Thanks, guys. Here's what I'm considering, in current (admittedly irrational) order of preference:

X1 Isle of Dread (1e lvl 3-7): It's pulpy. I'd like to do something pulpy. But dinosaurs might be a little too weird for a party with dwarves. Still, the level is probably about right.

S4 Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth (1e lvl 6-10): A classic. Then again, most of everything on this list is a classic, so that's probably not enough of a compelling reason. Also, level 6-10 1e might be a heck of a lot harder for a party of 5e at character levels 5-7. The worry is that this one would be too hard.

I6 Ravenloft (1e lvl 5-7): Ravenloft's a classic. I've been in the mood for horror. Still, not convinced this would work for the current party composition. One of the players has an EN World screen name of Strahd_Von_Zarovich. Awkward!

G1-3 Against the Giants (1e lvl 8-12): This one would probably fit best, thematically. But lvl 8 might well prove to be lethal for my party. Would require finetuning.

N1 Against the Cult of the Reptile God (1e lvl 1-3): No real clue why I put this one on the list, other than it's a classic. Too low level?

B2 Keep on the Borderlands (Basic D&D lvl 1-3): I mean, hey, it's a throwback all the way to Basic D&D. One negative is that it was re-worked and published for 4e, so players may have played it recently. That'd lessen its allure. Also, too low level?

C3 Lost Island of Castanamir (1e lvl 1-4): By this point in my list, I'm really just grasping at straws. Too low level?

 

[Quickleaf]

I'm soliciting suggestions from the field for 1e or 2e adventures compatible with 5e.

For those whose opinion varies depending on specifics: I'm running five characters (dwarf rogue, dwarf abjurer, halfling barbarian, human cleric, and human fighter) through a 5e PbP version of Stonefast. The party is currently 3rd level, we're a third the way through, and I anticipate the group hitting somewhere around 5th level (maybe as high as 7th level, depending) by the time they complete Stonefast. Another long dungeon crawl with tight passageways is probably not what we want to spend another twelve to fifteen months of our gaming lives doing next (some dungeon crawling ok, just not a mega dungeon).

What are some of your favorite 1e or 2e modules that you think 1) would be compatible with 5e; and 2) would be suitable for play-by-post? My experience with PbP is that a module of less than 40 pages is optimum; in fact, the shorter the better. I've had great success running modules as short as eight pages for previous PbP games. I'd really like to run a well-regarded throwback, something my players and I can get excited about.

I think you've got a great spread of classic dungeons there!

The only old one I would suggest is L-2: The Assassin's Knot (from the Lendore Isles series) for a change of pace from all the dungeon crawling. It's a convoluted murder mystery that will keep the characters guessing, designed for AD&D levels 2-5. It's the rare event-driven adventure among old school adventures, and is often overlooked by GMs. Also, few players I've run across are familiar with it, so it should be a surprise.

A retrospective about it: https://www.wizards.com/dnd/article.asp?x=dnd/dx20001229b
DnDclassics link: http://www.dndclassics.com/product/17060/L2-The-Assassins-Knot-1e?it=1

Conversion-wise, you're looking at almost entirely NPCs who fit the mold 1:1 with existing NPC stat blocks in the Monster Manual. The main villain, however, you have a decision to make: You COULD use a certain MM stat block for, though it won't be a direct 1:1 conversion and will be CR 9. Alternately, you could write up the villain's stat block from scratch using the DMG guidelines or PHB rules.

What I like about it is that because it's not a combat-driven dungeon crawl, it scales very well to whatever level you want to run it at. And it's short (30-pages) and generic enough that the GM can easily adapt it to his or her campaign. As a mystery, it's well designed because it seems like half the castle is evil alignment - plenty of scoundrels for the PCs to suspect guilty of the murder!

It's not really a module (so I'm sorry if I'm off topic) but I successfully ran Umbra, an AD&D adventure from Dungeon magazine, with no changes at all (and I was quite happy to discover that all the Planescape monsters are in the 5e Monster Manual).

Oh man, Umbra! My favorite adventure ever That's how I first learned about Chris Perkins too. Fabulous adventure.

 

[CanadienneBacon]

So I checked out Umbra. Imagine my delight and surprise, [MENTION=20323]Quickleaf[/MENTION] when later in that same issue of Dungeon, there appeared a ship entitled "The Sea Wolf." The world truly is round.

 

[Quickleaf]

[MENTION=11146]CanadienneBacon[/MENTION] What? Really? I'mma have to go back and read it now! Lol

 

[lowkey13]

*Deleted by user*

 

[CanadienneBacon]

This is good to know. I'd been thinking the opposite, that a 5e 9th-level character was the rough equivalent of a 1e 5th-level character or so.

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

You can't go right with N2, The Forest Oracle.