Dad's memories, "What is that adventure?"

[Sekhmet]

So, my father is an old school BECMI > AD&D > 2e nerd. I was talking to him on the phone tonight, and he mentioned his favorite adventure from back in the day was the Against the Giants -> Queen of the Demonweb Pits supermodule.

He recalls, however, a series that lead into Against the Giants perfectly, that allowed a group of lv1 players make it all the way through Lolth at around lv12-15.
I can't, for the life of me, find the adventure that hooked into it, and a guy he used to play with 20 someyears ago nicked them from him back then.
Anyone have any idea? I'd absolutely love to teach my current group how to play AD&D and then bring my dad over to game with us through his favorite adventure again, as a gift for Father's Day one year.

It was suggested that the first adventure would be Queen of the Spiders, but that was shot down. He remembers the second module having a fishing village involved, and asserted that he was not thinking of Temple of Elemental Evil (his second favorite module).

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Probably the Saltmarsh series, although that wont get you to the G series by itself.

 

[Grollo Stoutfoam]

I had to create an account just to comment. I believe the chain went

Levels 1-3 - Saltmarsh (U1 -U3)
Levels 4-8 - Against the Slavers (A1 - A4)
Levels 9-12 - Against the Giants (G1 - G3)
Levels 12-15 - Against the Drow (D1 - D3)
Level 15+ - Queen of the Demon Web Pit

Man, I loved this run. So many heroes died, ended up playing a Dueger Rogue/Fighter after my last human died in the Vault (D3).

Good Times.

 

[Jan van Leyden]

While the Saltmarsh series would be my favourite way to run this campaign, there are other avenues with (semi-) classical adventures as intriduction before A1-4 as well:

N1 - UK2 - UK3: N1 is correctly regarded as a wonderful beginner's adventure, if a pretty deadly one. UK2-3 would have to be placed in Greyhawk somewhere, and you could change the the evil guys in the background to be controlled by the slavers or even the giants.

T1 - UK2 - UK3: Hommlet offers a lot of adventuring possibilities. Add in the UK adventures to increase the levels.

While UK2-3 are not really old school due to the story line, they are open enough to connect them to a lot of evil guys or factions.

T1-8: The Temple of Elemental Evil. 'nuff said.

B2 (or the AD&D 2e version "Return to the Keep on the Borderlands"): Sandbox 'em until they're ready for the slavers.

 

[Taed]

I also played the series of ???, G1-3, D1-3, Q1 from around 1980 to 1983, and I also can't remember how it started. I definetly remember bits and pieces from the Gs, Ds, and Q1, though.

Sadly, my 9th level Human Paladin (Mir) died when rushing into a battle that everyone else retreated from. I then completed the series with a Half-Elf Ranger (Ridfalion).

 

[steeldragons]

While I think the Saltmarsh way is the route your father is recalling (as it can very easily be run into the Slavers series).

An alternate might/could be N1-"Against the Cult of the Reptile God", levels 1-3 (it kind completes the "Against" motif.

Wherein you have an evil naga charming herself slaves from some sleepy village (don't think it was fishing though...just farming. No reason you couldn't make it fishing if you wanted, I suppose.).

Then wrap that into/pick that up at the Slavers' series (level 4), just the same as if you were going from the Saltmarsh series.

But the Saltmarsh series just works in so well.

 

[Stormonu]

Yeah, sounds like the U1-U3 series with Saltmarsh. Though I also have a fondness for N1 as well.

Also, L1 - Secret of Bone Hill and especially it's follow-up L2 - Assassin's Knot are great starter adventures and have good plot points to lead them into the Slaver series.

 

[Storminator]

Yeah, sounds like the U1-U3 series with Saltmarsh. Though I also have a fondness for N1 as well.

Also, L1 - Secret of Bone Hill and especially it's follow-up L2 - Assassin's Knot are great starter adventures and have good plot points to lead them into the Slaver series.

We got our asses handed to us every time we tried Secret of Bone Hill. We just did not grok how to succeed at that one.

PS

 

[Sekhmet]

I had to create an account just to comment. I believe the chain went

Levels 1-3 - Saltmarsh (U1 -U3)
Levels 4-8 - Against the Slavers (A1 - A4)
Levels 9-12 - Against the Giants (G1 - G3)
Levels 12-15 - Against the Drow (D1 - D3)
Level 15+ - Queen of the Demon Web Pit

Man, I loved this run. So many heroes died, ended up playing a Dueger Rogue/Fighter after my last human died in the Vault (D3).

Good Times.

My father believes this is the path he took.
Thanks for all of the help and suggestions, guys! I'll be sure to come back and post how it goes, when it happens.

 

[the Jester]

Keep in mind, though, that an old-school adventure for "characters of level 1 to 3" is entirely different than a later adventure for the same levels.

The later-edition adventures assume the whole party starts at e.g. 1st and makes it to 3rd by the end. A 1e adventure acknowledges that the party's levels will vary and makes no assumption that the group will all have "graduated" at the end.