toucanbuzz
No rule is inviolate
What qualified these adventures was largely originality (of story, new monsters, and dungeon design). We take much of D&D today for granted, but many of these adventures paved the way for the ideas we have today. Also, many were designed originally for timed tournament play and were meant to challenge players to think-fast during a time when there was no skill system or class abilities to solve a puzzle. You had to meta-game it, and on-the-clock.
I'm reviewing the ones I DM'd instead of played in as I got a more intimate look at the material and player feedback.
I don't think the 5E (or 3E) conversions translated well. It's a puzzle adventure best run with players declaring what they're doing with little traditional combat. If you play it as "your passive perception allows you to spot the pit trap" instead of "okay, tapping the floor with your 10 foot pole makes a different sound on that stone," it won't be the same, both in original scope, design, and feeling of accomplishment that your wits got you through.
If you got past that, it's another novelty with bad guys you can take joy in hating, and challenges of surviving with only your wits and a homemade sling made out of your underwear. That part doesn't translate well to 5E due to monks and cantrips.
I'm reviewing the ones I DM'd instead of played in as I got a more intimate look at the material and player feedback.
It doesn't get better than this. It was something we'd seen and not seen before in D&D. The vampire trope was reborn with one of the most complex villains in the game along with one of the most amazing dungeons ever. We get a new setting, ideas on how to properly craft a master villain, and non-linear dungeon design all in one.I6 Ravenloft
I've ran this in AD&D, 3E, Pathfinder, and 5E, largely as originally written. It is an anti-D&D adventure, and not everyone likes that. Written for timed tournament play, it was lethal to eliminate players and to defy traditional "hack and slash" solutions. Gygax premised it as a "thinking person's" dungeon, and despite all the bad things, it really was. In theory, a 3rd level party could do better than 13th level. Ultimately, completing it became a badge, bragging rights. I don't know of any 5E adventure where that is the same.S1 Tomb of Horrors
I don't think the 5E (or 3E) conversions translated well. It's a puzzle adventure best run with players declaring what they're doing with little traditional combat. If you play it as "your passive perception allows you to spot the pit trap" instead of "okay, tapping the floor with your 10 foot pole makes a different sound on that stone," it won't be the same, both in original scope, design, and feeling of accomplishment that your wits got you through.
Lasers, robots, and bunny on a stump. It's goofy fun by today's standards, but there was a boldness in stepping outside our traditional expectations and throwing players a curveball, seeing how well they could roleplay medieval characters picking up laser guns. It piqued sci-fi interest (yes, our rules can support it) as well as mixing genres.S3 Expedition to the Barrier Peaks
Recreated for today, it's another nonsensical dungeon with some of the most imaginative encounters ever written, new monsters, as well as introduction of epic, take-you-over weapons. Who wouldn't want to test their mettle at conquering Blackrazor? A bit is lost in translation, however, as 5E has put much of the power in character classes. In AD&D, a 2nd level fighter with great gear could hang with much higher level characters.S2 White Plume Mountain
I'm iffy. It was a well-designed dungeon with a background story that made sense, reactive bad guys, and a traditional villain at the end. But I'm not sure why it falls in the "best of all time" categories. Nothing in it was "first time we've done this" originality.The Forge of Fury
It was something new. The never-ending dungeon, if you will. Keep the encounters fresh and unique and it became the "plug and play" of its time. You could indefinitely add on sections and levels, and the idea was you never knew what epic treasure might lie around the next corner.The Ruins of Undermountain
Lovingly recreated, the 5E runs a lot like the original, which was a tournament module. An inverted dungeon design (novelty to start inside the dungeon), new creatures and new challenges, it set another standard for design as well as taking us outside the traditional "European" dungeon. The "timer" element, from tournament design, translates well to "how do I make things challenging if my gamers can simply rest to full power all the time."C1 Hidden Shrine of Tamoachan
Later my players said they hated it because of the railroad element ofA1-4 Scourge of the Slavelords
the bad guys took all their stuff and threw it overboard after a "you can't win" kidnap battle.
Oh teleports. Players needing a challenge got one (originally tournament play) along with new monsters (a ton that fill up our MM today), great combats that defied traditional "hack and slash" and some great terrain challenges. There's so much in this one, not enough space to put it all. It brought so many fresh elements to an adventure that we now take for granted, perhaps one of the best "originality" examples.S4 The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth
Dragonlance gets started here. While some lament it's too "railroady," if you played this one, you probably were expecting to be part of an epic story. And it delivered, especially if you'd read the novels and wanted to be a part of Sturm's journey, or Raistlin, and so on. This was brand new (taking on your story book heroes). The Xak Tsaroth map is a piece of art, both visually and in game design. Dragonlance set the stage for "mega adventures" to come and the idea that sales could be made by selling a campaign storyline rather than, to date, stand-alone adventures.DL1 Dragons of Despair
Scooby Doo time. We got a different take on writing complex adventure design where it all makes sense (that aha moment). We were starting to see some "put the clues together" adventures around this time, and this one just did it all right. My only complaint was having a +1 dagger just lying around for 1st level characters as random loot; they didn't have to earn it.U1 The Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh
Like Saltmarsh, a mystery to be solved. This one gets a gold star for a timeline of events running in the background. My players had a blast solving the whodunnit, and when we add in a "contained sandbox" map, just a winner all around. Almost all adventures of the time were reactive to players, and it was refreshing to see something with a lot of moving pieces.L2 The Assassin’s Knot
White Plume gets a nod for goofy dungeon design, but Ghost Tower wins the grand prize. Also a tournament challenge, we get a fresh set of monsters that stand the test of time and rooms with visuals that will stick in your imagination for years to come. The final encounter may not translate well to 5E because it was meant to reduce tournament players.C2 The Ghost Tower of Inverness