[Dungeon] Which TSR Modules are "Classics"?

[PatEllis15]

I think we're all jumping to conclusions as to what Erik might have planned! But, heck, that's what I thought too!

So:

B10: Nights Dark Terror: A little of everything, and I absolutely love the fold out map for the first big encounter. It may have been published about 15 year to soon! This would be a great one to convert

B2,T1, U1: as so many have mentioned. It would be good for WotC to recgonze that a solid introductary module that guides new DM's has been missing for SO long...

G1-3/d1-3: Introduced the World to the Drow... classic crawls, with enough info for a DM to expand the story, or keep it simple

A1-4: I've used them so many times they MUST be classic...



Thanks Erik!

Taro Sarask

Pat E

 

[AFGNCAAP]

Quite a few classics have been mentioned, particulary one of my personal favorites (Keep on the Borderlands--quite a few fond memories there). However, one module that comes to mind for me hasn't been mentioned yet. IIRC, it was an 80's product (late 80's), but it helped kick off a trend in other media.

Ruins of Adventure (IIRC). The paper & pencil module that took electronic form in Pool of Radiance. The bad guy was a possessed good guy. Plenty of core & side quests. Established the city of Phlan as place in desperate need of heroes.

Good memories. Tried converting it to 3E & running my group through it quite a few months ago---they died fighting in the slums (due to bad choices & tactics).

Only thing I have to add to the list.

 

[francisca]

Well, G1-3 and D1-3 define first edition to me. Q1 really didn't do it for me the way the rest of the series did. But the first 6 sat really well with my group. Of course, our DM did a great job in the G series of presenting tidbits of the greater conspiracy.

As for others, B2 is the quintessential smash and grab, and a classic to be sure, but I'm not sure it needs to be retrofited by Dungeon. Certainly many of us here could do it on the fly, and I'd rather see Dungeon give something else a spin.

X2 was great. My DM at the time really played it with a sense of drama and suspense. B6 was pretty good as well, lots of intrigue.

I guess I have to give A1-4 an honorable mention, as it was just plain fun.

However, nothing else really stands out to me right now. I guess in the end, it depends on how well these are played out by the DM. I mean, G1-3 could end up being nothing but a high-level dungeon crawl, with some oddly placed links to a deeper dungeon and a new evil race to combat, *if* the DM and players play it that way.

As for monte's comment, yeah I agree. Maybe "cult classic" might be a better term for our favorite old modules. or maybe not.

 

[Stockdale]

While all my favorites have been listed in all of your posts, just in case Erik is adding up the numbers, I'll list them:

S3- Expidition to the Barrier Peaks: Technology in the D&D world. What was better.

X2 - Castle Amber: Ghostly feasts and a great story.

U1 - Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh: I converted this one and played it with my kids.

 

[smetzger]

U1 & U2
Haunted House and stopping a war is always a classic

A Series
Stopping Slavers, penetrating a secret island fortress, escaping from a dungeon with no equipment before the volcano explodes. Gotta be a classic

G1-2-3, D1-2-3
Battling giants, first glimpse of the underworld and Drow. Definantly a classic

S series
Mad wizards dungeon full of nasty traps, spacecraft in D&D, killer liche dungeon. definantly classics

 

[andargor]

Keep on the Borderlands as well (also called "The Caves of Chaos"). Very fond memories of my group at the time.

Château d'Amberville as well, as it was during this adventure that our playing surface, a ping-pong table, finally crashed and died a glorious death. I can still visualize the stunned faces of my friends, holding up their cola glasses as the table sank to the ground... (See "26 years of gaming..." in my sig)

Andargor

 

[johnsemlak]

At the risk of exposing my extreme age, I'd also like to mention that some of the adventures in the OLD Dragon magazine (back when it offered one in each issue) were pretty cool. (I'm thinking specifically of Baba Yaga's dancing hut and the one that let your party travel to "modern" London, but there were others!)

How about some of the modules that appeared in the old Polyhedron Issues. I like the one where the players had to bring a Longevity Potion to Bigby in a dungeon that would automatically recreate itself every time a party failed in its attempt.

 

[johnsemlak]

I haven't played some of the 'classics', but here are my favorites.

GDQ--Enough said.

WG4--The Forgotten Temple of Tharizdun. A dark, lovecraftian module and really capitalized on the abandoned evil temple motive. One of the best for haveing players stumble on an Ancient arcane secret. A Gygax/Kuntz classic. I'm surprised this module doesn't get more mentions. I agree with MerricB it's too bad some of the material in it was never followed up on (Just what was in that lost grimore menioned at the end????)

B2: Keep on the Borderlands

B3: Palace of the Silver Princess--A very old school module in a good way. A classic quest in which the players must figure out how to lift a curse and save someone. Plus, the controversy of the 'orange module'. One of the great things about this module is that it gives an epic feel to a low level adventure. Again, I'm surprised it doesn't get more mentions.

A1-4 Slaver series. Dunno, just like it.

X1-Mmmmm. Classic exploration of unknown territory, with dangers abound. And the DM had so much freedom to expand on this one.

X4-5 I can't believe there's been no mention of this one yet. Dave Cook's best work, possibly. Great massive-epic quest modules, which forced players to really think, solve puzzles, travel discretely, etc. Both modules offered really cool new monsters too.

B10 Night's Dark Terror. Ooooh, I loved that one. Another great low-level adventure with an 'epic' feel.

I3-5 Desert of Desolation. Perhaps the best 'Egyptian' style products every actually done for D&D (at least that can be said for I3 Pharoah).

 

[andargor]

Oh! Oh! I forgot!

FRA1 Storm Riders
FRA2 Black Courser
FRA3 Blood Charge

This FR series is a classic for our group, even if it's 2e. It has everything: intrigue, puzzles, traps, villains, heroes, epic army battles, and more.

Raja Ambuchar Devayam and his undead army. The Dalai Lama in the Ra-Khati Red Monastery. Shou Lung, the volcano of Solon and the lost city of Kuo Meilan. The beautiful but spoiled princess Bhrokiti and the Black Courser. The dragon Gaumahavi. The Stone Scepter of Shih. The path of enlightment and the Staff of Power.

Most of all, what a group of 10th level characters can do to an army of 10,000 undead:

Barbecue it
Boil it
Broil it
Bake it
Saute' it

There is.....

Undead Kabobs
Undead Creole
Undead Gumbo
Pan Fry
Deep Fry
Stir Fry

There's.....

Pineapple Undead
Lemon Undead
Coconut Undead
Pepper Undead
Undead Soup
Undead Stew
Undead Salad
Undead and Potatoes
Undead Burgers
Undead Sandwich



Andargor

 

[jmucchiello]

"Classic," I think, is a word that gets thrown around too freely sometimes when talking about old stuff (movies, books, TV shows, etc.). For example, while I loved the Giants series of modules, I don't know if they are obviously classics.

No, they probably aren't classic in the classical sense. But I think most people here are calling these adventures (and most of the others) classics because they contain firsts (and personal) firsts for most players of the time.

When you played G1-3 it was probably the first time you fought any Giant. When you played D1-3, it was probably your first encounter with Kuo Toa and Drow (especially since they didn't exist before those modules). Q1 of course leads you to your first boast of "Oh yeah, well we killed a god!"

Heck, B2 is probably the first time you fought orcs, goblins, and the other classic humanoids.
S1 has teleporting causing gender change, teleportng causing nakedness, sticking your head in the sphere of annihilation, and the only time you probably ever needed to have forget in your spell reportoire.
S2 probably contains you first riddle with the Sphinx encounter. And who can forget jumping across slippery, swinging platforms? First appearance of the Kelpie.
S3 has lasers, nuff said.
A2 has the cloaker, or the first robe that attacked you.
A4 was the first time you were captured.
I3-5 is you first desert adventure (and perpetual falling mummy trap)
X2 probably contains the first encounter with a spirit using magic jar.
T1: Homlett is probably the first village you ever saved.

It's not the fact that these modules did these things first that makes them classic. It's the fact that when you played these modules was the first time they happened to your characters (or that the player ever saw them).

You'll notice I've left a few "obvious" ones off here: S4, XG4, X1, B1, B3, UKn, etc. I have most of them. I never got around to playing them. They aren't classic in my mind because I only read them. There's no character (or DM) memory attached to them. From the list modules I can recall my first encounter with the drow. Or the first time Jeff (a grade school friend I have seen in ages) got caught by the sphere of annihilation.

Just think in 10 years we will all probably have the Sunless Citadel in this list

I doubt it. Most 3e players, except complete newbies, have encountered goblins and kobolds by the time they've played this adventure. Unless you think people will remember fondly killing Twig Blights? (Or whatever they were called.)