[Dungeon] Which TSR Modules are "Classics"?
- Thread starter Erik Mona
- Start date
Iron Sheep
First Post
I notice that few people have mentioned The Secret of Bone Hill and The Assassin's Knot (L1-2). I love the openness of L1 (essentially a mini-campaign, where the players can choose to investigate what they will), and the murder mystery of L2. I'm almost done running these in my main campaign (with some slight modifications: the castle on Bone Hill is now filled with feral gnolls, ogres and worse). L1 and L2 are classics because (as far as I know), they are the first "open/wilderness" module, and the first "mystery" module.
I'd also nominate the Desert of Desolation series. I ran Pharoah for my wife when 3e first came out, and she loved it.
The Isle of Dread is also a classic - I've been meaning to get my hands on a copy of this and convert it to 3rd edition.
I also love The Eye of the Serpent (UK5, I think). Again, I converted this to 3rd edition for my group, and they had a blast. It has a rather cheesy start, but a great feel and story.
I guess my predudices are showing - as a GM I prefer running open, PC-directed campaigns, and all of these modules fall into that framework.
I'd love to see updates of these old modules, although having done some conversions it's a lot of work to keep the feel similar.
I'm not sure I'd care as much for "Return to the..." type adventures, since most of my group never played 1st Edition, so there isn't the nostalgia factor, or the memories.
Corran
I'd also nominate the Desert of Desolation series. I ran Pharoah for my wife when 3e first came out, and she loved it.
The Isle of Dread is also a classic - I've been meaning to get my hands on a copy of this and convert it to 3rd edition.
I also love The Eye of the Serpent (UK5, I think). Again, I converted this to 3rd edition for my group, and they had a blast. It has a rather cheesy start, but a great feel and story.
I guess my predudices are showing - as a GM I prefer running open, PC-directed campaigns, and all of these modules fall into that framework.
I'd love to see updates of these old modules, although having done some conversions it's a lot of work to keep the feel similar.
I'm not sure I'd care as much for "Return to the..." type adventures, since most of my group never played 1st Edition, so there isn't the nostalgia factor, or the memories.
Corran
Aeolius
Adventurer
Add another vote for "Barrier Peaks", though would Paizo have to pay commission to Gary Gygax, since his initials are part of the architecture? 
How about expanding upon the adventure hooks in the Greyhawk Glossography, namely "Quest for the Mist Golem", "The Werewolves of the Menowood", "The Lost Passage of the Suloise", "The Jungle of Lost Ships", "The Copper Raider", and "The Stolen Seal".
(Yes, I brought some books to work with me today, so I could brainstorm on an undersea mega-adventure involving Turucambi, The Jungle of Lost Ships, and The Sinking Isle.)
How about expanding upon the adventure hooks in the Greyhawk Glossography, namely "Quest for the Mist Golem", "The Werewolves of the Menowood", "The Lost Passage of the Suloise", "The Jungle of Lost Ships", "The Copper Raider", and "The Stolen Seal".
(Yes, I brought some books to work with me today, so I could brainstorm on an undersea mega-adventure involving Turucambi, The Jungle of Lost Ships, and The Sinking Isle.)
cildarith
Explorer
T1: The Village of Homlet
B2: The Keep on the Borderlands
X1: The Isle of Dread
C1: The Hidden Shrine of Tomoachan
C2: The Ghost Tower of Inverness
I1: Dwellers of the Forbidden City
A1-4: Slaver Series
S1: Tomb of Horrors
S2: White Plume Mountain
S3: Expedition to the Barrier Peaks
S4: The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth
WG4: The Forgotten Temple of Tharizdun
and of course
G1-3, D1-3, Q1
B2: The Keep on the Borderlands
X1: The Isle of Dread
C1: The Hidden Shrine of Tomoachan
C2: The Ghost Tower of Inverness
I1: Dwellers of the Forbidden City
A1-4: Slaver Series
S1: Tomb of Horrors
S2: White Plume Mountain
S3: Expedition to the Barrier Peaks
S4: The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth
WG4: The Forgotten Temple of Tharizdun
and of course
G1-3, D1-3, Q1
I think the bonafide classics have already been listed, so I'll just mention my personal favorite: Night's Dark Terror. The beginning part of the module where the characters have to defend the homestead against the goblin tribes was one of the most nail-biting moments I've had as a gamer. The module's pretty extensive, and can easily be made into an entire campaign.
Joshua Randall
Legend
It's hard to argue with the lists of classic modules that have already been provided, but I'd like to offer up a few more details.
SPOILERS below. (Is it still a spoiler all these years later?!)
U1 - Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh
Ideally it would be great to have 3.5 updates (or whatever Dungeon mag. is planning) of the entire U-series, but if only one can be done, U1 it is.
U1 is a classic because it takes the stereotypical setups and goes beyond them. The setup of the adventure is that the PCs are investigating a haunted house. But as it turns out, the house isn't really haunted; it's being made to appear haunted in order to keep the townsfolk from becoming aware of the smuggling operation being based out of the house.
As the PCs investigate, they uncover move clues and peel away more layers of the onion that is the "Sinister Secret" of the title. It's not just smuggling going on - it's weapons running. And why are the lizardmen acquiring weapons? And meanwhile, what was the old alchemist doing in that house in the first place? And who is the mysterious Ned Shakeshaft found in the house?
And that's just the first module! With U2 and U3 the plot continues to unfold, and the PCs face growing threats which can be dealt with violently, diplomatically, or stealthily.
That's good adventure design. The framework of the adventure is set up and then the PCs are thrown into the mix. If the PCs do nothing, events will unfold without them. But the PCs are well positioned to alter events to their liking. And have a satisfying conclusion if they stick things out to the climax.
One weakness of the U3 is that the final battle takes place "off screen". But with the new miniatures skirmish rules, that battle could be played out - it could be tremendous fun for the PCs to control the allied forces of humans, sea elves, lizard men, and potentially locathah and merfolk against the sahaugin forces.
I'm also of the opinion that U3 in and of itself represents a fine tactical challenge for D&D players. The party must infiltrate a difficult environment, accomplish specific objectives, and above all avoid raising a general alarm which would bring down literally hundreds of hostile enemies upon them. Even if the players don't care about Saltmarsh and its inhabitants, they can approach the sahaugin fortress as a challenge in its own right.
I2 - Tomb of the Lizard King
Can you tell I have a thing for adventures featuring lizard men?
This is a classic adventure because of its heroic scope and the variety of locales and encounters the PCs come across. The setup does require a fair amount of railroading - more than would be considered acceptable by today's standards - but once the plot starts rolling, any adventurer worth the name should want to track down Sakatha and put an end to his reign of evil.
And that's another thing about I2 that I like: Sakatha has great villain potential. I feel that he's not as actively bad-ass as he could be - he just sits around waiting for the PCs to invade, even after scrying repeatedly - but DM'd more intelligently he can present a formidable challenge to the party.
Let's see what else I2 has:
* Assassination attempt on the local lord? Check.
* Deranged, charmed guardsman? Check.
* Ambush at the old bridge? Check, and how! This is a terrific set-piece battle, even if the PCs know about it beforehand.
* DRAGON? Check.
* Hoards of undead? Check.
* Trapped rooms? Check.
* Evil wizards? Check.
My lord - what DOESN'T this adventure have in it?!
Weakness: again, the railroading; and once the PCs reach Sakatha's lair, it's a pretty linear dungeon romp. But dungeon romps are classic, and good ones are fun. This is a good one.
I look forward to finding out more about what Dungeon mag. has up its sleeve. Any revisitation of the consensus classic modules would make me happy.
SPOILERS below. (Is it still a spoiler all these years later?!)
U1 - Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh
Ideally it would be great to have 3.5 updates (or whatever Dungeon mag. is planning) of the entire U-series, but if only one can be done, U1 it is.
U1 is a classic because it takes the stereotypical setups and goes beyond them. The setup of the adventure is that the PCs are investigating a haunted house. But as it turns out, the house isn't really haunted; it's being made to appear haunted in order to keep the townsfolk from becoming aware of the smuggling operation being based out of the house.
As the PCs investigate, they uncover move clues and peel away more layers of the onion that is the "Sinister Secret" of the title. It's not just smuggling going on - it's weapons running. And why are the lizardmen acquiring weapons? And meanwhile, what was the old alchemist doing in that house in the first place? And who is the mysterious Ned Shakeshaft found in the house?
And that's just the first module! With U2 and U3 the plot continues to unfold, and the PCs face growing threats which can be dealt with violently, diplomatically, or stealthily.
That's good adventure design. The framework of the adventure is set up and then the PCs are thrown into the mix. If the PCs do nothing, events will unfold without them. But the PCs are well positioned to alter events to their liking. And have a satisfying conclusion if they stick things out to the climax.
One weakness of the U3 is that the final battle takes place "off screen". But with the new miniatures skirmish rules, that battle could be played out - it could be tremendous fun for the PCs to control the allied forces of humans, sea elves, lizard men, and potentially locathah and merfolk against the sahaugin forces.
I'm also of the opinion that U3 in and of itself represents a fine tactical challenge for D&D players. The party must infiltrate a difficult environment, accomplish specific objectives, and above all avoid raising a general alarm which would bring down literally hundreds of hostile enemies upon them. Even if the players don't care about Saltmarsh and its inhabitants, they can approach the sahaugin fortress as a challenge in its own right.
I2 - Tomb of the Lizard King
Can you tell I have a thing for adventures featuring lizard men?
This is a classic adventure because of its heroic scope and the variety of locales and encounters the PCs come across. The setup does require a fair amount of railroading - more than would be considered acceptable by today's standards - but once the plot starts rolling, any adventurer worth the name should want to track down Sakatha and put an end to his reign of evil.
And that's another thing about I2 that I like: Sakatha has great villain potential. I feel that he's not as actively bad-ass as he could be - he just sits around waiting for the PCs to invade, even after scrying repeatedly - but DM'd more intelligently he can present a formidable challenge to the party.
Let's see what else I2 has:
* Assassination attempt on the local lord? Check.
* Deranged, charmed guardsman? Check.
* Ambush at the old bridge? Check, and how! This is a terrific set-piece battle, even if the PCs know about it beforehand.
* DRAGON? Check.
* Hoards of undead? Check.
* Trapped rooms? Check.
* Evil wizards? Check.
My lord - what DOESN'T this adventure have in it?!
Weakness: again, the railroading; and once the PCs reach Sakatha's lair, it's a pretty linear dungeon romp. But dungeon romps are classic, and good ones are fun. This is a good one.
I look forward to finding out more about what Dungeon mag. has up its sleeve. Any revisitation of the consensus classic modules would make me happy.
ColonelHardisson
What? Me Worry?
Aeolius said:
Good call. I've always thought those adventure seeds were pretty cool. Any one of them would make for a good adventure or campaign. I never got a chance to use any of 'em, but I will eventually.
Monte At Home
Explorer
"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. Here are three old D&D modules that I'd say are classics:
Tomb of Horrors: The archetypal trap dungeon that so many people all played. Even still today it stands as a hallmark of dangerous dungeons and incredible challenges to its fans (and to its detractors as the epitome of railroading, nonsensical dungeons). A lot of people would like to call this the archetypal dungeon, but of course it's not because it has almost no monsters and its puzzles were considerably harder than average. Still, it's a classic more based in its position of "D&D lore" than anything else. It's like a rite of passage.
Ghost Tower of Inverness: Although White Plume Mountain gives it a run for its money, I'd say that this is the classic dungeon. Period. With its crazy magical traps (including a chessboard room), a multipart key you have to find to get to the end, monsters just standing around waiting for the PCs to show up... virtually every room in this module is a cliche. But the thing is, back then, they weren't cliches. They BECAME cliches later, because so many dungeons followed this model. This module is often overlooked, I think, because the whole thing has become hackneyed, but only if you look backward. I don't think that Ghost Tower was the first dungeon to do all these things, I just think it's the best collection of D&D cliches out there, created when they were all still "cutting-edge."
D1-3: The Drow Series: Arguably, the first non-linear plot-driven model for an adventure. The PCs' goals are not precise (go get this specific item) and their path is not clear. It's not a single dungeon, but a series of locations of varying importance that the PCs have to interact with in different ways. I can remember reading Vault of the Drow and my mind reeling with how different it was from other adventures.
There are lots of really great old modules out there and many of them deserve to be lauded, but if you're going to raise just a few of them above the others I'd pick those.
Tomb of Horrors: The archetypal trap dungeon that so many people all played. Even still today it stands as a hallmark of dangerous dungeons and incredible challenges to its fans (and to its detractors as the epitome of railroading, nonsensical dungeons). A lot of people would like to call this the archetypal dungeon, but of course it's not because it has almost no monsters and its puzzles were considerably harder than average. Still, it's a classic more based in its position of "D&D lore" than anything else. It's like a rite of passage.
Ghost Tower of Inverness: Although White Plume Mountain gives it a run for its money, I'd say that this is the classic dungeon. Period. With its crazy magical traps (including a chessboard room), a multipart key you have to find to get to the end, monsters just standing around waiting for the PCs to show up... virtually every room in this module is a cliche. But the thing is, back then, they weren't cliches. They BECAME cliches later, because so many dungeons followed this model. This module is often overlooked, I think, because the whole thing has become hackneyed, but only if you look backward. I don't think that Ghost Tower was the first dungeon to do all these things, I just think it's the best collection of D&D cliches out there, created when they were all still "cutting-edge."
D1-3: The Drow Series: Arguably, the first non-linear plot-driven model for an adventure. The PCs' goals are not precise (go get this specific item) and their path is not clear. It's not a single dungeon, but a series of locations of varying importance that the PCs have to interact with in different ways. I can remember reading Vault of the Drow and my mind reeling with how different it was from other adventures.
There are lots of really great old modules out there and many of them deserve to be lauded, but if you're going to raise just a few of them above the others I'd pick those.
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