D&D 1E Forgotten Realms in AD&D 1st Edition a better setting for adventures?

[Thauramarth]

Instead I want to ask others what 90's/2E First Forgotten Realms adventures they still find inspiring. I generally think the early 90's TSR products aren't discussed much in OSR/POSR circles, even if a lot of folks experienced them.

My personal fave from that era is Treasure Hunt. It's not perfect, but the core ideas are good and it has some fun implementation (also not Forgotten Realms - so not appropriate). Did anyone absolutely love and enjoy Curse of the Azure Bonds or some other such thing? Does anyone have a shining example of good adventure design from that era?

The adventures officially included in the FR (including the bolt-ons like Desert of Desolation and the initial Bloodstones) were not the greatest, I think. It did not help that several of the 1E/early 2E scenarios were essentially adaptations or tie-ins to other media (Ruins of Adventure and Curse of the Azure Bonds from the Gold Box PC games; Shadowdale / Tantras / Waterdeep from the Avatar novels trilogy).

Out of the FR-branded ones, my favourite was always N5-Under Illefarn. I've used N4-Treqsure hunt often, too, because it's a good way to get a diverse party together.

 

[Voadam]

N5 Under Illefarn is the only FR AD&D module I own in print and it is pretty good. 1e though from before the 90s/2e era.

 

[SPECTRE666]

Eric Boyd has a 3e version of N5 Under Illefarn. Called Under Illefarn Anew. A quick google search will turn up the pdf.

 

[AnderNGmx]

First time i played in Faerun was this 1e adventure or location with a mini advenutre from the campaign book it seems, we where in myth drannor or some place like that. I had played mystara before but not faerun, basic D&D rules cyclopedia stuff, had a cleric and a mage in that campaign, up to 9th level or 10th.
The other players were all new, in Faerun, and we were 8 players and the DM. Yes 8. We where still pretty young and did not know many things, even me despite having played before.
So the party was made and rolled characters. Very relaxed and spontaneous. 5 mages (all specialists in a different school), me a human cleric, a hobbit thief and an elf ranger. All first level.
So we went exploring pretty much to find something or someone, can't recall. But it was fun, felt mysterious and everyone reacted very well as they did not know much from computer games or other media.
Some low level monsters attacked us, encountered some traps. Then a party of already injured evil dudes. And we explored.
And then a manticore appeared. We did not know what this was, but that it was big so we all hid. We hid in a building and this thing was outside and it was the most amazing feeling of suspense and mystery at what was this?!
The mages had all ran out of spells at this point and doubted if 1 or 2 left could do anything to that thing. Not a very survivable party composition of course.

 

[AnderNGmx]

Turns out the DM had modified the adventure(s) for our large but still only 1st level party, rather badly. He had the 2e PHB and allowed the mages to be specialists from that book. The manticore was his replacement for a gorgimera, more dangerous than a manticore, but was sill too strong for us.

It was fun.