Free beer!

[Wycen]

Sounds like somebody was watching Ken Burns' new Prohibition series.

 

[jasper]

All of the city state series from judges guild.

 

[Summer-Knight925]

OD&D Modules? I can't think of any.

If we're talking first edition D&D modules, there are quite a few good ones. Ditto for BECMI modules. Here's my stab at a top three for each, and reasons why they're worth checking out:

FIRST EDITION AD&D MODULES:

1. Hidden Shrine of Tamoachan. My all-time favourite adventure. Basically, the PCs are trapped underneath a temple that is filling with poisonous gas, and they have only a limited amount of time to escape. It's great because there are a lot of rooms that the PCs are just going to want to bypass, and there are some great little tempting time-wasters that really mess with the PCs' sense of greed. Plus, it has several giant versions of animals that are treated as "gods", which I really like. The spellcasting giant crayfish is my personal favourite.

2. Expedition to the Barrier Peaks. The PCs explore a spaceship, filled with robots and androids. It has some silly parts, and some awesome parts. My favourite moment is looking through the glass walls into the aquatic pool in the centre of the ship... and seeing a dark shape swim by. One of the greatest moments of foreshadowing in any D&D adventure. It's also fun because there's a lot of figuring out of items beyond the usual "It's magical, let's cast identify".

3. Dwellers of the Forbidden City. Basically, there's a city in the jungle that has multiple factions, all kind of at war. The module has a basic scenario, and then gives the GM all sorts of directions they can take the story. The main adventure as written is basically just getting INTO the city - from there, it's up to the GM to figure out what to do with it. And I love modules that do that (and it's something the authour, David Cook, was a fan of doing). Also, this is the adventure that gave us the Aboleth, the Mongrelmen, Pan Lung dragons, Tasloi, and, of course, the Yuan Ti.

BECMI ADVENTURES

1. The Isle of Dread. Short and skinny is the PCs are on an island of dinosaurs, zombies, and jungle plants. They are given a basic goal, a crude map they can fill out, and a tiny base of operations that is also kind of threatening. And then the goal is - go out, and have fun. Every PC group approaches the module differently, and every GM makes their own modifications. This combo makes the module incredibly varied in how it runs, which is something I absolutely love about it. Really, it's a mini-campaign more than a module.

2. The Keep on the Borderlands. This is a very simplistic adventure. One half describes a home base for low-level PCs. The other half describes a valley of interconnected caves, each held by a different group of non-humans. The second half is quite enjoyable, especially if you figure out how the groups interact and respond to repeated PC incursions. As with most BECMI adventures, this one is a meat-grinder - low-level PCs will be destroyed regularly as they explore the caves of chaos.

3. The Lost City. There's a pyramid in the desert. It has monsters, and some weird, drugged-out people. They seem to worship a god in the caverns below. Of course, this module only details the pyramid, not the actual lost city - that's up for the GM to figure out. But it gives some guideliens, and adventure ideas. I suppose you're noticing a theme, but I love those old modules that expected the GM to put in some work personalizing it.

Running the Shrine right now in a 3e update, it is far more deadly then anything the players have face.

But thank you, now to go find copies online for free

 

[Summer-Knight925]

I could have sworn there were 1e adventures, I must be mistaken...actually, it was a goodman games 1e module line, i thought "maybe someone else did this way before" but I was wrong

2e modules work well too...pretty much I'm looking for a good starting session for people who have never played, something with low 'instant death' traps, high roleplay and interesting combat.

 

[Vyvyan Basterd]

I could have sworn there were 1e adventures, I must be mistaken...

There are 1E modules. I named a few:

C1 - The Hidden Shrine of Tamoachan
C2 - The Ghost Tower of Inverness
GDQ1-7 - Giants/Drow/Queen of the Demonweb Pits. Yes, I even liked QotDP.
EX1-2 - Dungeonland/Land Beyond the Magic Mirror
I3-5 - Desert of Desolation Series
I6 - Ravenloft
N1 - Against the Cult of the Reptile God
S2 - White Plume Mountain
S3 - Expedition to the Barrier Peaks
U1 - Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh
U2 - Danger at Dunwater
U3 - The Final Enemy
UK2-3 - The Sentinel/The Gauntlet
WG4 - The Forgotten Temple of Tharizdun

But 1E is not OD&D, that is where the confusion lies.

 

[Summer-Knight925]

There are 1E modules. I named a few:



But 1E is not OD&D, that is where the confusion lies.

Perhaps pre-3e would be better, it would get better lists

anyways, I thought it was...did OD&D come in the white box as "Men & Magic", "Monsters & Treasure" and "Wilderness & Underworld Adventures"?

I feel I need to learn this, please do explain, for I am ignorant and wish to learn. Please?

 

[Holy Bovine]

Perhaps pre-3e would be better, it would get better lists

anyways, I thought it was...did OD&D come in the white box as "Men & Magic", "Monsters & Treasure" and "Wilderness & Underworld Adventures"?

I feel I need to learn this, please do explain, for I am ignorant and wish to learn. Please?

I think that's the one. Use acaeum.com for your D&D history needs. Wonderful site.

 

[MoxieFu]

I believe Caverns of Thracia and Dark Tower were both for OD&D. I think they were released before AD&D came out. Both were Judges Guild.

 

[MoxieFu]

Oh and Tegel Manor too.

 

[MoxieFu]

Okay, turns out Dark Tower was for AD&D, but Caverns of Thracia and Tegel Manor were for Original D&D. There may be some other titles buy Judges Guild but these are three of their best plus the City State of the Invincible Overlord and the Wilderlands of High Fantasy, but those aren't what I would call modules. They are fantastic though, a great combo to start off a campaign.