In Search of the Best Module Ever

[Goobermunch]

I'd love the opportunity to throw in my two cents worth.

My favorite module is the first one I ever played. I had to roll up a high level character for it. I think I was in fourth grade (about 10 years old).

It was Expedition to the Barrier Peaks. I'll admit my nostalgia is probably the result of it being my first, but it's still up there.

Number two has to be Dragon Mountain. I never played through it, but I DMed it once. I'll admit that the reason I liked it was that it was so brutal. I had a party that thought it was "all that." It was fun to bring them down a few pegs with Kobolds.

Other than those two, I can't think of anything that hasn't been mentioned by others.

--G

 

[Mirth]

If I ran through all of my favorite modules, I'd be here all day (not that that concept means much on a messageboard ). So I'll just post the one standout:

I6 Ravenloft

I couldn't tell you how many times I DMed this adventure and every time it provided amazing entertainment. Started playing in 1979 and I've probably DMed or played through every 1E module listed here (and there are some GREAT ones mentioned above) but I would still say that Ravenloft was the best.

Jay

 

[grodog]

Some of my most favorite adventures/modules aren't even for the D&D system, much less having been published by TSR. That said, however, my TSR favorites are, in no particular order:

• G3 Hall of the Fire Giant King (1978)
• A1 Slave Pits of the Undercity (1980)
• WG4 The Forgotten Temple of Tharizdun (1982)
• WG5 Mordenkainen's Fantastic Adventure (1984)
• T1 Village of Hommlet (1979)
• N1 Against the Cult of the Reptile God (1982)
• "Treasures of the Dragon Queen" (an old RPGA adventure from the early 1980s; see my web site at http://www.rpg.net/ehp/imrryr/gh_tourneys_dragon_queen.html for details)
• from Dragon: "Can Seapoint Be Saved?", "Ruins of Andril," "Barnacus: City of Peril," "Fedifensor," "Baga Yaga's Hut"
• from Dungeon: "Hirward's Task," "Trouble at Grog's," the two Flame [red dragon] adventures

I've restricted myself to 1e in the above list. I don't know much 2e stuff, so I can't comment a lot there, though I did really enjoy Roger Moore's "Return of the Eight."

3e-wise, I'm a big fan of Rob Kuntz in general and also of Necromancer Games. Hence for 3e I would add:

• Kuntz's Dark Druids (TLG), and Maze of Zayene series (NG)
• NG's Vault of Larin Karr, Tomb of Abysthor, and Gygax's Necropolis
• Tweet's "Dungeon of the Fire Opal" for updating the 1e DMG adventure to 3e
• Monte Cook's Banewarrens

That about wrap my list up

 

[dcollins]

If I have to pick, definitely Gyaxian adventures in the G-D-Q line or B2, or Forgotten Temple of Tharizdun, etc., would be at the top of the list.

But since someone started in on the Mystaran adventures, yes, modules X4-X5 were incredibly sweeping in scope and evocative. They were truly thrilling to read and DM.

But the killer, I think was X10, Red Arrow Black Shield. A sequel to the preceding which I feel topped it and blew me away when I first read it. A completely compelling mass-war campaign in the established Mystaran Known World, with a brilliant series of open-ended role-playing scenes and a really creative mechanic for tying it into the larger conflict. Oh, and links to tie it into every other expert-level Mystaran adventure. And links to tie it into all later Master-level adventures. Whew!

Now, there's no way you'd be able to make sense of that module via a conversion anymore.

 

[Phebius]

Good'a subject as any for a first post. Sorry if I don't remember the numbers of some of them.

1.B2 Keep on the borderlands. The first adventure I played and later DMed. It's dated and much has come since that blows it away, but the nostalgia factor of that module keeps me smiling. I'm amazed at how many old schoolers that I know still want me to run them through it from time to time.

2. b? The veiled Society. This set the standard for free form urban adventures. It was the first module that let me know that there was more to D&D than "Kill the monster, get the treasure"

3. The mines of Bloodstone. Took our high level super characters down a few pegs.

4. Ravenloft. This scared the crap out of me the first time I was run through it. And the second. And the third...

5. Dead Gods. I have never had a more successful campaign than the Great Modron March/Dead Gods Planescape one that I ran a few years ago. Who wouldn't want to save the universe from Orcus?

6. Vecna Lives! The look on the characters' faces when The Circle of 8 was killed in the first 5 minutes is etched into my brain.



Good times.

 

[Jeff Wilder]

Eye of the Serpent

I don't remember the alpha-numeric designation, but this was by far my favorite module. It was an adventure for starting PCs, and it had everything ... wilderness encounters, environmental hazards, small dungeons. All that and great cartography, too.

 

[Kerrick]

Lessee... I haven't really played or DM'ed any of these, so these are my votes simply from reading through them:

S4 Tomb of Horrors (and the Return)
B2 Keep on the Borderlands (a great starting module; I DM'ed part of it).
Gates of Firestorm Peak
Dungeon of Madness (or was it Death? Some people said it's overpowered and too hard, but I think it would be great for a low-epic party, if you wanted to take the time to convert it to 3E).

Jacob's Well

I've never played this adventure, but all of my friends swear by it. They've played it more than once (apparently it's that good that it still holds up when you know what's going to happen). I'm not sure if it was a module or an adventure in a Dungeon magazine. Sorry.

Yes, it was a Dungeon adventure. It was a fantasy take on Alien, with the "alien" being a red slaad; the PCs (along with a cast of NPCs) were trapped in a wilderness outpost during a snowstorm. Excellent adventure.

And since we're on the subject of Dungeon, I'd like to add "The Mud Sorcerer's Tomb", the one with the kobold fighters (2E) in the forest (can't recall the name)

 

[billd91]

My favorites include (I'd be unable to specifically give them an ordinal ranking):

I6 - Ravenloft
A1-4 - Sourge of the Slavelords
OA4 - Blood of the Yakuza
G1-3 - Against the Giants
OA6 - Ronin Challenge
OA5 - Mad Monkey vs Dragon Claw
OA3 - Ochimo: Spirit Warrior