D&D 5E (2024) Predict WotC's 2026 D&D releases

[Lazybones]

But why that one? It’s only a classic because it did the funhouse dungeon first. Lots of others have done it far better since. Outside of history and nostalgia, both of which require the original to remain pretty much as it was, it has nothing else to offer the modern gamer.

WPM is highly regarded by a lot of people, including the panel of designers who rated the top-30 D&D adventures of all time in Dungeon magazine in 2004. They rated it #9; Mike Mearls called it, "crazy, over the top, pure fun," which was the core of its appeal. I was glad to see it included in TftYP. I haven't run the 5e version, but I enjoyed it a lot back in the day. You might need to leave logic at the door when running it, and it won't fit in every campaign, but to say it has "nothing else to offer the modern gamer" limits what D&D can be, IMO.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

WPM is highly regarded by a lot of people, including the panel of designers who rated the top-30 D&D adventures of all time in Dungeon magazine in 2004.

Wasn't that a fan poll, with designer comments? The fact that there was only one non-TSR/WotC adventure on the list (Dark Tower) feels a little Peoples Choice Awards to me.

 

[Lazybones]

Wasn't that a fan poll, with designer comments? The fact that there was only one non-TSR/WotC adventure on the list (Dark Tower) feels a little Peoples Choice Awards to me.

The list was put together by 16 designers, including people like Keith Baker, Ed Greenwood, Mike Mearls, and Chris Perkins. Totally agree about the pro-TSR/WotC bias (which the article acknowledges in the intro), and of course many great adventures have been published since then, but I was just pushing back against the idea that WPM is a classic only when viewed through rose-colored glasses. I bet if such a list were created today that adventure would still be on it, albeit closer to the bottom of the 30.

 

[GuyBoy]

Another point in favour of WPM, particularly for its time, was the wilderness map around the mountain, which encouraged the DM to flesh out adventures including bog mummies, gags and undead dragons.
Of course it wasn’t perfect but I still think it’s a classic.