Uh, what's the oldest D&D Module?

[Wik]

You know, that thread on the Keep on the Borderlands got me thinking. For the longest time, I always thought the Keep was the first published TSR adventure, even though I knew about In Search of the Unknown.

But now that I'm older and just a bit wiser (I spent my stat increase on Wis two levels ago), I realize that I'm probably wrong. And I don't think In Search of the Unknown was the first adventure, either.

So, what was the first published TSR adventure for D&D? What about non-TSR adventure for D&D (Judge's guild stuff, etc). Oh, and I'm not asking about adventures that were included as part of the main books or anything. I'm talking about standalone adventure modules.

Thanks in advance for satisfying my curiousity.

 

[PapersAndPaychecks]

I believe I'm right in saying S1: Tomb of Horrors was the first TSR module published.

It wasn't the first module, but I can't remember what was. The Acaeum is the place to ask.

 

[JeffB]

Technically, Temple of the Frog (in the Blackmoor supplement) is the first published D&D Adventure.

I thought that G1 was the first published AD&D adventure, but I may be mistaken.

One of the wee-warriors adventures was the first non TSR module...Palace of the Vampire Queen???

and yup Acaeum is the place to check it out for certain.

 

[Andre]

Technically, Temple of the Frog (in the Blackmoor supplement) is the first published D&D Adventure.

I think this is right. Though no one thinks of it as a module, it was a good bare-bones adventure which I used at the time.

I wonder if Gen Con IX Dungeons qualifies as the first module? It was published in 1978 by Judges Guild. It was a reprint of the two tournament modules used at Gen Con IX. Anyone who wants to see how wacky (in a good way) old-style dungeons could be, take a look at this one. For example, there's a purple worm in a 20' x 20' room. Correct response is to close the door and move on...

 

[PapersAndPaychecks]

Oh, and I'm not asking about adventures that were included as part of the main books or anything. I'm talking about standalone adventure modules.

Temple of the Frog doesn't count!

 

[Contrarian]

JeffB's got it.

Steading of the Hill Giant Chief was the first standalone adventure published by TSR in 1978, but it's actually only the third or fourth module commercially released. Two other publishers beat them to the market.

A company named "Wee Warriors" actually published two Dungeon Master Kits -- "Palace of the Vampire Queen" (1976) and "Dwarven Glory" (1977, probably) before G1. What's in a Dungeon Masters kit? Encounter notes and maps -- Dungeon Masters Kits were "modules" before the phrase "adventure modules" was coined.

(TSR was actually Wee Warriors' distributor at the time. Once TSR got around to publishing its own adventures, they cut Wee Warriors loose. Wee Warriors published at least one more adventure after that.)

Almost at the same time, the Metro Detroit Gamers printed and sold the convention version of Lost Caverns of Tsojconth in 1976. (WinterCon was in December that year, I believe.) That means, oddly enough, that "Steading" isn't even Gygax's first published module.

So the order is "Palace," "Tsojconth," "Dwarven," "Steading." Hope this helps.

 

[T. Foster]

Judges Guild's City-State of the Invincible Overlord, First Fantasy Campaign, and Wilderlands of High Fantasy (which may or may not count as modules), and Tegel Manor, Modron, The Thieves of Fortress Badabaskor, GenCon IX Dungeons, and Citadel of Fire (which definitely do) were all released before G1 -- CSIO in 1976, TM, Modron, FFC and WoHF in 1977, and the other 3 in early 1978 (prior to the G series' release at Origins).

 

[Wik]

thanks a lot, guys. totally satisfied my curiousity on that one.