What are the classic adventure modules of 3E? (with a tally!)

Salutations,

The freeport series is a definite.

The witchfire series should be one, but my silly group got themselves killed by trying something incredibly stupid. Outside those numbskulls- it is a classic.

FD
 

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Olive said:
doesn't it use psionics? that should keep it out of the true classic category, cos too many people don't use psionics

I think if you look over recent surveys on who uses psionics, you might find this impression to be a false one, wishful thinking on the part of psionics haters at best. I think those that won't use psionics are a substantial minority (something like 25%).
 

Psion said:


I think if you look over recent surveys on who uses psionics, you might find this impression to be a false one, wishful thinking on the part of psionics haters at best. I think those that won't use psionics are a substantial minority (something like 25%).

links?
 

I guess I’m not so critical of the old stuff…IMO the adventure is the key, if the adventure is good enough to keep suspension of disbelief up, then I could care less if it “unrealistic” (X, Y, Z, monsters living in the same caves, etc…that’s sort of thing…All D&D modules are unrealistic)

That being said I think the classics are

OAD&D-not in any particular order...

1) G-D-Q (duh)

2) S1 & S2

3) C1 &C2 (I know some people didn’t like Ghost Tower, but I thought it was excellent to run and play, and is my overall fave)

4) T1 (I quit playing D&D before ToEE showed up,I made up my own)

5) The U series…

6) B1, B2, B4 (I liked B3, but I don’t think it’s a classic)

7) X2: Chateau D’ Amberville is totally underrated

8) The A series. I thought these were quite good, though the last one in the series was not quite up to par. The first 2 were best.


At the time, basically most of the mods that appeared after S4 or so just didn’t float my boat…The I-series, the N series, the UK series..I remember disliking WG4 when I bought it, though now I do like it better. And Dragonlance was a four-letter word….great books, but no-one I knew wanted to even try to run them, including myself.

There were hardly ANY 2E classics, but I did really like Haunted Halls of EveningStar and the “tomes” adventures (Rod of 7 parts, RttToH, AotDL).

OK…now to the question at hand…3E/D20

Like another poster stated I just have not seen many 3E modules that I said to myself “I gotta run this”…and barring TSC and FoF I feel the WOTC mods are extremely..well…bad and or/too off the wall for my tastes. But some I could see as being potential classics:

1) Tomb of Abysthor
2) Rappan Athuk
3) Sunless Citadel
4) The Door from Everywhere (Dungeon Mag)
5) Raiders of Galath's Roost ( I just love this thing for some reason...Dungeon Mag again)

That’s about it. I’ve not been impressed with the vast majority of D20 mods, though admittedly, my tastes are not mainstream w/ regards to the majority of the 3E community.

The coolest adventure by far that I’ve picked up in a long,long time time, is “Enclave” for the LA game system. Really spooky, scary, creepy dungeon adventure. I ran my players through it and they practically soiled themselves :D
 


Psion said:


Admittedly not the best worded poll, but it least it shows that the "no way" people are like 12%.

and that there is only 32% who use them regulary:p

Back on Topic,

To me the classic will be the witchfire trilogy, it gots an ENnie after all!
 

Blacksad said:


and that there is only 32% who use them regulary

So, it's not required to currently use them regularly to play OSM. The people who own the PsiHB and would use it if they had a reason to is over 70%.

So how do you like them apples? :p
 


Agamon said:
Tomb of Horrors - I had, and still have, a problem with deathtraps. Maybe it was fine for a one-nighter side adventure with PCs you don't give a hoot about, but I don't like playing that way. And to put a PC you've built up from 1st level into something like that is crazy.

...And you are EXACTLY right. According to EGG in his preface to Return to the ToH, he revealed what the original began as - a convention-circuit-meat-grinder. Anyone who boasted their 1st edition characters as being invincible took one trip through this thing, and realized that their characters' adventuring skills were up to par, but THEIRS weren't. :)
 

Psion said:
Cordell is a rockin' D&D author with a fertile imagination. What else need be said?

That not everyone agrees with that statement? :) I know that after HoNS, my players wanted to corner Cordell in an alley for five minutes and smack him around. HoNS main claim to fame is it's lethality...and while it's no 'Tomb of Horrors' (a module intentionally designed as a DM's revenge on cocky players), of all the Adventure Path modules, it's the most mean-spirited. However, Bruce Cordell is a good author, and I think that the Psionics book alone atones for such sins.


3E classics, to me, will be the same as 1e classics. That is to say, there will be two kinds: the WoodStock modules and the Fishing Story Modules. Woodstock modules are ones that everyone played, or claim to have played. An example is 'Keep on the Borderlands'. Flaws are often forgotten for the nostalgia of yesteryear. Actual quality may not be important towards it's status. For 3E, this will certainly be 'Sunless Citadel' and 'Forge of Fury'. SC was the first WOTC module, and the first real module out after the release of 3E, and many folks (my group included) returned to D&D through this module. FOF is just a good dungeon romp, and was the first chance to take the training wheels off, so to speak. Freeport also falls into this category.

Fishing Story Modules are the ones that generate the best stories to be retold later. 'Tomb of Horrors' definitely clocks in here (although it fits both categories), as do many of the classic modules from 1e, such as 'White Plume Mountain' or 'Queen of the Demonweb Pits', for example. Again, quality isn't necessarily a factor.

What modules do I personally think are 3E classics? The following:

The Sunless Citadel: A good, all-around dungeon romp with plenty of opportunities for characters of every class to contribute. A solid goal, a simple story and plenty of adventure. A well written module well-designed to the task of introducing players and DMs to the new system.

The Forge of Fury: It's not one dungeon, it's five connected ones. A more purely 'old school' crawl, FoF takes things to the next level, introducing a variety of challenges that reward clever thinking, an intelligent design and some classic tropes of the game. There are some problems with the module, but they are fairly minor, by comparison.

NeMoren's Vault: An example of a well-written module with some of the best visual aids to date. Simple and yet elegant, this module is the best of 1e style, coupled with more advanced design sensibilities and a greater emphasis on story and roleplaying. And it has a REAL Umber-Hulk. :D

The Root of All Evil: IMHO, one of the best modules ever commited to paper. An exciting and rich story, coupled with excellent visual aids and one of the best designs I've ever seen. An excellent start to a series, or easily usable as a stand-alone module. Brilliant stuff.

Of Sound Mind I: Written by our own Piratecat, this is a fantastic module. Simply one of the best modules I've encountered, when it comes to setting a mood. There are excellent DMing tips in the module, an excellent backstory, Claudio Pozas visual aids and a healthy mix of elements for virtually any party. Great, great stuff.

Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil: The Whole Enchilada. A module that becomes a campaign (for a while, anywho), this one is what you make of it. Well detailed, and very customizable, this one isn't just one of the greats, it's a module that can be made to work any way you want it to. There are ample chances for social characters to do their thing, and lots of smack-down to be delivered to the forces of evil. New spells, new monsters (or new to 3E, in some cases) and the most solid tie-in to Greyhawk of any module WOTC has produced for 3E. Never mind the fact that it's written by one of the authors of the Core rules. :)

YMMV, of course.
 
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