Worst D&D adventure of all time?

[devilbat]

To dismiss all 12 modules because of the first few, or worse, one DM you had 20 years ago, is naught but uninformed opinion.

Thats what my problem is, I'm uninformed! My informed opinion is that you are just a tad defensive. The DM, twenty years ago was great. The first five adventures were not.

 

[sniffles]

The whole time of troubles series: Shadowdale, Tantras and Waterdeep. The player characters took a back seat to the NPCs. They were just along for the ride. Don’t get me wrong, there were some great adventures that were published for Forgotten Realms. The Horde/Horse Lord trilogy of adventures were awesome. I just really hated the time of troubles trilogy. Heck, maybe it was just our DM at the time.

Nah, it wasn't just your GM. My GM heavily modified that series of modules and it still sucked for the PCs. We enjoyed the game, but it was just wrong to put the NPCs before the PCs, and there were way too many NPCs in that story.

I saw one pamphlet adventure from AEG or one of those folks - can't remember the title, but it had the PCs being asked to find the source of some special spring water. For some reason this source had been discovered by an innkeeper and he was marketing it like Evian. But stupidly, the spring was *right outside the town*!! Why no one could find it... well, it was just dumb plotting on the part of whoever wrote the adventure.

 

[jester47]

Ruins of Adventure is salvageable. Redraw the maps, tweak the plot a little.

Die Vecna Die is great if you stop after the confrontation between Vecna and Iuz.

This thread makes me realise that I really have no prob with selling all my old stuff as I realised that I would never use it.

Many of the covers are more evocative than the adventures that they represented.

Aaron.

 

[shmoo2]

Already mentioned, and indeed really bad:

Sword of the Dales- boring plot, ugly maps, and only perhaps 6 encounters

Curse of the Azure Bonds- nothing for the PCs to do

Gargoyle, Child's Play- couldn't even finish reading these they're so boring

I8 Ravager of Time- as already mentioned, nerfing the PCs at the modules beginning is not fun.

I11 Needle- boring plot, silly maze

Heart of Nightfang Spire- repetitive and boring

Also deserve some infamy:

C2 Ghost Tower of Inverness- don't understand how this made Dungeon mag's 'best of list'. Encounters like the Chess trap room are just silly and break suspension of disbelief completely.

N2 The Forest Oracle- generic and boring plot, ugly maps

Quest for the Silver Sword- This BD&D module came with a poster map of the castle for the players to look at and move around on. Trouble is- the room numbers are printed on the map, so the players know to go directly to the room with the highest number to find the sword.

X6: Quagmire!- boring, pointliess plot and repetitive swamp encounters

 

[Diremede]

Any of the adventures from TSR's "repeatedly stab Greyhawk in the face and hope it dies" phase, from the late 80s, early 90s:

Gargoyles


Terrible Trouble at Tragidor was another module that made me question whether I wanted to keep playing AD&D.

.

I loved gargoyles, in a comedic sort of way and terrible trouble at tragidor, well it was terrible.

 

[Melan]

The intro adventure in the 2e FR box set was pretty bad. Especially the scene in the middle where they say "If the PCs run low on resources, you can have Elminster pass by with his dog. He is waving a stick at it, shouting 'Heel!' trying to get it to walk next to him. However, the stick is a wand of healing, so he'll heal the party in the process. Then he goes away." Also, the adventure is way too tough for a 1st level party (even with the Amazing Healing Elminster), so it's pretty bad for an intro adventure.

Oh yes, more memories. After I read that adventure (and the rest of the setting material), I put it back in my brand spanking new FR box and promptly returned it to the game store, exchanged it for Dragon Mountain. Painful, painful stuff.

 

[tetsujin28]

I must admit, that Bleak House was pretty horrible and a railroaded mess.

Really? I used to own it, but never really got much of a look at it before I had to move and sold it. It seems to be a fave amongst Ravenlofties.

 

[Angel of Adventure]

I didn't find the ELH adventure to be that bad, though I altered the story considerably to make it fit the campaign. The adventure ended with the Infernal laying siege to the tower and that was a lot of fun. Per the adventure itself, it did have a humbling effect on the PCs who were very challenged to get thru it.

Per worst, Dragonlance mods and also Undermountain. Cool maps, but pretty boring overall.

 

[DungeonmasterCal]

This thread makes me soooooo happy that I don't DM published modules, and thankfully have only played in maybe two of the ones mentioned so far.

Go, Homebrew, GO!

 

[Tarangil]

I agree with the one who reccommended Trouble in Traigadore.

That one wouldn't even be accepted by Dungeon magazine! Don't ask me how it was stuck in the DM screen.