|
Your Favorite D&D Modules
( This is a quick questionnaire for a possible business venture. )
1. What do you consider the “Glory Days” of Dungeons & Dragons?
(What version of D&D do you consider the best? And no, "Pathfinder" isn't a viable option, despite the fact that I agree with you.)
2. If you were to name your favorite and most memorable D&D modules, what would they be?
(Be as detailed as you want to be. I like to pull them out of my garage and read 'em from time to time, too.)
That's it!
Thank you.
- Rebis
hard call.
Although in this case I have to say the stand out would be 1st ed with the Slavers/giants/drow/demonwebpits arc of modules. Amazing, and frankly can't think of anything that quite caught that span of epicness.
1st Ed worked for me - once you worked out the game system, that was it.
Not that I don't enjoy what 3+ introduced, but it did change the focus away from actual playing somewhat, in my opinion.
As for favourite modules - every group I've gamed with, regardless of the edition we're playing, has gone through G1 - 3 and the Desert of Desolation. Those two series just seem to work.
Reggie.
3.5 and 4th editions, and the two best old school modules for my taste are the 4th Slavelord module and Expedition to the Barrier Peaks
|
1) Golden Age of D&D was 3rd Ed for me all the way. Although I had played since '82, it was the first time I was really hooked into D&D to the exclusion of pretty much all other RPGs.
2) I started in Basic D&D, not AD&D, so I really have a soft spot for the Basic D&D modules, particularly ones by David "Zeb" Cook being favorites (Isle of Dread, Master of the Desert Nomads, Temple of Death). (Honestly, David Cook was my favorite writer period from TSR, between Star Frontiers and his D&D work).
1. I can't answer that, really. There is only one iteration of the game I don't like (but I won't mention it). There were pluses and minuses to each. I think 1st and 2nd both appealed to my nature best, since I love to ad hock and solve rules issues, and 3rd kind-of catered to the rules lawyers too much. But then, 3rd also appealed to me, because of all the extensive monster-making rules. I love making monsters.
2. Tomb of Horrors, White Plume Mountain, Expedition to the Barrier Peaks, Against the Giants, and the Slavers series. No, not any more original than the others posting here, but there's no doubt these were atmospheric adventures that captured the energy and mystery of the game best.
What edition is best?
Pathfinder (I know, but I have to add it since it is currently my favorite edition)
2e but with some holdovers from 1e (like the ranger)
I really feel 2e gets too much of a bad rap, but it's so compatible with 1e in so many ways that the materials can be used nearly seamlessly between the two.
Favorite and Most Memorable Modules:
I6 Ravenloft
A1-A4 Slaver Series
G1-G3 Giant Series
S2 White Plume Mountain
The Whispering Cairn (Age of Worms chapter 1)
|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Edition...
I can't really settle on one edition, as I find strengths and weaknesses in each of D&D (esp as the Compendium rules), 1e, 2e, and 3/3.5e.
I'd not also that (IMO) the changes in how the fluff/settings evolved during each edition may make it tricky to objectively consider each edition in its own right.
Modules...
I'll skip over some of the obvious ones in favour of a few gems that might be less familiar to some:
B10 - Nights Dark Terror
X2 - Castle Amber
RA1 - Feast of Goblyns
Dead Gods
Plus IMO some of the best adventures were publshed in Dungeon rather than released as modules, including the APs.
Edition:
I have to say that my favorite edition is the classic BECMI/RC version of the rules which originally came out in 1983 when I started gaming. It's probably fair to say that we actually played more first edition AD&D back in the day but I really like the more streamlined rules.
Modules:
Of the old school modules my favorites are B2 Keep on the Borderlands, B5 Horror on the Hill, X1 Isle of Dread, I6 Ravenloft and the Desert of Desolation series I3-I5. Never got a chance to play any of the A/G/D/Q/T modules back in the day unfortunately.
L
I guess 2ed is my favorite but I've never played anything before that.
My favorite module is Labyrinth of Madness without question.
Early 2nd Edition was the glory days. 2nd Edition (before bloat) was the best edition of D&D.
As far as modules, well, back then it was more about settings than modules you see. ;-)
|
OD&D for me. Liked the red box basic with the expansion boxes for expert, companion, etc....
Modules I liked Isle of Dread and Keep on the Borderlands, with an extra big like for the Caves of Chaos section...
I am gaming more now then in the past and I do enjoy Pathfinder but only really at lower levels (1-8ish), so I guess I am having more fun now.
1st edition, all the way.
Favorite modules? There were a lot of great ones: White Plume Mountain, Dwellers in the Forbidden City, Tomb of Horrors, the Slavers series, etc. -- they were awesome.
However, some of Paizo's 3.5 edition modules from Dragon Magazine are arguably equally as good: Spire of Long Shadows and Into the Wormcrawl Fissure from "Age of Worms," and Sea Wyvern's Wake and City of Broken Idols from "Savage Tide" come immediately to mind.
Late 1st/early 2nd Ed were my favorites. Setting details were more important than mechanics, which could cause wackiness...but that was an acceptable part of the game. So even though I learned the game right around 1.5 (and also BECMI), that's my favorite time.
Favorite modules? Temple of Elemental Evil (because I can appreciate what was the ambitious nature of the project and still think of it fondly as a well-written adventure for its time) and Dragon Mountain (because we still tell stories of the game I ran in college through that boxed set--complete with Humanoids Handbook kobolds). But many of the BECMI and 1st/2nd Ed modules also qualify. As do many of the Dungeon adventures in the Paizo years, really.
1st ed for me
I did like a lot of the BECMI modules as well
B2 The Keep on the Borderlands
B5 Horror on the Hill
X1 Isle of Dread
X2 Castle Amber
X4 Master of the Desert Nomads
CM1 Test of the Warlords (one of my all time favourites)
Of the AD&D modules
The Giants and the Drow series
I2 Tomb of the Lizard King
I3 Pharaoh
L1 The Secret of Bone Hill
N1 Against the Cult of the Reptile God
S3 Expedition to the Barrier Peaks
S4 Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth
U1 Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh
Living in a small country town where the nearest store with a shelf of D&D stuff was over an hours drive away and the Nearest gaming store was 2hours away in another state we had to make do with what we could get our hands on.
What we would do is weave modules like U1, L1 and N1 together so we had a consistent campaign.
Ahh yes N1 Reptile God was a great module.
Now with that said, the old modules were fun and usually quite simple in layout, so there was an ease of use for the GM. Some were a bit large, ToEE and Castle Greyhawk, but generally it was pick up and run.
I have become aware of the good quality of modern works though (Pathfinder), and have to say I am quite impressed.
2nd ed was a great system, but towards the end it had gone a little bit crazy. I just outright refused to touch 3rd and 4th, so in all fairness don't know what they may or may not have to offer.
|
|
1. For me the glory days would be in '83 or so, when I was GMing a guy through the giant modules all the way into Queen of the Demonweb Pits. I was hitting my personal stride as a GM and really getting a hang of the game. I liked experiencing all the modules that I saw listed as available products but before then had never had a chance to experience or read.
2. Most memorable - Ravenloft. I drove Strahd into his catacombs from the 2nd story of his mansion and knew we wouldn't survive if he had a chance to regenerate. So without resting, we pressed straight down into the most dangerous area of the castle just to find his coffin and do away with him. Very scary. Hated being scared. Loved the module.
Same for Castle Amber. We were getting picked off one by one. Only 4 of us remained to take on the final chapter. Beating it felt very heroic.
I loved Ravenloft as a setting, almost as much as DarkSun. Never gpt to 'play' either as I was the perpetual GM.
Funnily enough in the way history repeats I once again find myself playing GM for my group... its what I get for offering to share the load I suppose. Now I am the only GM - its like magic...
1. What do you consider the “Glory Days” of Dungeons & Dragons?
(What version of D&D do you consider the best? And no, "Pathfinder" isn't a viable option, despite the fact that I agree with you.)
Those are two different questions! I'll answer the first one...
AD&D before the release of Unearthed Arcana.
2. If you were to name your favorite and most memorable D&D modules, what would they be?
(Be as detailed as you want to be. I like to pull them out of my garage and read 'em from time to time, too.)
As well as G1-3, D1-3, and I3-5, I fondly remember many of the AD&D modules produced in the UK - the U series, starting with The Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh, and the UK series, starting with Beyond The Crystal Cave. I also have a soft spot for O1, The Gem and the Staff.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Favorite Edition to play (excl. PFRPG): 3.5E
"Glory Days": 1E AD&D (cf. "The Golden Age of science fiction is 12.")
Modules: Savage Tide/Age of Worms (tie for first place).
|
I'd say :
1st ed (for the Gygaxian prose) but I still prefer Pathfinder
and N1 Against the Cult of the reptile God.
Though for the best modules coming behing N1 :
The Desert of Desolation series
The Tomb of Horrors
and of Course : I6 : RAVENLOFT !!!
Mwahahahahahahaha !
EDIT : While I love N1, in retrospect Ravenloft should come first.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
I believe we are in a golden age right now. Because right now, I have access to material to play any version of D&D I want. And new material is coming out daily. If I need ideas before a session, I can start a thread here or on any number of social media and get dozens of new and interesting ideas within minutes. There has never been a better time to be a gamer. (This extends to RPGs in general, but it fits for the subset that is D&D as well.)
As for favorite modules, I have a fondness for the Palace of the Silver Princess. It is one of the few modules I've ever run more than once. I also really liked Dead Gods for Planescape.
|
X2 Castle Amber - the group liked it so much, that we generated an entire campaign world out of the module. We use it to this day for our political games (Game of Houses).
Desert of Desolation (I3-6?) - Again another series that the group liked so much that it became our main campaign world that we continue to use to this day.
I miss Reverse Dungeon from the AD&D days. Obscure, but yeah.
Loved the whole Temple of Elemental Evil, as well as the Throne of the Bloodstone. As to the edition I liked the most, I'd have to say 2e, especially with all of the complete handbook's. I truly liked the kits, that were available.
|
|
I liked D&D from the 80s though Few of the modules were ever fleshed out with any quality...They were just hack and slash with minimal story line and never updated to Rules Cyclopedia with any consistency. Even Keep on the Borderland has what should have been considered an 'Artifact'.
I do however admit that I always loved the Isometric Castle Maps of the Castle Ravenloft Adventure module...
|
|
I loved 1st edition but I got into both Basic and 1st ed at around the same time.
Modules, my favorite ones (all of which I ran):
- B2 The Keep on the Borderlands (yes the caves are nutty, but that was my first mod I played)
- B4 The Lost City (excellent concept)
- C2 The Ghost Tower of Inverness
- D1-3 Drow Series
- G1-3 Giants Series
- I1-6 series of modules were all pretty incredible: Dwellers of the Forbidden City, Tomb of the Lizard King, Desolation series and Ravenloft
- L1 The Secret of Bone Hill (very underrated mod, cool environs)
- N1 Against the Cult of the Reptile God
- Q1 Queen of the Demonweb Pits
- S1-3 Amazing series and had a strong influence on my overall gaming outlook.
Tomb of Horrors - Pre-Indiana Jones death trap complex
White Plume Mountain - excellent puzzle quest
Expedition to the Barrier Peaks - Picture Book/Players Aid. Lead me to Gamma World (my fav game) and changed how I saw gaming in general
- T1 Village of Hommlet (excellent town setting, great dungeon crawl). As a total package - this may be the best module ever made.
- U1-3 Were excellent UK offerings, the best being the Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh
- UK2-3 The Sentinel vs. The Gauntlet - good stuff, something different
And of course the X series of modules (got into these more than the Basic B series, easily convertible to AD&D)
- X1 Isle of Dread - Fantastic module
- X2 Castle Amber - Strange and horrific
- X4-5 The Master of the Desert Nomads series. Good feel, with plenty of creepy or memorable creatures (Bhut, Soul Eater, Juggernaut, Nagpa, Dusanu, and the Mujina) and a fun quest.
AD&D 2nd edition was awesome between 1990-1993.
I was heavily involved with Dark Sun, Ravenloft, Forgotton Realms, and Planescape settings.
I recall a Module back in the day I had an absolute blast with called "The Orc's Nest". Also the epic boxed set "The Ruins of Undermountain" was absolutely epic and difficult journey to get through. I had a blast with that module several times.
It would be cool if Paizo released a boxed set dungeon like "The Ruins of Undermountain."
My favorite era was 2nd Ed, because it was more about the story aspect of role playing than the other editions (IMO). However, the best module (for sheer flexibility) is still Caves of Chaos--I could do all sorts of stuff with that one.
Probably the BECMI rules, as everything was new and exciting back then. Other than that, our houseruled brand of 2e, at the end with some 3e mixed in.
X 2, Castle Amber, hands down. Sure, it was illogical as hell, even if you accept the setup. But it was one of the craziest stories ever. And the Glantri Gazetteer published much later was a gem at its time. Aahh, nostalgia :-))
Stefan
1) BECMI and Mystara, in all their incarnations. Chateau D'Amberville was an amazing role-playing experienced, really taught me a lot about GMing (and French accents!) Wrath of the Immortals and Hollow World adventures were outstanding. Mystara has never been bettered as a setting IMO.
2) The second wave of AD&D - Ravenloft, Dragonlance, Saltmarsh, Desert of Desolation. This actually saved D&D for me - I started a few years earlier but gave up because I detested all the plotless Greyhawk garbage like Slavers/Giants/ToEE. None of that captured the epic feel I wanted... until the second wave came along.
3) Pathfinder. It seems pretty much everything I wanted 3rd edition to be, but wasn't.
Isle of Dread was how I was introduced to the game and how the game didn't need to be just knights and castles but dinosaurs, pirates, and well whatever you wanted to throw in.
Next to Isle of Dread, the Ravenloft setting was my go-to setting as a DM. I have fond memories of running Feast of Goblyns (several times).
1) I agree with a previous poster...each edition (except one which I won't mention) had it's good points and bad points. With what they are doing w/ D&D Next and PF...I think we are just about to start the Golden age of TRPGs...
2) Favorite modules have to be all those old D&D modules and bunch from the 1st ed.
1. AD&D
2. Castle Greyhawk, The Egg of the Phoenix, Red Hand of Doom.
