benjoshua wrote in The Official Acaeum Top 30 adventures of all time:A little thread necromancy here:I just finished reading Tegel Manor. I was able to get it for cheap (the distribution edition) when Goodman Games had its 40% off sale. I was pleased with the quality of the booklet and the two large maps (11x17) provided. The large maps and the interior maps were well done overall, but there wasn't any interior art. There was a wondering monster chart and an area map with a nearby city where players could recover or explore. There were some nice touches I liked. There were some tombstone inscriptions listed which made me laugh. There were also brief descriptions for nearly 100 paintings within the manor, many of which had magical and/or malevolent effects. The room descriptions are sparse and the map detail is intense, requiring a good Dungeon Master to make for a good player experience.I've been hearing about this adventure for years, but never read it. I assumed it might actually be a pretty good adventure given all the positive press. My expectations were tempered by my experience reading Palace of the Vampire Queen, as I was somewhat disappointed in how simplistic it was. These old adventures were great mostly because they were some of the first large-scale adventures available for purchase. They inspired additional authors to publish their adventures. And for those who adventured through them, they rekindle fond nostalgia.Tegel Manor (spoiler alert) is a huge haunted mansion. There are creepy sounds, monsters, and sights in dozens of rooms. There is little attention to any theme other than it's haunted. There is little attention given to mission or goal other than, clear the thing out and collect all the treasure you can. I should add that the particular edition I purchased also included an additional adventure entitled, "The Temple of Tsathoggus," which did not suffer from these aforementioned flaws. There's a nice little back story explaining its origin, and there is an organizing deity, boss, and theme for the map and encounters. Anyway, I am pleased I purchased this adventure. It's fascinating seeing some of the earliest D&D dungeons and how it set the stage, and outline, for so many great, and greater, adventures to follow.
Prufrock wrote in The Official Acaeum Top 30 adventures of all time:benjoshua wrote in The Official Acaeum Top 30 adventures of all time:A little thread necromancy here:I just finished reading Tegel Manor. I was able to get it for cheap (the distribution edition) when Goodman Games had its 40% off sale. I was pleased with the quality of the booklet and the two large maps (11x17) provided. The large maps and the interior maps were well done overall, but there wasn't any interior art. There was a wondering monster chart and an area map with a nearby city where players could recover or explore. There were some nice touches I liked. There were some tombstone inscriptions listed which made me laugh. There were also brief descriptions for nearly 100 paintings within the manor, many of which had magical and/or malevolent effects. The room descriptions are sparse and the map detail is intense, requiring a good Dungeon Master to make for a good player experience.I've been hearing about this adventure for years, but never read it. I assumed it might actually be a pretty good adventure given all the positive press. My expectations were tempered by my experience reading Palace of the Vampire Queen, as I was somewhat disappointed in how simplistic it was. These old adventures were great mostly because they were some of the first large-scale adventures available for purchase. They inspired additional authors to publish their adventures. And for those who adventured through them, they rekindle fond nostalgia.Tegel Manor (spoiler alert) is a huge haunted mansion. There are creepy sounds, monsters, and sights in dozens of rooms. There is little attention to any theme other than it's haunted. There is little attention given to mission or goal other than, clear the thing out and collect all the treasure you can. I should add that the particular edition I purchased also included an additional adventure entitled, "The Temple of Tsathoggus," which did not suffer from these aforementioned flaws. There's a nice little back story explaining its origin, and there is an organizing deity, boss, and theme for the map and encounters. Anyway, I am pleased I purchased this adventure. It's fascinating seeing some of the earliest D&D dungeons and how it set the stage, and outline, for so many great, and greater, adventures to follow. Beware of the "Killer Shrew". Ask Badmike!!! But be gentle he still shivers and shakes at the mere mention of the "Killer Shrew".Martin
Badmike wrote in The Official Acaeum Top 30 adventures of all time:Old List:Posted: Wed Oct 25, 2006 11:00 pm 1. T1 Village of Hommlet 2. B1 In Search of the Unknown 3. L1 Bone Hill 4. Ruins of Undermountain 5. G3 Fire Giants 6. D1 Descent Into the Depths 7. S1 Tomb of Horrors 8. WG4 Tharizdun 9. I1 Forbidden City 10. U1 Secret of Saltmarsh 11. N1 Cult of the Reptile God 12. B2 Keep on the Borderlands 13. B10 Night's Dark Terror 14. WG5 Mordenkainen's Fantastic Adventure 15. D3 Vault of the Drow 16. A4 Dungeons of the Slave Lords 17. Night Below 18. WGR6 City of Skulls 19. G1 20. G2 Old List: Posted March 4, 2012:1. B1 In Search of the Unknown2. Caverns of Thracia3. T1 Village of Hommlet4. Ruins of Undermountain5. L1 Secret of Bone Hill6. I1 Forbidden City7. WG4 Tharizdun8. Dark Tower9. Bottle City10. WG5 Mordenkainen's Fantastic Adventure11. B2 Keep on the Borderlands12. B10 Night's Dark Terror13. G114. G215. G316. D1 Descent Into the Depths17. U1 Secret of Saltmarsh18. N1 Cult of the Reptile God19. D3 Vault of the Drow20. S1 Tomb of HorrorsThe new list reflects the added respect for Judges Guild and the OSR at this point of my gaming experience. I will readily admit many of the adventures are on the list for nostalgia purposes only at this point as I haven't played or DM'd them in decades.Mike B.
Badmike wrote in The Official Acaeum Top 30 adventures of all time:Prufrock wrote in The Official Acaeum Top 30 adventures of all time:Beware of the "Killer Shrew". Ask Badmike!!! But be gentle he still shivers and shakes at the mere mention of the "Killer Shrew".MartinWell, your dwarf had his head up MY ass during the Killer Shrew attack (because you grabbed my from behind to hold me while John pulled the shrew off me.....? I cannot remember). :D Mike B.
Prufrock wrote in The Official Acaeum Top 30 adventures of all time:Beware of the "Killer Shrew". Ask Badmike!!! But be gentle he still shivers and shakes at the mere mention of the "Killer Shrew".Martin
benjoshua wrote in The Official Acaeum Top 30 adventures of all time:As I look at this list, I can't help but wonder what role nostalgia and historical importance played in some of these selections, among many factors. For example, if G1-3 were released today, would they be viewed as favorably? Personally, I think historical importance does play some role. Tegel Manor was phenomenal in that it broke new ground creating a template followed for years to come. But if it was released today, it wouldn't be nearly as impressive. The map was great, the room descriptions and theme were poor. Nostalgia is not nearly as important a factor in my opinion. Just because you had a great time DM'ing it or playing in it, doesn't mean it was great in and of itself. And just because you had a lousy DM when playing Ravenloft, doesn't make that adventure any less amazing. If you were to create a scoring sheet for adventures, what would it look like? I am guessing there are lots of opinions on this.
Blackmoor wrote in The Official Acaeum Top 30 adventures of all time:benjoshua wrote in The Official Acaeum Top 30 adventures of all time:As I look at this list, I can't help but wonder what role nostalgia and historical importance played in some of these selections, among many factors. For example, if G1-3 were released today, would they be viewed as favorably? Personally, I think historical importance does play some role. Tegel Manor was phenomenal in that it broke new ground creating a template followed for years to come. But if it was released today, it wouldn't be nearly as impressive. The map was great, the room descriptions and theme were poor. Nostalgia is not nearly as important a factor in my opinion. Just because you had a great time DM'ing it or playing in it, doesn't mean it was great in and of itself. And just because you had a lousy DM when playing Ravenloft, doesn't make that adventure any less amazing. If you were to create a scoring sheet for adventures, what would it look like? I am guessing there are lots of opinions on this. I completely agree with this statement. We had a lot of fun playing the early adventures; it was new, exciting and our imaginations went wild. But compare the G series to the new adventures being released by Paizo, Frog God, WOTC etc. The new adventures contain detailed back stories, themes, unique characters, twists and turns and cool ideas. Most of the older adventures are basically lists of rooms filled with monsters loosely held together with a theme. Don't get me wrong, the early adventures were great but just like everything else they have evolved and have become awesome.
brute wrote in The Official Acaeum Top 30 adventures of all time:Honorable mentions:Caves of PainQuinitar's Castle