Xaxaxe wrote:Which I'm guessing would probably be reflected if this survey were being conducted at Dragonsfoot or some other general interest D&D-related site. However, the survey is being conducted here, at The Acaeum, a site which lists the following on its information page:

"What You'll Find Here:
Indexes of all Dungeons & Dragons items produced by TSR up through roughly 1989."

"What You Won't Find Here:
Much information at all on items produced 1990 and later."

I realize there's some edition crossover in the dates mentioned there, but it's more than obvious that this is a D&D- and AD&D 1e-centric site. The results you're seeing are less a result of "snobbishness" than a result of where the survey is being conducted.

well that aside either way, if i WAS including all the 2E gear, about the only 2E item i really liked was a paladin in hell. the rest i wasnt fussed with, so being "snobbish" or not, my list would most likely be the same. simple as.

Al

well said paul

couldnt have said it better myself.

Al

killjoy32 wrote:
well that aside either way, if i WAS including all the 2E gear, about the only 2E item i really liked was a paladin in hell. the rest i wasnt fussed with, so being "snobbish" or not, my list would most likely be the same. simple as.

Al

I actually like 2nd edition.....we still play a modified form to this day.....and I think most of the boxed sets are of superior quality. This includes Ruins of Undermountain and Night Below which made my list.  Many of the Forgotten Realms boxed sets like Ruins of Zhentil Keep, Spellbound, Lands of Intrigue, the North, etc are superior to anything put out for 1st edition just because these sort of supplement were never released for 1st edition.
   Having said that, almost all adventure modules released for 2nd edition are pure crap.  The exceptions would be a small handful released just at 2nd edition was winding up in the late 90's.....Firestorm Peak, the Sahaughin trilogy, Paladin in Hell.  Unfortunately TSR's resources at this time were more engaged in game settings, and Dungeon Magazine had all the best adventures published by TSR from 1989 through 1990.  Now, if someone wants to start a Best of Dungeon Magazine list, a lot if not all of my favorites there would be 2nd edition....sounds like a good topic...

Mike B.

Badmike wrote:
     While many of the earliest modules suffered because of little explanatory or background text, today's adventure supplements are unfortunately buried ina  surfeit of what is surely TOO MUCH INFORMATION!!! I find most of today's modules/supplements unusable simply because wading through so much "informative" text that is instead superfluous exhausts me.  It's like all today's "game designers" have to show off their big brains and pad a perfectly good 20 page adventure to 50 pages lest they be thought slackers (don't even get me started on the what is probably excellent material now being published in $100+ boxed sets and 50 lb hardbacks.....)
 

I really think that one of the reason adventures/settings began to get so much more detailed in the 90's is because a large segment of the "buying population" was never actually going to play them!  How many times have you seen collections that were never used?  How often are the maps attached, all inserts intact, no writing on any pages . . .

I wouldn't be surprised if the majority of RPG merchandise is sold to people who never will play . . . so the books and adventures are designed more and more for a single reader to enjoy.

Hell, the only current RPG I buy is Warhammer 2nd Edition . . . I buy everything that comes out - I love it!  But I'll never play . . . I haven't gamed in 15 years and there's no hope for it anytime with the next decade (two decades . . . )

If TSR/WotC only sold products that were going to be put to use . . . there wouldn't even be any RPG games now.  White Wolf certainly would have never gotten off the ground!

Africa Korps wrote:

Im not trying to pick bones with any of you all but... the list seems to be a lil snobbish or maybe just fixed in a trance of nostalgia.. many of the earlier 1st edition mods were not that good, in fact they were rather crude and simplistic. "


I hear where you're coming from--as was pointed out in a later post to yours, the Acaeum site really doesn't cover much 2e D&D; I've found a few Dragonlance-realted modules that aren't in the Acaeum list, for example.  However, if you would go to the thread marked "Back in the Day (BITD)" here, you'll find, as I did to my great surprise and pleasure, that there is still some fondness and fun for OD&D/1eD&D/AD&D 1e modules, for any number of reasons.  Many of those who posted on THIS thread posted on THAT thread--I thank you for your replies and hope there are more to come ;  many of the replies left me with great memories, while some of the stories left me out of breath from laughing so hard  

As to the length-of-module question which came up in a later (to yours) post, I offer the Dungeon Crawl Classics series.  Yes, they DO advertise as "1e feel, 3.5e rules", but most of these are short (less than 32 pages), and some even go back to 1e rules.  (I am looking at the 1e version of DCC #12.5The Iron Crypt of the Heretics, which the 1e version was done for a gaming convention in 1e rules.  I have both versions, and am looking forward to the chance to compare them!!)

Beyondthebreach wrote:and no S2 White Plume Mountain (hated it - sorry Xaxaxe!   )

Don't listen to him, beloved WPM! He knows not of what he speaks!

Actually, I'll be interested to see if WPM can even hang on for a top-20 spot when BC is done tabulating. An informal scan of the lists so far reveals that it's been left off of quite a few lists and placed only in the bottom half of a few others. My first-place vote is going to have to carry the day!

Like Deimos5477 brought up a few posts ago: some adventures probably would make both a top-30 and bottom-30 list.

bclarkie wrote:Okay, the Dungeon Magazine 30 greatest adventures of all time thread got me thinking. Let's compile our own Official Acaeum version of the Top 30 adventures of all time.  I know that we picked our Top 10 adventure awhile back, but lets make this official like.  There only 3 rules to this list:

    1) Everyone gets to pick his/her own Top 20 modules. Anymore than twenty will not be counted.

I will raise an objection I pointed out when Dungeon Magazine did theirs. If you build a top 30 list from a group of top 10 lists you are going to get skewed results beyond the first 10 entries. I think that really showed in Dungeon Magazine's list, I don't trust any of the entries beyond 10.

The same applies to building a top 30 list from a group of top 20 lists, but to a much lesser extent.

1) M5 Talons of Night -
I see Dead Gods show up in a lot of favorite adventure lists, and I like it as well. But most people don't know Monte Cook borrowed some of the good stuff in Dead Gods from Talons of Night, which is my #1. Monte did improve on it, but the reason Dead Gods is not in this slot is because there is not one but two adventures in the book. Everyone forgets about the second adventure, because it stinks.  Judging the whole book means Dead Gods does not make my top 20.

2) B10 Night's Dark Terror -
A nasty slave ring, an ambush on the river, a desperate defense of a fort against waves of humanoid attackers, all of that is just the introduction to the actual adventure. Before it is over, a mystery of an ancient race is revealed, as well as numerous locales to explore, a crafty nemesis, two treacherous factions, and a Cthulhoid monster. The only detraction is there are too many side quests to explore, and letting the players hit them all will detract from the urgency, which is why I recommend cutting a few out, even though each one reveals a tiny slice of the mystery.

3) U1 Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh --
Out of all the adventures to kick off a campaign, this one is my favorite. As someone else has already pointed out, a lot of ideas from the movie Goonies. When I ran this I even took it one step further, it was an all-halfling adventure party running through that place, with the exception of a human bard. It works best if you can come up with a reason it has never been explored before, any hints that it may have been explored might give the players the idea to start searching for secret doors in the basement right off the bat, like mine did.

4) CM9 Legacy of Blood --
A domain that is on the brink of rebellion, a powerful cabal is out to undermine your every move, and it is up to you to take the steps necessary to root out the conspiracy and cement your rulership. The cabal has some well-described villains with varying motivations, and the setting has some unique locations and features. Open for further customizing from the Gazeteer series.

5) I6 Ravenloft --
Along with a classic NPC villain and the castle that launched a campaign setting, you also get several possibilities in terms of the actual goal for the adventure. Brilliant! Why didn't I think of that?

6) L1 The Secret of Bone Hill --
If I want to kick off a new campaign series of adventures, I go with this one. The town has its denizens and their quirks, the surrounding countryside has a set of challenges, a few possible henchmen are described, and the final challenge of Bone Hill is described with two sets of denizens for both day and night, which tends to throw off parties that like to make some probing attacks before coming up with a plan to wait until dark. I always change the clerics outside of town, which strikes me as too odd. The last time I placed this, the location was good for a group of low-level Shaolin monks.

7) X1 Isle of Dread --
It rips off plenty of ideas from King Kong and other sources, but it is one of the original classics. Those encounter descriptions still give me further ideas, and there is plenty of additional room to expand. This also first introduced the rakasta and phanatons, two of my favorite D&D races.

B4 The Lost City --
At first glance it is just a five level dungeon. But the players get their without food and water, and will die unless they acquire some. This means possibly allying with one or more NPC factions, which of course all conflict with each other, and may force the players to betray one or more of the factions. On top of this, five more dungeon levels are outlined, and then an entire underground city with plenty of adventuring opportunity is tacked on almost as an appendix. There is just so much to work with here, enough to get the creative juices flowing and keep the players busy trying to save an ancient culture on the brink of oblivion.

9) Return to the Tomb of Horrors --
This one is a PC killer, but gives a daunting epic quest that will be remembered by anyone who plays it..and lives…at least for awhile. This is a bit of a cheat since S1 is incorporated verbatim into this box set, but it really does improve on what is there. Only downside is if you like the idea of a powerful demi-lich with unknowable motivations. Here the motivation is provided, and while it is good, you might have come up with something else.

10) X2 Castle Amber --
Clark Ashton Smith incorporated into D&D. The d'Ambreville family strongly resembles another Amber family. Mix the two and you have something very cool with a lot of potential. The adventure locations do get wacky, but I consider that part of the charm. The mist in this adventure is the inspiration for the Mists of Ravenloft.

11) CM1 Test of the Warlords --
Carve your fiefdom out of the wilderness, and help a weak king keep his claim to the land. Very free-form and open, with suggested encounters and situations to crop up over the course of a couple of years of campaign time. My favorites are the massive frost giant armies and the wedding. It all culminates in large scale land war against an empire, which of course, planted its own agents in the kingdom from the start.

12) DDA2 Legions of Thyatis --
Many adventures claim flexibility, this one practices it. It really needs to be played with DDA1(also very flexible and free-form). High drama for low-level characters, with a logical dungeon crawl mixed into the middle. Defeating the bad guy is not done in a fight, but at a trial, with roles for the judges and prosecutor that can be played by the players or by anyone willing to join for an evening session. And I love the big NPC bad is a normal human with 3hp.

13) X4 Master of the Desert Nomads --
This one was my first adventure with an epic quest. Cross a forbidding desert occupied by enemy armies to confront whoever is sending them. The cross-country travel and the well-described encounters bring this one to life. Its sequel X5 is almost as good, but the country of the enemy too sparsely detailed.

14) T1 Village of Hommlet --
The best of the starting adventures from a more generic perspective. I consider this to be another great adventure to start a campaign. I avoid the Temple of Elemental Evil like the plague though.

15) DA2 Temple of the Frog --
How can you not like a D&D adventure with frickin laser beams?! I like the original from the Blackmoor book, but this gives me something meaty to run with my players. Definitely needs the fixes suggested by Arneson and others, namely that the hand held pistols create a fireball only human-sized, otherwise some opponents cannot fire their guns without hitting themselves. You think you are invading some swamp cult on a commando rescue mission, but then you find that the swamp cult has frickin laser beams. Typical PC response, "Why didn't anyone tell me they had...one of those things?"

16) M1 Into the Maelstrom --
Replay the Odyssey. Bring your own naval armada. If you really want to, conquer a couple of worlds while you are at it. Or ally with them. Your choice.

17) X10 Red Arrow, Black Shield --
I like my wargames, including the original 15mm Battlesystem. Which to this day is still the only miniatures/tactical game I find suitable to cover everything D&D does on the battlefield. Which is why I enjoy this module. The H series is good as well, but I never understood why it was considered too risky to send your army across a river to fight the Witchking, but it would be less risky to march into the Abyss itself and attack Orcus.

18) L2 Assassin's Knot --
I like murder mysteries, I like thieves guilds, and I like assassins. This has all three, and builds on the foundation of L1. The only thing I might suggest changing today is to get rid of the red herring clues…these days savvy players will assume they are bogus and start looking elsewhere.

19) Dark Sun Dragons Crown --
Most Dark Sun adventures were terrible, more time was spent on the art then the story, and most of the time the players sat around and watched NPCs do the important work. Not in this one. This adventure covers the length and breadth of the Dark Sun campaign setting, and puts all the responsibility on the player characters. A rival group of NPCs dogs their steps, and it features a very real threat from the most powerful psionicists on the planet.

20) O2 Blade of Vengeance -
We need more one-on-one modules, we don't all have the luxury of a group, and this one shows how to do it right. An epic quest, emotional connections for the player to bond with the character, unique settings and rich detail, even down to the white dragonskin scabbard.

Honorable Mentions-
A2 Secret of the Slavers Stockade
The Rod of Seven Parts Box set
B7 Rahasia
B2 Keep on the Borderlands
DDA1 Arena of Thyatis
UK2 Sentinel
UK3 Gauntlet
Night Below box set
3E D&D Crucible of Freya
H1 Bloodstone Pass

Badmike wrote:
Finally have time to do my reviews of why they are in my top modules:



3.  L1 Bone Hill

Kind of a pumped up version of T1, with a small town instead of a village, a larger wilderness area, and a really cool ruin to explore with some unusual monsters (I can't believe more wasn't done with Skeltars and Zombires, which are very cool).  

Mike B.

I couldn't agree more.

There is one 2E update to this that I know. Skelters and zombires appear in Dungeon Magazine #59, adapted for the Birthright campaign setting. Each one that appears has a history and personality, as the campaign setting identifies those with divine bloodlines can beome these creatures in undeath.

If we build a list of top Dungeon Magazine/general magazine D&D adventures, this one will be in my top 10.

I'm limiting this to modules actually played or DM'd:

1) B2 Keep on the Borderlands
2) U1 Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh
3) S3 Expedition to the Barrier Peaks
4) I2 Tomb of the Lizard King
5) N1 Against the Cult of the Reptile God
6) X1 Isle of Dread
7) S1 Tomb of Horrors
8) Q1 Queen of the Demonweb Pits
9) I1 Dwellers of the Forbidden City
10) C1 Hidden Shrine of Tamoachan
11) S2 White Plume Mountain
12) X2 Castle Amber
13) S4 Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth
14) L2 Assassin's Knot
15) C2 Ghost Tower of Inverness
16) A1 Slave Pits of the Undercity
17) B4 Lost City
18) N2 Forest Oracle
19) C3 Lost Island of Castanamir
20) B3 Palace of the Silver Princess (green)

I'll annotate at a later date.