For the longest time I go on and on (and on and on...) about my enjoyment of the many of the old school games.
But I am really doing my contemporaries a huge disservice. So today I wanted to talk about some of my favorite old-school adventures published within the last few years; aka the OSR adventures.
The Hanging Coffins of the Vampire Queen
I have talked about this one a lot. It's a meat grinder and just a crazy, gonzo adventure with tongue firmly planted in cheek. It is great fun and you can read more of my experiences here, http://theotherside.timsbrannan.com/2014/10/into-lair-of-vampire-queen.html
The Shrine of St. Aleena
Another great intro module and a great intro to what Old School Gaming can be.
I also covered this one here, http://theotherside.timsbrannan.com/2013/10/review-shrine-of-st-aleena.html
Oak Grove Whispers
Another great intro module set outside of the City of Domvay (and included in the special edition print versions of the book). If The Shrine of St. Aleena works for you then give this one as a try. This is more straightforward.
Dwimmermount
A lot can be said (and has been said) about this mega-dungeon/campaign, but one thing is for sure. Autarch really saved this project. I am not a huge fan of mega-dungeons, but this really is a must have. I think in the end what sells me on this project is it's vision. Sure it could be described (and has been) as a monumental act of hubris OR you could look at it as a commentary on how the OSR solidified 70s and 80s nostalgia into a post-millennial marketing tool. It might not be the best at saying what we do, but it is an honest look.
Castle of the Mad Archmage
This might be the closest we will ever get to exploring Castle Greyhawk. Yeah it is not perfect, but the effort and work here is beyond reproach and it is a damn fun adventure. This is also on the complete opposite end of the spectrum from Dwimmermount. Like the other mega dungeon this is the vision of one man, in this case Joseph Bloch. Though were Dwimmeromount received much hype CotMA just quietly got published with no drama. When Bloch has done Kickstarters they have been on point, fast and he usually gets people their materials WAY before he promised he would. This is also a good example of the OSR ethic. There is still nostalgia here but it took a different path.
No Salvation for Witches
I will be honest. I find most of James Raggi's adventures to be unplayable.
Not due to content or anything like that. I just believe that the GMs job is to help characters to greatness, not stick them into an adventure where they have no chance of winning. I don't mind a meat grinder now and then (see Vampire Queen above) but not a design philosophy centered around fucking with the players. Tomb of Horrors was a one time deal, not a template for every adventure.
That being said I like No Salvation for Witches. It still has the same art quality one expects from LotFP and the adventure still has buckets of gore, but author Rafael Chandler brings some of the same splatter-punk horror the he demonstrated in his own Teratic Tome (which would make a good add-in for this). I like the setting and the plot is something taken out of the most salacious accounts of the witch trails. Well if those accounts were embellished a little by Clive Barker.
NSFW (cute) is set in LotFP's pseudo historical Europe, but frankly I would rather take it and set it in the world of Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea to give it that "older and colder" feel that AS&SH does so well.
Liberation of the Demon Slayer
Venger As’Nas Satanis has a reputation comparable to James Raggi. Liberation of the Demon Slayer does nothing to change this. Also this adventure is something I might like to run under Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea. There is a mix of demons, devils and Lovecraftian beasts/gods that somehow feels right for that world. There is a lot of the author's advice for running and some of his house rules. Normally I might ignore these, but they seem central to his design philosophy that maybe, just for this adventure, they should be used.
If you, like me, love eldritch abominations and dark magic then this the adventure for you. The adventure itself "sounds" simple enough. Retrieve a demon killing sword from the caves to stop the demons attack your village. Easy peasy. Trouble is that the author grew up when dungeons-as-meat-grinders were a thing. This adventure though is closer in tone and danger to the Hanging Coffins of the Vampire Queen than it is to most Lamentations of the Flame Princess products. With the right DM this could be a great and dangerous adventure where the party could live. Sure they could all easily die too. One can read this and imagine that all of the author's games are a bit like it.
Actually I have known the author for a number of years and yeah this is exactly the kind of things I expect in his games. I think the difference here with this adventure and some of his earlier material is there is a maturity here to accept the absurd. This adventure can be played straight or with a dash of dark humor. Think of it as a horror movie, even the scariest have a touch of humor to them; it sets you up for the bigger punch later down the road.
Curiously enough in my own games I do have an epic weapon for killing demons. In my current world state this sword is lost and a quest is needed to recover it. Maybe this is what I need. If so then the value of this adventure just increased ten-fold for me. I am going to have to spend some quality time with it and a pencil to see if it can be recrafted into something that fits my world a little better.
The Snake's Heart - A Lost Age Adventure
This is my newest one. The overall feel of this one is like an action movie. Maybe more like a horror-action movie, but you get the idea. The adventure is hard core old school. It is compatible with S&W: White Box but like most of the OSR adventures it can be used with just about any rules. The file is a pretty simple affair; 19 pages, line art. So nothing too fancy, but the aesthetic is very, very old school. It looks like something your older brother's friend who was the first kid in the neighborhood to play D&D might have made; only a lot better.
The adventure itself starts with a simple set up and encounter (I like adventures that make the players DO something right away) and then that simple encounter leads to a confrontation with an evil cult. Shenanigans ensue. The adventure takes a few cues from more modern adventures and separates encounters. The effect this has is to keep the action flowing. If this were a movie it would be Raiders of the Lost Ark or, more aptly, The Temple of Doom. At just under $2.00 it is also perfect for an afternoon when you want to play something but don't have an adventure ready to go.
For myself I might make some minor changes here and there. Snake Goddesses are fun and all but what if I need a Wolf Goddess or a Centipede one? It make a great introduction for some characters that have already been through one adventure and are their way to the larger plot brewing. I say grab this one and use it this weekend.
Hmm...maybe there is a campaign here.
What are your favorites? What have I missed that I should be playing.
Showing posts with label adventures. Show all posts
Showing posts with label adventures. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 25, 2015
Tuesday, March 24, 2015
Going Beyond the Murder-hobo
I have professed my love for many old-school adventures here. Both ones published "back in the day" and the current crop of new old-school adventures.
Well I was listening to a you video on Dungeon! recently and the parallel was drawn yet again between the Fellowship in the mines of Moria and your average dungeon crawl. There are lots and lots of similarities and by now everyone knows it. But there is a fundamental difference between the Fellowship and what a lot of dungeon crawls assume. The Fellowship was only there on their way to become heroes, not to loot the dungeon and kill orcs.
Sometimes I do feel out of step with my Old-School brethren because I do think a character in D&D should aspire to be more than just a "murder-hobo". I think part of that stems from my involvement with other games very early on. In Chill for example you start out as the "everyman/everywoman". Heck even one of the archetypes is "Socialite". The point is that you start out like this but the horrors in the world force you to become something else.
There is an old saying in the horror genre. Take a movie's Final Girl and turn into a buff male with a gun and then you have an Action Movie. I say put a sword in her hand (or a wand) and you have a D&D adventure. The point though for me is whether horror, action or D&D the characters must be the heroes of the tale.
That is one of the reason why I like to weave a coherent story in my adventures. Each one is a clue to the next to the larger threat. A cult in the Cave of Chaos tips off the adventurers to a series of deaths on Bone Hill which leads to the rumors of slave traders that tie into attacks by giants...
Maybe I am taking too much of a modern supernatural story line to my adventures, but I find one endless dungeon crawl after the next to be boring. Its one of the reasons I never liked mega-dungeons either. And yes I like character development. I like heroes.
What are your favorite kinds of adventures? What do you do?
Well I was listening to a you video on Dungeon! recently and the parallel was drawn yet again between the Fellowship in the mines of Moria and your average dungeon crawl. There are lots and lots of similarities and by now everyone knows it. But there is a fundamental difference between the Fellowship and what a lot of dungeon crawls assume. The Fellowship was only there on their way to become heroes, not to loot the dungeon and kill orcs.
Sometimes I do feel out of step with my Old-School brethren because I do think a character in D&D should aspire to be more than just a "murder-hobo". I think part of that stems from my involvement with other games very early on. In Chill for example you start out as the "everyman/everywoman". Heck even one of the archetypes is "Socialite". The point is that you start out like this but the horrors in the world force you to become something else.
There is an old saying in the horror genre. Take a movie's Final Girl and turn into a buff male with a gun and then you have an Action Movie. I say put a sword in her hand (or a wand) and you have a D&D adventure. The point though for me is whether horror, action or D&D the characters must be the heroes of the tale.
That is one of the reason why I like to weave a coherent story in my adventures. Each one is a clue to the next to the larger threat. A cult in the Cave of Chaos tips off the adventurers to a series of deaths on Bone Hill which leads to the rumors of slave traders that tie into attacks by giants...
Maybe I am taking too much of a modern supernatural story line to my adventures, but I find one endless dungeon crawl after the next to be boring. Its one of the reasons I never liked mega-dungeons either. And yes I like character development. I like heroes.
What are your favorite kinds of adventures? What do you do?
Friday, March 13, 2015
The "Second Campaign"
Now I am not yet sure I'll have the time for this but if I am setting it in the same world then I might want to lay a bit of a foundation.
So a theme that has come up a few times in my games, either D&D-like, CineUnisystem or other modern supernatural, is human(oid)s vs reptile invaders. I first got the idea when I was going through the Fiend Folio and I noticed there were a lot of different reptile and amphibian races.
I later (likely through Chill) thought of a snake like race (maybe similar to the "Deceiver" creature) but I could have also been influenced by Doctor Who. In any case they are there, squirming around in my brain.
I would love to take this do something with all these other cool adventures that share a theme, add a bit of backstory (not much) and maybe....just maybe run it all under Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea.
So here is my thought:
N1 Against the Cult of the Reptile God, levels 1-3 (novice)
U1 The Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh, levels 1-3
U2 Danger at Dunwater, levels 1-4
U3 The Final Enemy, levels 3-5
I1 Dwellers of the Forbidden City, levels 4-7
C1 The Hidden Shrine of Tamoachan, levels 5-7
And that is about as far as I got.
I also have a series of "desert adventures" I want to try.
I3 Pharaoh, levels 5-7
I4 Oasis of the White Palm, levels 6-8
I5 Lost Tomb of Martek, levels 7-9
X4 Master of the Desert Nomads, levels 6-9
X5 Temple of Death, levels 6-10
I9 Day of Al'Akbar, level 8-10.
Gary Gygax's Necropolis, levels 10+
I could fold them into each other. There are 13 here, so I like that number. But they all don't fit in together thematically, unless I am saying that Set is somehow involved. Which could be cool really.
I don't have a copy of Day of Al'Akbar anymore and it has not shown up yet on DriveThruRPG. So I could make it 12 adventures.
Also I could take a page out of True20 and just have everyone go up a level at the end of each adventure. It would make things easy. If so then AS&SH might just be the right choice. I would want to ratchet up the pulp feel. But not really use any Lovecraftian beasties. I am kinda burned out on them really.
Something to consider anyway.
Thursday, March 12, 2015
The 30 Greatest D&D Adventures of All Time
Been kinda of obsessed with lists lately. But this one does have a point for me. A while back (2004 in fact) the Pazio run of Dungeon Magazine listed their top 30 adventures of all time.
I have been going through what I call the "Classical Canon" of D&D. Not just so I have the experience of running them all, but so my kids can also enjoy these great adventures. I also am looking for what makes a truly great D&D adventure; something that people still talk about years later.
Anyway here is the list with my thoughts.
30. The Ghost Tower of Inverness, 1980 (C2)
This is great one, but an odd one to run with a party in an ongoing campaign. So I used it in my Doctor Who Adventures in Time and Space playtest and ran it as "The Ghost Tower of Inverness, Illinois". I used this as the location of the "Ghost Tower" which is actually a malfunctioning Time Beacon.
29. The Assassin’s Knot, 1983 (L2)
Personally I prefer L1, Secret of Bone Hill, but this is a great sequel and I can see why many people like it more than Bone Hill. Assassin's Knot works well as a murder mystery, but not great if your players are wanting to go in a bust skulls.
28. The Lost City, 1982 (B4)
I played this one in 8th Grade when it was new and had a blast. I ran it again for my kids a few years back and still had a blast. There were so many things in it I had forgotten and I spent most of the module smiling to myself in memory. It is a Moldvay classic really and really has the feel of early 80s Basic D&D.
27. The Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh, 1981 (U1)
This was one I played back in the day but I have yet to run. I have it all ready to go with my 3rd Ed. conversion notes. Of course at the time I thought this was great because I was deep into my Anglophilia and I thought ANYTHING from England was perfect. Given that it was written (in part) by Don Turnbull then it was bound to be good. If I remember right I played this one after Lost City. I loved the tenor and mood of the module. It inspired an adventure I wrote in 88 called "Home by the Sea". Parts of that adventure were then later used in my Ghosts of Albion adventure Blight, which took place in Ireland. So it all came full circle.
26. City of Skulls, 1993 (WGR6)
This is an odd one. I never played it, never ran it and never really heard anything about it. This was near the end of my Ravenloft games and very, very close to the time where I took a huge break from D&D. I will check it out sometime, but doubt if I'll ever run it.
25. Dragons of Despair, 1984 (DL1)
I never played or ran any of the Dragonlance modules. I enjoyed the books when they came out and I liked the idea that everyone playing was going through it all at the same time. Hey, maybe someone should revive this for the next D&D Encounters! I loved the idea and I loved the new design of the modules, but even then it felt a little railroady to me. Plus I wanted to use my own characters.
24. City of the Spider Queen, 2002
I am not a good judge of this one. I don't like Drizzt. I don't like R.A. Salvatore. I never really cared for the Forgotten Realms till about 4th Edition. I don't really know anything about this module. I suspect it was added to the list because there was a dearth of "modern" adventures and most of the others were "Greyhawk" related.
23. The Forgotten Temple of Tharzidun, 1982 (WG4)
Now this adventure...This one I can get behind. I never played this one, but I have run it twice. It's a death dealer and a peak into what might have been coming as a narrative arc if Gygax had been into such things. This module is one of out first peeks into the horror that is Tharzidun, a god that is part Cthulhu and part Satan in my game. I am weaving material from this module into my larger campaign.
22. The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth, 1982 (S4)
The same is true for this module. I remember buying it as soon as it came out and I begged my DM to run me through it. I have run it myself twice since, the most recent time with my Dragonslayers group. This is one of my most favorite modules. It has a vampire, Iggwilv, tons of new demons (many that later became part of the Monster Manual II) and just enough puzzles to keep the players on their toes. Running it this last time was a lot of fun.
21. Dark Tower, 1979 from Judge’s Guild (JG 0088)
While I would argue that this is an obligatory JG entry, this one is actually a lot of fun. I never played it myself and it is so rare on eBay that it has been cost prohibative. Thankfully we have PDFs of the Original and of the 3.5 update.
20. Scourge of the Slave Lords, 1986 (A1-4)
Another classic getting the reprint treatment. I remember playing this one in 8th grade as well. My DM at the time folded the Lost City into the A series to make a campaign out of them. Also he had a copy of Grimtooth's Traps which made everything deadlier. Or as he said "better". I still have a thief stuck somewhere in a pit trap.
19. Against the Cult of the Reptile God, 1982 (N1)
I have never played or run this one. I have though always wanted to use it as a start of a "Second" campaign, After running the Classical Canon, I would start with a new campaign focusing on reptiles as the enemy. Work in some modern "Reptoids" and have a go at it. Maybe someday I will still do this. But this is a fun adventure to read.
18. The Hidden Shrine of Tamochan, 1980 (C1)
Another great old module I never played, but read many times. Like N1 I always hoped that I could use this one as part of a second campaign. Though given some of the elements I would not be amiss using it in my "Come Endless Darkness" campaign. I already have too many modules/adventures for the 5-7 level range.
17. Ruins of Undermountain, 1991
Ah. This is one that I have always known about but never really bothered with. It was Forgotten Realms so I never gave it much thought. Though I always thought this was more of a campaign expansion, ie part of the the whole Underdark deal so I never considered it an adventure.
16. Isle of Dread, 1980 (X1)
Oh the hours I spent pouring over this map. This was Tom Moldvay's love letter to the pulp era and to such classic horror movies as King Kong. This also included the first full map of the Known World. I ran it many times as a kid and it was one of the first modules I ran for my son. He wanted to go an island of monsters, "like in Godzilla". This did not disappoint him or me. More so than any other adventure, the Dragonslayers were born here.
15. Castle Amber, 1981 (X2)
Another great. Again Moldvay's pulp horror influences are showing here, in particular his love for the works of Clark Ashton Smith. This time we enter an old house full of crazy characters and plenty of dangers. This could have come off as a "fun house" dungeon, but something in the presentation is different. Maybe it is the undertones of horror and dread. My players in our 5e game are going through this one now. I have dropped the first hints of the "coming darkness" to them here.
This is one of my personal favorites. Certainly part of my top 5.
14. Dead Gods, 1997
Dead Gods is not an adventure I have ever run or been in, but it is one I have used quite a bit. There are a number of elements in it that I use for my "Rise of Orcus" plot. Especially back in the 4e days and the rise of Orcus adventures. Honestly there are enough adventures out there that you could build a universe (and edition) spanning mega campaign on nothing more than stopping the machinations of Orcus. One day I should give that a try.
13. Dwellers of the Forbidden City, 1981 (I1)
This is a great adventure and part of my "Second Campaign" (AGGHHH too many adventures to play!) it is also at the 4th-7th level sweet spot. This one is a key part of that idea since it introduced the Yuan-ti, a monster I have used repeatedly; often calling them Ophidians. It has elements that would fit in nicely with my 5th edition group, but I have too many adventures for this level.
12. The Forge of Fury, 2000
So this is our obligatory 3e adventure I think. I never played it or ran it, thought I have read it. Personally I think The Sunless Citadel was better and should have been on this list. It was the first and introduced a generation to Meepo. Sure he was no Aleena, but you could also say that Aleena was no Meepo!
11. The Gates of Firestorm Peak, 1996
Ugh. Sorry, but there is a lot about this module I just don't like. I don't care for the shoehorn plot for starters and I hated the Skills & Powers books. Som much that it threw me off of D&D till 3e came out. It was "Lovecraftian" and I did like that. I suspect that is why it is on this list to be honest. Though many of the ideas in this module came into sharper focus during the 3e years.
10. Return to the Tomb of Horrors, 1998
You have to admit. This is a total cheat. I have it, I enjoyed it and I like the idea that the Tomb is something that people can keep going back too (whatever the edition). As a sequel there is a lot to like. As a stand alone and on it's own merits though it might be passable.
9. White Plume Mountain, 1979 (S2)
I am inordinately fond of the S series of modules. This one is no different. It of course makes 0 sense, but works great as an epic D&D adventure. Plus it gave us Wave, Whelm and Blackrazor.
8. Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil, 2001
In many ways I like this one better than the original. I like the idea of returning to the Temple I also like the idea of talking in game about adventures that came before. Gives me a sense of continuity. This is one of my favorite 3.x era modules to be honest.
7. The Keep on the Borderlands, 1979 (B1)
What can I honestly say about this one? The Cave of Chaos were as well traveled as a local Mall in the 1980s. When I think "Classic Canon" this is the first thing that comes to mind.
6. The Desert of Desolation, 1987 (I3-5)
Another total cheat this "super" module is made up of Pharoah (I3), Oasis of the White Palm (I4) and Lost Tomb of Martek (I5). Though to be totally fair they are linked together. Another really great set of adventures I would LOVE to play or run (read them many times) but not likely to. Maybe if I do my "Second Campaign". There is a lot in these I have used elsewhere though.
5. Expedition to the Barrier Peaks, 1980 (S3)
"You know what AD&D needs? Freaking laser guns! Lasers and killer robots!" Seriously. Has there ever been a module to encapsulate everything the late 70s and early 80s was all about more than this one? It even has a karate instructor robot. I am going to add in a break-dancing robot that moves to a funky Herbie Hancock beat when I run this next. Which should be soon. I am going totally gonzo with it too. I am grabbing bits of Gamma World and Metamorphosis Alpha too. In fact since the characters are higher level than the module requires I am doing a sort of "Return to the Barrier Peaks" spin on it. I am going to add some material from The Illithiad as well.
4. The Temple of Elemental Evil, 1985 (T1-4)
Another of the classic canon. If you didn't start your adventure in the keep, then chances are you started it here. I have always wanted to run this one and never have. I have used pieces of it before.
I suppose if I do my "second campaign" I will start with this and change the temple a bit.
3. Tomb of Horrors, 1978 (S1)
We just finished this one and it was every bit the meat grinder it was rumored to be. I had gone through back in the day, but running it was a completely different experience. Now I might be branded as a heretic here but it is not really that good of an adventure. Really it isn't. There are lot things in the adventure that don't make sense except in a D&D world. That being said it is a rite of passage and everyone should try it at least once under their favorite edition or at least once under 1st ed as Gary intended it to be.
2. Ravenloft, 1983 (I6)
Here we go. This is my favorite module on the list. I just love it; warts and all. Yeah there are some real leaps in logic in this one and there are plenty of reasons NOT to like it, but I don't care. I think it is great. It's a Hammer Horror film in D&D form right down to the small "Hammer Hamlet" village with terrified peasants. There are vampires, gypsies, werewolves, really strong zombies, gargoyles. Even a huge pipe organ played by the vampire. You can almost hear Toccata and Fugue in D minor while running it. I have played through this once and I have ran it three or four times. I would love to try it sometime under the Ghosts of Albion rules. I am going to take my 5e group through it when they complete Castle Amber.
1. Queen of Spiders, 1986 (G1-3, D1-3, Q1)
The first AD&D campaign arc. We talk alot about being "plot free" in our adventures but when it get right down to it we love a good story arc and the GDQ was that. I am not 100% sure that Q1 lived up the promise of the G and D series, but damn was it fun.
This super module was made up of:
Back in the day EVERYONE was going through this. It was the D&D Encounters of it's time. The only problem was no one was doing it at exactly the same time or way. So I know dozens of stories about how these turned out. I have dozens of my own. Plus that Bill Willingham cover of the Giants is one of the most iconic covers of the age I think.
There you are. The 30 greatest adventures as ranked by Dungeon Magazine.
Do you agree or disagree? What is missing?
Here are my honorable mentions.
In Search of the Unknown, 1978 (B1)
Every adventure starts somewhere. Mine usually start here. This is my go to module for a quick a easy sandbox style dungeon crawl. I have run it half a dozen times or more with new groups and it is always a thrill.
Palace of the Silver Princess, 1981 (B3)
Yes it is a rather silly adventure, but I really enjoy it. Plus the backstory on it makes it a lot more fun.
Palace of the Vampire Queen, 1976 from WeeWarriors (V2)
The first ever published adventure or "DM's Kit" as it was called then. What it lacks detail it makes up for in style. I have ran this one twice now under various systems. It works with everything to be honest; it is that sandboxy.
I have been going through what I call the "Classical Canon" of D&D. Not just so I have the experience of running them all, but so my kids can also enjoy these great adventures. I also am looking for what makes a truly great D&D adventure; something that people still talk about years later.
Anyway here is the list with my thoughts.
This is great one, but an odd one to run with a party in an ongoing campaign. So I used it in my Doctor Who Adventures in Time and Space playtest and ran it as "The Ghost Tower of Inverness, Illinois". I used this as the location of the "Ghost Tower" which is actually a malfunctioning Time Beacon.
29. The Assassin’s Knot, 1983 (L2)
Personally I prefer L1, Secret of Bone Hill, but this is a great sequel and I can see why many people like it more than Bone Hill. Assassin's Knot works well as a murder mystery, but not great if your players are wanting to go in a bust skulls.
28. The Lost City, 1982 (B4)
I played this one in 8th Grade when it was new and had a blast. I ran it again for my kids a few years back and still had a blast. There were so many things in it I had forgotten and I spent most of the module smiling to myself in memory. It is a Moldvay classic really and really has the feel of early 80s Basic D&D.
This was one I played back in the day but I have yet to run. I have it all ready to go with my 3rd Ed. conversion notes. Of course at the time I thought this was great because I was deep into my Anglophilia and I thought ANYTHING from England was perfect. Given that it was written (in part) by Don Turnbull then it was bound to be good. If I remember right I played this one after Lost City. I loved the tenor and mood of the module. It inspired an adventure I wrote in 88 called "Home by the Sea". Parts of that adventure were then later used in my Ghosts of Albion adventure Blight, which took place in Ireland. So it all came full circle.
26. City of Skulls, 1993 (WGR6)
This is an odd one. I never played it, never ran it and never really heard anything about it. This was near the end of my Ravenloft games and very, very close to the time where I took a huge break from D&D. I will check it out sometime, but doubt if I'll ever run it.
25. Dragons of Despair, 1984 (DL1)
I never played or ran any of the Dragonlance modules. I enjoyed the books when they came out and I liked the idea that everyone playing was going through it all at the same time. Hey, maybe someone should revive this for the next D&D Encounters! I loved the idea and I loved the new design of the modules, but even then it felt a little railroady to me. Plus I wanted to use my own characters.
24. City of the Spider Queen, 2002
I am not a good judge of this one. I don't like Drizzt. I don't like R.A. Salvatore. I never really cared for the Forgotten Realms till about 4th Edition. I don't really know anything about this module. I suspect it was added to the list because there was a dearth of "modern" adventures and most of the others were "Greyhawk" related.
Now this adventure...This one I can get behind. I never played this one, but I have run it twice. It's a death dealer and a peak into what might have been coming as a narrative arc if Gygax had been into such things. This module is one of out first peeks into the horror that is Tharzidun, a god that is part Cthulhu and part Satan in my game. I am weaving material from this module into my larger campaign.
22. The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth, 1982 (S4)
The same is true for this module. I remember buying it as soon as it came out and I begged my DM to run me through it. I have run it myself twice since, the most recent time with my Dragonslayers group. This is one of my most favorite modules. It has a vampire, Iggwilv, tons of new demons (many that later became part of the Monster Manual II) and just enough puzzles to keep the players on their toes. Running it this last time was a lot of fun.
21. Dark Tower, 1979 from Judge’s Guild (JG 0088)
While I would argue that this is an obligatory JG entry, this one is actually a lot of fun. I never played it myself and it is so rare on eBay that it has been cost prohibative. Thankfully we have PDFs of the Original and of the 3.5 update.
20. Scourge of the Slave Lords, 1986 (A1-4)
Another classic getting the reprint treatment. I remember playing this one in 8th grade as well. My DM at the time folded the Lost City into the A series to make a campaign out of them. Also he had a copy of Grimtooth's Traps which made everything deadlier. Or as he said "better". I still have a thief stuck somewhere in a pit trap.
I have never played or run this one. I have though always wanted to use it as a start of a "Second" campaign, After running the Classical Canon, I would start with a new campaign focusing on reptiles as the enemy. Work in some modern "Reptoids" and have a go at it. Maybe someday I will still do this. But this is a fun adventure to read.
18. The Hidden Shrine of Tamochan, 1980 (C1)
Another great old module I never played, but read many times. Like N1 I always hoped that I could use this one as part of a second campaign. Though given some of the elements I would not be amiss using it in my "Come Endless Darkness" campaign. I already have too many modules/adventures for the 5-7 level range.
17. Ruins of Undermountain, 1991
Ah. This is one that I have always known about but never really bothered with. It was Forgotten Realms so I never gave it much thought. Though I always thought this was more of a campaign expansion, ie part of the the whole Underdark deal so I never considered it an adventure.
16. Isle of Dread, 1980 (X1)
Oh the hours I spent pouring over this map. This was Tom Moldvay's love letter to the pulp era and to such classic horror movies as King Kong. This also included the first full map of the Known World. I ran it many times as a kid and it was one of the first modules I ran for my son. He wanted to go an island of monsters, "like in Godzilla". This did not disappoint him or me. More so than any other adventure, the Dragonslayers were born here.
Another great. Again Moldvay's pulp horror influences are showing here, in particular his love for the works of Clark Ashton Smith. This time we enter an old house full of crazy characters and plenty of dangers. This could have come off as a "fun house" dungeon, but something in the presentation is different. Maybe it is the undertones of horror and dread. My players in our 5e game are going through this one now. I have dropped the first hints of the "coming darkness" to them here.
This is one of my personal favorites. Certainly part of my top 5.
14. Dead Gods, 1997
Dead Gods is not an adventure I have ever run or been in, but it is one I have used quite a bit. There are a number of elements in it that I use for my "Rise of Orcus" plot. Especially back in the 4e days and the rise of Orcus adventures. Honestly there are enough adventures out there that you could build a universe (and edition) spanning mega campaign on nothing more than stopping the machinations of Orcus. One day I should give that a try.
This is a great adventure and part of my "Second Campaign" (AGGHHH too many adventures to play!) it is also at the 4th-7th level sweet spot. This one is a key part of that idea since it introduced the Yuan-ti, a monster I have used repeatedly; often calling them Ophidians. It has elements that would fit in nicely with my 5th edition group, but I have too many adventures for this level.
12. The Forge of Fury, 2000
So this is our obligatory 3e adventure I think. I never played it or ran it, thought I have read it. Personally I think The Sunless Citadel was better and should have been on this list. It was the first and introduced a generation to Meepo. Sure he was no Aleena, but you could also say that Aleena was no Meepo!
11. The Gates of Firestorm Peak, 1996
Ugh. Sorry, but there is a lot about this module I just don't like. I don't care for the shoehorn plot for starters and I hated the Skills & Powers books. Som much that it threw me off of D&D till 3e came out. It was "Lovecraftian" and I did like that. I suspect that is why it is on this list to be honest. Though many of the ideas in this module came into sharper focus during the 3e years.
10. Return to the Tomb of Horrors, 1998
You have to admit. This is a total cheat. I have it, I enjoyed it and I like the idea that the Tomb is something that people can keep going back too (whatever the edition). As a sequel there is a lot to like. As a stand alone and on it's own merits though it might be passable.
9. White Plume Mountain, 1979 (S2)
I am inordinately fond of the S series of modules. This one is no different. It of course makes 0 sense, but works great as an epic D&D adventure. Plus it gave us Wave, Whelm and Blackrazor.
In many ways I like this one better than the original. I like the idea of returning to the Temple I also like the idea of talking in game about adventures that came before. Gives me a sense of continuity. This is one of my favorite 3.x era modules to be honest.
7. The Keep on the Borderlands, 1979 (B1)
What can I honestly say about this one? The Cave of Chaos were as well traveled as a local Mall in the 1980s. When I think "Classic Canon" this is the first thing that comes to mind.
6. The Desert of Desolation, 1987 (I3-5)
Another total cheat this "super" module is made up of Pharoah (I3), Oasis of the White Palm (I4) and Lost Tomb of Martek (I5). Though to be totally fair they are linked together. Another really great set of adventures I would LOVE to play or run (read them many times) but not likely to. Maybe if I do my "Second Campaign". There is a lot in these I have used elsewhere though.
5. Expedition to the Barrier Peaks, 1980 (S3)
"You know what AD&D needs? Freaking laser guns! Lasers and killer robots!" Seriously. Has there ever been a module to encapsulate everything the late 70s and early 80s was all about more than this one? It even has a karate instructor robot. I am going to add in a break-dancing robot that moves to a funky Herbie Hancock beat when I run this next. Which should be soon. I am going totally gonzo with it too. I am grabbing bits of Gamma World and Metamorphosis Alpha too. In fact since the characters are higher level than the module requires I am doing a sort of "Return to the Barrier Peaks" spin on it. I am going to add some material from The Illithiad as well.
Another of the classic canon. If you didn't start your adventure in the keep, then chances are you started it here. I have always wanted to run this one and never have. I have used pieces of it before.
I suppose if I do my "second campaign" I will start with this and change the temple a bit.
3. Tomb of Horrors, 1978 (S1)
We just finished this one and it was every bit the meat grinder it was rumored to be. I had gone through back in the day, but running it was a completely different experience. Now I might be branded as a heretic here but it is not really that good of an adventure. Really it isn't. There are lot things in the adventure that don't make sense except in a D&D world. That being said it is a rite of passage and everyone should try it at least once under their favorite edition or at least once under 1st ed as Gary intended it to be.
Here we go. This is my favorite module on the list. I just love it; warts and all. Yeah there are some real leaps in logic in this one and there are plenty of reasons NOT to like it, but I don't care. I think it is great. It's a Hammer Horror film in D&D form right down to the small "Hammer Hamlet" village with terrified peasants. There are vampires, gypsies, werewolves, really strong zombies, gargoyles. Even a huge pipe organ played by the vampire. You can almost hear Toccata and Fugue in D minor while running it. I have played through this once and I have ran it three or four times. I would love to try it sometime under the Ghosts of Albion rules. I am going to take my 5e group through it when they complete Castle Amber.
1. Queen of Spiders, 1986 (G1-3, D1-3, Q1)
The first AD&D campaign arc. We talk alot about being "plot free" in our adventures but when it get right down to it we love a good story arc and the GDQ was that. I am not 100% sure that Q1 lived up the promise of the G and D series, but damn was it fun.
This super module was made up of:
- Against the Giants (G1-3)
- Descent into the Depths of the Earth (D1-2)
- Vault of the Drow (D3)
- Queen of the Demonweb Pits (Q1)
Back in the day EVERYONE was going through this. It was the D&D Encounters of it's time. The only problem was no one was doing it at exactly the same time or way. So I know dozens of stories about how these turned out. I have dozens of my own. Plus that Bill Willingham cover of the Giants is one of the most iconic covers of the age I think.
There you are. The 30 greatest adventures as ranked by Dungeon Magazine.
Do you agree or disagree? What is missing?
Here are my honorable mentions.
Every adventure starts somewhere. Mine usually start here. This is my go to module for a quick a easy sandbox style dungeon crawl. I have run it half a dozen times or more with new groups and it is always a thrill.
Palace of the Silver Princess, 1981 (B3)
Yes it is a rather silly adventure, but I really enjoy it. Plus the backstory on it makes it a lot more fun.
Palace of the Vampire Queen, 1976 from WeeWarriors (V2)
The first ever published adventure or "DM's Kit" as it was called then. What it lacks detail it makes up for in style. I have ran this one twice now under various systems. It works with everything to be honest; it is that sandboxy.
Wednesday, February 11, 2015
They Might Be Giants!
My kids are going to be going through the Classic G series modules here soon (I am hoping to do it by Gen Con) in our 5th Edition Game. I have a great memories of this adventure and I really looking forward to it to be honest.
Yesterday Tenkar posted a link to the wonderful "Extended" series of the Giants adventures by R.C. Pinnell, aka +Thork Hammer.
I have had a copy of G4, Sanctum of the Stone Giant Lord. I liked this one because it was short and it included Stone Giants, something I always felt was missing from the original. I knew about some of the others (G5 and G6), but only recently discovered the others (G7 to 9).
Well thanks to Thork, Tenkar and +Vincent Florio I now have all of them.
All together the adventure is over 100 pages. This is a bit more than I wanted to be honest. The Giants are tied up pretty close to the Drow of the next series. So for me the Giants are just the pawns of the Drow. The Stone and Mountain giants I can see. Maybe even the Cloud, if they are more on the evil side. I have not read all the adventures yet, but maybe the Cloud Giant queen has something to do with the Sun being blocked out in my adventure.
My feeling on these is that would work best as pure Giant themed series of adventures divorced from the GDQ series. That being said, I am very, very sure there is something here that is perfect for my game. So for me it is worth printing this all out. Given what I am planning I am a touch disappointed I don't have the 4th Ed D&D adventure, Revenge of the Giants.
The really nice thing about running these classics so many years later is all the material out there to support them. For a while there WotC was publishing maps for the Giants series (among others).
I might need to print these all out and get them into a binder or something.
Links
So lots of great stuff out there.
Yesterday Tenkar posted a link to the wonderful "Extended" series of the Giants adventures by R.C. Pinnell, aka +Thork Hammer.
I have had a copy of G4, Sanctum of the Stone Giant Lord. I liked this one because it was short and it included Stone Giants, something I always felt was missing from the original. I knew about some of the others (G5 and G6), but only recently discovered the others (G7 to 9).
Well thanks to Thork, Tenkar and +Vincent Florio I now have all of them.
All together the adventure is over 100 pages. This is a bit more than I wanted to be honest. The Giants are tied up pretty close to the Drow of the next series. So for me the Giants are just the pawns of the Drow. The Stone and Mountain giants I can see. Maybe even the Cloud, if they are more on the evil side. I have not read all the adventures yet, but maybe the Cloud Giant queen has something to do with the Sun being blocked out in my adventure.
My feeling on these is that would work best as pure Giant themed series of adventures divorced from the GDQ series. That being said, I am very, very sure there is something here that is perfect for my game. So for me it is worth printing this all out. Given what I am planning I am a touch disappointed I don't have the 4th Ed D&D adventure, Revenge of the Giants.
The really nice thing about running these classics so many years later is all the material out there to support them. For a while there WotC was publishing maps for the Giants series (among others).
I might need to print these all out and get them into a binder or something.
Links
So lots of great stuff out there.
Wednesday, January 28, 2015
Checking in on my Plan
Over the years I have discussed my Plan. The Plan is what adventures I am going to take my kids through.
For D&D 3.x I was content to take anything as it came, make stuff up and generally going towards a stopping the cult of Tiamat plot. It was/has been fun and we are nearing the end of that.
For the new adventures I was looking at 3rd, then 4th, then 1st and now 5th Edition as the primary game system.
http://timbrannan.blogspot.com/2010/01/i-have-plan.html
http://timbrannan.blogspot.com/2012/02/lets-play-1st-ed-dad.html
http://timbrannan.blogspot.com/2012/07/my-kids-are-awesome.html
At the present here is where I am.
But I would REALLY edit these since they have a lot of issues. Truthfully my best plan is to just use H4 and add bits from H1-3 and maybe even some stuff from the 4th Ed E-Series. But that is if I want to have Orcus as the big bad guy at the end. It has appeal.
For D&D 3.x I was content to take anything as it came, make stuff up and generally going towards a stopping the cult of Tiamat plot. It was/has been fun and we are nearing the end of that.
For the new adventures I was looking at 3rd, then 4th, then 1st and now 5th Edition as the primary game system.
http://timbrannan.blogspot.com/2010/01/i-have-plan.html
http://timbrannan.blogspot.com/2012/02/lets-play-1st-ed-dad.html
http://timbrannan.blogspot.com/2012/07/my-kids-are-awesome.html
At the present here is where I am.
- B1 Into the Unknown, levels 1-3
- B2 Keep on the Borderlands, levels 1-3
- L1 The Secret of Bone Hill, levels 2-4
- X2 Castle Amber, levels 3-6 (where we are now!)
- I6 Ravenloft, levels 5-7
- A0-5 Slave Lords, levels 4-7
- G123, Against the Giants, levels 8-12 (I also have the Stone Giant one from Dragonsfoot, just need to find it)
- D12,3 Against the Drow, levels 8,9-14
- Q1 Queen of the Demonweb Pits, 10-14
- CM2 Death's Ride, levels 15-20. (Again, unless I use it in my current 3.x game which the boys want me to do)
If I don't do Death's Ride I am seriously considering the classic H series to go after Orcus.
- H1 Bloodstone Pass, levels 15+
- H2 The Mines of Bloodstone, levels 16-18
- H3 The Bloodstone Wars, levels 17-20
- H4 The Throne of Bloodstone, levels 18-100
Also I have the mind flayer adventure A Darkness Gathering to work into the mix.
It has taken me a while to get through all this because I am alternating with my 3.x game, some AS&SH and other games.
So far the adventures have seemed random and the characters are wandering about. But they are about to get some items in the X2/I6 series that will help them later on.
Right now, with out their knowing about it the Drow, Vampires and Illithids have gathered together to put the final phase of their ultimate plan into motion. The PCs will discover a little of this plan when they encounter the Slavers. The slavers are all vampires now and they are not dealing in slaves, but human cattle. After they have defeated them the last part of the bad guys plan comes into fruition.
The sun goes completely out.
There is panic. Everyone gathers in the Freecity of Greyhawk. The Church of Pelor/Ixion is hardest hit, but also the loudest voice. All the "big names" are there and they are trying to figure out what to do.
There is a plan to set the moon a flame, but the various clergy of the Moon Goddesses are against that. Finally they agree to instead use a large asteroid to keep life going till they can re-ignite the sun.
While all the big names are trying to figure this out the PCs have to deal with some raids nearby of giants...
The PCs will then go through the GDQ series to discover the plan and that the drow are working with mind flayers. After defeating Lolth in Q1 the PCs will have to deal with the vampires who have Pelor captured. In order to re ignite the sun they will need to set him free from his prison in ..... and that is all I have.
Yeah it is kinda story-gamey. It's my game, my house and my kids. They will eat this up.
I guess it is hard for me to get away from the idea of vampires as the big bads.
Those of you who have been reading this blog a long time might notice that there was a similar plot in my Buffy Season 7 game, Episode 12 No Other Troy. Though that one the sun being blocked was a side effect.
I am inclined to use Orcus as the big bad holding Pelor.
I have a huge ass mini of him and a crap ton of material for him.
But I have also wanted to use Camazotz as the demon-god of Vampires in his abyssal plane of Xibalba. Maybe I still can use him in some way. It is possible he is something like a high priest to Orcus and his job is to sacrifice Pelor on a bloody altar. Once that is done Orcus will suck up his godly powers and reign as the God of Death and Darkness.
And he would have gotten away with it too had it not been for those meddling PCs.
And he would have gotten away with it too had it not been for those meddling PCs.
Thursday, January 15, 2015
Quagmire
This has been passed around a lot lately, but still an interesting read.
The development of the module Quagmire by Merle Rasmussen.
https://medium.com/@increment/quagmire-the-making-of-a-1980s-d-d-module-c30e788ea5f2
The article is less about module design than it is about commercial module development. It is insightful on how things were created in the heyday of TSR. Also if you look hard enough you can even see the seeds of TSR's eventual demise here.
I post this though because it is an interest footnote to me. I remember this adventure. I picked it up and completely gutted it because what I wanted was a swamp with a tower in it. All that hard work detailed above and I chucked it all!
This article did make me want to pull my old copy out, but I remembered that it was one of the many pre-2e materials I lost back in the mid-90s. Thankfully I do have the PDF. I might use it in my current game, but everything is so packed now I fear I will end up doing exactly what I did in the past; chuck the adventure and make it an interesting locale to stop over in.
The development of the module Quagmire by Merle Rasmussen.
https://medium.com/@increment/quagmire-the-making-of-a-1980s-d-d-module-c30e788ea5f2
The article is less about module design than it is about commercial module development. It is insightful on how things were created in the heyday of TSR. Also if you look hard enough you can even see the seeds of TSR's eventual demise here.
I post this though because it is an interest footnote to me. I remember this adventure. I picked it up and completely gutted it because what I wanted was a swamp with a tower in it. All that hard work detailed above and I chucked it all!
This article did make me want to pull my old copy out, but I remembered that it was one of the many pre-2e materials I lost back in the mid-90s. Thankfully I do have the PDF. I might use it in my current game, but everything is so packed now I fear I will end up doing exactly what I did in the past; chuck the adventure and make it an interesting locale to stop over in.
Tuesday, December 16, 2014
Adventures that Never Were
Found an old(er) post yesterday on the blog Save Vs. Dragon. "Classic" modules based on some classic rock songs.
http://savevsdragon.blogspot.com/2012/11/classic-rock-song-titles-id-like-to-see.html
Frankly these look so awesome that I would LOVE to build a campaign around them.
Here are a few of my favorites,
I mean seriously how cool would this be? This hits all my buttons, classic rock, classic AD&D, weird concept albums...In fact I already have an adventure called "Children of the Sun" and have named many of my Cine Unisystem/Buffy adventures after songs; so this is perfect for me.
Now just need to come up with adventures for these! Might have to listen to a lot of Yes.
http://savevsdragon.blogspot.com/2012/11/classic-rock-song-titles-id-like-to-see.html
Frankly these look so awesome that I would LOVE to build a campaign around them.
Here are a few of my favorites,
Now just need to come up with adventures for these! Might have to listen to a lot of Yes.
Sunday, November 23, 2014
What Makes a Good Adventure?
I have been asking around various places and now I want to bring it home.
What makes a good adventure?
Here is my problem. I want to make a new adventure for complete newbie DMs and Players. I know there are several out there that do this, but I would like one I can print out and give away along with a set of rules. Likely OSR, but a good adventure should be easy to adapt.
I want something that also takes on some of the tropes of the game. I am perfectly happy to have the "you all meet in the tavern/inn" starting IF that is a good thing to do for this adventure.
Personally I like a nice mix of puzzles, combat, mysteries to solve and role-playing opportunity.
Looking at the classics, B2 has a great set up, B1 gives you freedom and B3 covers the mystery and puzzles.
Really we don't need another low-level adventure, so if there is one out there that you really like let me know about it and let me know why you like it.
What makes a good adventure?
Here is my problem. I want to make a new adventure for complete newbie DMs and Players. I know there are several out there that do this, but I would like one I can print out and give away along with a set of rules. Likely OSR, but a good adventure should be easy to adapt.
I want something that also takes on some of the tropes of the game. I am perfectly happy to have the "you all meet in the tavern/inn" starting IF that is a good thing to do for this adventure.
Personally I like a nice mix of puzzles, combat, mysteries to solve and role-playing opportunity.
Looking at the classics, B2 has a great set up, B1 gives you freedom and B3 covers the mystery and puzzles.
Really we don't need another low-level adventure, so if there is one out there that you really like let me know about it and let me know why you like it.
Tuesday, October 28, 2014
Into the Lair of the Vampire Queen
Over the weekend my oldest son celebrated his birthday (which is today) and we went through The Hanging Coffins of the Vampire Queen.
We didn't get through it all, but we had a great time.
I ran this under Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition rules instead of 1st ed/OSRIC since that is the game of choice of my son now. I think it worked out really well to be honest.
In the party we had:
- A Dragonborn Wizard (Necromancer), 15th level
- A Dragonborn Cleric of War, 14th level
- A half-elf rouge (assassin), 14th level
- A human rogue, 14th level
- A half-orc Ranger, 14th level
and a half-elf warlock (fey pact), 13th level.
My son, since he was turning 15 got the only 15th level character.
They managed to get through a few of the rooms, but the Fire-Giants gave them some issues. After that the "Jelly" Cubes where pretty easy.
The adventure is crazy. I am glad I am running it "outside of canon". The module is advertised as a party killer and that is no joke. Within the first battle many of the characters were down to about half their HP.
We are planning to finish it sometime soon, but since we didn't get started till rather late my players were fading.
This is the same group, but not the same characters (though pretty close) that I ran the classic Palace of the Vampire Queen adventure. Those were lower level characters using the B/X rules. Given that we have been calling this group "the Fearless Vampire Hunters". One day I will try to combine all the various "Vampire Queen" adventures together into a large campaign.
I did alter the beginning just a touch to accommodate the player's previous adventures a bit. Not a big change really and I think it heightened the whole fear factor.
We used minis cause they are fun and the boys like doing it.
I have two perfect succubi from the recent Pathfinder demon sets that are perfect for "Sin" and "Diabolica". The Reaper Bones Female Vampire figure makes for a perfect Lady Neeblack. The mini is listed as "Naomi" for the metal version. So the Vampire Queen must be Lady Naomi Neeblack! Sure. Why not.
If I ever re-run this I will do it under AD&D1 as it was meant for. I fear that D&D5 reduces the power levels of the characters a bit at the highest levels. Though there is great flexibility in D&D 5.
For example in the adventure there are 8 Fire Giants waiting for you when you enter the pits. They have 93 hp and do 5d6 damage per attack. Their D&D 5 counterparts have 160 hp (iirc) and do a lot more damage. Character can heal faster in D&D5 yes, but their starting hp is still not much better than their AD&D1 counterparts. Rogues get a d8 vs Thieves d6. So yeah. Meat Grinder.
I will say this. If you enjoyed running Tomb of Horrors then this will be right up your alley.
I will get a more proper review of the adventure up soon.
I ran this under Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition rules instead of 1st ed/OSRIC since that is the game of choice of my son now. I think it worked out really well to be honest.
In the party we had:
- A Dragonborn Wizard (Necromancer), 15th level
- A Dragonborn Cleric of War, 14th level
- A half-elf rouge (assassin), 14th level
- A human rogue, 14th level
- A half-orc Ranger, 14th level
and a half-elf warlock (fey pact), 13th level.
My son, since he was turning 15 got the only 15th level character.
They managed to get through a few of the rooms, but the Fire-Giants gave them some issues. After that the "Jelly" Cubes where pretty easy.
The adventure is crazy. I am glad I am running it "outside of canon". The module is advertised as a party killer and that is no joke. Within the first battle many of the characters were down to about half their HP.
We are planning to finish it sometime soon, but since we didn't get started till rather late my players were fading.
 |
| the Fearless Vampire Hunters |
I did alter the beginning just a touch to accommodate the player's previous adventures a bit. Not a big change really and I think it heightened the whole fear factor.
We used minis cause they are fun and the boys like doing it.
I have two perfect succubi from the recent Pathfinder demon sets that are perfect for "Sin" and "Diabolica". The Reaper Bones Female Vampire figure makes for a perfect Lady Neeblack. The mini is listed as "Naomi" for the metal version. So the Vampire Queen must be Lady Naomi Neeblack! Sure. Why not.
If I ever re-run this I will do it under AD&D1 as it was meant for. I fear that D&D5 reduces the power levels of the characters a bit at the highest levels. Though there is great flexibility in D&D 5.
For example in the adventure there are 8 Fire Giants waiting for you when you enter the pits. They have 93 hp and do 5d6 damage per attack. Their D&D 5 counterparts have 160 hp (iirc) and do a lot more damage. Character can heal faster in D&D5 yes, but their starting hp is still not much better than their AD&D1 counterparts. Rogues get a d8 vs Thieves d6. So yeah. Meat Grinder.
I will say this. If you enjoyed running Tomb of Horrors then this will be right up your alley.
I will get a more proper review of the adventure up soon.
Monday, August 4, 2014
All Hail the Vampire Queen!
So not this:
Or this:
But rather this:
I got my copy of The Hanging Coffins of the Vampire Queen in the mail today.
Let me tell you this. This module is a meat grinder. Levels 10-14. Sure.
While there are plenty of gonzo and tongue in cheek bits to this. I am thinking of playing it straight and making it a real horror piece.
I might make it part of a great Vampire Queen series.
Looks like a good time to me!
Or this:
But rather this:
I got my copy of The Hanging Coffins of the Vampire Queen in the mail today.
Let me tell you this. This module is a meat grinder. Levels 10-14. Sure.
While there are plenty of gonzo and tongue in cheek bits to this. I am thinking of playing it straight and making it a real horror piece.
I might make it part of a great Vampire Queen series.
Monday, July 28, 2014
Found my Gen Con Game
Every time I have taken my kids to Gen Con we have started a new adventure.
I like to pull from the classics no matter what it is I am playing. So in the past we have done S4 The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth and B2 Keep on the Borderlands.
This year it is going to be L1 The Secret of Bone Hill!
I am rather fond of this adventure and have figured out some new tweeks to it to make it work great in my kids' AD&D game. Plus I have a bunch of Len Lakofka's material from Dragon that I want to port into this.
Should be a blast!
I like to pull from the classics no matter what it is I am playing. So in the past we have done S4 The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth and B2 Keep on the Borderlands.
This year it is going to be L1 The Secret of Bone Hill!
I am rather fond of this adventure and have figured out some new tweeks to it to make it work great in my kids' AD&D game. Plus I have a bunch of Len Lakofka's material from Dragon that I want to port into this.
Should be a blast!
Thursday, May 8, 2014
The Manor #6 is out
What happens when +Tim Shorts of Gothridge Manor and The Manor books mixes my witches with Dylan Hartwell's Big Book of Spiders and one of +matt jackson's maps?
You get one creepy ass adventure!
Witches of the Dark Moon is a low level adventure featured in The Manor #6, the latest in the Manor series.
I have not read it all yet, but the adventure looks fun, creepy as all heck and some really awesome takes on my witch class. I love seeing this sort of stuff. And no worries, if you do not own a copy of The Witch (buy why not!?) you can still use the witches here.
Of course there is more material in this issue than the adventure, but I just got it so it will have to wait for a proper review.
But I can say this. Go out and get this now!
You get one creepy ass adventure!
Witches of the Dark Moon is a low level adventure featured in The Manor #6, the latest in the Manor series.
I have not read it all yet, but the adventure looks fun, creepy as all heck and some really awesome takes on my witch class. I love seeing this sort of stuff. And no worries, if you do not own a copy of The Witch (buy why not!?) you can still use the witches here.
Of course there is more material in this issue than the adventure, but I just got it so it will have to wait for a proper review.
But I can say this. Go out and get this now!
Monday, March 17, 2014
Fighting Fire the Ernie Gygax Benefit Adventure
Recently Ernie Gygax lost a number of personal items due to a fire in his home.
To make matters worse Ernie was laid up with CHF.
While insurance can replace some items, others were irreplaceable and frankly the shock of loss is a lot.
To help out the gaming community has offered something, this time a system neutral adventure "Fighting Fire".
The idea is simple, a third of the money goes to helping out Ernie.
The adventure itself is 32 pages (minus cover and title pages) with some NPCs. It is edition agnostic (neutral in their words). While they could have used something simple like Swords & Wizardry to give it some crunch, there isn't anything here an experienced gamer could run in about hour of prep time. In fact while typing this I have gone from wanting to run this at as an "Old-school" adventure with something like Basic D&D to maybe running it under 3rd ed. instead.
The adventure is a simple, if tongue in cheek, one. Defeat the evil fire wizard.
There is a lot of self-referential material here. So knowing a little bit about the gaming industry and some of the people involved over the years will help you see some of the inside jokes. But if not the adventure does not suffer for it.
It is described as a fairly simple adventure and it doesn't disappoint on the that regard. Easily dropped into any game and any campaign.
A lot of the art and maps come from various sources. I personally think it is kind of cool. Everyone contributed something to this.
While I can be accused (and rightly so) of waxing too nostalgic at times, I like the idea of the town of Gamington. I also like the idea of adding it to my own world as a place where old adventurers go to retire. They bring their treasure hoards and retire in style.
In any case, this is a good cause and worth the money spent.
Thursday, September 19, 2013
Temple of Elemental Evil - For Free!
Not sure how this one got missed. But WotC is giving away a free copy of The Temple of Elemental Evil.
Go get your copy of this classic from DNDClassics.com
Go get your copy of this classic from DNDClassics.com
Thursday, August 29, 2013
Return to the Caves of Chaos
How many gamers cut their teeth on The Caves of Chaos / Keep on the Borderlands?
I have been taking my own kids through this well trod adventure for our current 1st Ed AD&D game.
For this time around I am adding some new ideas. Stealing from the Return to The Keep on the Borderlands and even some ideas that came up in my "Ash vs. The Keep on the Borderlands" for the Army of Darkness game. I am going to set up some of clues for the ultimate adventure they will be on (AGDQ+).
In my research I found the following resources and thought I would share.
Some awesome 3D maps. Click for larger.
Map by Weem
http://www.theweem.com/2012/02/caves-of-chaos-reimagined-by-weem/
Caves of Chaos - D&D Next Playtest report
http://cryptthing.blogspot.com/2012/05/caves-of-chaos-d-next-play-report.html
Google Sketch-up Map
http://dungeonsndigressions.blogspot.com/2010/12/playing-with-sketchup-and-caves-of.html
Humanoid Distributions
http://recedingrules.blogspot.com/2010/05/humanoid-combatants-in-caves-of-chaos.html
I am sure there are more.
I have been taking my own kids through this well trod adventure for our current 1st Ed AD&D game.
For this time around I am adding some new ideas. Stealing from the Return to The Keep on the Borderlands and even some ideas that came up in my "Ash vs. The Keep on the Borderlands" for the Army of Darkness game. I am going to set up some of clues for the ultimate adventure they will be on (AGDQ+).
 |
| Michael Komark, The Caves of Chaos (2005) |
Some awesome 3D maps. Click for larger.
Map by Weem
http://www.theweem.com/2012/02/caves-of-chaos-reimagined-by-weem/
Caves of Chaos - D&D Next Playtest report
http://cryptthing.blogspot.com/2012/05/caves-of-chaos-d-next-play-report.html
Google Sketch-up Map
http://dungeonsndigressions.blogspot.com/2010/12/playing-with-sketchup-and-caves-of.html
Humanoid Distributions
http://recedingrules.blogspot.com/2010/05/humanoid-combatants-in-caves-of-chaos.html
I am sure there are more.
Friday, August 9, 2013
Tomb of Horrors
I finally got a copy of Return to the The Tomb of Horrors for 2nd ed, so now I have a copy for every editions of D&D including 3rd and 4th.
I am hopping to take my kids through the same week everyone else is at Gen Con. They are somewhat higher level than the module recommends, but I don't think that will be an issue since there are not a lot of monsters in this anyway, but a lot of traps. I will be running this under D&D 3.x.
Sure. It's not the "Classic" version, but that is fine for me really. Plus I can't help but want to add some monsters from the 3.x/Pathfinder Tome of Horrors too.
I picked up this printout of the maps for minis, so running it unnder 3.x would be nice.
Past conversations on this:
- Tomb of Horrors for 4e. Is it REALLY that offensive?
- Itching for the Tomb of Horrors
- Return to the Tomb! Part 2
- Winners, Losers and the Tomb
- Running the Classics
WotC's 3rd Edition conversion
WotC's humorous walkthrough map
So how about you? Have any stories about the infamous Tomb?
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Getting Basic
Getting ready for Palace of the Vampire Queen this weekend.
Got my books, the adventure and five (soon seven just in case) B/X characters around 5th-7th level.
I still want to stat up a witch character just in case. Just need to throw some dice into that pile and I am ready to go. I might make the vampire queen a witch with the Gypsy tradition. Mostly because I have had "Sign of the Gypsy Queen" by April Wine going through my head ever since I have started working on this.
Two copies of the adventure, Palace of the Vampire Queen. Since it is 5 levels and I only have 4 hours the kids will get some rough maps. From the previous survivors, besides the Queen doesn't mind unannounced guests...for dinner! (sorry. couldn't help it.)
Good, old fashioned dungeon crawl with empty rooms, treasure just laying around random monsters and the big bad at the end. Gonna party like it's 1981!
I still want to stat up a witch character just in case. Just need to throw some dice into that pile and I am ready to go. I might make the vampire queen a witch with the Gypsy tradition. Mostly because I have had "Sign of the Gypsy Queen" by April Wine going through my head ever since I have started working on this.
Two copies of the adventure, Palace of the Vampire Queen. Since it is 5 levels and I only have 4 hours the kids will get some rough maps. From the previous survivors, besides the Queen doesn't mind unannounced guests...for dinner! (sorry. couldn't help it.)
Good, old fashioned dungeon crawl with empty rooms, treasure just laying around random monsters and the big bad at the end. Gonna party like it's 1981!
Monday, March 11, 2013
Return to the Tomb! Part 2
Like I reported Friday I picked up the "new" Dungeons of Dread.
The format is the same as the new AD&D book reprints. It is a reproduction of the S modules interior from the late 70s/early 80s. Unlike the Realms of Horror, the 1987 compilation of the the S series, these are exact replicas. The book has been re-paginated to accommodate the newer format.
The pages are a bit glossy and remind me of the newer D&D 4 books, like Tomb of Horrors below.
You might not be able to see this as well, but the print on the new book is darker and a little less clear. The picture of the Aludemon was the worse example I could find. It's not bad, just a little harder to see the details.
The portions of the modules that were "pull out" like maps, the visual guide to Tomb of Horrors and Expedition Beyond the Barrier Peaks and the new monsters and spells booklet for S4 are all bound in int he book. The 87 Realms of Horror had it as a seperate booklet.
So what is the verdict?
Well it's mixed. The S series were "my" modules. These are the ones I ran in my group in High School and I recently had so much fun with them when I took my kids through White Plume Mountain and The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth. One day I will take them through the Tomb of Horrors, I have a copy for every edition of the game and certain the Barrier Peaks. So yeah, I love these crazy ass adventures.
But this book is not the best way to the run them.
It's a great book for the 40+ year old geek that enjoys reading these things. I love that these books are getting made. I also enjoyed the new introduction by Lawrence Schick that gave some insight to the writing of the modules.
Honestly I think the best modern form of the old modules are the ones you can get from DnDClassics.com.
I can buy the PDF for cheap and print out what I need. Often I print out player's maps and I usually print out a page per sheet (not a page per side) so I can write notes on the blank backsides of the pages. I can then through the whole thing in a 3-Ring binder with any other material I need (such as monster page from the Tome of Horror).
Still though. I am still considering getting the others. I know the A series is up next. I never owned copy of the original modules so I might get that. I have not seen the GDQ modules on the products page, but I grabbed the PDFs.
Still though. Tomb of Horrors in it's original 1st deadliness. That's gotta be worth something.
The format is the same as the new AD&D book reprints. It is a reproduction of the S modules interior from the late 70s/early 80s. Unlike the Realms of Horror, the 1987 compilation of the the S series, these are exact replicas. The book has been re-paginated to accommodate the newer format.
The pages are a bit glossy and remind me of the newer D&D 4 books, like Tomb of Horrors below.
You might not be able to see this as well, but the print on the new book is darker and a little less clear. The picture of the Aludemon was the worse example I could find. It's not bad, just a little harder to see the details.
The portions of the modules that were "pull out" like maps, the visual guide to Tomb of Horrors and Expedition Beyond the Barrier Peaks and the new monsters and spells booklet for S4 are all bound in int he book. The 87 Realms of Horror had it as a seperate booklet.
So what is the verdict?
Well it's mixed. The S series were "my" modules. These are the ones I ran in my group in High School and I recently had so much fun with them when I took my kids through White Plume Mountain and The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth. One day I will take them through the Tomb of Horrors, I have a copy for every edition of the game and certain the Barrier Peaks. So yeah, I love these crazy ass adventures.
But this book is not the best way to the run them.
It's a great book for the 40+ year old geek that enjoys reading these things. I love that these books are getting made. I also enjoyed the new introduction by Lawrence Schick that gave some insight to the writing of the modules.
Honestly I think the best modern form of the old modules are the ones you can get from DnDClassics.com.
I can buy the PDF for cheap and print out what I need. Often I print out player's maps and I usually print out a page per sheet (not a page per side) so I can write notes on the blank backsides of the pages. I can then through the whole thing in a 3-Ring binder with any other material I need (such as monster page from the Tome of Horror).
Still though. I am still considering getting the others. I know the A series is up next. I never owned copy of the original modules so I might get that. I have not seen the GDQ modules on the products page, but I grabbed the PDFs.
Still though. Tomb of Horrors in it's original 1st deadliness. That's gotta be worth something.
Friday, March 8, 2013
Return to the Tomb!
I'll detail this more, but wanted to share this now.
I am going back to the Tomb of Horrors.
I got the new Dungeons of Dread today.
Here is the history of my S4 collections.
Back coverleaf (not the cover itself).
My hardbound editions. Yes that is a hardbound version of Realms of Horror which was out in 87. No you didn't miss out on something, it was only softcover. I had it hardbound at a local book boundary.
The 87 Realms of Horror was a redo, the new Dungeons of Dread is the original modules in presentation.
The last is the 4th Ed update of Tomb of Horrors.
Again. More later.
I am going back to the Tomb of Horrors.
I got the new Dungeons of Dread today.
Here is the history of my S4 collections.
Back coverleaf (not the cover itself).
My hardbound editions. Yes that is a hardbound version of Realms of Horror which was out in 87. No you didn't miss out on something, it was only softcover. I had it hardbound at a local book boundary.
The 87 Realms of Horror was a redo, the new Dungeons of Dread is the original modules in presentation.
The last is the 4th Ed update of Tomb of Horrors.
Again. More later.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)