The 30 Greatest D&D Adventures of All Time

[treant_on_fire]

Just thought I'd share this cool link with everyone, it's the 30 Greatest D&D Adventures of All Time according to Dragon Magazine in 2004.

http://www.librarything.com/bookaward/D ... ll+Time%22

In case the link stops working at some point, here's the list (but the link is till cool because it shows you the covers!):

Queen of the Spiders (GDQ1-7) by Gary Gygax 1
I6: Ravenloft by Tracy Hickman 2
S1: Tomb of Horrors by Gary Gygax 3
The Temple of Elemental Evil (T1-4 ) by Gary Gygax 4
S3: Expedition to the Barrier Peaks by Gary Gygax 5
Desert of Desolation (I3-5) by Tracy Hickman 6
B2: The Keep on the Borderlands by Gary Gygax 7
Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil by Monte Cook 8
S2: White Plume Mountain by Lawrence Schick 9
Return to the Tomb of Horrors (Advanced Dungeons & Dragons: Tomes) by Bruce R. Cordell 10
Gates of Firestorm Peak (AD&D Player's Option Adventure) by Bruce Cordell 11
The Forge of Fury by Richard Baker 12
Dwellers of the Forbidden City (I1) by David Cook 13
Dead Gods by Monte Cook 14
Castle Amber (Chateau D. Amberville) (Dungeons & Dragons Module X2) by Tom Moldvay 15
X1: The Isle of Dread by David Cook 16
Undermountain Adventures by Ed Greenwood 17
Hidden Shrine of Tamoachan (C1) by Harold Johnson 18
Against the Cult of the Reptile God (N1) by Douglas Niles 19
Scourge of the Slavelords (A1-4) by Gary Gygax 20
Dark Tower by Paul Jaquays 21
S4: The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth by Gary Gygax 22
The Forgotten Temple of Tharizdun (WG4) by Gary Gygax 23
City of the Spider Queen (Dungeons & Dragons d20 3.0 Fantasy Roleplaying, Forgotten Realms Setting) by James Wyatt 24
DL1: Dragons of Despair by Tracy Hickman 25
The City of Skulls (WGR6) by Carl Sargent 26
U1: The Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh by Dave J. Brown 27
The Lost City (Dungeon Module, B4) by Tom Moldvay 28
The Assassin's Knot (L2) by Len Lakofka 29
The Ghost Tower of Inverness (C2) by Allen Hammack 30

[CKDad]

Lots of good things on that list, but how did "Against the Giants" not make the cut?

[Arduin]

Lots of good things on that list, but how did "Against the Giants" not make the cut?

That IS bizarre...

[mordrene]

it did. GDQ is giants (G) 1-3, desents into the earth (D), and queen of the demonweb pit (Q).

[concobar]

I didnt care for barrier peaks that much. would have put B2 at number one.

[CKDad]

it did. GDQ is giants (G) 1-3, desents into the earth (D), and queen of the demonweb pit (Q).

Ah! I didn't decode that. Thanks for breaking it down. OK, so not just on the list, but number one? I can definitely believe that.

[MormonYoYoMan]

Barrier Peaks didn't and doesn't read that well, but it certainly PLAYED very well. Ran it when it first came out, and players were really caught up in it, and began to roleplay furiously, with little regard for looting and killing.

Funny thing. Recently re-read it and I distinctly remembered a couple of couatls penned up inside the ship, but they weren't there on re-reading.

[treant_on_fire]

Barrier Peaks didn't and doesn't read that well, but it certainly PLAYED very well. Ran it when it first came out, and players were really caught up in it, and began to roleplay furiously, with little regard for looting and killing.

Funny thing. Recently re-read it and I distinctly remembered a couple of couatls penned up inside the ship, but they weren't there on re-reading.

I just purchased it online for the heck of it... There was another D&D/Sci-Fi mix called City of Gods, but it's sold for a bit more...

[Galannor]

In my opinion some of the best adventures for AD&D 1 ed. were the entire DL series for the Dragonlance Chronicle Campaign Saga!
Cheers,
Galannor

[kreider204]

Funny thing. Recently re-red it and I distinctly remembered a couple of couatls penned up inside the ship, but they weren't there on re-reading.

Level three, area 6a.

[MormonYoYoMan]

Funny thing. Recently re-red it and I distinctly remembered a couple of couatls penned up inside the ship, but they weren't there on re-reading.

Level three, area 6a.

You're right and I'm a dope! Was looking for an illo -- I know I remember an illustration of them, but they're just not there.

Not the first time my memory played a trick on me!

[kreider204]

That happens to me a lot - I'm remembering an illustration from one book, but think it was in another.

[Dead Horse]

I have to call foul! DL modules were craptacular railroading pos's.
Dont get me wrong the books were ok reading and the DL setting is kinda cool. ... but adventures that allow for no diviation.. heck no death dont deserve to be mentioned with those other classics.

[MormonYoYoMan]

In my opinion some of the best adventures for AD&D 1 ed. were the entire DL series for the Dragonlance Chronicle Campaign Saga!
Cheers,
Galannor

Agreed. If there had been more work such as the first DL series, I might have actually used AD&D 1e.

[Arduin]

it did. GDQ is giants (G) 1-3, desents into the earth (D), and queen of the demonweb pit (Q).

Ah yes. For those of us who played them as they arrived in the stores, they aren't thought of like that.

[Lord Dynel]

I remember reading that list when I got it in the mail, thinking that they got some of it right, but not exactly in the correct order, at least in my opinion. I think X1 should be higher, as it was a pretty well written module. They lumped T1 with ToEE, but put GDQ together as one? I guess I can see that, actually, because those would hog a good portion of the list, most likely. I would probably vote T1 as the #1 module of all time, if it had a seperate listing. I think the 3.x modules were added in as tokens, sadly, but I admit I didn't read Spider Queen completely through. WG4 should be higher, in my opinion. Should be a couple more basic D&D modules in there, in my opinion.

[Ieuane]

I always thought the TSR UK modules were exceptionally well-done. I think the Asssassin's Knot is the only one on the list.

[concobar]

I remember reading that list when I got it in the mail, thinking that they got some of it right, but not exactly in the correct order, at least in my opinion. I think X1 should be higher, as it was a pretty well written module. They lumped T1 with ToEE, but put GDQ together as one? I guess I can see that, actually, because those would hog a good portion of the list, most likely.

Agree with you about X1 but observe that S1-4 are listed separate even though they were at one time released as on book S1-4 Realms of Horror.

B10 Nights dark terror should be on the list IMo.

[MormonYoYoMan]

Maybe we should take ballots and create our own list? Perhaps the perspective of using C&C gives us different insights?

[treant_on_fire]

Maybe we should take ballots and create our own list? Perhaps the perspective of using C&C gives us different insights?

Not a bad idea!

I personally know very little about modules and adventures, only now am I starting to look them up as collectibles related to RPG and perhaps I'd run some for fun at some point or another, but usually for long-term campaigns I prefer to do my own thing. I might cannibalize modules for good ideas though. All that to say that while I won't be casting votes or naming adventures, I'll help keep track/count the nominees.

I guess for the next 5 days people could name their favorite adventure/module in a free-for-all fashion from ANY version of D&D, be it an earlier edition, some variant of a D&D system (Like Castles & Crusades or True 20) or modules made outside the official company for previous editions.

That already allows for adventures from TLG, Goodman Games, Green Ronin Publishing, Necromancer Games and more, something the list didn't have access to.

Go ahead! Name 'em! I'll give the results of the most mentioned in 5 days and from there people can vote.

[MormonYoYoMan]

For the reason of not really seeing enough difference between OD&D, BECMI D&D, AD&D, AD&D again, and the 3+ versions, I lump these all together as just "D&D." It's not like it looked like D&D when we got done with it anyway. And our group was named "the No-D&D Gamers," after all.

1. Dark Tower - a delightful romp which was so well-balanced that we could take 1st level PCs in with monstrous-level PCs and not have them trip over each other.

2. City-State of the Invincible Overlord - This provided us with endless adventures and opportunities. It didn't hurt that I used it in my RuneQuest campaign from 1979 - 1983. A few PCs got married in there, and I finally had to create an extra-terrestrial origin for the Overlord. Yeah, WAY beyond the bounds of its original premises, but that's what made CSIO so much fun: the fact that we could (and did) do anything with it.

3. Tomb of Horrors - I shall never forget the creepy feeling of the hairs on the back of my neck chilling me. Until Call of Cthulhu, this was as scary as RPGs could get.

4. Ravenloft - If ever a player felt like they were living a novel, and that the PC was actually directing his own fate, this is how I felt my first time in Ravenloft - the original I-6 module.

5. Expedition to the Barrier Peaks - My players started off thinking they would loot the daylights out of this ship, and ended up roleplaying explorers whose curiosity grew stronger the more they discovered...and got them in trouble too!

Now, if we were discussing another RPG system, I'd have entirely different answers. Probably.

[Snoring Rock]

Homlet T1
Giant Series G1-3 TSR
Tegel Manor Judges Guild
Dark Tower Judges Guild
Thieve Fortress of Badabaskor Judges Guild
Lost Caverns of Thracia Judges Guild
Tomb of Horrors S-2
White Plume Mountain S-1

Honorable mention -- Thunder Hold "Sun Stone Caverns" I know it is not a complet adventure, but it gives a huge map of caverns. The a back story for each area, one for Bragash the minoteur priest, and another for a white dragon, etc. They gave enough information to get the creative juices flowing and then you fill in the blanks. Just awesome!

[serleran]

Yeah.

I'd disagree with almost the entire list mostly because there are a ton of great D&D adventures that were small press or unlicensed. Little things like Starstone, for example.

[MormonYoYoMan]

One thing I discovered: it's hard to boil it down to a finite list. For instance, I would want to include the first series of Dragonlance adventures -- but would rebel against just ONE of them. There was a collection of them in 1999, IIRC, that I might have included. Then there's Tigel Manor. And the Temple of Elephantal Evil. And Temple of Ra/Accursed by Set. (Really, that last one should get in just for its title!)

Still, I find myself not unhappy with the Umbrage Saga, though I don't know who's taking umbrage at what. Darned these easily offended villagers and their torches!

[CKDad]

I'm actually in the camp that thinks the Dragonlance series, while atmospheric and well-written for what they are, are essentially a railroad, and thus would fall off my list of favorites. In fact, my group never actually played them; after reading the first one, the primary DM felt it was far too restrictive and passed. I was the other DM for the group and after reading it came to the same conclusion.

(Of course, a lot of Captain Morgan and Hoegaarden has gone into the system since then, so I may be misremembering that piece of the 1980s.)

[kreider204]

My top 5:

B2, The Keep on the Borderlands. My first module (with the Holmes boxed set), and still a favorite. I loved the detailed keep, the sketch of the surrounding wilderness areas, and more caves to loot than you can shake a stick at. It was also a great way to kill an entire party of PCs.

S1 Tomb of Horrors was the second module I ever bought, right after my Holmes boxed set with B2. It scared the pants of off me, and still does. This is when I realized that D&D could be serious, grown-up stuff.

My absolute favorite is B4, The Lost City. It really blew my mind back in ‘83 or so when I bought it. I loved the various political / religious factions, and the fact that the PCs could actually join one of them and become part of the culture of the city. I also loved all the ways you could expand on the adventure, including maps for whole other city areas that the DM could flesh out. Fantastic stuff.

I’ll also give honorable mention to I1, Dwellers of the Forbidden City, as a great sandbox module, and S3, Expedition to the Barrier Peaks, for mind-blowing genre-mixing.

[concobar]

B2 Keep on the borderlands
X1 Isle of dread
B4 The Lost City
T1 Village of Hommlet
X2 Castle Amber
WG4 The Forgotten Temple of Tharzidun

[Just Jeff]

This thread has me curious what people are using as a standard for greatness. I've only played a few of the classics: Slavers, Hommlet, Temple of Elemental Evil, Tomb of Horrors. And I've dabbled in some others (probably several) without knowing it: I'm pretty sure I had a character make a few solo runs through Caves of Chaos, and he lives in one of the versions of Tegel Manor.

While some of these were quite memorable, I'm suspect it was the GM that made them so. That and the history our characters took in with them. I've read through most the JG games mentioned in this thread, and none wowed me. Actually, one of the few modules I've read that lit the fires of my imagination was Grenadier's Cloudland, and I've never heard a positive comment about it from anyone else.

So if folks could comment on what makes their top picks great, that might be enlightening. (Thanks Mormon and kreider.)

As for me, Cloudland is a ruin/dungeon occupied by a few dozen factions/entities, most of whom don't play well with others; fleeing an encounter is a sure way to encounter something else. I also recall the place having a very "lived in" feel in the details. The group I ran it for didn't last long, but I created a Cloudland-inspired game for my WFRP group, and the number of skirmishes they initiated between other parties was quite impressive. (I love conflicts, hot or cold, with more than two sides.)

[BudaZoa]

As a Player, I loved the drow series . It was an amazing experience to have a few characters in that campaign go through all the series and survive .


As a DM, I have had numerous memorable moments in various campaigns with White Plume Mountain,


Honestly, I have very fond memories with most of those modules on the list.

The Slave lords was a good mind twister, while if you didnt have your wits about you, no one made it through Tomb of Horrors,


There were some 2ed addition adventures that were quite epic, Vecna Lives, is always a humbling experience for the egocentric characters who think they are immortal.


I am dying to test a few C&C modules out, can some recommend a few low level and mid level ones that have a good Gygax feel to them. Ones that challnge the wits and minds of a party.

I do enjoy a different spin than my own in an adventure to mix things up for characters.