My soft spot is for the original Ravenloft and Ravenloft II modules.

I thought they were both extremely innovative to have a non-linear adventure with a dynamic foe, which was structured without being scripted, and kept up a great gothic feel. (There were randomized plot points from fortune telling, as well as partially randomized background events as the enemy continues to develop.)

The start of both modules is forced and arguably railroady (like starting out captured by the slave lords in module A4). However, they are very non-linear after that point. i.e. You are stuck getting into the adventure, but have a wide range of choices after that.

Quote from: jeff37923;1008310The Thunder Rift series of adventures and boxed adventure games. I didn't come across these when I began playing, but later as I was personally rediscovering how much fun Basic D&D was. I had a lot of fun with those modules and think that they are seriously underrated.

Thunder rift is a great little series.

Personal favourites are...

The Illitiad series for 2e. Starting with Darkness Gathering. Its a great epic that can take the PCs from the starts of their careers to nearly the end and sprawls across worlds even in its scope.

Master of the Desert nomads and its followup Temple of Death for BX/BECMI D&D. While not great. Its a fairly solid adventure with dealing with political intrigues and more.

DA1-3 The Blackmoor series by Arneson. A great merging of fantasy and SF elements. DA1: Adventures in Blackmoor is my favourite of the three.

Quote from: Omega;1010180Personal favourites are...

The Illitiad series for 2e. Starting with Darkness Gathering. Its a great epic that can take the PCs from the starts of their careers to nearly the end and sprawls across worlds even in its scope.

Just discovered and read these modules, they are terrifically imaginative and ambitious.

I've read/played maybe just a few of the old modules... I ran some kids through a severely hacked version of Hommlet/ToEE using BRP a few years back...
But just now I accidentally discovered that the dungeon our DCC GM has had us exploring is non other than White Plume Mountain!
I've got mixed feeling about it, because while I'd like to play through more of the old modules... this one has, so far (we're maybe 60% done), been pretty nonsensical. Even before I knew that I'd commented on how it felt different than the DCC modules and whatnot that he'd been throwing at us up till now.
Was it originally a 'tournament' dungeon like Tomb of Horrors? (I've played a bit of that one) It feels that way, just a funhouse full of deadly setups.

White Plume isn't really representstive of early modules. I recall that the author claimed he wrote it just as a sample of what he could do and was surprised when TSR offered to publish it as is! Not sure if that is apocryphal or not but it seems believable to me.

I came upon them VERY late. But I actually found the first few Dragonlance modules to be anything but the soul crushing railroad or "story" that so many claim. Its fairly free roaming and you can even crash and burn the campaign through player action/inaction.

Quote from: Omega;1010384I came upon them VERY late. But I actually found the first few Dragonlance modules to be anything but the soul crushing railroad or "story" that so many claim. Its fairly free roaming and you can even crash and burn the campaign through player action/inaction.

As long as you ignore the DM notes not to kill certain PCs or NPCs.

I really liked the first DL modules. I think the setting and war are pretty compelling, and would run them again with non-canon characters.

Quote from: Voros;1010323Just discovered and read these modules, they are terrifically imaginative and ambitious.

Those are crazy! I'd never heard of them before this thread and just read some reviews of them last night. Those sounds kookier than Expedition to Barrier Peaks in a good way!

Quote from: darthfozzywig;1010449As long as you ignore the DM notes not to kill certain PCs or NPCs.

I really liked the first DL modules. I think the setting and war are pretty compelling, and would run them again with non-canon characters.

My favourite of the DL modules is Dragons of Dreams.

Quote from: darthfozzywig;1010450Those are crazy! I'd never heard of them before this thread and just read some reviews of them last night. Those sounds kookier than Expedition to Barrier Peaks in a good way!

I recreated the first module, Darkness Gathering as a FRUA module waaaaaaaaay back. I was working on the second when the UA group kinda deteriorated into eletism and I left. I think the module is still up on Magic Mirror?

I'm gonna cheat too!

Although not the "best", one of my favorite "series of adventures" was THE BLACK RING by Dan Hauffe published by Judges Guild in Issue I of the Pegasus magazine.

Over the decades, I've run this series at least a dozen times as parts and three times in its entirety, twice elaborated into their own campaigns.
Great stuff - nothing revolutionary, but you can't get any more "old school" than 1981 Judges Guild.
http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/56279/Pegasus-Magazine-I-AprMay-1981?manufacturers_id=31

Quote from: jhkim;1010142My soft spot is for the original Ravenloft and Ravenloft II modules.

I thought they were both extremely innovative to have a non-linear adventure with a dynamic foe, which was structured without being scripted, and kept up a great gothic feel. (There were randomized plot points from fortune telling, as well as partially randomized background events as the enemy continues to develop.)

The start of both modules is forced and arguably railroady (like starting out captured by the slave lords in module A4). However, they are very non-linear after that point. i.e. You are stuck getting into the adventure, but have a wide range of choices after that.

I think that Ravenloft is a classic module, but I never really thought of it as a series, as such. I mean, Ravenloft II was a sequel, but it just wasn't something I thought of in the same way as the giants series or something like that.

Quote from: RPGPundit;1011342I think that Ravenloft is a classic module, but I never really thought of it as a series, as such. I mean, Ravenloft II was a sequel, but it just wasn't something I thought of in the same way as the giants series or something like that.

I was thinking that, too. It's more difficult to pull off a series that holds together. I love Pharaoh, for example, but I don't recall the two follow-ups to be that great.

Quote from: darthfozzywig;1011390I was thinking that, too. It's more difficult to pull off a series that holds together. I love Pharaoh, for example, but I don't recall the two follow-ups to be that great.

The second and third are not bad but I believe the second wasn't actually written as a sequel to Pharaoh, it was retconed as such and hence why it is co-written.