There are a lot of great suggestions in this thread.

L1 and U1 already have been mentioned.  I would recommend combining them.  Use Restenford (L1) in place of Saltmarsh (or just rename Restenford 'Saltmarsh'), and place U1's haunted house nearby.

Voila: you have a pretty great small, low-level 'sandbox' setting, with lots of adventure locations.

L2 and/or U2-3 can be added afterwards, if the DM wishes.

I also recommend N1 as a great low-level AD&D module.  It could be played either before the U1-L1 combo, or afterwards (perhaps instead of U2-3 or L2).

After playing through L1 and U1 (and possibly N1, L2, U2-3), the group will be ready for UK2 and UK3.  Follow those with UK4, one of the best AD&D adventures ever (IMO).

Quote from: Akrasia;633263I also recommend N1 as a great low-level AD&D module.  

It needs a bit of adjustment to eliminate the need to have "Elminster" accompany the party. Aside from that, its pretty good.

Quote from: Exploderwizard;633274It needs a bit of adjustment to eliminate the need to have "Elminster" accompany the party. Aside from that, its pretty good.

Good point, I had deleted that aspect of N1 from my memory banks.

Running N1 after U1 and L1 would help remove the necessity of the "Elminster", as the PCs likely would be around level 3 by then.

Quote from: Akrasia;633285Good point, I had deleted that aspect of N1 from my memory banks.

Running N1 after U1 and L1 would help remove the necessity of the "Elminster", as the PCs likely would be around level 3 by then.

I suggest N1 first, since the others that are supposed to be 1st are very difficult for a team of 5 characters of first level.  It is a problem that I always had with the old TSR modules.  They require so much modification for a more realistic player group.  U1 is suggested for 5-10 characters of 1-3, which means 10 1st.  L1 is designed for 5-10 characters from 2-4 level.  Village of Hommlet is supposedly set up for about 12 1st level, which will still likely end in DEATH.  I have always had to have some kind of adventure prior to running these.  I think N1 is one of the better ones from TSR for this use, since it is easy to adjust, and it does include some advise that is specific to running an AD&D 1 game, as the N (novice) series was meant.  One of the things that is good about N1, it provides a good ground work for running towns, which one will need for L1 and U1, particularly U1, since the DM will need to write their own Saltmarsh.

Quote from: Kuroth;633387I suggest N1 first, since the others that are supposed to be 1st are very difficult for a team of 5 characters of first level.  It is a problem that I always had with the old TSR modules.  They require so much modification for a more realistic player group.  U1 is suggested for 5-10 characters of 1-3, which means 10 1st.  L1 is designed for 5-10 characters from 2-4 level.  Village of Hommlet is supposedly set up for about 12 1st level, which will still likely end in DEATH.  I have always had to have some kind of adventure prior to running these.  I think N1 is one of the better ones from TSR for this use, since it is easy to adjust, and it does include some advise that is specific to running an AD&D 1 game, as the N (novice) series was meant.  One of the things that is good about N1, it provides a good ground work for running towns, which one will need for L1 and U1, particularly U1, since the DM will need to write their own Saltmarsh.

N1 is brutal. We had two TPKs, with parties of 6 and 8 PCs.

Quote from: Haffrung;633426N1 is brutal. We had two TPKs, with parties of 6 and 8 PCs.

I know!  haha It is about the easiest too.  It is a problem with all of these 'low' level ones from TSR.  N1 is easier than U1, L1, T1 or C3, though.  So, it is a little less messing around being brought to reasonable scale.  I have run Hommlet as a first before and U1 too, though.  It is a brutal affair, with all kinds of experienced player requirements to basically game the system.  A new DM that runs N1 will be better prepared to run L1 and U1, since both of those need a little more DM work, and N1 provides advise here and there that is expressly intended for new DMs, something that is pretty rare in AD&D modules of the time.

Edit: To be certain it is said, one can adapt almost ANY adventure to low level play, though.  It just takes creativity and a fair amount of DM experience with the game.  Experienced players that can mold the system to their character's needs can do crazy things too.

A Judge’s Guild Campaign using only AD&D 1 specific adventures available through rpgnow that provides a more strange amped campaign.

First, get the Book of Islands and fill out the descriptions of each island using the guidelines given in the Book of Islands and the Dungeon Master Guide’s tables, which would also be used to describe the various towns and villages of the islands.

Second, place the ruins described in the Book of Ruins throughout the Islands.  Initially, the characters would be involved with the adventures in-between and intrinsic to the ruins on the islands. This introductory and development period of the campaign will bring the characters to 3rd level, after a number of the ruins and side scenarios in-between that naturally will develop.  At this time one of the ruins will contain a surprise turn into the heart of the campaign of the portals.

This sets up a campaign pretty close to a house made campaign, with quite a bit more strange/weird than a TSR adventure collection.  All of these were written specifically for AD&D 1, which is why I don’t include some of the Original D&D or Universal D&D selections.  The Island Book is completely generic, with just tables to help develop the islands, which one would use with the Dungeon Master’s Guide tables.


Book of Islands
Book of Ruins
Portals of Torsh
Temple of Ra Accursed by Set (Located in Torsh instead of Egypt)
Portals of Irontooth
Lara's Tower (Located in Irontooth region of Hnoon)
Portals of Twilight
Zienteck (Located in the next world of the Dungeon Master’s choice)

I love the old Judges Guild adventures. My favorite one is Kthenta's Dark Repose in this free PDF (a truly great one session adventure)

http://www.necromancergames.com/judgesguild/pdf/peg/p7.pdf

If you are looking for a higher level mini-campaign, I recommend this classic from Pegasus magazine. The Black Ring was tremendously awesome fodder for a campaign I ran years ago, but I remember using the module as a starting point.  

http://www.necromancergames.com/judgesguild/pdf/peg/p1.pdf

I just sent your suggestions to Hermes and he wanted me to thank you all for so many amazing suggestions XD

I am not sure yet, but from our chat I'm guessing he's going with Kuroth's idea as he can get the modules easily from dndclassics.com and he wants to pay the good bucks for the stuff. But anyway he will give a try to the rest of suggestions, at least to mine them for ideas.

Duly noted the points on how many times the level suggestions are not accurate.

Thanks again, keep the ideas coming!

I am not sure The Book of Ruins, Lara's Tower and Zienteck are very good -- all three seemed very generic to me. Book of Ruins is essentially 20-30 two-or three-room lairs with a simplistic monster/treasure key. Definitely not among JG's better products.

Quote from: Melan;633464I am not sure The Book of Ruins, Lara's Tower and Zienteck are very good -- all three seemed very generic to me. Book of Ruins is essentially 20-30 two-or three-room lairs with a simplistic monster/treasure key. Definitely not among JG's better products.

Oh, there are better ones, but they are not AD&D 1 specific and at rpgnow.  They must also fit into a 1st to 8th level campaign series, which is about where Portal of Twilight finishes.  Sort of hard to do with the old modules!  ha  There were so few good low level ones produced back in the day too.  

The Book of Ruins is low level, and used with the Island Book it can be pretty cool, especially since the islands that the ruins will be located will be described with the Island Book.  The combination makes up for the failings of the two, using the Dungeon Master's Guide tables to further enhance each island.  This is a kit mentality to the first main adventure.  It may help to visualize each small island as a separate wilderness|dungeon with many different important locations.  I have experienced that this type of dungeon master effort is good exercise for a new DM to learn how to make their own adventures, with plenty of hand-holds to help the process.  The more I consider this particular adventure set-up and look over the books the more I like it actually.  I might use it for my next AD&D one.  So, these comments served me some use. Win!

Lara's tower is just a location to place in Irontooth, as a supplement to the setting.  It would be weak by itself, yes.  Mixed in with the things going on in Irontooth, though?  Can be pretty cool.  Temple of Ra Accursed by Set is also a location to supplement Torsh, rather than an adventure unto itself.  Zienteck is your average world set-up with a number of locations.  I would say it is fairly typical of the time.  It isn't just a location, though.  So, it has that going for it beyond the usual.  It has a setting that would be easy to move on from at the end of the portal campaign, which was what I was thinking.  After Twilight, one could set the next adventure upon ANY world, though.

Here are two other Judges Guild start points for a Portals campaign that could replace the Book of Ruins, Island Book and Dungeon Masters Guild adventure kit that combines AD&D, Original D&D and Universal D&D Judges Guild products.

I. Though they are not at rpgnow, my first thought would be to use Prey of Darkness as the first main adventure.  I have it, but it wasn't at rpgnow.  I would probably pair it with The Illhiedrin Book.  So, that would be my non-kit approach.  Well, less kit because published adventures always have a fair portion of work to do to make them playable.  

II. Another option for the first part of the campaign would be to tie together Modron, Restormel and Frontier Forts of Kelnore.  These all are appropriate for very low level characters, with Modron the initial campaign start, Kelnore for the surrounding area and Restormel for a later adventure locale.  Early on, the characters would be involved with various scenarios in Modron that would lead out into greater Kelnore, which would at some point lead to dealing with the troubles at Restormel.  I play a lot of city adventures!  The early Mordon part would be a pretty significant adventure, taking advantage of all the people and locales of the town.

Here are two different 1-3 level portions using Judges Guild that I like, but I’m not for sure if all of them are available in electronic anywhere to purchase.  The way I approached this campaign was to make certain it was a fairly non-linear campaign.  It is quite possible for the party to be in either the Island, Torsh, Irontooth, Twilight sections for any length of time, with many possible convolutions.


Thank you for those links Spinachcat!  I might have those Pegasus around here somewhere, but I didn't have Kthenta's Dark Repose.

Great to read that Hermes is really looking forward to the new campaign with his reprint books Imperator!

A1 - Slave Pits of the Undercity
   The aspis are nasty, nasty, nasty. High AC, high HD, multiple attacks, half or no damage from many spells. Running into more than one of them is brutal. They are walking TPK machines.  
A2 - Secret of the Slavers Stockade
   I really liked the infiltration feel to this module.
A3 - Assault on the Aerie of the Slave Lords
   The city really deserves to be fleshed out a LOT more.
A4 - In the Dungeons of the the Slave Lords
   A nice and memorable finale. It seems a shame to destroy the city.

C1 - Hidden Shrine of Tamoachan
   Awesome if you can fit a Mesoamerican ruin into your world. It's a tournament module that doesn't feel like a tournament module.
C2 - The Ghost Tower if Inverness
   It needs to be fleshed out, a lot. It's a tournament module that feels exactly like a tournament module. Oh, and your party wouldn't keep the Soul Gem now would they?
C3 - Lost Island of Castanamir
   I played this a few times in the the past and it always came across as really boring.

EX1 - Dungeonland
   Gygaxian adaptation of Alice in Wonderland. It can be tough to pull off depending on your players.
EX2 - The Land Beyond the Magic Mirror
   Gygaxian adaptation of Through the Looking Glass. Same comment as above.

G1-3 Let me say I liked all the giant series.  
G1 - Steading of the Hill Giant Chief
   Probably the easiest to map and handle.
G2 - Glacial Rift Of The Frost Giant Jarl
   Perhaps the best and toughest to map of the giant series.
G3 - Hall of the Fire Giant King
   Prepare for much loot to be had.

D1-3 and Q1 are good modules that never displayed their best form in a tournament setting. You really need more than a day hours to explore these modules and have fun.  
D1-2 - Descent into the Depths of the Earth
   The Shrine is so much fun.

D3 - Vault of the Drow
   Ah the infamous Drow and their city.

Q1 - Queen of the Demonweb Pits
   Very interesting and also dependent on how successful one thinks one should be when going to a god's home plane and trying to kill them.

I1 - Dwellers of the Forbidden City
   Awesome sandbox environment.

I2 - Tomb of the Lizard King
   Meh? I don't remember ever enjoying this module or even playing it all.
   
I3-5 - Pharaoh, Oasis of the White Palm and Lost Tomb of Martek
   I really enjoyed the Eqyptain theme for all of these.

I6 - Ravenloft
   Ah the infamous Strahd. The 3D castle map was a thing for its time.

For the other I* series modules I don't recall any of them as being really memorable.  

L1 - The Secret Of Bone Hill
   A fairly typical module.   

L2 - The Assassin's Knot
   A deadly murder mystery continuation of L1.

N1 - Against the Cult of the Reptile God
   Some really, really rich farmers and an end fight that can be a railroady.

I think the other N* module vary from the mediocre to horrible.

S1-4 modules were classics for their time, but are probably still too well known. You would probably need to make all new traps and riddles for Tomb of Horrors for example. Out of all of them, I think I liked S4 - Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth best.

T1 - The Village of Hommlet
   A classic.

T1-4 - The Temple of the Elemental Evil
   A classic bore. I have known GMs that have gone hoarse from reading its room descriptions out loud.

UK1-6 I think almost all the UK modules are excellent. A common small complaint is that some of them can feel a little plot heavy, but nowhere as bad as say Dragonlance.  
UK1 - Beyond The Crystal Cave
   The earliest UK and it doesn't really feel the same as the. Probably the weakest of the six.

UK2 - The Sentinel
   Excellent.

UK3 - The Gauntlet
   Sequel to UK2 and is also excellent. The castle siege is nice if it happens.

UK4 - When A Star Falls
   I loved this module.

UK5 - Eye of the Serpent
   I liked this module too.

UK6 - All that Glitters...
   Challenging. Resource management can make you its bitch.

UK7 - Dark Clouds Gather
   The only one that I never go to play or GM.

U1-3 were probably well known series modules aside from the giant and drow series.
U1 The Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh
   A nice introductory haunted house module. It can also be very deadly real quick.

U2 - Danger at Dunwater
   Some easy accidental death and dismemberment.    

U3 - The Final Enemy
   A very nice water theme and an enemy that probably doesn't get used much.

That is quite the detailed breakdown!

RPGPundit

I will defend the Tomb of the Lizard King.

I have dm'd it five times and loved it.