Okay....anyone remember this 1st edition adventure?

[Somebloke]

I'm trying to track down a 1st edition D&D dungeon that I recall from my childhood. The only issue is that I can't recall the name.

What I can recall is-

- The 'dungeon' is a massive hill separated from a safe town by a river.

- There is a villa on the hill, which leads into a hobgoblin-infested underground fort. The hobgoblins are hinted to be preparing to invade the town.

- Once you kill the hobgoblin king (presumably heading back to the surface to rest after a difficult fight) a hidden pit trap you have to pass by drops you into two more levels of caves and mazes full of even more dangerous creatures (thanks Gygax!) including a dragon (I can see now where 1st edition's rep comes from...).

I've been thinking about running a sandbox 4th edition campaign and wanted to loot it for ideas. Can anyone recall the name so I can track it down?

[graeylin]

try looking here, and see if anything jogs your memory more....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Dungeons_&_Dragons_modules

sounds a little like The Horror on the Hill

[Matthew]

It does indeed.

[hamlet]

It is, in fact, B5, Horror on the Hill, a particularly great module. Have a copy sitting on my nightstand even now since I've gotten the urge to run a BECMI campaign.

Just gotta find local players . . .

[Zeta Kai]

Once you kill the hobgoblin king (presumably heading back to the surface to rest after a difficult fight) a hidden pit trap you have to pass by drops you into two more levels of caves and mazes full of even more dangerous creatures (thanks Gygax!) including a dragon (I can see now where 1st edition's rep comes from...).

Why is it whenever I read a story about EGG's DMing style, it makes cringe with disgust? The guy sounds like the kind of DM that you should punch on the way out the door. :smallyuk:

[hamlet]

Why is it whenever I read a story about EGG's DMing style, it makes cringe with disgust? The guy sounds like the kind of DM that you should punch on the way out the door. :smallyuk:

Because you don't really know his style?

Especially seeing as Gygax didn't write the module in question?

[arguskos]

Why is it whenever I read a story about EGG's DMing style, it makes cringe with disgust? The guy sounds like the kind of DM that you should punch on the way out the door. :smallyuk:
Soooo, there being a chute that leads to critter infested caves that would likely be used as a garbage disposal makes you want to punch the DM? Sure, the placement might be dickish, but really? It was hardly all that bad.

[Irreverent Fool]

Why is it whenever I read a story about EGG's DMing style, it makes cringe with disgust? The guy sounds like the kind of DM that you should punch on the way out the door. :smallyuk:

Because you didn't play when that's the way the game was.

obnoxious
sig

[The Tygre]

Why is it whenever I read a story about EGG's DMing style, it makes cringe with disgust? The guy sounds like the kind of DM that you should punch on the way out the door. :smallyuk:

'Cause there's no school like the old school.

[Gorilla2038]

Am i the only one who misses characters, you know, dieing?

Sure, we do insanely risky life threating things and started by being stupid abd at it, but no, ive never been in danger! YAY!

[Somebloke]

Soooo, there being a chute that leads to critter infested caves that would likely be used as a garbage disposal makes you want to punch the DM? Sure, the placement might be dickish, but really? It was hardly all that bad.

No. If memory serves correct it was a 40-foot long trapdoor that activated as a 'f-u' by the hobgoblin king should you reach the throne room (it covered the only exit out of the throne room so it was impossible to miss- I suppose hobgoblins are poor losers).

That being said, my understanding of 1st edition rules was that you treat character death in the same fashion as you would treat character death in, say, Call of Cthulu- more or less inevitable.

At the time though my 10-year old self couldn't quite wrap my head around why anyone would be so cruel...

[Somebloke]

Thanks to all that helped!

[Hand_of_Vecna]

I have no problem with playing on "Hardmode" the issue alot of players, read modern playrs, have with alot of 1st ed is that alot of things reek of arbitrary. Like the above trap, I accept the idea that it was activated by the king hobgoblin, but I bet that you couldn't make a find/remove traps roll on it before entering the throne room.

Another issue was the treasure tables were alot more random and point buy/decent rolling methods were rare and not presented by the rule books. This led to a party often having ony 1 or 2 decent characters and because they were strongest ue to the player's freak rolls and they got all the bst magic gear created by the dm's freak rolls. They became legendary heroes while everyone else was often meat for the grinder and were most useful as human shields potecting the real heroes from aritrary no save deaths.

[Somebloke]

I have no problem with playing on "Hardmode" the issue alot of players, read modern playrs, have with alot of 1st ed is that alot of things reek of arbitrary. Like the above trap, I accept the idea that it was activated by the king hobgoblin, but I bet that you couldn't make a find/remove traps roll on it before entering the throne room.

Another issue was the treasure tables were alot more random and point buy/decent rolling methods were rare and not presented by the rule books. This led to a party often having ony 1 or 2 decent characters and because they were strongest ue to the player's freak rolls and they got all the bst magic gear created by the dm's freak rolls. They became legendary heroes while everyone else was often meat for the grinder and were most useful as human shields potecting the real heroes from aritrary no save deaths.

Again, my memory was foggy but yeah, I think the chances of avoiding it were nearly impossible (especially since the party would have already crossed the zone before the trap was activated and would have considered it safe). It was pretty much a railroad plot point.

[The Big Dice]

I've got no problem playing on Hard mode when it comes to RPGs. More people should do it, it adds zest to combats when there's a chance you could actually lose something other than encounter XP.