The Acaeum Dungeons & Dragons
Collecting Forums

The Acaeum Forums  •   Collecting General
Which is the best Sample Dungeon?
Post new topic Reply to topic Page 1 of 1
Poll: Which is the best "Sample Dungeon"?

"Sample Level" in Underworld & Wilderness Adventures in OCE 0%       0%  [ 0 ]
"Zenopus Dungeon" in the Holmes Basic Set 36%       36%  [ 17 ]
"Dungeon of the Fire Opal" in the 1E Dungeon Master's Guide 30%       30%  [ 14 ]
"Haunted Keep" in the Moldvay Basic Set 11%       11%  [ 5 ]
"Bargle" Sample Dungeon in the Mentzer Basic Set 17%       17%  [ 8 ]
"Escape from Zanzer's Dungeon" in the Classic D&D Basic Set 6%       6%  [ 3 ]
Total votes : 47

Author

Zenopus
Verbose Collector

Posts: 1709
Joined: Sep 03, 2003
Last Visit: Feb 24, 2026
Location: Portown

Post Posted: Fri Jul 06, 2007 9:28 pm 
 

Somebody said they love polls. So here's another!

I've restricted the choices to adventures that were contained within a 1E AD&D/D&D "core" rulebook.

I've voted Zenopus Dungeon, though I'm actually partial to each (other than Zanzer's, which I've never seen).

The Zenopus Dungeon has no goal other than exploration/treasure-seeking and a circular layout, both of which discourage railroading. It also interacts well with the "outside environment" - there are at least three other "exits" from the dungeon in addition to the entrance (thaumaturgist's tower; pirate's sea cave w/boats; rat tunnels) and the end also hints at an undiscovered entrance to lower levels. Plus some nice dungeon "obstacles", such as the room where the doors can only be opened by turning the statue to face the door, and the room bisected by the river that will sweep weak characters away to another chamber. Good monster selection - the standards (skeletons, ghouls, goblins, giant rats, giant spider) plus some oddities (giant crab and giant octopus - both of which may have been inspired by the movie Mysterious Island). Good NPCS - evil thaumaturgist (with pet giant snake, wand of petrifaction and caged ape), a group of pirates and lovely warrior to rescued (Lemunda).

All in five pages!
 WWW  

User avatar
Plaag
Long-Winded Collector
Subweb Admin
JG Valuation Board

Posts: 4597
Joined: Nov 08, 2002
Last Visit: Aug 05, 2026
Location: Land of 10,000 ponds

Post Posted: Fri Jul 06, 2007 9:31 pm 
 

Bargle!!

Course that is because I started out with the red box set :)
Only later did I come to realize different printings had other dungeons (which I've acquired and find to be good)

Dungeon 150 is going to have Bargle in an adventure again :D  :D  :D  :D

ShaneG.


I reject your reality and substitute my own
 WWW  

grodog
Grandstanding Collector

Posts: 5923
Joined: Nov 16, 2002
Last Visit: Jul 31, 2026
Location: Wichita, KS, USA

Post Posted: Sat Jul 07, 2007 9:16 pm 
 

I voted Fire Opal, though I still like the OD&D sample level quite a bit too! :D


Allan Grohe (grodog@gmail.com)
Greyhawk, grodog Style

Editor and Project Manager, Black Blade Publishing
https://www.facebook.com/BlackBladePublishing/
 WWW  

User avatar
Keith the Thief
Verbose Collector

Posts: 1026
Joined: Jun 05, 2005
Last Visit: Apr 19, 2026
Location: Huntsville, Ala.

Post Posted: Sat Jul 07, 2007 9:44 pm 
 

Fire Opal also.

I fleshed it out and used it to connect two other dungeons.


"Never let it be said I didn’t do the least I could do."
 WWW  

DungeonDelver
Prolific Collector

Posts: 232
Joined: Nov 16, 2004
Last Visit: Oct 30, 2017

Post Posted: Sat Jul 07, 2007 11:16 pm 
 

Fire Opal!  Just used it in my GDQ campaign as a side-trek!

Although one day I'm going to steal Zenopus' dungeon for sure :)
  

User avatar
jasonw1239
Verbose Collector
JG Valuation Board

Posts: 1670
Joined: Jul 01, 2006
Last Visit: Aug 19, 2025
Location: Moncton, NB Canada

Post Posted: Sat Jul 07, 2007 11:42 pm 
 

Definitely Zenopus! One of the first things I ever ran.
Sentimental favorite!


Check out my Chaosium sourcebook.
Secrets of Tibet
  

Zenopus
Verbose Collector

Posts: 1709
Joined: Sep 03, 2003
Last Visit: Feb 24, 2026
Location: Portown

Post Posted: Thu Mar 06, 2008 8:52 pm 
 

A collective of Dragonsfoot contributors has recently finished a fleshed-out version of the Haunted Keep sample dungeon from the Moldvay Basic Set, titled "DF23 The Haunted Keep". The first page of this thread has a link that leads to the  free pdf download:

http://www.dragonsfoot.org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=27940

It's dedicated to Gary Gygax (see the cover).
 WWW  

User avatar
bbarsh
Long-Winded Collector
Acaeum Donor

Posts: 3865
Joined: Feb 21, 2004
Last Visit: Jul 20, 2023
Location: Milford, Michigan

Post Posted: Thu Mar 06, 2008 9:45 pm 
 

Zenopus.

First adventure for me. I remember it vividly to this day - it was almost 30 years ago! Damn...i am getting old.


And I could've bought these damn modules off the 1$ rack!!!

New modules for your Old School game http://pacesettergames.com/

Everything Pacesetter at http://pacesettergames.blog.com/
 WWW  

sauromatian
Sage Collector

Posts: 2554
Joined: Jul 25, 2007
Last Visit: Jan 06, 2024
Location: Far Harad, Texas

Post Posted: Fri Mar 07, 2008 1:25 am 
 

Given that Holmes' book is the ultimate classical depiction of the game, no surprise there. However I own a copy of Zanzer's & was thinking of running it. Are there any specific merits to it?
  

Xaxaxe
Sage Collector
Acaeum Donor

Posts: 2884
Joined: Nov 04, 2004
Last Visit: May 09, 2020

Post Posted: Fri Mar 07, 2008 12:00 pm 
 

Man, I can't believe I missed this poll the first time around ... but I must have, since it let me vote.

Anyway ... Zenopus. It's the only I could still vividly picture after reading through the list of candidates, so it must have had some effect on me.  :)
 WWW  

User avatar
Busman
Prolific Collector

Posts: 260
Joined: Feb 25, 2003
Last Visit: Jan 10, 2021

Post Posted: Fri Mar 07, 2008 12:23 pm 
 

What? No "Temple of the Frog"?
  

User avatar
Plaag
Long-Winded Collector
Subweb Admin
JG Valuation Board

Posts: 4597
Joined: Nov 08, 2002
Last Visit: Aug 05, 2026
Location: Land of 10,000 ponds

Post Posted: Fri Mar 07, 2008 12:39 pm 
 

zhowar wrote:A collective of Dragonsfoot contributors has recently finished a fleshed-out version of the Haunted Keep sample dungeon from the Moldvay Basic Set, titled "DF23 The Haunted Keep". The first page of this thread has a link that leads to the  free pdf download:

http://www.dragonsfoot.org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=27940

It's dedicated to Gary Gygax (see the cover).


That's awesome, do they have plans for the dungeon settings from the other Basic box set printings?

ShaneG.


I reject your reality and substitute my own
 WWW  

Zenopus
Verbose Collector

Posts: 1709
Joined: Sep 03, 2003
Last Visit: Feb 24, 2026
Location: Portown

Post Posted: Fri Mar 07, 2008 11:11 pm 
 

Busman wrote:What? No "Temple of the Frog"?


I don't consider the Blackmoor Supplement a "core rulebook" (see above).

Plaag wrote:That's awesome, do they have plans for the dungeon settings from the other Basic box set printings?


Not that I am aware of. This project developed from a thread in the Workshop that started back in 2005:

http://www.dragonsfoot.org/forums/viewt ... 25&start=0
 WWW  

User avatar
Busman
Prolific Collector

Posts: 260
Joined: Feb 25, 2003
Last Visit: Jan 10, 2021

Post Posted: Fri Mar 07, 2008 11:36 pm 
 

zhowar wrote:I don't consider the Blackmoor Supplement a "core rulebook" (see above).


I can respect that.

It happens to be the only one that I played with any seriousness. I couldn't comment on any of the others. I remember when I got Blackmoor and Tempe of the Frog was in there, that it was a real kick in the pants. We had been making pretty much just dungeon crawls before then based on the "core" books. We realized you could do a lot more after Blackmoor.

I know, seems silly now, but I was 8 and my brother was 11 at the time. It was eye opening. =)
  

User avatar
bbarsh
Long-Winded Collector
Acaeum Donor

Posts: 3865
Joined: Feb 21, 2004
Last Visit: Jul 20, 2023
Location: Milford, Michigan

Post Posted: Sat Mar 08, 2008 8:59 pm 
 

sauromatian wrote:Given that Holmes' book is the ultimate classical depiction of the game, no surprise there. However I own a copy of Zanzer's & was thinking of running it. Are there any specific merits to it?


If I recall correctly it is an escape type of adventure. Good enough.


And I could've bought these damn modules off the 1$ rack!!!

New modules for your Old School game http://pacesettergames.com/

Everything Pacesetter at http://pacesettergames.blog.com/
 WWW  

sauromatian
Sage Collector

Posts: 2554
Joined: Jul 25, 2007
Last Visit: Jan 06, 2024
Location: Far Harad, Texas

Post Posted: Sat Mar 08, 2008 11:36 pm 
 

The Zanzer map looks like it would make a good urban setting. Although as part of this poll, maybe it shouldn't be included since it's the main scenario included in the set.

The sample dungeons seem more like something for players & DMs alike to read, so that novice players will have some idea of what they're supposed to be wandering into.

When I learned the game, I went through Zenopus & the monster descriptions to see how my first character would stack up in a fight. I think I killed a skeleton or two at my first game, in Mrs. Beers' afterschool D&D club.

Once somebody left a DMG behind, so she propped it up on the blackboard for the owner to claim [& I suppose to advertise the club]. It sure looked weird to have that picture of the demon holding a scantily clad maiden staring out on our 7th grade Language Arts class for a few days. I wonder if it caused someone's mom to complain about rampant Satanism in our public schools.
  

Geoffrey
Active Collector

Posts: 33
Joined: Sep 29, 2005
Last Visit: Dec 20, 2014

Post Posted: Sun Mar 09, 2008 9:46 am 
 

I voted for Zenopus's dungeon. Gary's dungeon level probably would have gotten my vote if it had been completed.
  
Post new topic Reply to topic The Acaeum Forums  •   Collecting General Page 1 of 1