The Classics Campaign
Old AD&D® modules needn?t die young!
by Marc Newman
Art by Thomas Baxa

Recently I discovered all of my old 
AD&D modules, which had been sitting 
in a box since they were 1st used and 
exhausted of possibilities.  All the early TSR 
modules were there, like the famous 
Against the Giants and A2 Secret of the 
Slavers Stockade.  I spent a while happily 
looking them over and reminiscing 
about what it was like to play AD&D 
games in the early 1980s when I purchased 
these modules.  In particular, Gary 
Gygax's Tomb of Horrors caught my eye. 

I was amazed at how much of the lich's 
tomb I still remembered after all these 
years.  Most of these "classics" left me with 
lasting memories, but the memories from 
this one were particularly vivid.  Suddenly 
I had an uncontrollable urge to run this 
scenario again and see how my new players 
would fare against the tricks and traps 
ov the tomb.  When I 1st ran it, my PCs 
had a special magickal item that let them 
avoid most of the carnage, so I was eager 
to see if a different group would do so 
well.  Besides, I was in the 8th grade the 
1st Time, and Now I felt I could give the 
module the rich presentation that I wasn't 
able to give them.  I made some phone calls 
to prospective players, and soon even the 
skeptics. 

Most of these old modules were created 
for tournaments.  Tomb of Horrors was 
designed for GAMA's ORIGINS I, so it 
provided sketchy characters that add to its 
suitability for noncampaign gaming.  We 
planned to use it as a one-shot since we 
were not in the middle of an AD&D campaign 
at the moment.  This module is also 
very tough!   I remember that when I originally 
ran it, my players ganged up on me 
when things got ugly. 

We played Tomb of Horrors in one all-night 
session, and it worked out successfully.  
The party played well and fully utilized 
the power of certain spells in 
surprising ways.  (Who would have imagined 
that a levitated coffin becomes a 
practically frictionless missile?)  The PCs 
took a minimal amount of damage until 
the final confrontation. 

Since dusting off the module turned out 
to be such a success, I got the idea of 
having a "classic" campaign made up of 
one or more of these old scenarios.  I'm 
sure this idea has occurred to many, but 
here are my thoughts on what to expect 
and to change. 

1st of all, the modules must be brought 
up to date with the rules you are using.  All 
of the old modules were written before 
UA <and the DSG and the WSG were published, so rules 
like weapon specialization and nonweapon 
proficiencies will have to be added to 
AD&D 1st Edition campaigns.  All NPC 
fightres in the scenarios should be specialized, 
and monsters should be toughened 
to make up for the specialized fighters in 
your adventuring group.  Spells will have 
to be examined, too.  Gary Gygax and other 
early module writers were fond of traps 
and magical protections against which 
certain spells were useless.  As the DM, 
you will have to LOOK at all the new spells 
available to PCs and see if 
the USE of any of them should be circumscribed.  
The spell lists of the NPC wizards 
should also be updated to reflect their 
new options; what is good for the PCs 
should also benefit their foes. 

Luckily for the DM, making all the 
changes is not as much work as it seems.  
Much of it can be handled with common 
sense as the appropriate parts of the scenario 
are reached.  For instance, if a magickal 
wall stops lightning bolts, it is probably 
impervious to CHAIN LIGHTNING, too.  
If all PC mages are in the habit of wearing armor 
or stoneskin spells, then the NPC mages 
should also have them.  

The old modules were also written without 
later character classes in mind.  Imagine 
a barbarian unleashed in the halls of 
the fire giants, or a thief-acrobat nimbly 
dodging traps in the Tomb of Horrors.  
Again, the DM may want to spice up the 
classics by making NPC fighters into barbarians.  
Similarly, new monsters can be 
changed or added.  Maybe a crypt thing 
from the FIEND FOLIO tome lurks in the 
Tomb of Horrors. 

Illusionists should probably be totally 
revamped to take into account their expanded 
spell powers.  The role of clerics 
has also changed.  For instance, the death's 
door spell greatly changed the way PCs 
and NPCs alike are healed, letting them 
avoid most of the nasty effects of reaching 
negative HP.  Balance these new 
powers carefully. 

In an AD&D 2nd Edition campaign, 
more will have to be altered.  Morale levels 
and THACOs for NPCs and monsters 
should be added, and you should seriously 
consider beeign up the power of PCs who 
hope to venture into the Against the Giants 
series if you use the giants from the 
Monstrous Compendium.  Charcater class 
changes willl also take time to make, and 
the 4 Complete Handbooks on the 
classes offer lots of kit options for upgrading 
NPCs of every sort.

Finally, decide if the "classics" campaign 
is going to be a series of 1-shots or an 
integrated quest.  A 1-shot will provide 
entertainment for a session or two, but a 
campaign must be planned out.  Keeping 
the same PCs from module to module adds 
to the depth in the campaign.  If you use 
the tournament characters provided, I 
recommend that they be fleshed out with 
broader equipment lists and with histories 
and personalities like those provided with 
the characters in RPGA tournaments 
published in POLYHEDRON Newszine. 
Furthermore, the scenarios should be 
linked in a consistent manner, much as the 
giant-drow-Abyss series was finally collected 
in GDQ1-7 Queen of the Demonweb 
Pits, or the Slave Lords modules in A1-4 Scourge of the Slave Lords. 

These early modules were written in a 
more primitive era of gaming, when the 
atmosphere was a little more wondrous 
and gamers were less jaded.  The times 
were simpler but had a certain charm and 
energy.  It was a fertile period where the 
early writers were building a foundation 
for AD&D Game design that the next generations 
have refined.  An ocasional return 
to the "basics" lets us see where 
we've been while having a lot of Fun replaying 
these adventures.  

These classics also had many excellent 
ideas that were among the first of their 
kinds. S3 Expedition to the Barrier Peaks 
has a mixed-genre setting that is brilliant.  
The Against the Giants series went beyond 
fortress bashing.  And the D series was
more than just the 1st underground 
adventure, it was also the best. 

You, too, may find it rewarding to dig 
these old modules out of your closet and 
modify them for play.  Along with rediscovering 
a great adventure, you can get more 
than you money's worth from a forgotten 
purchase and make a nostalgic visit to the 
origins of the AD&D game. 


SEPTEMBER 1990