New DM for AD&D?  Want to know where to start?  Me too.  I’ve never DMed this system, let alone played it.  So I may be getting ahead of myself.  Regardless, I took everyone’s advice and started at square one:

T1 – The Village of Hommlet

For many players, this was their first experience of AD&D.  A very sandboxy Gygax module featuring a sleepy town with more than meets the eye.  And, of course, a dungeon.  What sets this module apart from others that I have read is this: there is no quest, no storyline, no plot.  Only very detailed and interesting setting.  For a beginner DM, this could be very challenging.

But what other options are out there that support new DMs and new players?  A challenging question, to be sure.  Hommlet is Gygax’s only introductory AD&D module.  But there are a few out there that I’ve tracked down.

N1 – Against the Cult of the Reptile God

Another village.  With yet more secrets.  I think a pattern may be forming.  This module was actually written specifically for new DMs, so it might actually be my first recommendation for those looking to learn.  If I were not trying to go through all of Gygax’s work, this module would probably be the one I started with as a DM.

U1 – The Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh

The Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh is not only a personal favorite of a good friend, but it’s also the beginning of a three module series.  I’m trying my best not to read spoilers, since I will soon be playing this one as a PC.  However, from what I can tell it has a similar setup to Hommlet, featuring the village and the dungeon setup.  That said, the village is not nearly as detailed as Hommlet.  So if you’re looking for less talking to villagers and more getting to the action, this would be a good way to go.

N4 – Treasure Hunt

Don’t want to bother with character creation?  No sweat.  In this campaign, players start out at Level 0, “choosing” their class through roleplay.  Do they pick up a bow and start shooting?  I see a ranger-in-training.  Are they studying spellbooks?  Twenty bucks says they aren’t going to be a fighter-thief.  It’s a neat concept that I’d love to try out.  And there are ships.

N5 – Under Illefarn

In case you wonder what these letter-number combinations mean, the N-series stands for the Novice series.  This particular module introduces the Forgotten Realms setting, which I really enjoy in later editions of D&D.  If you’re looking to get out of Greyhawk, this might be a great way to do that.

Honorable mention:

B2 – The Keep on the Borderlands

Once you’ve got one or two of these earlier modules under your belt, I understand that this would be a great one to DM.  It’s Gygax’s only D&D Basic module–and his only other introductory module that I can find.  I’ve been assured via Twitter that the conversion is relatively simple.  I’ll report back when I try it myself.

What about you experienced DMs out there: did I forget any?  What were your favorite introdutory modules?  Comment below.

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