This article examines how published modules affect creative authority and personalization in Dungeons & Dragons. By R. Nelson Bailey Published modules have existed since the early days of Dungeons & Dragons (D&D), with the first, The Temple of the Frog, appearing in the 1975 Blackmoor supplement. Since then, the number of modules has grown substantially, not only for D&D but for nearly every role-playing game system. The ubiquity of published adventures means that nearly ev

My gaming group headed to a cabin in the mountains for our annual gaming retreat. Each year, we play a First Edition module in a marathon session. This year, we played the classic S2 White Plume Mountain. One player, Rob Hand, outdid himself by building the entire dungeon in terrain—the giant crab lair, the mud geysers, and even the monster terrace chamber. Here are some photos of his work.

Erol Otus’ evocative and lurid painting on the back cover of Keep on the Borderlands captures the module’s central themes of adventure, exploration, and enchantment. The darkened silhouette of the Keep rises against the orange afterglow of a summer sunset. This moment suspended in time captures the twilight threshold between safety and peril, certainty and the unknown.