U1: The Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh, A Review
Towards the end of the 1st edition of Advanced Dungeons and Dragons, adventure modules had become more sophisticated in many ways, not the least of which was relieving some of the storytelling duties from the Dungeon Master. Not all, mind you, but later modules were a bit less sparse than say, S2: White Plume Mountain with it's whole twelve pages of module.
One of the better of these later modules was Dave Brown and Don Turnbull's U1: The Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh. Set in the World of Greyhawk, the module presents a wonderful adventure opportunity to both Dungeon Master and player alike. The main plot of the module (and it's follow-on modules, U2: Danger at Dunwater and U3: The Final Enemy) deals with a band of smugglers and strange disappearances near an abandoned manor-house.
The manor itself is filled with haunted-house type spooky occurrences that should pique the interest of anyone who grew up watching Scooby Doo or reading a Hardy Boys' Mystery. Of course, the real force behind these mysterious events isn't an old prospector trying to scare off local farmers; as the adventurers delve onward, they'll find that the house itself sits atop a small cave complex which leads to the sea-shore, and clues found therein indicate that a smuggler's ship is coming, soon, and must be dealt with!
The aforementioned manor house, with it's traps, illusions and other dangers is a great place to kick off a good adventure, either as a stand-alone, as part of the entire "U" series, or incorporated into a Dungeon Master's own campaign. I highly recommend the second option, as the story behind the weird events at Saltmarsh is rich and gives endless opportunities to those who play and DM. Finally, the best aspect of U1: The Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh is that it is a low-level module (1st to 3rd level), and given it's rich storyline and playability is a great place to start someone who's just gotten in to Advanced Dungeons and Dragons.
Five out of Five stars!