What's a good low-level adventure for two players?

[Lonely Tylenol]

I'm planning to run a game for my kid brother and his friend, both of whom are D&D newbies. I'd like to try to find a nice low-level (1-3 or 4-6 range) adventure that I can run a pair of players through. I'd also like something that has a good balance between character interaction and combat, because I want to make sure that combat isn't the only focus. I also want something that doesn't require that the players be really experienced with the standard D&D adventure cliches. I'm specifically trying to find something that will allow me to run the game for two players through without needing them to play more than one character. If I can't find anything like that I might go with gestalt, but for newbies I'd rather avoid the more complicated rules and character options.

Any source that can be purchased as a PDF is okay, as is any Dungeon magazine since they converted to 3.0, and of course any free adventures online. 3.0 or 3.5 are both fine (we'll be using 3.0 rules).

Any recommendations?

 

[Psion]

Any source that can be purchased as a PDF is okay, as is any Dungeon magazine since they converted to 3.0, and of course any free adventures online. 3.0 or 3.5 are both fine (we'll be using 3.0 rules).

Any recommendations?

How much are you willing to invest? I recently picked up The Adventure Begins by Goodman games, a great anthology of adventures for 1st and 2nd level characters. Some make very good "training" adventures for inexperienced dungeon crawlers. I ran my family group through "Feodor's Basement" and my normal group through "Tower of the Black Pearl", and toyed with running more adventures.

Here's the PDF link:
http://enworld.rpgnow.com/product_info.php?products_id=7238&

It's also available in print (as a hardbound, IIRC.)

 

[howandwhy99]

Dead Man's Quest - Dungeon 107 is good
As is Mad God's Key - also from Dungeon.
I assume you know the AP starter adventures, if you want additional material already threaded in.
The original 3.0 Sunless Citadel isn't too bad and can easily by modded.

 

[Lonely Tylenol]

How much are you willing to invest? I recently picked up The Adventure Begins[/b] by Goodman games, a great anthology of adventures for 1st and 2nd level characters. Some make very good "training" adventures for inexperienced dungeon crawlers. I ran my family group through "Feodor's Basement" and my normal group through "Tower of the Black Pearl", and toyed with running more adventures.

Here's the PDF link:
http://enworld.rpgnow.com/product_info.php?products_id=7238&

It's also available in print (as a hardbound, IIRC.)

That looks like it has potential. Do you know if anyone's reviewed it?

 

[Psion]

That looks like it has potential. Do you know if anyone's reviewed it?

I'm not aware of a decently long review. The Goodman Games page has a summary of the adventures:
http://www.goodman-games.com/5028preview.php

We had a brief thread discussing it here:
http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?t=179516

 

[wolff96]

I really can't recommend the Freeport module enough. Uh... Death in Freeport, maybe? I can't recall the exact title. But it's a great investigation module that ends up with some significant fighting. Gives a lot of opportunity for character interaction, followed up by clearing out an old temple.

 

[Psion]

I really can't recommend the Freeport module enough. Uh... Death in Freeport, maybe?

Death, Terror, and Madness. There were 3 of them.

Green Ronin recently re-released them updated to 3.5 in a collected volume.

 

[darkbard]

Dead Man's Quest - Dungeon 107 is good
As is Mad God's Key - also from Dungeon.
I assume you know the AP starter adventures, if you want additional material already threaded in.
The original 3.0 Sunless Citadel isn't too bad and can easily by modded.

I'm not sure about "Dead Man's Quest," but I can categorically say that any of the others mentioned will be an easy TPK for only 2 characters (probably so even with gestalt characters). There are lots of challenging encounters in all that assume a party 4 characters strong and with a wide range of skills (not in the PHB Ch. 4 sense but rather "party role" sense).

This is one of the problems with 3.0/3.5. While I like the balancing effected through CR, class parity, etc., the rules (and adventure design) heavily favor 4 player, 4 iconic character type parties.

 

[Lonely Tylenol]

I'm not sure about "Dead Man's Quest," but I can categorically say that any of the others mentioned will be an easy TPK for only 2 characters (probably so even with gestalt characters). There are lots of challenging encounters in all that assume a party 4 characters strong and with a wide range of skills (not in the PHB Ch. 4 sense but rather "party role" sense).

This is one of the problems with 3.0/3.5. While I like the balancing effected through CR, class parity, etc., the rules (and adventure design) heavily favor 4 player, 4 iconic character type parties.

Strictly speaking, it's not the rules, just the adventure design. There are plenty of ways of designing an all-fighter adventure, or an all-rogue adventure. There are plenty of ways to design an adventure for 2 players, or for 7. But the CR system is based on 4. Since CR is not a rule, but a benchmark, that's not a problem if you're familiar with the system...which adventure designers should be!

I get the feeling that there are plenty of "cakewalk" level 1 adventures out there. I just have to find people who have played them who can say, "yeah, that was a cakewalk. Two characters should do fine."

 

[Drowbane]

I'm planning to run a game for my kid brother and his friend, both of whom are D&D newbies. I'd like to try to find a nice low-level (1-3 or 4-6 range) adventure that I can run a pair of players through. I'd also like something that has a good balance between character interaction and combat, because I want to make sure that combat isn't the only focus. I also want something that doesn't require that the players be really experienced with the standard D&D adventure cliches. I'm specifically trying to find something that will allow me to run the game for two players through without needing them to play more than one character. If I can't find anything like that I might go with gestalt, but for newbies I'd rather avoid the more complicated rules and character options.

Any source that can be purchased as a PDF is okay, as is any Dungeon magazine since they converted to 3.0, and of course any free adventures online. 3.0 or 3.5 are both fine (we'll be using 3.0 rules).

Any recommendations?

Shackled City, make sure to have spare PCs on hand. Accidents will happen.