This is 1978’s S1: Tomb of Horrors. Depending on whom you ask, it is one of the greatest, or very worst, adventures ever written. It is inarguably the most devious examples of the antagonistic DM vs. Players school of RPGs ever put to paper.
The Tomb is one big trap, made out of lots of smaller traps. Gygax designed it to knock cocky players down a notch. He even claimed he tore up the sheets of PCs who perished inside. It is telling of the mindset of the hobby in the early days that this was the first module TSR put out.
I am of two minds about it. On the one hand, there is a lot of the bizarre design choices that characterized so much of the early D&D material, and I love the idea of this module striking terror into the hearts of players on reputation alone.
On the other hand, nearly all the traps are cruel and cheap. Most of the time, players have no idea they’ve tripped a trap – the effect just happens and someone dies. There is detailed reasoning why within the adventure text, but it is written more like a legal argument to present to players after the fact, to justify their murder, rather than as a puzzle to figure out. Players often must rely on trial and error, which makes every room a session of Russian roulette. None of this is particularly fun. In fact, it is almost certain to set tempers flaring.
A booklet of illustrations accompanies the module, depicting the various rooms and their features. This is by far the best part – the illustrations are mysterious and in the mode of many pick-your-path adventure books. Even so, they’re often designed to be a distraction – or a temptation – rather than a clue, and thus an extension of the frustration.
So, while I don’t think S1 is one of the worst modules ever written, I definitely think it is irredeemably unfair and a gigantic missed opportunity. I know Gygax created the hobby, but this sort of competitive “ha, got ya!” roleplaying seems to shortchange the game’s potential.
Collector’s note: Being the first D&D module, Tomb of Horrors obviously commands a decent price on the collector’s market. BUYER BEWARE. TSR reprinted the module in 1998 for inclusion in the Return to the Tomb of Horrors box set. It is IDENTICAL to the original in every way but one: The original printing had the illustration booklet bound separately. So if that pricey Tomb of Horrors in alarmingly good condition has the illustrations bound inside the module, it’s the reprint and not worth all that dough.
