This is DL1: Dragons of Despair (1984), the first Dragonlance module and the first appearance of Dragonlance in print in general (the first novel, Dragons of Autumn Twilight, wouldn’t appear for another half a year).

The idea for Dragonlance was to plot a grand story and tell it through a trilogy of novels while also giving players the chance to play through it using pre-generated characters. It is the first attempt, I believe, at a metaplot that spans multiple volumes (16, though only 13 or so actually handle the plot of the books). Overall, it is more interesting than good.

This module is probably the best of them, as it feels unhindered by the weight of the novels (it is still pretty on rails, but somehow feels more free than later installments). It also details my favorite locale from the first novel, the abandoned city of Xak Tsaroth, lair of the black dragon Khisanth (who is a rather overpowered for the party if they don’t have the magical Mcguffin that the scenario centers around). That well is a nicely evocative centerpiece and I think Jeff Easley does an excellent job of imbuing the place with an oversized atmosphere of ruin. Caldwell’s cover is one of my favorite bits of Dragonlance art, as well (though it also marks an odd anti-pants trend you’ll see a lot in Dragonlance).