Hi! Long time reader and player, first time poster! I'm avid ToEE cRPG player - and also TableTop Game Master of 25+ years now. In coming months I want to run ToEE TTRPG module for my players. I'm preparing game but I feel they will need a dungeon or two for level 1 & 2 before proper story from Moathouse onward. Maybe you can point for good ideas on those from cRPG implantatom ? Or you found good trivia ideas that could become plot hooks?
Depending on your system, you could start the group at a slightly higher level (likely 2-3) due to D&D's low level lethality. I was in a campaign that did various Slavers modules before Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil[/url]. Thankee!
just have them do the in-town Hommlet NPC quests to get level 2, then do the out-of-town Hommlet quests to get level 3. If they end up talking to Terjon about Emridy at level 1, just have Terjon tell them he requires more capable adventurers for his task. Stuff like that.
Yeah, you can mimic/use much of the many ToEE starting vignettes to get them started on an early arc, and you can use the Delko Grove and Welkwood Bog from the Co8 NC stuff. Some of the in town quests i think may be boring for a real PnP playthrough, but you can use/repurpose some of the interesting ones.
Most of the ToEE (CRPG) quests are natural extensions of the basic info Gygax gives in the module - Freulla is called, "handsome but bossy" and acts it, the tailor is a crack shot with ranged weapons but is excluded for being a weedy little tailor etc - and well worth incorporating in a P&P game, just not the overarching 'marriage quest' nonsense. The tension between the recently arrived, proselatizing Cuthbertians and the followers of the Old Faith could feature too. Plus many of the Old Faith housewives have a human-sacrificing coven, I forget what page that is on. Welkwood Bog was specifically introduced to give parties a crack at some first level fighting fun for those who wanted to be second level when they head to the Moathouse but don't want to do the around-town quests, sounds like you need that.
If you want to see more about the Welkwood Bog, go here: Co8 New Content: Welkwood Bog | Circle of Eight Modding Community - The Temple of Elemental Evil
Wait... there' a coven of human-sacrificing housewives in Hommlet?? I have the OG "Village of Hommlet" and ToEE P&P modules, and have never heard of that... ???
Well, you have to read between the lines... Spoiler Actually, that was a bit of facetiousness on my part, Daryk - a Desperate Housewives reference.
Do we have a map from 'Spiders Grove' quest? I was thinking about using it as simple entry combat encounter in area for players.
Well looking at the module I don't see any maps for this area: I'm pretty sure Troika simply invented the whole encounter. You'll have to do your own maps, sorry!