Terrible Trouble at Tragidore, As Bad as they Say?

 

Lest it never be said that I won’t call something bad if it’s a 2nd Edition product.

Like I outlined before, some adventures and modules just suck. They sit at the opposite end of the spectrum from the greatest modules of all time. Terrible Trouble at Tragidore has a reputation that puts it firmly in that bottom tier. The question is whether the reputation is earned.

The adventure came packaged with the 1989 AD&D 2nd Edition Dungeon Master’s Screen. It is a short module, only sixteen pages, written by Jean and Bruce Rabe for characters of levels 5–8. On paper that sounds harmless enough. A quick one-shot to go with the new screen. In practice it has become one of those modules people still bring up decades later when the conversation turns to the worst published adventures of the era.

The setup is simple to the point of being thin. The town of Tragidore is in trouble. Able-bodied men are disappearing. The player characters are expected to investigate, head into the surrounding area, and eventually deal with the source of the problem. What they find involves drow, a lamia, and a mining operation that never quite makes sense. Along the way there are encounters that feel like they were written to frustrate rather than challenge, including the infamous bandits who pretend to be vampires by holding sharpened stakes in their mouths.

That one detail alone has lived in infamy for a reason 

First gargoyles without wings (aka Gargoyle) and now fake vampires? Ugh. Lets get it together early 2e modules!

The bigger problems are structural. The adventure is heavily railroaded. The logic of the plot is shaky at best. At least the drow remain underground in a lair.

Several encounters exist mainly to strip the party of gear or force them down a predetermined path. That feels clumsy. It does not trust the players, and it does not give the Dungeon Master much room to make the material work.

I have a soft spot for short, self-contained adventures from the late TSR period (Book of Lairs I and II looking at you.) Some of them still hold up as quick evening games. This one does not. The reputation is not pure internet exaggeration (see below). The adventure earns most of the criticism it receives.

That does not mean it is completely without value. The maps are clear. A determined Dungeon Master could strip out the worst ideas and salvage a couple of locations. But as written, Terrible Trouble at Tragidore is a strong contender for the lower ranks of published AD&D adventures. It is not the absolute worst thing TSR ever put out, but it is close enough that the distinction barely matters.

Sometimes a module is famous for being good. Sometimes it is famous for being memorable. And sometimes it is famous because nearly everyone who reads it comes away thinking the same thing: this one really is as bad as they say.

Still, all that said, it doesn't knock The Forest Oracle off the pedestal as all time worst...that one is LEGENDARILY BAD.

Thoughts on Terrible Trouble at Tragidore, such as it is?