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Giants #G1-2-3
Against the Giants
Three Adventures for Character Levels 8-12:
This material was originally published as three seperate adventures: G1 (STEADING OF THE HILL GIANT CHIEF), G2 (THE GLACIAL RIFT OF THE FROST GIANT JARL), and G3 (HALL OF THE FIRE GIANT KING).
Contained herein are referee notes, background information, maps, and exploration keys for three complete adventures using the ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS rules.
This module can be used alone or as the first in a series of adventures that includes Dungeon Modules D1-2 (DESCENT INTO THE DEPTHS OF THE EARTH), D3 (VAULT OF THE DROW), and Q1 (QUEEN OF THE DEMONWEB PITS).
This material was originally published as three seperate adventures: G1 (STEADING OF THE HILL GIANT CHIEF), G2 (THE GLACIAL RIFT OF THE FROST GIANT JARL), and G3 (HALL OF THE FIRE GIANT KING).
Contained herein are referee notes, background information, maps, and exploration keys for three complete adventures using the ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS rules.
This module can be used alone or as the first in a series of adventures that includes Dungeon Modules D1-2 (DESCENT INTO THE DEPTHS OF THE EARTH), D3 (VAULT OF THE DROW), and Q1 (QUEEN OF THE DEMONWEB PITS).
32 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1980
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
July 16, 2013
I loved this! Everyone seemed to love this! And I have no idea why!
Against the Giants was a Dungeons & Dragons module (an outline for a game) that collected three prototype modules together which were then reissued as one epic adventure. The countryside has been ravaged by hill giants, frost giants and fire giants that have all banded together under some unknown master force! Local noblemen have enlisted the best possible heroes to come to their aid!... Yeah, that was pretty much a standard D&D premise: Something's bothering the people and the people want it dead. Odd thing about this one was the additional threat from these noblemen that if the heroes (the players' characters) didn't do the job they would be beheaded.
That's a rather forced impetus to go along with an overly simple adventure: go in and kill giants or we kill you. Most other adventures were more mysterious or included an aura of magic about them, and the players didn't need artificial prodding. Also, the language and writing in general in these modules was usually pretty basic. Either the writers were not very good or even more likely it was intentional. They knew their audience was kids. Even so, you can see a touch of humor here and there, such as when something is described as "very dead," which sounds reminiscent of Monty Python, who were quite popular at the time D&D was created.
Regardless of these deficiencies, Against the Giants was loved by the players and ranks as one of the best modules of all time by folks that rank such things. So why was this such a popular D&D module? I don't know for sure exactly, but my two main reasons for liking it were:
1.) Giants. There was a mystique about giants, probably second only to dragons. They're big, tough, mean, and you grew up hearing stories about them as a kid, ala Jack and the Beanstalk. So there's the nostalgia factor.
2.) Treasure. If there was one thing D&D players loved more than hacking and slashing their way through baddies, it was finding hordes of gold, gems and magic items. Obtaining these not only made you richer, they made you more powerful. And as we all know... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ti5AkL...
There were lots and lots of big, dumb giants to kill here. The hill giants with their long, wooden, Anglo Saxon-ish hall seemed modeled after a sort of barbarian/neanderthal. The frost giants were oversized Vikings through and through. The fire giants...I have no idea. Maybe someone reading this can fill us in with insight in the comments section. Whatever the case, they were all evil, but they looked quite human and so least you forgot that they were the bad guys and thus deserved all this bloody-minded slaughter, the game designers made sure the presence of prisoners, torture victims and slaves were ubiquitous. After the three species of giants were conquered, the evil-doers behind their uprising was revealed in a short episode that later continued on to two or three other modules that were highly successful and which introduced a beloved new race, the .
And let's not forget, there was lots and lots of treasure. Tons of valuable coins and gems as never seen before in a module. Yes, Against the Giants was tough - your characters were going to take a physical beating - but it was so worth it!
Against the Giants was a Dungeons & Dragons module (an outline for a game) that collected three prototype modules together which were then reissued as one epic adventure. The countryside has been ravaged by hill giants, frost giants and fire giants that have all banded together under some unknown master force! Local noblemen have enlisted the best possible heroes to come to their aid!... Yeah, that was pretty much a standard D&D premise: Something's bothering the people and the people want it dead. Odd thing about this one was the additional threat from these noblemen that if the heroes (the players' characters) didn't do the job they would be beheaded.
That's a rather forced impetus to go along with an overly simple adventure: go in and kill giants or we kill you. Most other adventures were more mysterious or included an aura of magic about them, and the players didn't need artificial prodding. Also, the language and writing in general in these modules was usually pretty basic. Either the writers were not very good or even more likely it was intentional. They knew their audience was kids. Even so, you can see a touch of humor here and there, such as when something is described as "very dead," which sounds reminiscent of Monty Python, who were quite popular at the time D&D was created.
Regardless of these deficiencies, Against the Giants was loved by the players and ranks as one of the best modules of all time by folks that rank such things. So why was this such a popular D&D module? I don't know for sure exactly, but my two main reasons for liking it were:
1.) Giants. There was a mystique about giants, probably second only to dragons. They're big, tough, mean, and you grew up hearing stories about them as a kid, ala Jack and the Beanstalk. So there's the nostalgia factor.
2.) Treasure. If there was one thing D&D players loved more than hacking and slashing their way through baddies, it was finding hordes of gold, gems and magic items. Obtaining these not only made you richer, they made you more powerful. And as we all know... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ti5AkL...
There were lots and lots of big, dumb giants to kill here. The hill giants with their long, wooden, Anglo Saxon-ish hall seemed modeled after a sort of barbarian/neanderthal. The frost giants were oversized Vikings through and through. The fire giants...I have no idea. Maybe someone reading this can fill us in with insight in the comments section. Whatever the case, they were all evil, but they looked quite human and so least you forgot that they were the bad guys and thus deserved all this bloody-minded slaughter, the game designers made sure the presence of prisoners, torture victims and slaves were ubiquitous. After the three species of giants were conquered, the evil-doers behind their uprising was revealed in a short episode that later continued on to two or three other modules that were highly successful and which introduced a beloved new race, the .
And let's not forget, there was lots and lots of treasure. Tons of valuable coins and gems as never seen before in a module. Yes, Against the Giants was tough - your characters were going to take a physical beating - but it was so worth it!
July 12, 2012
Aside from Keep on the Borderlands, there's no more iconic D&D module than Against the Giants. My copy is more Scotch tape than paper after 30 years, but I still get a thrill every time I leaf through it.
I'm puzzled that I've been so drawn to the adventure; after all, it's really a shell, with not much story or intrigue or drama. Only a handful of NPC's even have names (damn you, Obmi!).
I suppose it's exactly this lack of detail that lets your imagination take off. I still remember dreaming up countless scenarios with the lovely (CH 17) 11th level thief chained to the wall in Snurr's dungeon. Or how about the nameless elven princess three cells down from her? In retrospect, it's the generic nature that is ATG's strength, letting every gamer invent the details, just as they were meant to.
I'm puzzled that I've been so drawn to the adventure; after all, it's really a shell, with not much story or intrigue or drama. Only a handful of NPC's even have names (damn you, Obmi!).
I suppose it's exactly this lack of detail that lets your imagination take off. I still remember dreaming up countless scenarios with the lovely (CH 17) 11th level thief chained to the wall in Snurr's dungeon. Or how about the nameless elven princess three cells down from her? In retrospect, it's the generic nature that is ATG's strength, letting every gamer invent the details, just as they were meant to.
March 5, 2024
Was really excited to re-read this as it had been the first separate AD&D module I had bought way back in 1983 (B2 had come in the Basic DnD set).
It's a classic for a reason. The module combines the separate monochrome G modules, each of which was far slimmer than most at the time. It saves on space by having only a brief story and then describing a setting (without boxed text etc). Yet what settings they are!
G1 is the entry level adventure, still designed for a challenge to L8 characters (advising a sizeable group). In essence it is best run as an infiltration mission, seeking information (as well as treasure and monster xp) whilst the chief hill giant has a party. It has a logic and cohesiveness to the upper level, and some good areas to the lower, considering it was the first TSR module. Gygax sneaks in a funky weird altar even at this stage, as he did in B2. The dude loves his Elder Evils.
G2 is the weakest of the three for me, and is a solid dungeon grind against frost giants and other cold creatures (remorhaz, winter wolves, snow toads, white dragons etc). It's a fairly tough scrap with the upper level situated around a treacherous crevice. It's elevated above standard fare by the environmental quirks, with slippery ice, two hundred foot drops, and risks of icicles impaling you!
G3 is the piece de resistance of the trilogy. Rock hard for players as they batter through an iconic dungeon. Fire giants were tough buggers even back in 1st, and Snurre was a famous opponent that was met surprisingly early. In essence it's because he's not the BBEG. That accolade falls to the drow, with their debut in the second and third levels. Eclavdra makes her appearance finally in a bonkers area of level two with tentacle walls, an eldritch horror temple (Elder Evil/ Tharizdun type place) with madness/instant death mechanics, whips of tentacles, and drow galore. It gets weirder on level 3 where we have seventy or so trolls, a gorgon disguised as a dragon, an ancient red dragon in a titchy cave behind a boulder with more treasure than would fit in, a load of drow near a lava river, and three mind flayers snooping on the drow: these ones actually worship Llolth, not a floating eye with tentacles.
It's utterly bonkers and totally loved by players, not least as G3 alone has 1.6 million GP equivalent in treasure (source is https://www.dragonsfoot.org/forums/vi... ).
When I played in in the 80s we went on to D1-3 and Q1, all of which was fun but none had the magic of these for me. I've played/read the Yawning Portal 5e version which is tough but doesn't have the brutal mad ruthlessness of these OG classics.
It's a classic for a reason. The module combines the separate monochrome G modules, each of which was far slimmer than most at the time. It saves on space by having only a brief story and then describing a setting (without boxed text etc). Yet what settings they are!
G1 is the entry level adventure, still designed for a challenge to L8 characters (advising a sizeable group). In essence it is best run as an infiltration mission, seeking information (as well as treasure and monster xp) whilst the chief hill giant has a party. It has a logic and cohesiveness to the upper level, and some good areas to the lower, considering it was the first TSR module. Gygax sneaks in a funky weird altar even at this stage, as he did in B2. The dude loves his Elder Evils.
G2 is the weakest of the three for me, and is a solid dungeon grind against frost giants and other cold creatures (remorhaz, winter wolves, snow toads, white dragons etc). It's a fairly tough scrap with the upper level situated around a treacherous crevice. It's elevated above standard fare by the environmental quirks, with slippery ice, two hundred foot drops, and risks of icicles impaling you!
G3 is the piece de resistance of the trilogy. Rock hard for players as they batter through an iconic dungeon. Fire giants were tough buggers even back in 1st, and Snurre was a famous opponent that was met surprisingly early. In essence it's because he's not the BBEG. That accolade falls to the drow, with their debut in the second and third levels. Eclavdra makes her appearance finally in a bonkers area of level two with tentacle walls, an eldritch horror temple (Elder Evil/ Tharizdun type place) with madness/instant death mechanics, whips of tentacles, and drow galore. It gets weirder on level 3 where we have seventy or so trolls, a gorgon disguised as a dragon, an ancient red dragon in a titchy cave behind a boulder with more treasure than would fit in, a load of drow near a lava river, and three mind flayers snooping on the drow: these ones actually worship Llolth, not a floating eye with tentacles.
It's utterly bonkers and totally loved by players, not least as G3 alone has 1.6 million GP equivalent in treasure (source is https://www.dragonsfoot.org/forums/vi... ).
When I played in in the 80s we went on to D1-3 and Q1, all of which was fun but none had the magic of these for me. I've played/read the Yawning Portal 5e version which is tough but doesn't have the brutal mad ruthlessness of these OG classics.
March 3, 2018
A re-read of this classic module (or classic modules, as they were released G1, G2, and G3). I have also examined the three individual modules - I prefer the colored cover, although the map management is a bit better with the individual (monochrome cover) copies.
These modules are typical of the early Dungeons & Dragons modules (and these are the first published ones). They have some details, but most areas are sketches, with the rest left for the Dungeon Master to flesh out properly. They are also include clip art from some of the classic TSR artists, to varying effect.
The overall affect of these modules is that they are a bloodbath, especially with the final module. There are three poster comics that tell this story, by Jason Bradley Thompson. They mix comedy with a straight-up telling of how the adventure could have happened - well worth viewing in conjunction with reading this module.
Of course, the best option would be to play these originally. I am looking forward to the opportunity to do that with my own group (leading a group of players through these).
These modules are typical of the early Dungeons & Dragons modules (and these are the first published ones). They have some details, but most areas are sketches, with the rest left for the Dungeon Master to flesh out properly. They are also include clip art from some of the classic TSR artists, to varying effect.
The overall affect of these modules is that they are a bloodbath, especially with the final module. There are three poster comics that tell this story, by Jason Bradley Thompson. They mix comedy with a straight-up telling of how the adventure could have happened - well worth viewing in conjunction with reading this module.
Of course, the best option would be to play these originally. I am looking forward to the opportunity to do that with my own group (leading a group of players through these).
July 16, 2011
This anthology of the 3 giant modules adds the beloved tournament characters and some nice interior illustrations. 4 stars instead of 5 because it is essentially one raid after another and I don't think that running all 3 adventures back-to-back is the best approach pacing-wise.
December 7, 2020
Everyone loves Against The Giants and almost no one can explain exactly why. It's just one of those modules that works.
September 15, 2021
Got some ideas from these for a giants-based adventure, but never used them per se.
March 21, 2023
I definitely remember starting this but not finishing it.
December 21, 2011
After hours of slaughter and killing players asked: "Where is that frost giant Jarl"? And DM shrugged his shoulders and said: "It was that one giant, who got better armor class than others"!!!
March 26, 2012
I think my group went through this one..3 or 4 times? So long ago. Great series!
April 2, 2013
Great adventure! Always fun.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews