Adventures Every GM Should Play Before They Die
There are adventures that when played really impact specific GMs in ways that make them think about them every time they design their own or compare future modules to. What adventures those are often change based on GM because frankly some people will play the Delian Tomb and they will decide the 5 Room Dungeon is the peak way to run their TTRPGs for the rest of their lives. For me personally this is my personal list of the most impactful modules I have ever run.
Wolves Upon the Coast- This module actually came much more lately in my career as a GM but it has probably been the most impactful game as far as how I write my own adventures and what I look for in how other people write. It was the game that was inspirational enough that I started blogging (this thing you are reading) and wrote a zine for it. It is wonderful in how it is a cohesive series of adventures that really pushes players to do that beowulf style heroic game play despite being truly weak in the setting filled with horrible monsters and even worse men.
The Halls of Arden Vul- This is the greatest dungeon I have ever seen someone make. It is a massive breathing thing filled with bickering factions and entire biospheres that make cohesive sense as both a player and as a GM. If you want to play a mega dungeon this is head and shoulders above the best one I can recommend.
The Skyblind Spire- a one page dungeon. The total opposite but exactly the same as the Halls of Arden Vul. This dungeon is designed to be run in just a few hours and it is a fun puzzle for a day. Climb the spire and collect your motes this module will confuse and confound players and leave them so satisfied at the end. Remember the sky is blue.
Winters Daughter- This is the best "corporate" style dungeon. I don't know how else to explain it. It feels like something Wizards of the Coast would write if they where not trying to spew some of the lowest quality writing because they are unwilling to pay their writers a living wage. It is a good adventure with a clear win condition unlike the above 3 modules and is a good place to be if you are scared of going off the rails. I like it even though many people hate bullet points and super structured rooms compared to the more flowy prose you see in something like Wolves or Arden Vul. This is just an easy adventure to use. I have handed it to my 9 year old daughter and she ran it for other people because what group of little girls doesn't love a story of elven princesses and killing animated tongue leeches.
These are not all the adventures I have enjoyed over the years that I have ever run. They are examples of 4 that I have really enjoyed and I consider when I am writing my own or trying to decide what other modules I want to run.