A prewritten adventure published for game masters to run: maps, room keys, monsters, treasure and a hook to get the party moving. Classic modules such as The Keep on the Borderlands and Tomb of Horrors taught a generation how to design dungeons.
Origin
Dave Arneson's The Temple of the Frog, in the Blackmoor supplement (1975), is usually counted as the first published adventure; TSR's standalone module line began in 1978.
Quick answers
- What does "Adventure module" mean?
- A prewritten adventure published for game masters to run: maps, room keys, monsters, treasure and a hook to get the party moving. Classic modules such as The Keep on the Borderlands and Tomb of Horrors taught a generation how to design dungeons.
- Where does the term "Adventure module" come from?
- Dave Arneson's The Temple of the Frog, in the Blackmoor supplement (1975), is usually counted as the first published adventure; TSR's standalone module line began in 1978.