# Adventure module

- Term: Tabletop term
- Date: 1975
- Canonical: https://www.lanternhall.org/lexicon/adventure-module/

> 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.

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.

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From The Lantern Hall (https://www.lanternhall.org/), a museum of fantasy literature and roleplaying games.