I suggest that the original approach was "genius" because it forced DMs to work on a bit of their own world creation. In the old days of D&D, everyone was still trying to figure out how things worked, so Saltmarsh gives a little "push" to the DM to be imaginative.

Honestly, Saltmarsh has one of the most famous twists in a D&D adventure ever. The house is not haunted; it has become the base of operations for a group of smugglers working through Saltmarsh. An illusionist has used spells and other tricks to scare away the curious.

Okay, spoiler time! Are you ready? If you don't want Saltmarsh spoiled, *mute this thread*!

What is particularly funny about this is that the twist is spoiled RIGHT ON THE FRONT COVER OF THE ADVENTURE. The cover clearly shows a sinister figure (a smuggler) using a lantern to signal accomplices in a boat off shore (a bright dot of light).

The second part of the adventure involves the PCs being tasked by the leaders of Saltmarsh to go assault the Sea Ghost, the ship of the smuggling organization. It is basically "sailing ship as a dungeon."

By the end of the first part of the adventure, the PCs have worked their way through the traps and natural hazards of the house and fought the illusionist and his accomplices in a sea cave.

I find it very funny that this part of the adventure is SPOILED ON THE BACK COVER OF THE MODULE. An attentive player who glanced at the module in the store could figure out pretty much the entire story.

Art design in Saltmarsh is top notch. All the illustrations are relevant to the adventure, and well done. There are even a couple of handouts as puzzles, such as this crude map showing the location of the smugglers' drop-off point.

So why is Saltmarsh a classic? It was really innovative in having a mystery to be solved by the players, and in having "not-dungeons" as the locations to be explored. The module also emphasizes the smugglers as a dynamic organized force that will fight against PCs intelligently.

The emphasis on thinking and clever strategy over hack and slash was a hallmark of the UK modules produced by TSR at the time, such as Beyond the Crystal Cave, which can be played to the end with no fighting at all! (I've posted about this one before.)

The Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh is followed by Danger at Dunwater and The Final Enemy, which involve the players following the trail of the smugglers to a dangerous conspiracy against the surface world! Overall, a classic series of adventures. /END

@mcnees Eldritch Wizardry.

Me, seeing a 0e D&D book for sale that I've always wanted for under $100:

Probably not moving instances now. Things are pretty chaotic and I suspect there will be a lot of back and forth of this, making it hard to predict where to move. Will see how things play out.

Hmm. Hearing reports that "mastodon social" is going to be defederated by lots of other servers in the next few days, due to moderation issues. Any friends have recommendations on a good place to migrate to? (I've been on social since 2017.)