Tales from the Yawning Portal

The Tales of the Yawning Portal anthology adventures are excellent for shorter term campaigns and can be used to enrich and extend other adventures quite easily. Hidden Shrine of Tamoachan and The Sunless Citadel that I've run from this book have some of my player's favorites.

It’s an adventure anthology of the cream of the crop of D&D. Even though the adventures are unrelated, it makes for a hell of a campaign with a very episodic feel

This collection of adventures is one of the greatest selection of modules put together. The ability to start from the Sunless Citadel at level 1 and to just roleplay through the entire collection of adventures and level up as you go, you could feasibly use the same characters all the way through. What an experience! Don't miss this.

Tales from the Yawning Portal is a collection of seven classic dungeons, updated for Dungeons & Dragons 5E. Spanning over 40 years of D&D history, this anthology offers deadly traps, complex dungeon layouts, and legendary monsters, making it an excellent challenge for experienced players or a great toolkit for DMs looking to drop individual dungeons into their own campaigns. Each adventure can be run as a standalone dungeon crawl, integrated into a homebrew world, or even played as a loosely connected campaign where adventurers delve into legendary ruins as part of their journey. The Dungeons: The Sunless Citadel (Levels 1-3) – A great starter dungeon with a mystery-driven hook, a ruined fortress, and a creepy underground grove. This is an excellent introduction to D&D. The Forge of Fury (Levels 3-5) – A classic dwarven ruin, complete with orcs, duergar, traps, and a terrifying dragon at the end. One of the best dungeons in the book. The Hidden Shrine of Tamoachan (Levels 5-7) – A Mesoamerican-inspired deathtrap with ancient puzzles, poison gas, and terrifying creatures. This is less of a combat-focused dungeon and more about exploration, puzzles, and survival. White Plume Mountain (Levels 7-9) – A gonzo funhouse dungeon featuring floating rivers, anti-gravity chambers, and three legendary weapons to claim. This is classic D&D weirdness at its best. Dead in Thay (Levels 9-11) – A huge, high-level dungeon crawl set in the Doomvault, an evil wizard’s fortress. This one is less about exploration and more about war against an evil faction. Against the Giants (Levels 11-13) – One of D&D’s most famous old-school adventures, featuring massive strongholds filled with giants, brutal combat, and a hidden drow conspiracy. Tomb of Horrors (Levels 13+) – The ultimate deathtrap dungeon, designed to kill even the smartest, most careful players. A legendary dungeon, but incredibly punishing—perfect for groups who love puzzles, paranoia, and inevitable doom. The Good: ✅ Classic D&D Dungeon-Crawling at Its Best – Every adventure in this book is a piece of D&D history, updated with modern mechanics while retaining old-school challenge and danger. ✅ Perfect for Drop-In Adventures – Unlike long adventure paths, these dungeons are modular, making them easy to insert into any homebrew setting or run as one-shots when you need a session on short notice. ✅ A Great Mix of Dungeon Styles – Some dungeons focus on combat, others on puzzles and traps, and some mix storytelling with classic exploration. There’s something for every kind of player. ✅ Incredibly Challenging & Deadly (In a Good Way!) – These dungeons do not hold your hand. They feature brutal enemies, lethal traps, and complex environments, making them perfect for experienced players looking for a challenge. ✅ Fantastic for Old-School Fans & New Players Alike – If you want to introduce new players to classic D&D, this book offers a crash course in the best dungeons of all time. For veterans, it’s a nostalgic return to legendary challenges. The Not-So-Good: ❌ No Connecting Narrative – These dungeons are not tied together by a single story. If you're looking for a full campaign experience, you'll need to homebrew connections between the dungeons. ❌ Very Little Roleplay or NPC Interaction – These are old-school dungeon crawls, meaning NPCs are rare and most social encounters are minimal. If your group prefers intrigue, politics, or heavy storytelling, this book won’t offer much. ❌ Can Be Brutally Hard for Modern Players – Many of these dungeons were designed in older editions of D&D, where traps were instant-kill, and unfairness was part of the fun. If your group isn’t used to old-school difficulty, some adventures (especially Tomb of Horrors) may feel frustrating or punishing. ❌ Some Adventures Show Their Age – While updated for 5E, some dungeons still feel very ‘classic’ in design, meaning random trap rooms, monster closets, and strange, unexplained puzzles that don’t always make logical sense. GMs may need to tweak things to better fit modern expectations. ❌ Magic Items & Rewards Feel Sparse – Some adventures, particularly Tomb of Horrors, can feel like a meat grinder with little reward. Players expecting big treasure hauls might be disappointed. Final Verdict: Tales from the Yawning Portal is a love letter to classic D&D dungeon-crawling, packed with legendary dungeons, brutal challenges, and fantastic exploration. It’s perfect for experienced groups who love deadly traps, clever puzzles, and tactical combat. However, it’s not a campaign, and it lacks story-driven elements that many modern adventures thrive on. If your group prefers narrative-heavy experiences, roleplay-driven stories, or more open-ended adventure paths, this book won’t be a great fit. If you love dungeon crawls, classic adventure design, and high-stakes challenges, Tales from the Yawning Portal is an essential addition to your collection.

What if Wizards of the Coast took seven classic D&D adventures, stuffed them into a book, and said, “Here, DM, good luck!” That’s Tales from the Yawning Portal—a greatest hits album of dungeon-crawling and adventuring misery, all loosely connected by Waterdeep’s famous tavern of adventurers' gossip. This book is basically a buffet of ways to get your party killed. You’ve got death traps, more death traps, and just when you think you’re safe—surprise! A troll eats your face. Pros: ✔ A great mix of old-school and modern D&D—they updated the classics but left the pain intact. ✔ You can drop these dungeons into any campaign, so it's great for filler sessions or one-shots. ✔ The Tomb of Horrors is here, meaning you can officially ruin friendships in style. Cons: ✘ There’s no real story tying these together, just “Hey, here’s another death dungeon, have fun!” ✘ Some of these adventures were written before your dad played D&D, and it shows. ✘ Certain dungeons (cough White Plume Mountain cough) feel like the designer was just trolling players. Final Verdict: If your group loves old-school dungeon crawls and deadly traps, this is chef’s kiss fantastic. If they want deep story and emotional roleplay, they’re about to have a very bad time. 8/10 - Roll high or die trying.

This group of adventures are fun to run as a GM or to play in as a player. Over the years I have run most of these as a GM and have been able to enjoy playing a characters in a few of them. Every time everyone at the table has enjoyed the mix of encounter types. You will find they provide some way for every player class to showcase their particular skill sets. My current groups on StartPlaying have been enjoying the stories. Each group always surprise me with some new way to overcome any of the obstacles they encounter on their adventures.