The Keep on the Shadowfell was the first-ever adventure published for the D&D 4 game. We are introduced to the game world and the rules via a quick-start set of rules included with the game. Nearly everything you need to get started with the D&D 4 game is here. The adventure itself is designed to invoke memories of another keep, the Keep on the Borderlands, but here ante has been raised. The keep is not near some giant monstrous humanoid condo, but on the veil between the material plane and the mysterious Shadowfell. There is a lot more going on and it can feel very combat heavy and even a touch predictable. But that is fine for a 1st adventure. Everyone is still too busy figuring out moves and markings and surges to worry whether or not rumor X or rumor Y turns out to be true.
It is here we are introduced to the newest god of the D&D pantheon, the Raven Queen, and this adventure starts an epic quest between the forces of good and the forces of evil in the form of Orcus. Eventually, in later adventures the players will learn that Orcus is trying to steal the Raven Queen's power and become a God. So there are also, er...shadows of the Throne of Bloodstone series (1e) here and eventually Dead Gods (2e). It is also here we are re-introduced to the Shadar-kai, a humanoid race that lives in the Shadowfell and how it has changed them. It changed them a lot actually since in 3e they were elves. Here they are human. In 5e they will become elves again.
I ran this adventure using the 4e rules and then again years later converting it to 5e. It ran fantastic each time. I also wrote up a set of conversion for BECMI style D&D Basic. I have run it, but it looks like it should work well with that too. I start the characters off at 5th level for that.
If you can find a copy in print it is a fun introduction to the D&D 4 game. The PDF is free at DriveThruRPG so it only costs you a click.
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