Does everybody play premade adventures now? - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

Does everybody play premade adventures now?

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
Frostball
Feb 25, 2012 20:12:49 Just signed up here, been taking a look around. I recently got a lot of 4E books, and I think the battle system is pretty cool. I've played 3.5 a lot before, as well as white wolf and other systems. 4th ed seems pretty fun, I really want to play it. One thing I just found curious is how many people play premade adventures. Everyone seems to call anything not premade "Homebrew" as if it's not the default? In my experience adventures were something people did every now and then like "Hey look what I found in my closet, guys want to actually play it?." I see a lot more people than I expected talking about playing premade adventures. Is this the norm now?
#2
ToeSama
Feb 25, 2012 21:41:58 Modules are easier due to less prep time, so for the group who would rather dive into the game without detailing the world too extensively it is a big help. That being said, there are plenty of folks that still do their own homebrew adventures as well as prefab stuff, sometimes combining the two into a greater overarching storyline. It's all in how you feel really.
#3
randomvirus
Feb 26, 2012 5:48:44 I tell my players, when I have the time, I cook up a campaign. It's set in the Dark Sun world, so we play based on all Dark Sun rules, any campaign or quest that happens in it takes place within the confines of the world. That way when I come up with a custom campaign all I need to do is write a story that fits inside the framework, instead of coming up with the entire world and its rules. Takes a load off doing it that way.

However, myself and all of my players are people with jobs and school and families. So, I tell them, when life starts taking up my time then I go write to a shelf at a store and pick up a premade campaign. Significantly less prepwork involved, which eases my burden as a DM immensely, giving me time for studying or work or the wife.

My group doesn't mind either or. There's definitely a difference in how each of these formats approaches the game. Most of the premades end up being the traditional "dungeon crawl", where it goes from encounter to encounter to encounter. Wherease when I put together a custom campaign I try to have more in the way of RPG elements.

There's a metric ton of stuff for DND insiders from Dragon Magazines, and Goodman Games does some really good third party modules that are 4e compatible.

For me, it's just the time I have available to do prep.
#4
cha-ika
Feb 26, 2012 14:51:33 I wouldn't say Premade is the "norm" really. It has become more popular recetly because it helps get new people into it, allows DM's to really learn what that title means as far as pacing and story telling goes. and Alows for a smooth game.

I started out as a homebrew DM, and I'll admit I failed pretty bad. I made classic DM mistakes and was often to nice to my players, giving them hints and clues and in general falling just short of having Neon signs screaming "BAD GUY THIS WAY!"

So i switched over to a prefab adventure and my group loved it. Good pacing, fun stories, balanced adventure. If they died or couldn't figure something out it wasn't my fault it was theirs....

Now that I've done that though I'm back for round 2 of a homebrew and am wirting a Demon Campaign out right now.
#5
Frostball
Feb 27, 2012 10:48:07 I always have much more fun with the normal DM crafted stories personally. I think it's hillarioius when somebody uses adventures and they read out the itallicized text ver batum. It sounds so funny! It never sounds inspired, just read out loud. It makes me crack up usually. I really kinda believe whoever makes adventures doesn't give people enough credit. Do they really think people can't figure out what some goblin might say? What some evil necromancer might say/act like? I can see a person not feeling particularly creative and wanting to use an adventure for the general story idea. Sometimes it is difficult to think of something appealing that your players will actually think is fun and not just killing creatures that are around their encounter level. But really... If a DM is reading out of a book what a goblin is saying to me, I'm likely to say "Hey Mr. Goblin, I'm up here, what are you reading?"
#6
Skewwed
Feb 28, 2012 12:04:39 ..howdy howdy, I like to do a mix of both, I usually run out of the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting.. ..I will make my own campaign using premades and tailor them to my campaign.. ..if I see a premade with a map I think is cool, or a story I think fits, I will nab it and just relocate it or shift the monsters and NPC's and all that jazz..
#7
cha-ika
Feb 28, 2012 14:43:47 I think it comes down to just understanding the position of the DM. It's hard to homebrew an adventure that is fun to play. If you don't have fun playing them then bow out of those adventures, use that time to make your own homebrew adventure.

Don't criticise a DM for using Prefab, they have the hardest job. All players have to do is show up and not be a stupid jerk. DM's have to create worlds, conflict, stories, landscapes, dungeons and so much more.
#8
Frostball
Feb 28, 2012 16:41:18 I don't think there's anything wrong with people who use and enjoy them. They have some cool stories, I've read a few of them. But I've never thought they had anything the average person couldn't have came up with. Everybody has seen movies and TV. Most role players have read books, too. I think most people know how to make a story. As a player, I'd enjoy seeing what a person could come up with on their own more than something a paid writer made. As a DM, I think the best stories are tailored toward the players and their characters at the time.
#9
Neutronium_Dragon
Mar 04, 2012 19:05:07 Typically, someone using a premade adventure WILL tailor it to some degree and as appropriate to the group. They just don't have to build the entire thing from scratch, and since a lot of the DMs out there are adults with full time jobs and other responsibilities, building the entire thing from scratch isn't always a practical option.
#10
bone_naga
Mar 04, 2012 20:37:16 I use published adventures in 4e about as often as I did in previous editions, which is to say rarely, and only when I saw something that really struck me as interesting, and even then I modify it. Most of my stuff is homebrewed.

But whatever, to each his own.
#11
Torgaard
Mar 05, 2012 14:00:45 I do a healthy mix.

I run the 4E Forgotten Realms Campaign setting, but I use all the material ever made for the Realms. No reason not to. For example: my current campaign takes place in Deepingdale, so the 2nd Edition supplements "FRS1: The Dalelands" and "Volo's Guide to The Dalelands" are two major sources of information and inspiration. I just imagine what a given land, town, organization, what-have-you would be like a century or two down the timeline and off I go. Doesn't take long. If a current 4E sourcebook gives me updated changes to whatever I'm looking for, I always try to stick to the "canon", but I don't get too bent outta shape about it.

When we started this campaign, we used a published adventure to start us off, though I modified it quite a bit. It afforded me an opportunity to work on other mini-adventures, plotlines, hooks, rumors, NPC's, notes, the whole shootin' match; for when the campaign moved beyond the canned adventure and into the total free-form open campaign.

I will incorporate any module I can find into my campaign(s), but only if it fits. And usually only if I don't really have any custom made material that would work. Published material from Dungeon magazine is invaluable in this regard. Last week we ran "Treed!". The key is getting just a little bit of time from one weekly session to another to mold that module into my campaign. For example: if it feels like the party is going to follow up on the rumor that slavers are operating out of the Thunder Peaks (one of dozens I have in my notes), I might try to jam "H2: Thunderspire Labyrinth" or maybe even the 1st Edition module "A1: Slave Pits of the Undercity" into the campaign. One tip I have in this regard is don't feel like you need to convert the entire module to fit your campaign in just one week of prep-work. When it looks like the party is gonna head down that storyline, just get as much ready as you can. Enough to fill your next session. In just a couple weeks after that, I'll have the entire module converted. But it will often take quite a number of sessions beyond that to run through an entire published module, which once again gives me free time to work on other things during off weeks. Which finally brings me to why I often put published modules into my campaign: it gives me breathing room to prepare all the other possible directions my players might take.

#12
Detoxifier
Mar 09, 2012 18:33:13 I still play 3.5 and I've never used a premade adventure, I write all of my own material. Not to say that is superior or inferior, I'm sure there are some great modules and premades out there its just never been a part of my games.
#13
nicholas_trandahl
Mar 21, 2012 9:42:41
Just signed up here, been taking a look around. I recently got a lot of 4E books, and I think the battle system is pretty cool. I've played 3.5 a lot before, as well as white wolf and other systems. 4th ed seems pretty fun, I really want to play it. One thing I just found curious is how many people play premade adventures. Everyone seems to call anything not premade "Homebrew" as if it's not the default? In my experience adventures were something people did every now and then like "Hey look what I found in my closet, guys want to actually play it?." I see a lot more people than I expected talking about playing premade adventures. Is this the norm now?

Not for me. In 15 years, the only premade adventure that I ever ran was Return to the Tomb of Horrors back in 2nd Edition AD&D. That was like in 1998 I think.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 Frostball Feb 25, 2012 20:12:49	Just signed up here, been taking a look around. I recently got a lot of 4E books, and I think the battle system is pretty cool. I've played 3.5 a lot before, as well as white wolf and other systems. 4th ed seems pretty fun, I really want to play it. One thing I just found curious is how many people play premade adventures. Everyone seems to call anything not premade "Homebrew" as if it's not the default? In my experience adventures were something people did every now and then like "Hey look what I found in my closet, guys want to actually play it?." I see a lot more people than I expected talking about playing premade adventures. Is this the norm now?
#2 ToeSama Feb 25, 2012 21:41:58	Modules are easier due to less prep time, so for the group who would rather dive into the game without detailing the world too extensively it is a big help. That being said, there are plenty of folks that still do their own homebrew adventures as well as prefab stuff, sometimes combining the two into a greater overarching storyline. It's all in how you feel really.
#3 randomvirus Feb 26, 2012 5:48:44	I tell my players, when I have the time, I cook up a campaign. It's set in the Dark Sun world, so we play based on all Dark Sun rules, any campaign or quest that happens in it takes place within the confines of the world. That way when I come up with a custom campaign all I need to do is write a story that fits inside the framework, instead of coming up with the entire world and its rules. Takes a load off doing it that way. However, myself and all of my players are people with jobs and school and families. So, I tell them, when life starts taking up my time then I go write to a shelf at a store and pick up a premade campaign. Significantly less prepwork involved, which eases my burden as a DM immensely, giving me time for studying or work or the wife. My group doesn't mind either or. There's definitely a difference in how each of these formats approaches the game. Most of the premades end up being the traditional "dungeon crawl", where it goes from encounter to encounter to encounter. Wherease when I put together a custom campaign I try to have more in the way of RPG elements. There's a metric ton of stuff for DND insiders from Dragon Magazines, and Goodman Games does some really good third party modules that are 4e compatible. For me, it's just the time I have available to do prep.
#4 cha-ika Feb 26, 2012 14:51:33	I wouldn't say Premade is the "norm" really. It has become more popular recetly because it helps get new people into it, allows DM's to really learn what that title means as far as pacing and story telling goes. and Alows for a smooth game. I started out as a homebrew DM, and I'll admit I failed pretty bad. I made classic DM mistakes and was often to nice to my players, giving them hints and clues and in general falling just short of having Neon signs screaming "BAD GUY THIS WAY!" So i switched over to a prefab adventure and my group loved it. Good pacing, fun stories, balanced adventure. If they died or couldn't figure something out it wasn't my fault it was theirs.... Now that I've done that though I'm back for round 2 of a homebrew and am wirting a Demon Campaign out right now.
#5 Frostball Feb 27, 2012 10:48:07	I always have much more fun with the normal DM crafted stories personally. I think it's hillarioius when somebody uses adventures and they read out the itallicized text ver batum. It sounds so funny! It never sounds inspired, just read out loud. It makes me crack up usually. I really kinda believe whoever makes adventures doesn't give people enough credit. Do they really think people can't figure out what some goblin might say? What some evil necromancer might say/act like? I can see a person not feeling particularly creative and wanting to use an adventure for the general story idea. Sometimes it is difficult to think of something appealing that your players will actually think is fun and not just killing creatures that are around their encounter level. But really... If a DM is reading out of a book what a goblin is saying to me, I'm likely to say "Hey Mr. Goblin, I'm up here, what are you reading?"
#6 Skewwed Feb 28, 2012 12:04:39	..howdy howdy, I like to do a mix of both, I usually run out of the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting.. ..I will make my own campaign using premades and tailor them to my campaign.. ..if I see a premade with a map I think is cool, or a story I think fits, I will nab it and just relocate it or shift the monsters and NPC's and all that jazz..
#7 cha-ika Feb 28, 2012 14:43:47	I think it comes down to just understanding the position of the DM. It's hard to homebrew an adventure that is fun to play. If you don't have fun playing them then bow out of those adventures, use that time to make your own homebrew adventure. Don't criticise a DM for using Prefab, they have the hardest job. All players have to do is show up and not be a stupid jerk. DM's have to create worlds, conflict, stories, landscapes, dungeons and so much more.
#8 Frostball Feb 28, 2012 16:41:18	I don't think there's anything wrong with people who use and enjoy them. They have some cool stories, I've read a few of them. But I've never thought they had anything the average person couldn't have came up with. Everybody has seen movies and TV. Most role players have read books, too. I think most people know how to make a story. As a player, I'd enjoy seeing what a person could come up with on their own more than something a paid writer made. As a DM, I think the best stories are tailored toward the players and their characters at the time.
#9 Neutronium_Dragon Mar 04, 2012 19:05:07	Typically, someone using a premade adventure WILL tailor it to some degree and as appropriate to the group. They just don't have to build the entire thing from scratch, and since a lot of the DMs out there are adults with full time jobs and other responsibilities, building the entire thing from scratch isn't always a practical option.
#10 bone_naga Mar 04, 2012 20:37:16	I use published adventures in 4e about as often as I did in previous editions, which is to say rarely, and only when I saw something that really struck me as interesting, and even then I modify it. Most of my stuff is homebrewed. But whatever, to each his own.
#11 Torgaard Mar 05, 2012 14:00:45	I do a healthy mix. I run the 4E Forgotten Realms Campaign setting, but I use all the material ever made for the Realms. No reason not to. For example: my current campaign takes place in Deepingdale, so the 2nd Edition supplements "FRS1: The Dalelands" and "Volo's Guide to The Dalelands" are two major sources of information and inspiration. I just imagine what a given land, town, organization, what-have-you would be like a century or two down the timeline and off I go. Doesn't take long. If a current 4E sourcebook gives me updated changes to whatever I'm looking for, I always try to stick to the "canon", but I don't get too bent outta shape about it. When we started this campaign, we used a published adventure to start us off, though I modified it quite a bit. It afforded me an opportunity to work on other mini-adventures, plotlines, hooks, rumors, NPC's, notes, the whole shootin' match; for when the campaign moved beyond the canned adventure and into the total free-form open campaign. I will incorporate any module I can find into my campaign(s), but only if it fits. And usually only if I don't really have any custom made material that would work. Published material from Dungeon magazine is invaluable in this regard. Last week we ran "Treed!". The key is getting just a little bit of time from one weekly session to another to mold that module into my campaign. For example: if it feels like the party is going to follow up on the rumor that slavers are operating out of the Thunder Peaks (one of dozens I have in my notes), I might try to jam "H2: Thunderspire Labyrinth" or maybe even the 1st Edition module "A1: Slave Pits of the Undercity" into the campaign. One tip I have in this regard is don't feel like you need to convert the entire module to fit your campaign in just one week of prep-work. When it looks like the party is gonna head down that storyline, just get as much ready as you can. Enough to fill your next session. In just a couple weeks after that, I'll have the entire module converted. But it will often take quite a number of sessions beyond that to run through an entire published module, which once again gives me free time to work on other things during off weeks. Which finally brings me to why I often put published modules into my campaign: it gives me breathing room to prepare all the other possible directions my players might take.
#12 Detoxifier Mar 09, 2012 18:33:13	I still play 3.5 and I've never used a premade adventure, I write all of my own material. Not to say that is superior or inferior, I'm sure there are some great modules and premades out there its just never been a part of my games.
#13 nicholas_trandahl Mar 21, 2012 9:42:41	Just signed up here, been taking a look around. I recently got a lot of 4E books, and I think the battle system is pretty cool. I've played 3.5 a lot before, as well as white wolf and other systems. 4th ed seems pretty fun, I really want to play it. One thing I just found curious is how many people play premade adventures. Everyone seems to call anything not premade "Homebrew" as if it's not the default? In my experience adventures were something people did every now and then like "Hey look what I found in my closet, guys want to actually play it?." I see a lot more people than I expected talking about playing premade adventures. Is this the norm now? Not for me. In 15 years, the only premade adventure that I ever ran was Return to the Tomb of Horrors back in 2nd Edition AD&D. That was like in 1998 I think.