3e, 2e, Ad&d, Od&d.......... Forked Thread: Adventures that are NOT dungeon crawls.

Aberzanzorax · Jun 9, 2009

Forked from: Adventures that are NOT dungeon crawls.

Aberzanzorax said:
Well, what about other editions, (all editions, not limited to 3e)?

I'm going to fork the thread with that in mind.

I've read a lot about how people find that not enough adventures in 4e aren't dungeon crawls (i.e. too many are dungeon crawls).

I'm wondering if I'm (and others are) being unfair to 4e. Are there adventures in other editions (any other D&D edition, not just 3e, but please include 3e as well) that meet the "not a dungeon crawl" criteria?

How plentiful are they?

Please also include third party publishers as well, don't limit yourself to TSR or WotC.

Thanks!

Here is the criteria I used for "Not a dungeon crawl" in the other thread:

"spread encounters out a bit, mix in more investigation or puzzle elements and less combats strung back to back"

"a sandbox style adventure"

"a nice mix of action and intrigue. I would like to see different factions jumping into the adventure, and create interesting choices for the players."

"character choice driven modules where the plot informs the choices of the characters"

"more than a string of encounters"

"heavier role-playing, detective work, and intrigue"

"adventurers get to make meaningful choices and their relationships with people matter too"

I just want adventures that aren't "go here and kill stuff" and also have "make choices and it matters...not make choices and you still just go here and kill stuff."

Obryn · Jun 9, 2009

So you're looking at 30+ years of adventures for several editions, then comparing it to one year of adventures for one edition? Okay, that sounds fair.

-O

Mustrum_Ridcully · Jun 9, 2009

I wouldn't ascribe any motiviation yet... I think it would be interesting to see the dungeon crawl to non-dungeon crawl ratio over the years or editions. (It might also be interesting to see if there is life-cycle for an edition - it starts dungeon-heavy, changes to something different, or stuff like that.)

Crothian · Jun 9, 2009

To make it fair all you'd have to do is look at it as a percentage. What percentage of 1e adventures were not dungeon crawls?

Do you include the setting books that could be done as adventures? What about books that have encounter or just really short adventrues in them?

Storminator · Jun 9, 2009

Isle of Dread was definitely not a dungeon crawl.

3e - Speaker in Dreams had a cool flowchart structure - I wish I had either played or run that one. I would have set it in Sharn.

When I ran Sunless Citadel it was decidedly non-crawl, tho maybe that's just the group I had (the barbarian married the kobold sorcerer leader...).

PS

the Jester · Jun 9, 2009

The Secret of Bone Hill contained much more than merely dungeons, including a fully-detailed town. The Assassin's Knot was straight up investigation and detective work. The Village of Hommlet, like Bone Hill, contains a dungeon, but the focus is as much on the village itself as it is on the moathouse.

Then there's Against the Cult of the Reptile God...

Nikosandros · Jun 9, 2009

I8 Ravager of Time is somewhat railroady, but fulfills several of the listed criteria.

Keldryn · Jun 9, 2009

Immediately leaping to mind as non dungeon crawls:

B6 The Veiled Society
B10 Night's Dark Terror
X10 Red Arrow, Black Shield
CM1 Test of the Warlords
CM6 Where Chaos Reigns

U1 The Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh
UK4 When A Star Falls

roguerouge · Jun 9, 2009

Warning: Paizo product spoilers ahoy! Avert thine gaze! Includes much AP and module spoilers!

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Paizo modules that might fit:

Hangman's Noose is the clearest fit: "A spiteful ghost haunts an abandoned courthouse in the metropolis of Absalom, and on the ten-year anniversary of a grave injustice it seeks its revenge. The heroes must unravel the mystery of the ghost’s demise before they too are given a guilty verdict and sent to the gallows."

Conquest of the Bloodsworn Vale fits some of your requirements: "Fallow and abandoned for years, Bloodsworn Vale has long been a dangerous wood separating two kingdoms. A recent call-to-arms asks adventurers from around the world to establish a trade route through this dark and forboding forest." There's exploration, resource-finding, and opportunities for diplomacy.

Various Pathfinder APs have modules that are not dungeon crawls:

Shadow in the Sky: urban adventure in which you run a casino for much of it.

Endless Night: Go undercover in the city of the drow

The first four modules of Curse of the Crimson Throne might fit: urban setting, missions impact how that society feels about you, NPCs show up again later, solve a mystery with a ticking clock, rescue a guy, and History of Ashes is all about gaining the trust of the barbarians.

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The PCs in the Pathfinder Society Scenarios feature each PC representing a different faction with near-conflicting goals at times.

Qualidar · Jun 9, 2009

Off the top of my head: the Dungeon Eberron adventures Chimes at Midnight and Fallen Angel are good examples (although it's been a while since reading Fallen Angel, so I may be misremembering).

Almost all 2e's Al-Qadim adventures fit that description, although there might have been an exception here or there.