D&D General DMs: Do you buy and/or run official adventures?

ichabod

Legned

• Apr 23, 2024

• #1

Since we're arguing about meaningless sales numbers in another thread, I thought we should have some meaningless poll numbers to argue about as well.

 

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Stormonu

Legend

• Apr 23, 2024

• #2

Sounds like a plan.

I DM (a lot less than I used to...), and I have bought and run official adventures

More details:

• Lost Mines of Phandelver (Bought, run to completion)
• Curse of Strahd (Bought, ran the castle portion as a one-shot)
• Ghosts of Saltmarsh (Bought, ran through The Final Enemy)
• Tales of the Yawning Portal (Bought, ran White Plume Mountain)
• Tyranny of Dragons (Bought, co-DMing with my brother)
• Rime of the Frost Maiden (Bought, another DM started a campaign but stopped)
• Tomb of Annihilation (Bought, after another DM had run almost to the end)
• Phandelver and Below (Got as Christmas present, have not used)
• Dungeon of the Mad Mage (Bought, not used yet)
• Lost Library of Kwalish (Bought, not used yet)

• Eberron: Rising from the Last War (Bought, used campaign but not included adventure - used homebrew instead)
• Planescape (Bought, not yet used)
• Spelljammer (Bought, used campaign world but not included adventure - used homebrew instead)
• Van Richten's Guide (Bought, used campaign world but not included adventure - used homebrew instead)
• Guilds of Ravnica (Bought, used campaign world but not included adventure - used homebrew instead)
• Theros (Bought, used as player)
• Strixhaven (Bought and regret it)
• Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen (Bought, not yet used)

• Wild Beyond the Witchlight (Bought for wife, hasn't been used?)
• CandleKeep Mysteries (Bought for wife, read for inspiration/notes)
• Keys from the Golden Vault (Bought for wife, hasn't been used?)
• Journeys through the Radiant Citadel (Bought for wife, hasn't been used?)

 

Micah Sweet

Level Up & OSR Enthusiast

• Apr 23, 2024

• #3

I bought most of WotC's official adventures (and many from previous editions as well), but have never run them. Instead, I strip them for parts to use in my homebrew.

 

S

ShinHakkaider

Adventurer

• Apr 23, 2024

• #4

Pathfinder GM here and yes I buy and have run pre-written/official adventures and will continue to do so.

 

Meech17

Adventurer

• Apr 23, 2024

• #5

I went with "I buy official adventures, and steal bits" though a few options could be applicable.

I have run a Dungeon Magazine adventure pretty close to as written. Whether or not that counts as an official adventure I'll leave up to you.

I've stolen content from adventures that I have... acquired... Though perhaps not purchased. So there's "I run but do not buy".

I've also recently purchased some old adventures (Most recently Red Hand of Doom) through Drive Thru that I intend to use. I don't believe I'll run it entirely as written, but I'll probably use a lot of it. Still reading it currently.

 

J.Quondam

CR 1/8

• Apr 23, 2024

• #6

I've bought quite a few official adventures across the editions and variants. When I've DMed them, they're almost always heavily modified. I've very often "stolen bits", though such "bits" could range from a single encounter to 90% of the whole adventure.

 

Voadam

Legend

• Apr 23, 2024

• #7

I am a DM, I mostly run modules I buy or was gifted, a majority of which are official ones. Not always for the edition I am running though.

In 5e I have run White Plume Mountain out of my brother's copy of Tales of the Yawning Portal, and I have run two campaigns using the official modules from Pathfinder 1e's Carrion Crown and Iron Gods adventure paths which I bought. I own a number of 5e official modules I have received as birthday and Christmas gifts and I have bought a number of 3rd party ones, a few of which I have run.

The 3e and Pathfinder era for me I ran a mix of official and 3rd party ones I had bought.

AD&D was mostly official ones I had bought or been gifted, although I have run a 3rd party one.

 

Last edited: Apr 23, 2024

M

Mallus

Legend

• Apr 23, 2024

• #8

I DM and I strip official modules for parts like they were stolen cars. In my current 5e campaign, I've found Candlekeep Mysteries, Tales From the Yawning Portal, and Tomb of Annihilation useful.

 

Lanefan

Victoria Rules

• Apr 23, 2024

• #9

I flipped a coin between the 6th (sometimes buy and run) and 5th (sometimes buy and strip-mine) options, and would have voted for both if able.

 

Blue

Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal

• Apr 23, 2024

• #10

Most games, I am 100% homebrew. I don't buy the adventures, it works better to me to come up with ideas rather than mine then. Mind you, back in the 80s and 90s I ran or at least read a lot of modules as well as adventures in Dragon and later Dungeon magazine - this was a progression to get where I am.

When I was teaching D&D to my kids, niece and nephew, it was mostly homebrew but I ran one adventure off of DMsguild with a preface it was from there so the players knew beforehand, so they could experience some other adventure design/pacing/feel.

EDIT: I also play D&D with DMs who don't have always have the time for homebrew, so not reading any adventures leaves them open for them to run.

I'm currently running Vaesen, which is 19th century Scandinavian horror/mystery RPG, and as horror is something I'm not strong at, plus a new system I wanted to get a feel for how they wanted to run it, so I picked up two highly recommended adventures to learn and to run.