D&D 5E 5e Al Modules/ hardbacks vs old school modules/megasdungeons PAGE COUNT?

[jasper]

So not to drift in another thread. So people where discussing needing stand alone short modules, vs the 5E hardbacks/ Al yearly series. And griping about page count. So.
Not including 4E. What is the page count between old school and 5 E modules? Since 5E AL modules have everything you need but the PHB info, drop the back pages where the monsters are just reprinted from the MM. And drop up to what page 4 (the standard AL infom), I will give you up to a quarter page for main spell casters, and full page for the main villain. So what is the page count.

 

[Jester David]

Most AL modules are <30 pages. In the 25-page range.
The big hardcovers are 256-pages.

Old school adventures tended to range in since from 16 to 32 pages. Although some were as short as 8 pages.

 

[Sacrosanct]

So not to drift in another thread. So people where discussing needing stand alone short modules, vs the 5E hardbacks/ Al yearly series. .

I'm assuming you're talking about my thread. For the record, I was not talking about page count when I was talking about the desire for a more narrow level range of adventures. I was talking about just that, a more narrow range of levels for an adventure. I couldn't care less about page count because it really has nothing to do with my original complaint, so I would caution treating the two things as the same.

 

[jasper]

Ok lets take Al 04-4 since I be running tonight. 42 pages. Minus 16 Since from page 27-42 are either monsters, back page or maps. That leaves 26 printed pages. Minus 6 pages for the title page and 5 pages of Al stuff. So it opens on page 7 with background of the module. That 20 pages. So that is 10 pages from and back. So I would say this is short module.

 

[JonnyP71]

(Basing this statement on my limited experience of AL modules being designed for a single session) - a 42 page product, for a 2-3 hour game?????

 

[lowkey13]

*Deleted by user*

 

[jasper]

(Basing this statement on my limited experience of AL modules being designed for a single session) - a 42 page product, for a 2-3 hour game?????

4 hour game. But the page count includes total reprints from the MM. On page 34 of Al 4-4. Skeleton is about 1/2 of the left hand column. In 1E modules if I remember correctly. The encounter would be 5 skeletons AC 8 Hit pt 8, 5, 6,7,8. Short sword. Also drop 2 pages for the front and back page making it 40 pages or 20 pages front and back printing.

 

[JonnyP71]

Surely it would be more efficient if the monster stats were in with the text for the room...

eg 5 Skeletons, AC13, HP 13 each, Move 30, Str +0, Dex +2, Con +2, Int-2, Wis -1, Cha -3, AT Shortsword(5') or Shortbow(80'/320'), both +4 to hit/1d6+2 Pierce, Vuln - Bludgeon, Immune - Poison, Exhaustion, Darkvision 60, PP 9, XP 50

That's ALL the adventure needs - 2-3 lines of text, rather than a whole reprinted stat block at the back.

 

[Sacrosanct]

This.

I cannot speak for every OG (original gamer, um....), but in my area, it was commonly accepted to run campaigns that were homebrew that incorporated TSR modules.*

In other words, you might be doing your campaign stuff (so to speak) and then drop in a particular module at a certain point when the party hit a level. You would blend in the pre-packaged material with the written material. You would fit the modules into your world (which might be GH, or FR, or something else you've made up).

WOTC has decided to move to Adventure Paths- which usually take you through the majority of playable levels. For the most part, you cannot simply "drop" them into an existing campaign. There are several advantages to this (in addition to the bottom line!)- the most obvious one being that they are easier to casually run. In effect, you have a "campaign in a box (book)."

But for those of us who enjoy incorporating published adventures into our existing worlds, it does ... kinda suck. It would be nice to be able to pull out the occasional, well-written, "Levels 5-7" adventure.


*I use the term "TSR modules" to indicate the shorter modules, delineated by level ranges.

This is exactly right. It's like a one way street. Heck, just look at what I'm doing now. I'm dropping in B5 Horror on the Hill into my SKT campaign. It's extremely easy to do so. But that door only swings one way. I would have a hard time dropping in HotDQ, Rot, Cos, PotA, etc into any existing campaign world I happen to be currently running. Phandelver is the only one that's really doable, and that was just meant as an introductory adventure.

 

[lowkey13]

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