DL1-16. Did anyone play the entire series?

[Eternalknight]

I'm currently running the 15th aniverssary edition of the modules, while using some of the original modules as well (I don't have all of them). The players are not overly experienced with D&D, so we are using the Companions. Only one of them has ever read Dragonlance, but they are all enjoying it. They are just about to encounter the wicker dragon.

 

[Cam Banks]

Desert of Desolation came after DL, in 1987 I think. I6 Ravenloft was released in 1983.

I3-I5, which were the original versions of the Desert of Desolation series (I3 Pharoah, I4 Oasis of the White Palm and I5 Lost Tomb of Martek) came out in 1982 (I5 was 1983). They were repackaged for the Forgotten Realms later as a single campaign module, which was nowhere near as good. I6 Ravenloft came after these three modules, so that put together the four of them (and Rahasia, an adventure Tracy & Laura wrote for Basic D&D) served as the first wave of innovation at TSR.

Cheers,
Cam

 

[PatEllis15]

My group got as far as DL10 before things fell apart. Its been a long time, but doesn't the party Split up? That was the beginning of the end as I recall.

We definately had fun, and did use the Dl characters. As a novice DM at the time, it was far too daunting to create brand new characters that meshed into the series. I started out with a full group, about 7 players, but by DL 4, most of the "older" one bowed out. For 14 years olds, the DL series was great, particularly if they hadn't read the books. For 17+ (the balance of my group), they hated the railroading, and that they couldn't develop their own characters.

It was really my first introduction to such a "railroad" appraoch, and really my last....

Pat E

 

[Thanee]

Played only the first few modules. While they were not bad, there was simply too much railroading (or the requirement to follow the exact plotline) involved to make them work for my tastes. "No, Foremaster Toede cannot die here, he is required in module DL # still. You can kill him there."

I prefer adventures, where the PCs actions have actual consequences and where the bulk of the story is not predetermined.

I think they are better suited as novels.

Bye
Thanee

 

[Steel_Wind]

My group got as far as DL10 before things fell apart. Its been a long time, but doesn't the party Split up? That was the beginning of the end as I recall.

DL10's the fun part. That's where you get to kill everybody! Several times!

We definately had fun, and did use the Dl characters. As a novice DM at the time, it was far too daunting to create brand new characters that meshed into the series. I started out with a full group, about 7 players, but by DL 4, most of the "older" one bowed out. For 14 years olds, the DL series was great, particularly if they hadn't read the books. For 17+ (the balance of my group), they hated the railroading, and that they couldn't develop their own characters.

I hear you. I think a meta-plot works well for beginning gamers - and quite well for "fatbeard old grognards" too with an experienced DM who can accommodate and shift on the fly. The clumsy heavy-handedness Thanee commented on above is artfully dodged so that the man behind the curtain is never seen.

When you DO see the man behind the curtain, it can suck.

Meta-plots tends to work least among the middle ground of players (and more to the point, fails with middle ground DMs). Without a grognard DM to keep all the balls in the air... it does not work all that well. When players tend to focus on freedom of action, some chaotic and less-than-selfless choices during play, you need to be able to deal with that well. These play styles and some other metagaming issues seem to rebel against the meta-plot.

As always - these are sweeping generalities which will not prove true in numerous cases - but I think there is something to it.

 

[Thanee]

Yep, "Meta-Plots" can work for sure. Did that myself once.

In an adventure, which was part of a huge campaign, the outcome was completely fixed from the beginning and it all worked out nicely. In the end, the players even blamed themselves (since I played up and exploited their smallest mistakes like no tomorrow ) for the way it ended (a bodyguard job, the client died), they suspected nothing.

I only felt a bit bad for giving them a reduced payment and experience, but it was, of course, necessary to get them into the right state of mind and was compensated with a higher than normal reward in the follow-up adventure, where they were on the trail of the assassin.

Bye
Thanee

 

[Plane Sailing]

I've re-run it as a PBeM with original characters (also using RuneQuest rather than AD&D) and it worked really well, although being PBeM I got about as far as DL2 (although this time I also didn't follow the modules as written but allowed a more organic approach).

I love Runequest! I did a whole Darksun conversion for it once.

What did you do to use Dragonlance with RQ rules?

Cheers

 

[Whisper72]

Hmm... considering buying the stuff through ebay or somesuch.

Just wondering, is there a big difference between the original seperate modules and the compounded silver anniversary set??

 

[Steel_Wind]

Not really. There is some editing in of SAGA rules hints in the later compilation - and a lack of the cool fold-out maps, which is something you don't want to lose.

For the best bang for your buck, obtain the 3 mega modules, the reprints of the classic DL1-4, 6-9 and 10 & 12-14 modules, grouped into four modules per book. "DragonLance Classics, Vol. 1, 2 and 3" are the names to look for. These collections include all 12 of the original 1st edition adventures and have all of the fold out maps - and that's what you want. I am nost sure if they also include the counters in DL 9 and 12. If that is important to you, you'd only get those by eBaying an intact original 1st edition module.

That said, Jamie Chambers of Sovereign Press announced that they plan to redo and re-release the original DragonLance classic WotL campaign for 3.5 D&D rule set towards the end of 2005.

Not sure if this will involve a re-write of some of the adventures themeselves (as opposed to simply updating the rules and stat blocks) but my expectation is that some of the modules themselves will be rewritten, rather than simply re-crunched by Cam Banks.

Anything you can add to that Cam?

 

[Dr Simon]

I love Runequest! I did a whole Darksun conversion for it once.

What did you do to use Dragonlance with RQ rules?

Cheers

Heh! I did a Dark Sun conversion too!
I think the grittier RQ rules work better with that setting than D&D, personally.

As to conversions, bear in mind that I'm using RQ3 (with a few small modifications nicked from D20. Fast Talk and Orate are renamed Bluff and Diplomacy, and I've introduced a perception skill of Sense Motive. D&D3 style non-lethal damage replaces RQ fatigue).

That said - humans use the basic background tables, with Solamnics from the cities using Civilised and pretty much everyone else using Barbarian, except the Khur who are Nomads and the Plainsfolk who use the Nomad table (despite everyone calling them "barbarians"!) with the foot nomad modification (Ride skill swapped for...Track, I think).

Dwarves use standard dwarf stats and background table.

Gnomes use a modification of dwarf stats to make them weaker, but smarter. For background I use the Mostali tables from Elder Secrets, with the names modified. Gnomes get an effective +4 POW vs magic, but they must also resist friendly spells. They are quite good with Craft skills and Devise.

Kender use the halfling stats, but standard Barbarian background. I removed the "taunt" ability but gave them high base percentages in Bluff, Diplomacy and Sense Motive.

The hoopak functions as three weapons (which already have stats in RQ). Quarterstaff, short spear or staff sling. At the moment I'm classing the three uses as three different skills, although I may amalgamate the melee versions.

Elves I haven't converted yet. I might use the Ogre "supra-human" stats rather than the RQ Aldryami stats.

For magic, I've got a sort of mixture of RQ Spirit Magic and the D20 Feat system. Starting characters get two powers/abilities/items that enable them to perform better at a skill, or produce special effects with a skill at the cost of magic points. Most of these emulate RQ spirit magic like Bladesharp, Protection etc.

Divine Magic, when it comes into play, will be much the same only more powerful, much like standard RQ Divine and Spirit magic.

At the beginning, healing magic is rare and difficult. It will become more prevalent if the heroes succeed in Xak Tsaroth.

To partially compensate, the First Aid skill is now Healing, which encompasses the skills of Treat Disease and Treat Poison too.

High Sorcery is a cross between RQ and Ars Magica, and so far is working quite nicely. It breaks down into 15 skills - the five Arts of Creo (create), Rego (control), Perdo (destroy), Intellego (know) and Muto (change) and the ten forms Air, Earth, Fire, Water, Body, Mind, Image, Animal, Plant and Magic.

Spells are comprised of and Art (as the verb) and a Form (as the noun). Thus to create fire is Creo Ignem (create fire). Sorcerers can learn formulaic spells, which have fixed effects or paramters. They can cast these without a skill check, ata fixed MP cost. Or they can modify these spells or cast spontaneous spells, requiring more MPs and a skill check in the lowest of the appropriate Art or Form.

Further, they have "moon points", which are a pool of extra magic points. The amount of these that they can access varies according to phase of the moon, but they also determine the difficulty of spell that the sorcer can learn.

Complex, but it's so far working satisfactorily. The sorcerer in our group, for example, tried Intellego Ignem on a burnt farm to determine how the fire started and got a memory of the fire starting on a torch and flying through the air to the thatch.

Other things - dragons in RQ are *tough*. I've yet to run the encounter with Khisanth but I'm expecting at least one character to be dissolved.

I've imported Tuskers and the Cult of the Bloody Tusk to the hobgoblins, because they are a great excuse for a tough fight. Hobgoblins use pretty much the orc stats from RQ3. Draconians used the various stages of dragonewt as a base - scout for Baaz, Crested Priest for Bozak etc.

That's about it. I can PM my stats for the various creatures if you like, but mostly you can use RQ quite easily since DL uses fairly familiar fantasy tropes that don't require to much conversion work.