DM Needs Help with Temple of Elemental Evil

[Scrivener of Doom]

(snip) I hear TOEE becomes a slog after a while and most groups don't finish it. Give up when it stops being fun, and retire the PCs with their XP as the "high score" to beat next time you play AD&D.

ToEE is one of those adventures that, to really sing, needs a lot of DM intervention.

Most of the dungeon areas feel like a collection of random encounters of steadily increasing hit dice (which is essentially what they are) rather than feeling like a clash with agents and servants of elemental evil. Frankly, if the title didn't mention "elemental evil" you would really struggle to conclude that that was the dungeon's theme.

As for the nodes, they are the most incomplete parts. They literally are incomplete and the DM is left to actually stock them.

Honestly, keep T1 and then rewrite the rest, maybe keeping a few of the key set-pieces for flavour and as an homage to what T1-4 could have been if it has been properly designed and completed before being published.

 

[Halivar]

I tried to keep it fresh by tying new threads between all the characters, including a side event in Mitrik, where agents of the Temple aided an Iuz invasion up through the sewers, as well as Lolth pulling in the evil characters to fend off Elder Elemental Eye cultists in the Underdark. I also added several dramatic henchmen with a non-insignificant side-plot of their own. On top of that, each monster had its own personality that I played up; not everyone in the Temple is there by choice, and many are eager for a chance to get the heck out of dodge.

Even still, it was becoming sloggish, and the campaign finished right of the cusp of it getting rather stale. Reactive, expository DM'ing will be a boon to you.

 

[3catcircus]

You can do one of three things:

1. Hand-wave the town itself.
2. Do a lot of work weaving in a plot for all of the residents and the town.
3. Cheat (assuming your players haven't played the CRPG version) and steal the CRPG's plot for the town itself lock-stock-and-barrel. Any decent site containing a walkthrough has enough info to easily facilitate this.

 

[haakon1]

The 3e computer version of Temple of Elemental Evil is pretty good, and includes the Moathouse adventure.

BTW, I don't remember if the module you are looking at includes the Moathouse adventure. It was originally sold as "T1 The Village of Hommlett" and it was a very fun, somewhat tough 1st level AD&D adventure. The encounter just before you reach the Moathouse, and in the middle of its ruins if you go on without healing up and walk in the front door, could lead to a TPK.

 

[Scrivener of Doom]

T1-4 does include the moathouse section.

 

[grodog]

The important thing is, they had a blast, and they really enjoyed combat in 1E (which we tried to do by the book. OSRIC was a great help as a reference for this).

I'm very glad to hear that you're finding OSRIC useful!

I just felt like I had to make up that whole scenario above. I'm afraid I might have done something wrong. Perhaps I missed something. Is it supposed to leave this much to the DM? I have no problem with it if that's the case, but I can't help but feel like I've led the players astray. I want them to have that ToEE experience.

Any advice or acknowledgement would be greatly appreciated, especially if you've played in or run this module yourself.

All of the sandboxy advice offered thus far is spot-on. If you're looking for some additional ideas, regional maps, etc. for use in T1 and ToEE, check out the Greyhawk forum on Dragonsfoot @ http://www.dragonsfoot.org/forums/viewforum.php?f=33 as well as the 1e/AD&D forum there too @ http://www.dragonsfoot.org/forums/viewforum.php?f=1 There's often some good ToEE discussion going on in them both (and in the General forum from time to time as well), and lots of good threads to mine for maps, plots, ideas, etc.

 

[Wolf72]

you might want to consider having an 'Adventurer's Guild' or have the party's patrons prepare some other groups to 'assault' the temple as well ...

We went through 3 full parties (#4 kinda petered out as we were all in the Army and training ended and we got sent to our various posts) and a good time was had by all.

my PC actually made it out after the 3rd assault ... running like the little wood elf girlie that he was! (Umber Hulks are no flippin' joke!)