-
The VOIDRUNNER'S CODEX is LIVE! Explore new worlds, fight oppressive empires, fend off fearsome aliens, and wield deadly psionics with this comprehensive boxed set expansion for 5E and A5E!
Favorite vs. Best Adventure Modules
- Thread starter Bullgrit
- Start date
Steel_Wind
Legend
Hmm. I see what you are getting at. I think the word "favorite" is too strong. I think what you are trying to ask is whether or not a module is well designed, we still have a great deal of affection for the module just the same.
I can admit to this, mainly as my affections were bestowed upon a module at an earlier point in my gaming "career". Such that while the practicalities of a module's design have not stood the test of time -- my affections for it, out of nostalgia or other reasons endure.
DL1: Dragons of Despair: Hickman's classic -- if not iconic module -- is a very heavy handed overt railroad designed at a time when the way to steer players towards a goal in a metaplot based adventure arc were not yet known and handled VERY poorly. I still have great affection for the module though, notwithstanding its deep flaws.
Tegel Manor: Tegel Manor is a "classic" dungeon where the map doesn't make sense, the denizens of Tegel Manor make ZERO sense and the entire thing is a preposterous setting filled with even more preposterous creatures, most of whom wait in their hermetically sealed rooms until activated by another adventuring PC. Tegel Manor is a wholly SILLY PLACE.
I still have great affection for Tegel Manor just the same. In terms of a modern design? It's total suckage. Yet my nostalgia for Tegel Manor overwhelms those rational, design-based objections.
At the same time, I don't have those feelings of nostalgia to rescue B1 or B2 from the dungheap (they are both CRAP folks), and the original ToEE is mostly substandard as well when viewed from a modern design perspective. Sorry folks -- there it is. That doesn't mean you're wong for liking it though. Affection is not required to be rational!
Generally, I think modules need to be assessed in accordance with the times and systems for which each was created, when they were created. They are a "snapshot in time" in many respects.
My favorite modules, however, meet the "superior design" evaluation test.
Erik Mona's "The Whispering Cairn" from the Age of Worms AP is a clinic on dungeon design. Similarly, Richard Pett's Six-Fold Trial, vol II of the Council of Thieves AP is probably the single finest issue of Pathfinder Adventure Path yet published. These are my favorites and they are both exremely well crafted adventures.
In twenty years? I suppose it is possible I will have a different view -- though I doubt that the underlying soundness of the design of either will need any reassessment.
I can admit to this, mainly as my affections were bestowed upon a module at an earlier point in my gaming "career". Such that while the practicalities of a module's design have not stood the test of time -- my affections for it, out of nostalgia or other reasons endure.
DL1: Dragons of Despair: Hickman's classic -- if not iconic module -- is a very heavy handed overt railroad designed at a time when the way to steer players towards a goal in a metaplot based adventure arc were not yet known and handled VERY poorly. I still have great affection for the module though, notwithstanding its deep flaws.
Tegel Manor: Tegel Manor is a "classic" dungeon where the map doesn't make sense, the denizens of Tegel Manor make ZERO sense and the entire thing is a preposterous setting filled with even more preposterous creatures, most of whom wait in their hermetically sealed rooms until activated by another adventuring PC. Tegel Manor is a wholly SILLY PLACE.
I still have great affection for Tegel Manor just the same. In terms of a modern design? It's total suckage. Yet my nostalgia for Tegel Manor overwhelms those rational, design-based objections.
At the same time, I don't have those feelings of nostalgia to rescue B1 or B2 from the dungheap (they are both CRAP folks), and the original ToEE is mostly substandard as well when viewed from a modern design perspective. Sorry folks -- there it is. That doesn't mean you're wong for liking it though. Affection is not required to be rational!
Generally, I think modules need to be assessed in accordance with the times and systems for which each was created, when they were created. They are a "snapshot in time" in many respects.
My favorite modules, however, meet the "superior design" evaluation test.
Erik Mona's "The Whispering Cairn" from the Age of Worms AP is a clinic on dungeon design. Similarly, Richard Pett's Six-Fold Trial, vol II of the Council of Thieves AP is probably the single finest issue of Pathfinder Adventure Path yet published. These are my favorites and they are both exremely well crafted adventures.
In twenty years? I suppose it is possible I will have a different view -- though I doubt that the underlying soundness of the design of either will need any reassessment.
Last edited:
Hussar
Legend
Keep on the Borderlands is not what I would consider a well designed module. But, I still love the heck out of it and consider it a fantastic starter adventure.
Land Beyond the Magic Mirror is, again, not what I would consider the high point of adventure design, but, again, is still one of my favourite adventures.
Land Beyond the Magic Mirror is, again, not what I would consider the high point of adventure design, but, again, is still one of my favourite adventures.
Pentius
First Post
I have a favorite module that is very badly designed. I don't even know the name of it, but some of my friends and I hold it as tradition to convert it to the current system whenever we start a new campaign.
The addy was for 3.5 originally(I think, maybe 3e), and involves rescuing a unicorn named Aliburn fro some goblins. It was never more than a smash in the door sort of thing, and didn't even make much sense, but we loved it all the same(actually, i think we kinda liked tearing it apart).
The addy was for 3.5 originally(I think, maybe 3e), and involves rescuing a unicorn named Aliburn fro some goblins. It was never more than a smash in the door sort of thing, and didn't even make much sense, but we loved it all the same(actually, i think we kinda liked tearing it apart).
Freakohollik
First Post
Bullgrit, you mentioned in the Tomb of Horrors thread, that Temple of Elemental Evil is one of your favorites. I'm going to guess that you'll say that it's badly designed. I have never heard of anyone ever finishing it.
I second The Whispering Cairn as a great adventure. It's hard to come up with a good first level adventure that doesn't come off as a lesser version of T1. I may have to check out the other one you recommend.
As for myself, it's the Tomb of Horrors. An absolute favorite of mine. As written it's not exactly playable. But, the ideas contained within are unique. After reading it I saw dungeon design in a new way. When I write adventures I try to infuse some of the ToH style without the lethality.
I second The Whispering Cairn as a great adventure. It's hard to come up with a good first level adventure that doesn't come off as a lesser version of T1. I may have to check out the other one you recommend.
As for myself, it's the Tomb of Horrors. An absolute favorite of mine. As written it's not exactly playable. But, the ideas contained within are unique. After reading it I saw dungeon design in a new way. When I write adventures I try to infuse some of the ToH style without the lethality.
mattcolville
Adventurer
I love Night Below, even though it falls apart about halfway through the second book.
pming
Legend
Hiya.
For me, favorite and best are pretty much the same. For me, I base how "good" an adventure is according to the "replay-factor".
The "replay-factor' is: Can I run this adventure three times, for the same players, and each time have a different story and outcome? If the answere is "No"...it's very poorly designed. If the answere is "Maybe, with some tweeking"...it's badly designed, but still salvageable. If the answere is "Yes, probably, with tweeks"...it's a decent design, but not 'best'. If the answere is "Yes, absolutely."...it's a well designed module.
Now, contrary to what Steel_Wind (above) said, I think The Six-Fold Trial most definitly falls into the "very poorly designed" catagory. There are absolutes and 'single-event reveals' left right and center that are core to the adventure. It may be fun...*once*. Playing it a second time? Why bother... And on the flip side, taking B2, The Keep on the Borderlands, it sits firmly in the "very well designed" catagory. I have had at least 3 full campaigns revolve around the Keep (mostly with the same players)...and each time has been vastly different from the other times. Different story, different sub-plots, different tone, etc. (one campaign centered on the Caves and clearing them out...pretty standard, but tossing in the Cave of the Unknown that connected to the 'caved in' corridor around area 51 and adding a crazed wizard named Mogg the Mad, and we had some nutty underground, dungeon-bashing fun; one involved the evil clerics trying to get powerful enough to assult the keep, while some of the goblins/hobgoblins were trying to do the same thing by recruiting ogres and giants from the surrounding mountains, and the kobolds negotiating with the lizardmen for protection; the last one had a lot of keep-oriented skullduggery and secrets-upon-secrets regarding the nobles, rich merchants, a potential guard-rebellion and the Mad Hermit being at the center of it all).
Anyway, yeah. The best modules ever written, IMHO...
B2 - Keep on the Borderland
I1 - Dwellers of the Forbidden City
L1 - The Secret of Bone Hill
U1 - The Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh
Each of those can be played multiple times with significantly different stories and outcomes. With U1, for example, I've had groups flee the Sea Ghost and warn the town, organizing for the inevitable pirate/sahougin assult (who had the help of the black dragon in the swamp at this point)...I've also had people take over the Sea Ghost and then take the place of the pirates, but selling weapons to both the sahougin *and* the town (basically, they turned into unscrupulous pirate/weapons-dealers). There's no way I have the time or the space to go into how different these and others (especially I1...wow! The variety of potential is astounding in that one!) have been. Without a doubt, these are the BEST modules ever written. Period.
^_^
Paul L. Ming
For me, favorite and best are pretty much the same. For me, I base how "good" an adventure is according to the "replay-factor".
The "replay-factor' is: Can I run this adventure three times, for the same players, and each time have a different story and outcome? If the answere is "No"...it's very poorly designed. If the answere is "Maybe, with some tweeking"...it's badly designed, but still salvageable. If the answere is "Yes, probably, with tweeks"...it's a decent design, but not 'best'. If the answere is "Yes, absolutely."...it's a well designed module.
Now, contrary to what Steel_Wind (above) said, I think The Six-Fold Trial most definitly falls into the "very poorly designed" catagory. There are absolutes and 'single-event reveals' left right and center that are core to the adventure. It may be fun...*once*. Playing it a second time? Why bother... And on the flip side, taking B2, The Keep on the Borderlands, it sits firmly in the "very well designed" catagory. I have had at least 3 full campaigns revolve around the Keep (mostly with the same players)...and each time has been vastly different from the other times. Different story, different sub-plots, different tone, etc. (one campaign centered on the Caves and clearing them out...pretty standard, but tossing in the Cave of the Unknown that connected to the 'caved in' corridor around area 51 and adding a crazed wizard named Mogg the Mad, and we had some nutty underground, dungeon-bashing fun; one involved the evil clerics trying to get powerful enough to assult the keep, while some of the goblins/hobgoblins were trying to do the same thing by recruiting ogres and giants from the surrounding mountains, and the kobolds negotiating with the lizardmen for protection; the last one had a lot of keep-oriented skullduggery and secrets-upon-secrets regarding the nobles, rich merchants, a potential guard-rebellion and the Mad Hermit being at the center of it all).
Anyway, yeah. The best modules ever written, IMHO...
B2 - Keep on the Borderland
I1 - Dwellers of the Forbidden City
L1 - The Secret of Bone Hill
U1 - The Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh
Each of those can be played multiple times with significantly different stories and outcomes. With U1, for example, I've had groups flee the Sea Ghost and warn the town, organizing for the inevitable pirate/sahougin assult (who had the help of the black dragon in the swamp at this point)...I've also had people take over the Sea Ghost and then take the place of the pirates, but selling weapons to both the sahougin *and* the town (basically, they turned into unscrupulous pirate/weapons-dealers). There's no way I have the time or the space to go into how different these and others (especially I1...wow! The variety of potential is astounding in that one!) have been. Without a doubt, these are the BEST modules ever written. Period.
^_^
Paul L. Ming
Last edited:
Jan van Leyden
Adventurer
I still regard my favourites, UK1 Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh and N1 Against the Cult of Reptile, as rather good designs, at least if you disregard needless killer features (rot grubs and green slime in a 1st level module).
UK2 Danger at Dunwater isn't a favourite of mine, but could have been a winner with some better design. The concept is a commando style strike into a lizardmen base only to discover that the problem with the lizardmen are due to another enemy, so it would be wise to ally with the scalies. Sadly, the design doesn't this concept but presents the lizardmen lair as just another dungeon with monsters to be killed.
UK2 Danger at Dunwater isn't a favourite of mine, but could have been a winner with some better design. The concept is a commando style strike into a lizardmen base only to discover that the problem with the lizardmen are due to another enemy, so it would be wise to ally with the scalies. Sadly, the design doesn't this concept but presents the lizardmen lair as just another dungeon with monsters to be killed.
jonesy
A Wicked Kendragon
GAZ4: The Kingdom of Ierendi. I love it.
Like someone said in an earlier thread (I think it was rogueattorney), the way it is written as a guide for tourists obscures the fact that it has lots of excellent stuff you can use for island adventures.
If they hadn't gone for the mood whiplashy themepark/vacation paradise angle it wouldn't have such a low reputation.
Like someone said in an earlier thread (I think it was rogueattorney), the way it is written as a guide for tourists obscures the fact that it has lots of excellent stuff you can use for island adventures.
If they hadn't gone for the mood whiplashy themepark/vacation paradise angle it wouldn't have such a low reputation.
