I love 4E - but I hate the 4E modules. What can be done?

[Voadam]

So, I've been playing 4e since it first came out, and I love it. It's a great system and I have a lot of fun DMing it and playing it. My problem is that I love the idea of the 4E modules like Keep on the Shadowfell and so on, but the way they are executed completely turns me off - they're just fight, fight, fight. Trouble is, I love the idea of having a shared experience with loads of other D&D players, and I love having lots of adventure made for me, and I love the maps and setups the modules have, but I just can't stomach the idea of 30 solid fights in a row in the same dungeon, room after room after room.

I much prefer the Dungeon Delve book, which has about three encounters per dungeon, which is far more my style. I like a bunch of setup and roleplaying, then a short dungeon crawl (about three encounters, maybe some minions/guards, then maybe some elite types and then finally the big boss).

So, I guess what I'm asking is whether there are any third party modules that are in shorter bursts of adventuring, or anything else I can do to make the 4e modules more to my taste.

If you are willing to go with older edition ones and convert you will have a plethora of options that meet your needs.

AEG's Adventure 1 for instance is a 290 page collection of 24 short 3.5 adventures for various levels. It is also only $12 for the pdf. Each mini module was originally designed to handle one night's adventure and be independent of the others. The one I've read is good and fits your desired module model.

For 4e there are a few 3pp modules, Adamant has one, Goodman has a few, and a few other new ones, but there is not the vast number of module options under 4e that there are under 3e that the OGL induced.

 

[avin]

I would recommend checking out the Living Forgotten Realms RPGA modules. They are short, 4-hour adventures. There are some problem modules in there, but over the last year the quality has gotten pretty good.

what? you must be seen different RPGA modules then. all I see is hack'n'slash...

 

[bh2]

what? you must be seen different RPGA modules then. all I see is hack'n'slash...

You must have seen a different LFR then. Every module will have at least 2 fights, that's a given, but there is always a story involved (some better than others).

 

[Gort]

Hi Gort. Welcome to the "4E published adventures don't impress me" support group.

Do you have a DDI sub? If you do and have the monster builder your adventure worries are over.

I recently started running a 4E campaign. My intro material was the 2E module: Return to the Keep on the Borderlands. It took a few hours to convert everything to my taste but that made at least 8 or so full length sessions of material right there.

What is your biggest hurdle as far as prep goes? Is it adventure hooks/ideas or statting out everything?

*shrug* I've got no trouble writing adventures, been doing it since 2e, and yeah, I've got a DDI sub (well, technically it's expired but fairly recently). It'd just be nice to play some of these published adventures - they're so shiny, and I love having what must be about ten sessions of adventuring in one package, complete with maps and everything.

It's just a shame - they've spent a lot of time making these modules, I just couldn't imagine trying to play another one - too many encounters for too little plot.

I suppose in truth that this thread is more of a whine about the modules than an actual cry for help.

 

[avin]

You must have seen a different LFR then. Every module will have at least 2 fights, that's a given, but there is always a story involved (some better than others).

In my opinion, very poorly written linear stories. At least is not the kind of D&D roleplaying we do around here... but that's a matter of taste, for sure.

If OP dislike the modules I don't think LFR will help him.

 

[ExploderWizard]

So noted.

 

[Mistwell]

"WAR OF THE BURNING SKY
It's not a dungeon crawl..."

More info here: EN World D&D / RPG News: The world's premier fan community for Dungeons & Dragons news and more!

You get access to it if you subscribe to enworld which costs a whopping 3$ a month.

I haven't tried it myself, but it looks very interesting.

It takes me 20-30 minutes planning for each combat encounter I am going to run, or 60-90 minutes of (combat) encounter planning a session. If you just want a plain fight with nothing special, it shouldn't take longer than 10 minutes per encounter. Then you have the story planning to do in addition.

I gotta second this. War of the Burning Sky is one of the best modules I've played in. It's awesome. You should definitely check it out.

 

[Morrus]

A couple of folks have mentioned it, but I'll take the opportunity to do so again!

$3 per month gets you the War of the Burning Sky campaign saga! It's *very* different in feel to the official modules.

12 adventures, a free player's guide, a free campaign guide for the DM (which you can check out for free before spending any money - it contains a complete, detailed campaign overview).

I know I'm biased, but it really is very, very good. I'm playing through it now and my players all agree that it's fantastic and that if they were to run a new 4E campaign, they would choose War of the Burning Sky without any hesitation.

Oh, and it totally isn't a dungeon crawl! I'm in the third adventure now, and my players have not yet encountered a dungeon.

 

[thecasualoblivion]

Translating modules for older editions is a snap for 4E. Find some good ones and go to town. I would, however, recommend finding quality 3E/3.5E modules to translate as opposed to 1E/2E. Both have their merits and flaws though. 3E tends to throw fewer enemies at the PCs, but the pacing of the game is similar to 4E. 1E/2E is easier to translate directly since most often you fought enemy groups in 1E/2E, but adventures moved at a different pace.

I find it easier to turn 3E enconters into group fights than to change the pace of 1E/2E modules.

 

[davethegame]

I've also had a lot of success with the published modules stripping it down to just a few fights/encounters while keeping the spirit and ideas of the module. I did this for Thunderspire and fit it into 4 sessions... my players were still sick of it by the end then but a lot better than if I had run it whole cloth.