Menu
News
All News
Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
Pathfinder
Starfinder
Warhammer
2d20 System
Year Zero Engine
Industry News
Reviews
Dragon Reflections
Columns
Weekly Digests
Weekly News Digest
Freebies, Sales & Bundles
RPG Print News
RPG Crowdfunding News
Game Content
ENterplanetary DimENsions
Mythological Figures
Opinion
Worlds of Design
Peregrine's Next
RPG Evolution
Other Columns
From the Freelancing Frontline
Monster ENcyclopedia
WotC/TSR Alumni Look Back
4 Hours w/RSD (Ryan Dancey)
The Road to 3E (Jonathan Tweet)
Greenwood's Realms (Ed Greenwood)
Drawmij's TSR (Jim Ward)
Community
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Resources
Wiki
Pages
Latest activity
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Downloads
Latest reviews
Search resources
EN Publishing
Store
EN5ider
Adventures in ZEITGEIST
Awfully Cheerful Engine
What's OLD is NEW
Judge Dredd & The Worlds Of 2000AD
War of the Burning Sky
Level Up: Advanced 5E
Events & Releases
Upcoming Events
Private Events
Featured Events
Socials!
Twitch
YouTube
Facebook (EN Publishing)
Facebook (EN World)
Twitter
Instagram
TikTok
Podcast
Features
Top 5 RPGs Compiled Charts 2004-Present
Adventure Game Industry Market Research Summary (RPGs) V1.0
Ryan Dancey: Acquiring TSR
Q&A With Gary Gygax
D&D Rules FAQs
TSR, WotC, & Paizo: A Comparative History
D&D Pronunciation Guide
Million Dollar TTRPG Kickstarters
Tabletop RPG Podcast Hall of Fame
Eric Noah's Unofficial D&D 3rd Edition News
D&D in the Mainstream
D&D & RPG History
About Morrus
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
The
VOIDRUNNER'S CODEX
is coming! Explore new worlds, fight oppressive empires, fend off fearsome aliens, and wield deadly psionics with this comprehensive boxed set expansion for 5E and A5E!
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*Dungeons & Dragons
The Best Parts of Pre Written Adventurers Are What You Leave Behind
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="Reynard" data-source="post: 8068091" data-attributes="member: 467"><p>After 30+ years of DMing I am finally successfully using pre written adventures at the table. I have used them before now, but the key here is "successfully." Any time I tried to run and adventure, or worse an "Adventure Path," I chafed against it and did it any way but "successful."</p><p></p><p>5e has changed that. I am not sure it's actually a 5e thing as opposed to a time thing and format thing (I run a lot more on FG than I ever have). But in either case it is now that I am quite suddenly understanding how to successfully run pre written adventures.</p><p></p><p>The key to that success? Throwing stuff out.</p><p></p><p>The first 5e Adventure where I really got it was Dragon Heist. Terrible adventure but great set-up and source material. I ran it IRL for the regular group that's been together for years now with most of us taking DMing turns. I realized early on the adventure was poorly written -- um, where's the "heist" -- but there was a lot of really good material there.so instead of doing the unsuccessful thing I did with Storm King's Thunder -- namely sticking to the script no matter what -- i decided that I would toss anything in DH that didn't work for me or my players. It was a revelation. </p><p></p><p>More recently I have been running Descent into Avernus. Taking those lessons from DH, I have liberally ignored hug swaths of Avernus. Characters forced to work for the flaming fist? No thank you. Long extended 2nd level dungeons with repetitive encounters? Nuh-uh. Silly celestial elephant? No f-ing way.</p><p></p><p>There's a lot of chaff in the published adventures and the key is to identify it and cut it mercilessly. Now, the chaff isn't the same for everyone. I bet some folks LOVE Lulu. That's awesome. Keep her. But those folks might also HATE the Shield of the Hidden Lord (which I loved) and decide to ignore it. They should.</p><p></p><p>Somewhere along the line I realized I did not have to run the adventure as written or keep everything in it. Again, it feels silly after running D&D for so long but I guess you can't have experience doing anything if you don't actually do it.</p><p></p><p>Anyway, long story short: even "bad" pre written adventures can be good if you cut out the crappy parts.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Reynard, post: 8068091, member: 467"] After 30+ years of DMing I am finally successfully using pre written adventures at the table. I have used them before now, but the key here is "successfully." Any time I tried to run and adventure, or worse an "Adventure Path," I chafed against it and did it any way but "successful." 5e has changed that. I am not sure it's actually a 5e thing as opposed to a time thing and format thing (I run a lot more on FG than I ever have). But in either case it is now that I am quite suddenly understanding how to successfully run pre written adventures. The key to that success? Throwing stuff out. The first 5e Adventure where I really got it was Dragon Heist. Terrible adventure but great set-up and source material. I ran it IRL for the regular group that's been together for years now with most of us taking DMing turns. I realized early on the adventure was poorly written -- um, where's the "heist" -- but there was a lot of really good material there.so instead of doing the unsuccessful thing I did with Storm King's Thunder -- namely sticking to the script no matter what -- i decided that I would toss anything in DH that didn't work for me or my players. It was a revelation. More recently I have been running Descent into Avernus. Taking those lessons from DH, I have liberally ignored hug swaths of Avernus. Characters forced to work for the flaming fist? No thank you. Long extended 2nd level dungeons with repetitive encounters? Nuh-uh. Silly celestial elephant? No f-ing way. There's a lot of chaff in the published adventures and the key is to identify it and cut it mercilessly. Now, the chaff isn't the same for everyone. I bet some folks LOVE Lulu. That's awesome. Keep her. But those folks might also HATE the Shield of the Hidden Lord (which I loved) and decide to ignore it. They should. Somewhere along the line I realized I did not have to run the adventure as written or keep everything in it. Again, it feels silly after running D&D for so long but I guess you can't have experience doing anything if you don't actually do it. Anyway, long story short: even "bad" pre written adventures can be good if you cut out the crappy parts. [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*Dungeons & Dragons
The Best Parts of Pre Written Adventurers Are What You Leave Behind
Top