(True Story) I found a copy of "The Temple of Elemental Evil" -- in the trash!

[MPA]

It would be more productive, and add more to the conversation, to actually post some substance for your argument. This is more of a threadcrap than anything else.

I've rarely heard anyone say that T1 sucks. In fact, it's often lauded as one of the best "home base" modules ever written.

I don't remember why T1-4 sucks, but T1 is easy: EGG spent 20 pages or so describing the boring Hommlet.

 

[TheAuldGrump]

I don't remember why T1-4 sucks, but T1 is easy: EGG spent 20 pages or so describing the boring Hommlet.

Which for some folks was the best part of the book. Matter of taste there. Part of my fond memories of the adventure was that there was potential to have the bad guys be a bit more proactive about their evil. I ran a heck of a lot of adventures in those environs, not just the Moathouse. I liked it enough that when it made a 'guest appearance' in Elizabeth Moon's Deed of Paksenarion I instantly recognized it.

Why T2-4 sucked, at least in my opinion, is easy - it was a huge dungeon crawl, and I hate dungeon crawls. I would have liked it a great deal better if the bad guys had done a bit more than sit in the Temple, waiting to be killed. I really don't think that T2-4 was at all what E.G.G. had envisioned for the story. Mind you, after I forget how many years of delays, I can understand the desire to get it out the door, if for no other reason than to no longer hear 'how long until it comes out?'

The Auld Grump

 

[ColonelHardisson]

I don't remember why T1-4 sucks, but T1 is easy: EGG spent 20 pages or so describing the boring Hommlet.

Given that T1 was entitled "The Village of Hommlet," that's unsurprising.

Many, many people find that module to be a classic due to its sheer utility. It's still being talked about 25+ years later, so something must have been done right.

 

[Mark]

I'm going to venture a guess that it was thrown away after being found in the desk of someone who was fired. They probably cleaned out the desk and didn't even know what it was. Descreetly check around and see who was recently let go. I'll bet it was someone who spent too much time online at gaming sites, used the copier for personal gaming projects, to excess, and who accidently kicked off every departmental meeting by saying, "Okay. You're all in a tavern . . ."

 

[MPA]

Given that T1 was entitled "The Village of Hommlet," that's unsurprising.

Yes, but EGG could have written an interesting village, not one that is composed of 200 0-level farmers (each of them described!) and 4-5 characters that can really add something.

 

[airwalkrr]

I would have liked [T2-T4] a great deal better if the bad guys had done a bit more than sit in the Temple, waiting to be killed. I really don't think that T2-4 was at all what E.G.G. had envisioned for the story. Mind you, after I forget how many years of delays, I can understand the desire to get it out the door, if for no other reason than to no longer hear 'how long until it comes out?'

Man, do I ever get tired of hearing this complaint. It's not just against this adventure, but against any big dungeon crawl. The very fact of the matter is, if the bad guys are just sitting the dungeon waiting to get whacked, your DM is lazy; it is not necessarily the fault of the writer. Now I haven't read this adventure in a long time, but I distinctly remember tactics for beefing up temple defenses in response to PC raids and even an attack on Hommlet by the temple forces if the PCs are doing very well, just to keep them on their toes. This is far from what I would call a static dungeon.

Now if you played the TOEE computer game, well, I can't help you there. Let's just say AI has a long way to go before it can replicate a thinking person who knows how to run NPCs properly.

 

[ColonelHardisson]

Yes, but EGG could have written an interesting village, not one that is composed of 200 0-level farmers (each of them described!) and 4-5 characters that can really add something.

And yet here we are still talking about it going on 30 years after it was first published.

 

[MPA]

And yet here we are still talking about it going on 30 years after it was first published.

Sure, I never denied it being famous; I deny it being good.

 

[diaglo]

Man, do I ever get tired of hearing this complaint. It's not just against this adventure, but against any big dungeon crawl.

i got nothing against hommlet. i actual like T1. i have more against the uninteresting uninspiring unfun temple and nulb. not b/c it is a dungeon crawl. not b/c of the setting.

more the lack of character for the town of nulb in comparison to hommlet.

more for the lack of structure or flowchart for the various factions in an unfront manner. the module is for the DM to read not the players. why not make it useful for a DM. why make the DM dig thru the entire thing to find where prince thrommel is sleeping. or the name of the various priests. or their connection with agents. or otis and his various allies and so on...


Gen Con 1985 really was the end of D&D as we knew it. T1-4 and UA i'm looking at you.