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
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*TTRPGs General
What's the best way to run a module?
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="DDK" data-source="post: 604712" data-attributes="member: 6469"><p>Up until running RttToEE, I had never used a module in all of 14 years DM'ing. It was a regrettable experience however I learned a few things from it, both about myself and about running a game using a module.</p><p></p><p>I won't bore you with the stuff about myself and instead get straight on to what I learned.</p><p></p><p>Firstly, the best way to do things is as everybody else has said; learn the module inside and out.</p><p></p><p>I also agree with a previous poster that redoing maps ahead of time to fit on a 5-ft. grid is quite useful. Also, going over the module whilst referencing the maps will help you in game as you try and remember what room = what encounter.</p><p></p><p>The greatest thing I learned from the experience, however, was to NOT reference the module during the game.</p><p></p><p>Without realizing it -until it was too late-, I let the module take over the game, which made it inflexible. I couldn't react to player tangents, of which most players tend to go off on quite a bit, and I feel the game suffered because of that. For some reason, I couldn't work outside of the module and I found all my previous skills of running things on the fly were suddenly inaccessible. I think this was due, in part, to the focus I had on the module; for some reason, my brain couldn't wrap around the concept of allowing players the freedom to explore their options.</p><p></p><p>So my advice is to learn the module and then throw it out. By all means, use the plot, the maps, the creatures, the NPC's, etc., but use them in a way that they're spurs for adventure and not a roadmap to be followed to the letter. If you forget what is in a room, make something up on the spot that you think is appropriate. Things getting a little dull? Spice it up with a random encounter that you invent on a whim!</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="DDK, post: 604712, member: 6469"] Up until running RttToEE, I had never used a module in all of 14 years DM'ing. It was a regrettable experience however I learned a few things from it, both about myself and about running a game using a module. I won't bore you with the stuff about myself and instead get straight on to what I learned. Firstly, the best way to do things is as everybody else has said; learn the module inside and out. I also agree with a previous poster that redoing maps ahead of time to fit on a 5-ft. grid is quite useful. Also, going over the module whilst referencing the maps will help you in game as you try and remember what room = what encounter. The greatest thing I learned from the experience, however, was to NOT reference the module during the game. Without realizing it -until it was too late-, I let the module take over the game, which made it inflexible. I couldn't react to player tangents, of which most players tend to go off on quite a bit, and I feel the game suffered because of that. For some reason, I couldn't work outside of the module and I found all my previous skills of running things on the fly were suddenly inaccessible. I think this was due, in part, to the focus I had on the module; for some reason, my brain couldn't wrap around the concept of allowing players the freedom to explore their options. So my advice is to learn the module and then throw it out. By all means, use the plot, the maps, the creatures, the NPC's, etc., but use them in a way that they're spurs for adventure and not a roadmap to be followed to the letter. If you forget what is in a room, make something up on the spot that you think is appropriate. Things getting a little dull? Spice it up with a random encounter that you invent on a whim! [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*TTRPGs General
What's the best way to run a module?
Top