D&D 5E Gah! So complex! What's an 'old school' gamer to do ??

HawaiiSteveO

Blistering Barnacles!

• Mar 24, 2016

• #1

In defence of 'old school' and 'rail reading,' as long as players are having fun blah blah blah!!!So excited to get CoS and started reading it but don't think I'll ever use it ... Way too complicated, too many NPCS, too many details, too many moving parts ... Etc . Not saying it's not a great adventure , sure it is and would love to play in a group that would do it justice ... Just not mine.Not entirely sure what term means but I think grognard applies here

 

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GreenTengu

Adventurer

• Mar 24, 2016

• #2

Don't use modules. Go through the monster manual and create a random encounter table of entries that are roughly the right ECL and then take an old adventure map with lots of rooms. Choose which is the final room and choose a boss for the room as well as whatever McGuffin you are supposed to be chasing. Magic item or captured princess or.... whatever it is.

Then when you play, hide most of the map from the players and just roll a random encounter when you enter each room.

Am I wrong in thinking that is about the extent to which you are willing to accept complication in the game?

If you can get ahold of the Adventure League adventures, I think they are more linear. But certainly the reason the adventures WotC is currently turning out are the size of entire splat books in previous editions is that they are trying, as much as possible, to set up a sandbox that is trying to anticipate every likely move an adventuring party might make and still create a satisfying experience. Have it even hold up to replayability.

 

HawaiiSteveO

Blistering Barnacles!

• Mar 24, 2016

• #3

Pretty close ... Story ok but simple is just fine ! We only play 2.5 hours a week and players (the including me !) are not that complex ..!

 

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DeathMutant

First Post

• Mar 24, 2016

• #4

If you want a large number of short (2, 4 and 8-hour) self-contained adventures you might want to check out the "Adventurers League" section of the DM's Guild ( http://www.dmsguild.com/ )

 

ccs

41st lv DM

• Mar 24, 2016

• #5

Too many npcs? Try running Skull & Shackles (a Pathfinder pirate adventure). With a RP heavy group. This grognard ended up with nearly 30 distinct npcs on the players boat alone! Then there were other reaccuring boats & multiple ports full of people and plots.... And moving pieces. And rules complexities!
I doubt CoS is anywhere near that.

 

GMMichael

Guide of Modos

• Mar 25, 2016

• #6

HawaiiSteveO said:

In defence of 'old school' and 'rail reading,' as long as players are having fun blah blah blah!!!So excited to get CoS and started reading it but don't think I'll ever use it ... Way too complicated, too many NPCS, too many details, too many moving parts ... Etc . Not saying it's not a great adventure , sure it is and would love to play in a group that would do it justice ... Just not mine.Not entirely sure what term means but I think grognard applies here

Click to expand...

Don't miss out on CoS just because it's too complicated! Just trim the fat. Grab the map, grab the highest-level characters, and modify the coolest encounters until they work with what you have left. You're not required to use every page.

 

Whizbang Dustyboots

Gnometown Hero

• Mar 25, 2016

• #7

ccs said:

Too many npcs? Try running Skull & Shackles (a Pathfinder pirate adventure). With a RP heavy group. This grognard ended up with nearly 30 distinct npcs on the players boat alone! Then there were other reaccuring boats & multiple ports full of people and plots.... And moving pieces. And rules complexities!
I doubt CoS is anywhere near that.

Click to expand...

"Don't complain, it could be worse" isn't super-useful advice. If it's too much for his preference, it's too much.

That said, this is the best time ever to be an old school gamer, as there are tons of D&D variants, adventures, monster books and supplements being produced for that style of play.

HawaiiSteveO, check out the stuff available from Frog God Games, Goodman Games and anything produced for old school D&D variants Labyrinth Lord and Swords & Wizardry. (You'll be able to use them probably without even conversion, if you're more accustomed to older versions of the game.)

 

Whizbang Dustyboots

Gnometown Hero

• Mar 25, 2016

• #8

Duplicate post.

 

Herobizkit

Adventurer

• Mar 25, 2016

• #9

I second Whizbang's advice. Practically anything from the 3x/PF era will work in 5e with minimal tweaking (specifically, the GP treasure amounts and the 'monster math').

Goodman Games made a whole bunch of 1e-style "plug and play" adventures in their classics series - they even modeled their cover art after the 1e module style!

with 2.5 hours of play time, there isn't really much you CAN do other than talk and maybe get a fight or two in there. Maybe. I'd suggest running each game as like a one-shot (say, like D&D 5e encounters, which are also available on the DM Guild) or one episode of a half-hour tv show. One plot set-up, one or two fights, one resolution.

Good Luck Have Fun!

 

ExploderWizard

Hero

• Mar 25, 2016

• #10

Hello there. I'm a fellow old timer currently running 5E campaigns and haven't used a single adventure path produced for the edition yet. I have run the starter set adventure and thats a good one. Not too complex and with only 2.5 hour sessions should provide many sessions of play.

I enjoy old schools systems too but 5E is the easiest new D&D system to run classic old school adventures with since 2E. In fact the campaign I'm running at local shop (which has run for 45 sessions so far) started in the Village of Hommlett, and I have used that, some other old school adventure material, a Goodman Games 3E module,and some home brew stuff in the campaign thus far.

I'm running another campaign in the old B/X Known World using classic adventure material combined with home brewed stuff.

So if you have a boatload of classic adventure material like me, and need material for your 5E game then you are all set.