How many DM's have actually run a published Adventure Path?

[El Mahdi]

I'm not talking about running an adventure or two from an adventure path, or picking and choosing plot lines and story for your own campaigns.

I'm wondering how many DM's have actually run a published Adventure Path as written, and run it either to the completion of the path, or used at least a majority of the path material (you've added your own stuff) but still ran the path to some form of a conclusion? (I'd even include adapting adventure paths to another system or campaign setting than what it was originally written for, as long as a majority of the adventure path was used and it was run to some sort of conclusion.)

To this point, Adventure Paths have been something for me to longingly read and think about running someday. Unfortunately, someday just hasn't arrived yet.

Also, for those who have run a complete adventure path, what lessons did you learn and what advice would you have for those who want to embark on such an endeavor? And which adventure paths were the best/worst?

 

[Crothian]

Shackled City we got about half way through till we reached the conclusion; everyone died.

We did get through the much shorter Eberron Adventure Path.

We went through all of the WLD which I would call an Adventure Path as each section is easily its own adventure.

Age of Worms, Savage Tides, and Rise of the Runelords were less then half done before we called it quits.

I did run the Coalition Wars adventure path for Rifts. That's the only thing like an adventure path I've run that I can think of for non D&D game.

 

[Hunter In Darkness]

Working my way though savage tide with 2 separate groups. Running a 3rd via pbp though Crimson throne
One savage tide game is close to completion the other is just started

 

[lrsach01]

I've run my group through the first two volumes of the Dragonlance Age of Mortals campaign. It's been a pretty long haul... I want to say about 3 years. But we take breaks in our campaigns and are currently in the middle of four campaigns... any two of which are run every other week.

 

[James Jacobs]

I've run "Savage Tide" all the way through to the end. I played "Age of Worms" about halfway through (a true test of me keeping player knowledge and character knowledge separate!). For the Paizo adventure paths, I generally try to work in places where a GM can call it quits prematurely in the event he or his group gets tired and/or just wants to try a different campaign (although I usually don't call these quitting locations out in the text).

As much as I'd love to think that all of our AP customers play every AP through to the end, I know that's not the case. And honestly, if someone just reads an AP through to the end and then absorbs the ideas and elements into the part of his/her brain that collects and stores RPG material, I'd call that getting your money's worth out of an AP (or ANY RPG product).

Anyway, I'm obviously always curious to hear feedback about APs, be they Paizo ones or those of other publishers! (sits back and lurks on thread)

 

[Herobizkit]

My player and I are halfway through Ruins of the Dragon Lord, a likely lesser-known boxed Adventure Path created by Mongoose Publishing. It is currently on hiatus but will be returned to very soon.

I was also given the pleasure of running through Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil in its entirety. While not strictly an Adventure Path, it is QUITE an ordeal all the same.

 

[Olaf the Stout]

My group is currently playing through the Shackled City AP. We've currently been playing for over a year now and are about to start Chapter 5 (out of 12). I think the secret to running the AP well is adding bits in to personalise the campaign. As much as it's good to have the whole AP laid out in front of you, the AP authors don't know your group personally. They can't possibly know what every group will like. You, as the DM, do.

Another thing I think is important is to let the players know from the start of the campaign that you want to run an AP. Give them an general idea of the type of AP it will be and make sure they are happy to play that sort of game.

For Shackled City I told my players that the campaign would be mainly based around 1 city, have quite a bit of dungeon crawling mixed in with some roleplaying, there would be some planar travel and they would face off against demons and other outsiders. Everyone thought that sounded like fun and was on board from the beginning.

AP's aren't for everyone. Some DM's and players can find the plot lines too railroady and prefer a more sandbox game. That's perfectly understandable. For myself and my players though we are finding it a lot of fun.

Olaf the Stout

 

[Treebore]

This is what I find important about running AP's. First off, don't tell your players. Why? Because some wierd mental switching goes on in their heads when you tell them you have levels 1 to 15, 20, whatever mapped out. Some even define that as Rail roading. If nothing else they seem to get intimidated when they look at the big pile of pages you plan on running them through.

Another thing, do NOT let the AP shackle you, or your group. Then it is a Rail Road, not only for the players but the DM too.

So how do you not let it shackle you? The way I approach it is a thoroughly read the AP. I mean THOROUGHLY. This allows me to see connections, and more importantly, possible connections. This is important because it gives me the tools, and the power, to be flexible. To respond to what players do and still, eventually, keep them on the AP, with some side trips.

Plus when you read them you will likely get a sense of when the AP story arch may be wearing the group down. When you get that sense plan a break. Put in another module. One that you can use to take them to a adjacent area, or an area that is somehow connected to the AP area, even if its by a ship voyage. Consider several modules. Be very familiar with them as well so you can seemlessly offer up adventure hooks that fit the AP, yet give you, and your group, versatility and freedom of choice.

So as the group levels I go through my HUGE module library, and read the ones that catch my interest, or that I remember being cool, and see if I can think of ways to make them fit into the AP. Another side benefit that I have experienced is when players do things that take the game outside of the AP, I often can easily adapt those modules I re-familiarized myself with to handle what the players chosen side path requires. So I am not scrambling.

Another thing, see if you can get your players to agree with you not awarding XP's in the standard manner, but assure them you will make sure they are of the appropriate level for what they face, and that you will make sure they have appropriate resources.

This way you do not have to worry about how much loot and XP's they get, you just keep their progression on par wit the parts of the adventures you are running, in particular those related to the AP you are running. Which is another reason to be sure you are familiar with the AP and modules you use.

Thats all the advice I can think of for now.

As for AP's that I have run? I haven't run any that have been published as AP's. When I start up a campaign I select modules I have that I like and want to run, and build my own AP with them.

I do have a DM prepping to run us through Rise of the Runelords though, and it is with the intention of running through the whole thing. I am the only player who knows this particular plan, everyone else just knows he is using the Paizo setting of Golarian. He was initially uneasy about doing this, because he is also converting it to C&C, but once I showed him how easy it is to convert 3E to C&C, usually "on the fly", he has been prepping in earnest. We will hopefully start in the next few weeks. He has a lot of court cases eating up a lot of his free time, so he hasn't finished preparing for his Runelords game yet.

 

[Gilladian]

My players finished book 3 of RotRL today. I'm merging books 4 and 5 together to cut out a lot of dungeon crawling, reversing the order of two major portions of the adventure and combining some sites.

This will also require me to do a major rewrite of book 6, lowering the power level somewhat and shortening/tightening it up.

My reason for doing this is that I find the AP format too restrictive. I just don't like knowing what the next adventure will be! Or the next six adventures. I want more side-quests, more sudden changes in direction, etc... even as a DM. I like the sandbox, I've discovered. The work it puts on me is worth it!

I think adventure paths are great, and I fully intend to steal liberally from the others that I own. I just don't ever intend to try to run one "whole hog" again...

 

[Festivus]

Wrapping up Age of Worms in the next month or two, it's been a fun adventure path and I felt it worth the time invested. The lesson I take away from this is that if you are going to run the AP as published, you can't allow players to go nuts with the splat books. Spel Compendium and MIC have pretty well negated a lot of the advantages the undead would hold in this AP.

I have run Savage Tide to the first stopping point at level 12 (I think that's the level we stopped, it's when you kill Vanthus on the beach of Farshore). I am on my second run through, and will probably stop it at that same point as I don't like where the story goes after that. Up to that point it's a very engaging story.