D&D General The Biggest Problem with Modern Adventures...

[Reynard]

...is that they are too long. We don't need "campaigns" that take us from level 2 to 11 or 13 or 20. Diversity of experience is important. I hope that in the not-6E era, shorter, more focused adventures come back into vogue and big adventure campaigns/APs disappear.

 

[Bill Zebub]

...is that they are too long. We don't need "campaigns" that take us from level 2 to 11 or 13 or 20. Diversity of experience is important. I hope that in the not-6E era, shorter, more focused adventures come back into vogue and big adventure campaigns/APs disappear.

I agree, but I don’t expect it to happen.

What would be cool would be campaign sketches/frameworks/outlines, with notes in the modules for how to incorporate them into the various APs.

 

[payn]

Ideally, you have both. I happen to really enjoy the campaign adventures, particularly the ones Paizo put out in the FP1 era. One thing I learned early on, many of the campaign modules can easily be chopped into shorter adventures and the long campaign jettisoned.

 

[Malmuria]

Aren't most of the adventures Tier II affairs, with some quick leveling at the beginning to get everyone to level 5?

 

[Reynard]

Imagine being a new GM now. Your only examples from official sources are two year epic stories. How the hell are you supposed to build your skillset that way? How are your players supposed to learn to deal with death when the protagonists of their "story" are killed.

I will plant my flag on this hill: shorter adventures are better for the game in general (making it more fun) but absolutely imperative for teaching new GMs how to run the game.

 

[Smackpixi]

...is that they are too long. We don't need "campaigns" that take us from level 2 to 11 or 13 or 20. Diversity of experience is important. I hope that in the not-6E era, shorter, more focused adventures come back into vogue and big adventure campaigns/APs disappear.

I feel like you’re already being catered to, WotC puts out one big campaign and one adventure collection per year at this point. Something for both sides. Then they put out settings, with adventures that are shorter and more focused. Then, you have all of DMs Guild, a vast playground with all your favorite D&D settings and what not opened up for the whole community, many of then very competent and skilled writers, who are primarily producing exactly what you’re asking for. Not to mention AL adventures. Everything you want, in abundance, is available, more every day, right now.

 

[payn]

Imagine being a new GM now. Your only examples from official sources are two year epic stories. How the hell are you supposed to build your skillset that way? How are your players supposed to learn to deal with death when the protagonists of their "story" are killed.

I will plant my flag on this hill: shorter adventures are better for the game in general (making it more fun) but absolutely imperative for teaching new GMs how to run the game.

Well, I'm not entirely sure how Adventure League works, but PFS banks on 4 hour GM sessions. these are fantastic places to learn how to GM and get practice in something that's is not an adventure path commitment. You dont even have to go public to run them.

 

[Mistwell]

This isn't about modern urban fantasy games like d20 Modern or Dresden Files?

 

[MatthewJHanson]

I feel like you’re already being catered to, WotC puts out one big campaign and one adventure collection per year at this point. Something for both sides. Then they put out settings, with adventures that are shorter and more focused. Then, you have all of DMs Guild, a vast playground with all your favorite D&D settings and what not opened up for the whole community, many of then very competent and skilled writers, who are primarily producing exactly what you’re asking for. Not to mention AL adventures. Everything you want, in abundance, is available, more every day, right now.

Yeah, this is pretty much what I came here to say.

Plus there's also third-party publishers who put out many adventures of various lengths.

 

[Reynard]

I feel like you’re already being catered to,

You didn't read a thing I wrote and instead just decided to state some things that are unrelated and/or untrue.

I'll assume that I wasn't clear and try and be more specific: D&D needs more official in print not AL adventures that can be dropped into ongoing campaigns because telling super long predetermined stories is a terrible way to run D&D and maintain any sense of player agency.