Actual interest in conversion of old adventures

[caudor]

I 3-5: Desert of Desolation (there was a conversion, but it got removed.)
X4-5 Desert Nomads
X2 Castle Amber

Some of the better 2e modules as well. (3.5e Undermountain would be great).

Good choices. I own X2, so I'll take a look to see what it would take to convert it.

Let's say someone created 3.5e conversion documents for these modules and made it known. You would think a number of people would love to replay these adventures...which might drive sales of the related .pdf files. Well, unless folks grab paper copies off of eBay instead or already own it. Then again, maybe I'm dreaming again.

 

[johnsemlak]

Good choices. I own X2, so I'll take a look to see what it would take to convert it.

Let's say someone created 3.5e conversion documents for these modules and made it known. You would think a number of people would love to replay these adventures...which might drive sales of the related .pdf files. Well, unless folks grab paper copies off of eBay instead or already own it. Then again, maybe I'm dreaming again.

It would seem to me that there might be some (very limited) profit to be made there as well. However, I'm guessing it would be just too much hassle and effort for WotC, who need to concentrate on much bigger sellers. On the ohter hand, they want/need to protect their valuable IP material, so htey have to restrict conversions.

It's very unfortunately, but there just doensn't seem to be a vialble solution, and at the end of the day only a small number of people really care about it.

That's just my take.

 

[Steve Jung]

I got lots of conversions of various kits, classes, spells, and so forth back in the day, and a fair number of adventures too. But they weren't always of a consistently high quality, plus WotC came up with the new conversion guidelines that really restricted what you could include in the conversion document. I think a lot of folks didn't want to go back and do that work all over again.
/snip/

Yeah. That's what happened to me. After the guidelines came out, I tried to update my conversions, but got bored with them. I guess I didn't want to look at them again. Then 3.5 came out, introducing rule changes, slowing me down further.

 

[MerricB]

To a large extent, a converted adventure comes down to "replace the monsters with the d20 System equivalent" and "change a few traps to d20". If you have the monster's stats already (and most of the old 1E monsters have been converted, thanks to Scott Greene and his cohorts), then what more be done?

Certainly, the level for which it was appropriate is no longer the same, but that's only a guideline, anyway.

Cheers!

 

[Ghostwind]

Here's a question for everyone. Would there be an interest in purchasing "officially licensed" 3.5 conversions for the OD&D adventures, especially if they made full use of the new material from Wotc?

 

[smetzger]

Here's a question for everyone. Would there be an interest in purchasing "officially licensed" 3.5 conversions for the OD&D adventures, especially if they made full use of the new material from Wotc?

The license for doing conversion stipulates that you do not charge for the conversion. If you do this you will need to get specific permission from WOTC.

There have been alot of conversions of 1e modules. All of the classic ones and ones on peoples top 10 lists have been done. Unfortuneately when WOTC clamped down on conversions and En World took down the non-complieing ones alot were not re-done.

 

[Ghostwind]

Actually, I am inferring that there would be a special license and the blessings from Wotc. It would not be anything that could be used by 3rd party publishers in terms of open gaming content.

 

[Arnwyn]

So...what do you speculate might be the cause of this?

The extremely rigid and inflexible conversion rules put forth by WotC. I've made loads of conversions, but they all use a lot of the material from off-limit WotC books (as well as 3rd party books and Dragon Magazine). The beauty of 3e is that I've found that I can even *better* mirror what the original adventure was about with 3.x rules. Creepy.

Just a final question for those that wish to reply---what single adventure or sourcebook would you most want to see converted to 3.5? (assuming you didn't have to do it yourself)

None - since everything I've wanted to be converted I've done already. If I had to choose one, it would be the Maztica Campaign Setting. (Really.)

Here's a question for everyone. Would there be an interest in purchasing "officially licensed" 3.5 conversions for the OD&D adventures, especially if they made full use of the new material from Wotc?

Well... I would be a little interested - but I'd really have to see the quality, format, and price of such conversions. I'd be pretty skeptical that it would meet my needs, at first.

 

[EPRock]

I have completed my first Complete conversion of Dungeonland. I also changed the challenge ratings of most encounters to deal with the higher level characters.

I won't give it to anyone, but I also had a chance to add in the use of skills to determine things.

 

[Gospog]

Just a final question for those that wish to reply---what single adventure or sourcebook would you most want to see converted to 3.5? (assuming you didn't have to do it yourself)

Expedition to Barrier Peaks

I don't remember the prodect code, but it contains some of my fondest childhood (RPG) memories.