D&D 5E Campaigns or adventure anthologies?

[Parmandur]

Adventure anthologies will always get more use with my groups than full campaigns. Full campaigns will end up getting broken apart and used as pieces anyway and it's easier to do that with individual adventures in general.

Perkins editorial approach is to make that breakdown pretty easily: q lot of the 5E "Campaigns" are just compilations with a shared environment (like Tomb of Annhilation is a loose collection of Jungle Adventures with a Hexceawl and an easily removed overarching plot, or Icewind Dale being a collection of Arctic Adventures, etc.)

 

[Li Shenron]

We definitely need both, variety is paramount.

That said, I have more occasions for running short adventures but also an easier time making my own. So on one hand I would have more use for collections of shorties, but on the other hand if I want to run a long story arc I need a published book do the design for me.

 

[The Glen]

They both have their uses, it's not an either/or situation. Campaigns let players get invested in a game, and the adventures from the anthologies give the DM something short and sweet to run when the schedule is tight or real-life interferes with prep time. We aren't going back to 32 page modules, at least as in house adventures, so a healthy mix is nice.

 

[IvyDragons]

If you were born in the 60s you might not live to see the end of a campaign so yeah I can see why you would switch to anthologies.

 

[Malmuria]

well this should settle it

 

[Blue]

I'm 100% homebrew for campaigns and adventures, the last time I ran a module was AD&D 2nd. Can someone explain what "Adventure Anthologies" are? Also, are you incorrectly using "campaign" when you mean Adventure Path? Because they are not the same thing.

 

[Morrus]

I'm 100% homebrew. Can someone explain what "Adventure Anthologies" are?

An anthology is a collection of poems, stories, or other things; in this case adventures.

Also, are you incorrectly using "campaign" when you mean Adventure Path?

No.

 

[Yaarel]

We mainly homebrew our own world and import/borrow/steal from official settings and adventures.

The anthologies are easier to cherry pick from.

 

[Yaarel]

Really this is something only a DM can do:

Ideally, there needs to be a sandbox - and then direction, structure, and follow-thru for the choices that players do make.

Structure without railroad is an art.

"Side quests" that feel meaningful are a challenge.

 

[Oofta]

Add me to the "there should be a third option" because my preference doesn't really fit either. I voted campaign, but it's really just because when I DM I have an idea of events that are happening in the world. However it's always up to the players to decide how they interact with those events or whether they choose to ignore them. So in some ways I run an anthology with similar themes that can be tied together, with one anthology having multiple threads into other anthologies that you can use or ignore. Sort of.

On the other hand while I sometimes purchase mods for ideas, I don't really use them as written in my home campaigns. If I'm using something that's been published it's because it's because I'm running a public AL game.