Can you help a bored DM?

[Kzach]

Huh, I was under the impression nobody had made any 4e modules other than ENW. There is such vehement negativity thrown about against 4e for the whole licensing fiasco that I had just assumed nobody had bothered to make any 4e modules.

They really need to step up their advertising if they wish to sell anything. They're fighting an uphill battle as it is.

 

[Burchard]

They've done quite well with their 4E products, at least according to Mr. Goodman. They even produce a 4E magazine (Level Up) that is a great resource. They are certainly worth checking out!

Their Dungeon Crawl Classics seek to recapture the old school feel and their 4E adventures are all top notch. I've also got both Master Dungeons, designed for experienced DMs and PCs, but haven't run them yet. The second MD, Curse of the Kingspire, is on my short-list of adventures to run this year.

My FLGS stocks a good selection of Goodman Games products and most can be had in pdf form from rpgnow.

 

[Verision]

I ran KotS for my group about a year and a half ago, iirc, and the only part of the whole campaign that was memorable was the PC's interaction with Splug, who became a permenant part of our group (much to my dismay).
I tried to kill Splug on several occations and the PCs kept stepping in, or stepping it up, to save him.

All in all, I've run KotS, Thunderspire Mountain, part of Pyramid of Shadows and I just started DMing Demon Queen's Enclave. The experience I've had from this is that you (as the DM) really need to make these modules your own if you plan on running them. You can't just take them as is and expect much fun from them.

Personally, I've always found that the best part of any campaign, both for the players and for me as the DM, are the unexpected role playing opportunities. For instance, I had a campaign where the players had to spend a month on a boat. I planned on basically taking 5 minutes to explain the conditions on the boat, etc, but the PCs had a different idea. We ended up spending about 4 hours role playing the boat trip (sea voyage?) and the PCs had a great time. I've found that the opportunity for this type of completely random role playing is in short supply in the WotC modules.

 

[Burchard]

I agree 100%. In Thrones of Punjar by Goodman Games, we spent an entire session roleplaying in the Palace of Fortuity. It was interacting with the locals, trying to gather information and keep a wary eye on the surly dwarf behind the bar. The cleric was immediately enthralled by Eschiva and a compelling aspect was added to the overall adventure.

Rather than enter and lay waste to everything, it was a thing of beauty!

 

[eriktheguy]

Personally, I've always found that the best part of any campaign, both for the players and for me as the DM, are the unexpected role playing opportunities. For instance, I had a campaign where the players had to spend a month on a boat. I planned on basically taking 5 minutes to explain the conditions on the boat, etc, but the PCs had a different idea. We ended up spending about 4 hours role playing the boat trip (sea voyage?) and the PCs had a great time. I've found that the opportunity for this type of completely random role playing is in short supply in the WotC modules.

I certainly agree that the improv elements are some of the best in the game, but 4 hours to describe a "sea voyage"?! Hell, my players won't even go near boats with me anymore because they think that a kraken or leviathan is going to capsize it and start an 'adventure' (okay, I play a lot of Final Fantasy).
Anyways, I have no idea how you managed 4 hours. Skill challenges making new friends and running things on board? Fighting off mermen? Drunken brawls? Saving throws against sea sickness?

 

[ValhallaGH]

Anyways, I have no idea how you managed 4 hours. Skill challenges making new friends and running things on board? Fighting off mermen? Drunken brawls? Saving throws against sea sickness?

From his description, I'd bet it was just talking. Talking to the crew, the other passengers, to each other. Handling meals, shipboard routine, lounging and sunbathing, making and keeping dates, etc.

You know, all that stuff people do on ships when they aren't fighting kraken, pirates, ninjas, vampires, fish-men, necromancers, and anything else a DM throws at a naval encounter (and I haven't seen before).

 

[eriktheguy]

You know, all that stuff people do on ships when they aren't fighting kraken, pirates, ninjas, vampires, fish-men, necromancers, and anything else a DM throws at a naval encounter (and I haven't seen before).

I don't understand this alien concept

 

[Nytmare]

I don't understand this alien concept

I think that he means "extended rests."

 

[Verision]

I certainly agree that the improv elements are some of the best in the game, but 4 hours to describe a "sea voyage"?! Hell, my players won't even go near boats with me anymore because they think that a kraken or leviathan is going to capsize it and start an 'adventure' (okay, I play a lot of Final Fantasy).
Anyways, I have no idea how you managed 4 hours. Skill challenges making new friends and running things on board? Fighting off mermen? Drunken brawls? Saving throws against sea sickness?

Well, first the rogue decided that it would be a good idea to see what kind of booty was in the ship's hold (though were he was going to hide it once he stole it was something I don't think he considered). That lead to the party trying to figure out how to get into the hold, steal everything, and get back out without getting caught. (They were not successful, though they weren't exactly caught and punished either....long story)

Then the weretiger monk decided to challenge a minotaur to a boxing match (his humanoid form was a 5'2'' elf, while he was over 6'6" in his hybrid form, so the mintaur thought it would be a cake walk). Then the other players decided they had to take bets and basically set themselves up as bookies.

Once the elf-weretiger beat the crap out of the minotaur, the other PCs decided that they'd use various forms of illusion or shapechanging to make themselves all look like the elf. They then walked around the ship, freaking everyone out, since it looked like the elf was everywhere at once.

Then the minotaur tried to get revenge on the elf, yadda yadda yadda. Before I knew it, 4 hours had gone by and we hadn't even started the *real* part of the campaign.


(Note: This was a high powered, non-good, loose-ruled game. In other words, I let the PCs get away with crazy nonsense and bend, if not outright break, half the rules of the game just for and giggles.)