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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Zelda Themelin" data-source="post: 5898002" data-attributes="member: 167">I agree. Sometimes I want to focus in combat not boring plots. Then I prefer real old school modules of D&D and AD&D. It went downhill from 2nd edition, worse in 3rd edition and totally boring in 4th edition if i just speak in history of D&D.Part of interesting combat is unusual areas, strange monsters, strange mystical things that can mess you up or give you benefits, depending in blind stupid luck. I kinda like it that way. Also no too much fuss about balance.Only thing I really hate about them are stupid boring secret doors they seem obsessed with. Most old time gm:s running them make players figure out them with boring pixel bitching and mapping. Two things I most hate about pen%paper as equally as in computer games. I hate being challenged with things I am not bad with, but which I find uttterly boring show stoppers.I hate puzzles as well, though I really liked old school "poetic" versions related to them. I am found of forming theories around what those or other semi-there-plot-stuff might mean. There has been some hits in later editions of adventures too. And some longer adventure paths including both hits and misses, also within same module.When I am not looking for only combat but want more plot-stuff and story I tend to hate most of modules. At least unchanged. I am not speaking of encounters which tend to change anyhow when contacted with pc:s at least order of them, but that very background stuff. Sometimes background plot is even fun, but mostly it's irritating and irrelevant. Doesn't engage players too much, expect in sense "guys we are playing module so let's be nice to dm and do the adventure it tells us to do":  Combat encounters are often boring too. It's not fault of system I can do really fun combats in all systems I've ever run. Paizo (and some prior dungeon magazine mega-modules) contain some pretty sweet encounters and lot what I call "fillers". I find color-maps annoying though, they are harder to read if editor missed that lacking secret door marker, which is most common bug. By fillers I don't mean meat-grinding, but actual plot-type combat encounters with named npc and trappings, which has really no relevance in story and doesn't come up agian, should players kill that one. It's waste of pages. Special mobs should matter. Again some stories are good, but some elements in them are really lackluster. Really epic storylines, lacking everthing else epic. Which is mostly shyly hidden from players when adventure proceeds. I don't like it at all when story text speaks of true power, and statwise it sucks. This is almost like unspoken rule. Maybe partially because lowbie plots kinda get old and most modules nowdays are up to lv 12.  I don't play that way. I actually save world shaking content for higher levels and then I can use things with proper power level. Most modern modules seem to cut-paste highter lv story elements and putting them on lower tier and making some "special artifact" with really lame powers gamestatwise.Oldie modules didn't do that. Mere idea of "balanced for level" artifacts and templates gives me allergic reaction. I like streamlined systems. I don't like that in stories however.  And honestly fighting is much more interesting with unexpected dangers rather than "well-balanced encounters".</blockquote>

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