D&D 5E Converting Old Adventures

[Voadam]

But IIRC, we wanted to find out why they were raiding. Mind you, I was a player, not the GM, so I didn't read the module, but I don't recall there ever being a real explanation for their acts beyond "they're evil and that's what they do." Which, as I said, is not something we find realistic. If there was an explanation--maybe it was in a later module--we either didn't learn it or it was (IMO) so uninspired that I've forgotten. This was in the Before Times, so my memory of it is pretty sketchy.

The why is actually the thing that connects GDQ together, it is something that can be uncovered in

Spoiler: plot spoiler

G3 Hall of the Fire Giant King, they are doing this on orders from Eclavdra of the drow which leads to the D series of modules.

 

[el-remmen]

The why is actually the thing that connects GDQ together,

But to @Faolyn's point, if you have to slog through three modules of little but giant fighting to find the more interesting and complex hook, that is a problem for an adventure that was originally meant as a tournament module, now transferred over to home games.

That said, I still love the G1-2-3 modules. I just know that when I run them, I have to use them as sites for scenario(s) of my making to allow for more varied play.

I do feel sad, however, that their DM was not up to spicing up the module to allow for varied approaches (like teaming up with freed slaves, introducing giants or other allies with different agendas, etc.. . ) regardless of what the modules seemed to intend. For me, personally, this openness is the benefit of the old school module over the contemporary adventure path style adventure tome.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

But IIRC, we wanted to find out why they were raiding. Mind you, I was a player, not the GM, so I didn't read the module, but I don't recall there ever being a real explanation for their acts beyond "they're evil and that's what they do." Which, as I said, is not something we find realistic

They have been stirred up by drow. This is where it helps for the DM to know their players and let them take their preferred approach, such as “we have lived in relative peace with the giants for generations, brave adventurers please find out why they have started to attack us.” No need to change anything in the adventure text to approach it like that.

 

[billd91]

That was in response to Lanefan, who basically said "don't worry about it; they exist to be killed," which is not sufficient motivation for us, nor is it something our table finds realistic.

But IIRC, we wanted to find out why they were raiding. Mind you, I was a player, not the GM, so I didn't read the module, but I don't recall there ever being a real explanation for their acts beyond "they're evil and that's what they do." Which, as I said, is not something we find realistic. If there was an explanation--maybe it was in a later module--we either didn't learn it or it was (IMO) so uninspired that I've forgotten. This was in the Before Times, so my memory of it is pretty sketchy.

And also, we wanted to ally ourselves with their slaves--which we did--but I recall the GM saying that the module didn't really expect that, since the slaves were (mostly? entirely?) orcs.

But mostly, we didn't like the lack of roleplaying. It was really just combat, or sneaking around trying to avoid combat. Very little chance for us to develop our characters or interact with NPCs, unless we forced it.

Sounds like your group noped out pretty early. There are definitely opportunities to work with prisoners and slaves of the giants in those G modules. There are even rebellious orc slaves in the hill giant basement.

I have more than a sneaking suspicion that your DM didn't really know what to do with the modules either, certainly not with respect to the preferences of you players. When I ran them most recently (in 3e), the giants were raiding in a region where one of the PCs was the son of a prominent noble. He was well-motivated to take the fight to the giants in defense of his countryfolk and find out what was behind them.

 

[James Gasik]

My experience in 1e was that every 5th level PC cleric would cast the permanent 0 gp cost continual light spell from the PH on stones or such and torch tracking was done from that point on. Also most magic swords glowed and made torches optional that way as well.

1e DMG page 165: "Most swords (and all daggers) of magical nature shed light when drawn from their scabbard (see ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, PLAYERS HANDBOOK, THE ADVENTURE, Light). The sole exceptions are the Flame Tongue, Frost Brand, Holy Avenger, Life Stealing, and Sharpness swords, and these will be dealt with individually."

I think the 2e DMG says that 25% of magic weapons produce light. I can honestly say I've never owned a magical weapon that produced light since I started playing in late '88. I couldn't say if the reason is A) my DM's didn't know this or B) they did know and rejected the idea.

 

[Micah Sweet]

It is going to vary but torches are generally a fairly low level thing for beginning parties in AD&D.

How long before a group finds a single +1 dagger or +1 sword all of which glow with magical light? A group will generally want to hold onto at least one magical weapon rather than sell it at the local magic shop (if there is one) to turn it into gold for xp so that they have at least a chance to do any damage at all against things like shadows and gargoyles.

Well, to be honest I also never bought into the all magic weapons shed light conceit, unless there was a reason for that weapon to do so (like Sting).

 

[Paul Farquhar]

I have more than a sneaking suspicion that your DM didn't really know what to do with the modules either

To be fair, the adventure doesn’t say what to do with them. Like most Gygaxian adventures it simply describes the locations and the inhabitants and leaves it up to the players to decide how they want to interact with it.

I could see one of my players marching up to the front gate and demanding the frost giant jarl face him in single combat.

 

[Lanefan]

Well, to be honest I also never bought into the all magic weapons shed light conceit, unless there was a reason for that weapon to do so (like Sting).

Same here. "Glows [a random colour]" is just one property of many a magic weapon might have.

 

[Faolyn]

Sounds like your group noped out pretty early. There are definitely opportunities to work with prisoners and slaves of the giants in those G modules. There are even rebellious orc slaves in the hill giant basement.

I have more than a sneaking suspicion that your DM didn't really know what to do with the modules either, certainly not with respect to the preferences of you players. When I ran them most recently (in 3e), the giants were raiding in a region where one of the PCs was the son of a prominent noble. He was well-motivated to take the fight to the giants in defense of his countryfolk and find out what was behind them.

They have been stirred up by drow. This is where it helps for the DM to know their players and let them take their preferred approach, such as “we have lived in relative peace with the giants for generations, brave adventurers please find out why they have started to attack us.” No need to change anything in the adventure text to approach it like that.

I do feel sad, however, that their DM was not up to spicing up the module to allow for varied approaches (like teaming up with freed slaves, introducing giants or other allies with different agendas, etc.. . ) regardless of what the modules seemed to intend. For me, personally, this openness is the benefit of the old school module over the contemporary adventure path style adventure tome.

We had two DMs who switched off with the adventures. One of them has a more modern storytelling approach to gaming, even though he started back gaming back as a kid in the late 70s (this was a nostalgia trip for him), while the other one, while young (early 20s at the time), had been raised by grognard parents and who went very much by the 1e book. We did manage to do things like teaming up with the slaves, but that was mostly, I think, because it was the older DM running at the time. And as I said, if we had been told this was out of character for the giants, it wasn't said in a way to make much of an impression.

The younger one is actually the one who stopped gaming with us first, since he had an opportunity to go play in more old-school games and there would be a schedule conflict. When that happened, the rest of us, older DM included, decided that was a good point to stop playing in the series.

 

[James Gasik]

So far I've only decided one of the weapons generates light; a magic rapier that fires a beam of light equivalent to a bullseye lantern from it's blade.