Jacob Lewis
Ye Olde GM
I remember when adventure modules were less than 40 pages in length. They consisted of some backstory, an overarching plot, and some maps with enough encounters, events, and treasures to get your characters to the next level. Sometimes the modules were linked to create a longer narrative, but then you'd move on to the next storyline.
When I look at these newer, larger adventures bound in hardback, I don't see a "railroad", or a "sandbox", or whatever else people like to categorize their preferences and prejudices. As a DM, I just see a toolbox to customize, cobble, and tinker to create whatever style of campaign I want to give to my players. Most often, I would steal and adapt bits and pieces from other adventures from any edition or system to fill whatever holes or gaps that I think need filling. That's largely how I run all of my games, and not just D&D.
A quick example: I never really liked the bit about the Black Spider and the dragon in Lost Mines. And Wave Echo Caverns is a real let down after all the hype and history about what it is. So rather than run what essentially amounts to a lot of filler content, I have decided to substitute the Forge of Fury for the end of the adventure and tie some of those components to elements I had been building with the original adventure.
Or, if I want to use Princes of the Apocalypse, I can easily steer the party towards Red Larch, which is literally around the corner from Phandalin and pick things up from there. Combining a few of the extra low-level events and encounters from both provides more than enough opportunities and angles to suit whatever goals and agendas the players decide to pursue.
I suppose my point is that I rarely look to play any module as presented. Thus, the notion of how restrictive it is designed and perceived by others is irrelevant. I am personally more interested in the amount of material I see as useful, interesting, and well-presented. Storm King's Thunder, for example, has a great storyline with a lot of space to work around. Against giants, I can easily expand the campaign and drag it out for another 5 or 10 levels of play. So rather than jump to the next chapter and episode of the book, I start researching other adventures and events to coincide with things. Going back to Princes, what if the fire and earth cultists were looking to work with fire giants in Gauntlegrym? The giants want to harness the power of the primordial fire beast to work their forges, but the cultists secretly plot to release the slumbering elemental for their own schemes. I don't need the entire Temple of Elemental Evil for this side arc, but I have it available in sizable, manageable chunks for nearly any level range during the larger campaign.
Looking at it this way helped me to appreciate how 5e-WotC does things now. They don't want to tell us how to run our games. They give us the basic tools to work with, and enough space to make each individual experience our own. This is what makes this edition great. Not because of specific rules or how its played, but because how it is presented to me and how I can use it to play whatever way I like.
When I look at these newer, larger adventures bound in hardback, I don't see a "railroad", or a "sandbox", or whatever else people like to categorize their preferences and prejudices. As a DM, I just see a toolbox to customize, cobble, and tinker to create whatever style of campaign I want to give to my players. Most often, I would steal and adapt bits and pieces from other adventures from any edition or system to fill whatever holes or gaps that I think need filling. That's largely how I run all of my games, and not just D&D.
A quick example: I never really liked the bit about the Black Spider and the dragon in Lost Mines. And Wave Echo Caverns is a real let down after all the hype and history about what it is. So rather than run what essentially amounts to a lot of filler content, I have decided to substitute the Forge of Fury for the end of the adventure and tie some of those components to elements I had been building with the original adventure.
Or, if I want to use Princes of the Apocalypse, I can easily steer the party towards Red Larch, which is literally around the corner from Phandalin and pick things up from there. Combining a few of the extra low-level events and encounters from both provides more than enough opportunities and angles to suit whatever goals and agendas the players decide to pursue.
I suppose my point is that I rarely look to play any module as presented. Thus, the notion of how restrictive it is designed and perceived by others is irrelevant. I am personally more interested in the amount of material I see as useful, interesting, and well-presented. Storm King's Thunder, for example, has a great storyline with a lot of space to work around. Against giants, I can easily expand the campaign and drag it out for another 5 or 10 levels of play. So rather than jump to the next chapter and episode of the book, I start researching other adventures and events to coincide with things. Going back to Princes, what if the fire and earth cultists were looking to work with fire giants in Gauntlegrym? The giants want to harness the power of the primordial fire beast to work their forges, but the cultists secretly plot to release the slumbering elemental for their own schemes. I don't need the entire Temple of Elemental Evil for this side arc, but I have it available in sizable, manageable chunks for nearly any level range during the larger campaign.
Looking at it this way helped me to appreciate how 5e-WotC does things now. They don't want to tell us how to run our games. They give us the basic tools to work with, and enough space to make each individual experience our own. This is what makes this edition great. Not because of specific rules or how its played, but because how it is presented to me and how I can use it to play whatever way I like.
