Do you Run Published Adventures As Is?

[SavageRobby]

Almost never. For starters, I'm usually converting the module to another system. Plus, I'm usually converting it to another setting. Third, I like to tinker.

So, almost never.

 

[danbuter1]

I haven't run an adventure as written in years, and then it was because I was reviewing it. I always cut out random-style encounters that don't make much sense. I also usually add in more roleplaying stuff. And the last few years, I rarely even run the adventure at all. I'll just steal an NPC or a map, and make my own stuff.

 

[ShinHakkaider]

I no longer enjoy writing my own adventures and only tweak pre-written adventures to adjust for difficulty.

Other than that, I pretty much run adventures as is.

 

[an_idol_mind]

I used to, but I don't anymore. Now that I have a setting with an ongoing story, I tend to swap in my own villains and locations, and to change some scenes entirely. That's particularly true of the Eberron adventures I've purchased and run, since those modules usually have a lot of good ideas coupled with some redundancy in their execution.

 

[the Jester]

Hi-

Question to the great unwashed masses here at EN World, do you run your published adventures as written? If not, what major or minor changes do you make to them excluding adapting them to your campaign world?

Pretty much never.

I make whatever changes are called for, from a near-total re-write to simply placing the module in a location in my campaign world rather than the 'canned' village. It varies widely. I also like to run "Return to" style adventure; those are a lotta fun!

 

[questing gm]

Not much. I stick to the fluff side of the adventure but modify the technical aspects such as encounters and NPCs to suit my taste.

 

[Fenes]

I use published adventures just as ideas for plots, or pick some encounters or maps to use in my own advnetures. I need adventures tailored for my campaign, not generic "here be adventurers looking foir a dungeon" stuff, but political intrigue, social challenges and goals and threats tailored to my party's goals.

 

[Plane Sailing]

I always customise modules. I like to use them as the basis for an adventure, and as initial ideas, but then make whatever changes I want to (a) fit them into my campaign (b) tailor them for the PCs (c) add more rat-bastardliness

 

[Treebore]

Depends on the module, most of the time I change things to some extent, but rarely so much as to make it unrecognizeable.

Grey Citadel, Lost City of Barakus, (I6) Ravenloft, Morrick's Mansion, Durbanford, Tomb of Abysthor, DCC 3 and 18, Lost Caverns of Tsojanth, and Rappan Athuk are examples of modules I changed very little, or changed by adding to it because how it played out demanded it be added to.

Most modules I delete whole sections from, change the whole over all plot, rewrite sections, NPC backgrounds. and histories, etc... just because I think it makes the adventure better is what I do to some extent most of the time.

 

[MrWildman]

I certainly try to, after all, that's the beauty of published modules. For a one-shot or novelty session it's pretty much straight out-of-the-box. Those that take place in my main campaign world will, of course, have names and locations changed to fit. But I try to keep as close as I can to the original text. After all, somebody poured a lot of time and effort into it.

So I try to keep changes to a minimum. I've noticed that I make any changes (other than the most superficially cosmetic) reluctantly. In the back of my mind, a little imaginary man counts every alteration and, when some arbitrary Magic Number is reached, decides that the module is now too far from it's original concept. That means that it gets scrapped; broken down for parts or combined with bits of other adventures. Wow, insight. I'd never articulated the little man and the Magic Number before. I guess one could say that I respect the "dignity" (the best word I can come up with) of the adventure and treat it accordingly.

All this is probably due to my DMing style. I encourage imrov and player input. For example, introducing PCs at the start of a game, I will say things like: "Evvie the elf is a junior member of the Messenger's Guild. Another member has had a secret crush on her for years. (Turning to Evvie's player) What's his name?" or "Among the gypsies singing and dancing, you see one at the edge of the firelight, trying to get your attention. What's he want?"

This gives the players a real connection to the setting, and it provides me with unexpected twists and turns. Much fun. But it exacerbates the havoc that players wreak on plotlines and such. So, with published adventures, it's just easier for me to run them straight as written, with no major changes to keep in mind.