TSR Example from the worst TSR adventure module(s) ever published

[Mannahnin]

The more I look back on this thread, and blogs out there, and watching this video, the more I am convinced of a common shared behavior. A bunch of people piling on to nitpick every single flaw like it's the worst thing ever to happen in a module, often relying on hyperbole or exaggeration in their attempt to be part of the mob....er...crowd.

Oh, I remember I listened to the start of that actual play video at one point. I think the DM absolutely makes it worse/exaggerates the awful for the sake of comedy.

The writing and design in this module are terrible, though, as folks have substantiated in the text. Not least with Quasqueton's OP in 2005. Sure, there are lots of other bad modules out there. This one just happens to be have gotten the Golden Raspberry. That doesn't mean no one can ever have fun actually playing with it. Heck, I played Synnibarr as a teenager and had fun with it.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

The more I look back on this thread, and blogs out there, and watching this video, the more I am convinced of a common shared behavior. A bunch of people piling on to nitpick every single flaw like it's the worst thing ever to happen in a module, often relying on hyperbole or exaggeration in their attempt to be part of the mob....er...crowd.

I'm not saying the module doesn't have issues. It does. Clearly. But so did a whole bunch of modules of the time. Almost every module was a railroad, and yet N2 is the one being criticized for it. Nearly every module had wonky encounters that didn't make sense. That's how things were largely written in the early 80s. I mean, have you seen any fantasy movie or TV show in the 80s?

But take this video. They are taking a module they heard was awful, and then the DM decided to fudge, exaggerate, and twist what actually was in the module to try to pile on because I guess piling on something is fun? For example, the odds of every party member missing the road are low (12% if you care about the math for a party of 3). And yet, in the video they all did! And the DM failed to mention that the map was an old map and the road has since been completely overgrown since it was made. It didn't have the new road because the map was too old. Context matters. But they spent 5 minutes yelling "how could we miss the ONE road!" And then they encountered 20 baboons which is the maximum (not only rolled a nat 1 on a d20 for encounters, but rolled max number of baboons?). It's like the DM intentionally made everything the worst-case scenario and then patted themselves on the back, saying, "Look how garbage this is!"

That's disingenuous to me. The only real flaws this module has that others didn't were the bad editing and stat blocks. Everything else seems to be selective memory of other modules just to pile onto this one.

There is always the one guy who doesn’t get the joke.

 

[Sacrosanct]

There is always one guy who doesn’t get the joke.

And what joke is that, that I'm not getting, specifically?

 

[Paul Farquhar]

And what joke is that, that I'm not getting, specifically?

That it isn’t the railroad, or the stat blocks or anything else mechanical about the adventure that is so memorable. It’s the wonderfully weird and surreal prose. Mechanically, it’s no harder to fix than any other prewritten adventure. But reading the prose requires more San checks than the Necronomicon.

 

[Sacrosanct]

That it isn’t the railroad, or the stat blocks or anything else mechanical about the adventure that is so memorable. It’s the wonderfully weird and surreal prose. Mechanically, it’s no harder to fix than any other prewritten adventure. But reading the prose requires more San checks than the Necronomicon.

And how is that the "joke" everyone gets but me? Does the word "joke" mean something different to you than it does to everyone else? Nearly all the criticism I've seen from people toward this module isn't a joke, but genuine criticism.

 

[Seramus]

That it isn’t the railroad, or the stat blocks or anything else mechanical about the adventure that is so memorable. It’s the wonderfully weird and surreal prose. Mechanically, it’s no harder to fix than any other prewritten adventure. But reading the prose requires more San checks than the Necronomicon.

Mostly this. Axe stats but longbow and dagger? 2HD on a L3 Fighter? I didn't even notice the first time I read this module.

But the nymph that can't wake up her easily awoken lover? Whaaa...

Even that's easy to fix. He needs true love's kiss and she is magically forbidden to enter, etc. Heck, the original text is kind of sweet! It just... doesn't pass the most basic problem solving as written.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

And how is that the "joke" everyone gets but me? Does the word "joke" mean something different to you than it does to everyone else? Nearly all the criticism I've seen from people toward this module isn't a joke, but genuine criticism.

To be fair, the video doesn’t really get it either.

Things that are mearly not very good are not remembered over 40 years later.

 

[Sacrosanct]

Know what, nevermind.

 

[Bae'zel]

I don't get it, besides the slightly dull writing style, the encounter doesn't seem all that bad?

I don't understand why the nymph can't awaken her lover on her own, unless it's some weird Feywild geas / magical logicl puzzle thing out of myth. I dunno.

But if THIS is considered to be one of the worst written RPG encounters ever... boy howdy have I got some stuff to show you.

It's like, people say that the latest A-list hollywood movie is the worst thing ever... clearly haven't seen enough awful movies.

 

[Joshua Randall]

These jokes are not acrobats.