Menu
News
All News
Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
Pathfinder
Starfinder
Warhammer
2d20 System
Year Zero Engine
Industry News
Reviews
Dragon Reflections
White Dwarf Reflections
Columns
Weekly Digests
Weekly News Digest
Freebies, Sales & Bundles
RPG Print News
RPG Crowdfunding News
Game Content
ENterplanetary DimENsions
Mythological Figures
Opinion
Worlds of Design
Peregrine's Nest
RPG Evolution
Other Columns
From the Freelancing Frontline
Monster ENcyclopedia
WotC/TSR Alumni Look Back
4 Hours w/RSD (Ryan Dancey)
The Road to 3E (Jonathan Tweet)
Greenwood's Realms (Ed Greenwood)
Drawmij's TSR (Jim Ward)
Community
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions, OSR, & D&D Variants
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Resources
Wiki
Pages
Latest activity
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Downloads
Latest reviews
Search resources
EN Publishing
Store
EN5ider
Adventures in ZEITGEIST
Awfully Cheerful Engine
What's OLD is NEW
Judge Dredd & The Worlds Of 2000AD
War of the Burning Sky
Level Up: Advanced 5E
Events & Releases
Upcoming Events
Private Events
Featured Events
Socials!
EN Publishing
Twitter
BlueSky
Facebook
Instagram
EN World
BlueSky
YouTube
Facebook
Twitter
Twitch
Podcast
Features
Top 5 RPGs Compiled Charts 2004-Present
Adventure Game Industry Market Research Summary (RPGs) V1.0
Ryan Dancey: Acquiring TSR
Q&A With Gary Gygax
D&D Rules FAQs
TSR, WotC, & Paizo: A Comparative History
D&D Pronunciation Guide
Million Dollar TTRPG Kickstarters
Tabletop RPG Podcast Hall of Fame
Eric Noah's Unofficial D&D 3rd Edition News
D&D in the Mainstream
D&D & RPG History
About Morrus
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions, OSR, & D&D Variants
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*TTRPGs General
Favorite vs. Best Adventure Modules
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="Steel_Wind" data-source="post: 5700194" data-attributes="member: 20741"><p>Hmm. I see what you are getting at. I think the word "favorite" is too strong. I think what you are trying to ask is whether or not a module is well designed, we still have a great deal of affection for the module just the same.</p><p></p><p>I can admit to this, mainly as my affections were bestowed upon a module at an earlier point in my gaming "career". Such that while the practicalities of a module's design have not stood the test of time -- my affections for it, out of nostalgia or other reasons endure.</p><p></p><p><strong><em>DL1: Dragons of Despair</em></strong>: Hickman's classic  -- if not iconic module -- is a very heavy handed overt railroad designed at a time when the way to steer players towards a goal in a metaplot based adventure arc were not yet known and handled VERY poorly. I still have great affection for the module though, notwithstanding its deep flaws. </p><p></p><p><strong><em>Tegel Manor:</em></strong> <em>Tegel Manor</em> is a "classic" dungeon where the map doesn't make sense, the denizens of <em>Tegel Manor</em> make ZERO sense and the entire thing is a preposterous setting filled with even more preposterous creatures, most of whom wait in their hermetically sealed rooms until activated by another adventuring PC. Tegel Manor is a wholly SILLY PLACE.</p><p></p><p>I still have great affection for<em> Tegel Manor</em> just the same.  In terms of a modern design? It's <strong>total suckage</strong>. Yet my nostalgia for <em>Tegel Manor</em> overwhelms those rational, design-based objections.</p><p></p><p>At the same time, I don't have those feelings of nostalgia to rescue B1 or B2 from the dungheap (they are both CRAP folks), and <em>the original ToEE </em>is mostly substandard as well when viewed from a modern design perspective. Sorry folks -- there it is. That doesn't mean you're wong for liking it though. Affection is not required to be rational!</p><p></p><p>Generally, I think modules need to be assessed in accordance with the times and systems for which each was created, when they were created. They are a "snapshot in time" in many respects.</p><p></p><p>My favorite modules, however, meet the "superior design" evaluation test.</p><p></p><p>Erik Mona's "<em>The  Whispering Cairn</em>" from the <em>Age of Worms</em> AP is a clinic on dungeon design. Similarly, Richard Pett's <em>Six-Fold Trial</em>, vol II of the <em>Council of Thieves AP</em> is probably the single finest issue of <em>Pathfinder Adventure Path</em> yet published. These are my favorites and they are both <span style="color: Orange"><em>exremely </em></span>well crafted adventures.</p><p></p><p>In twenty years? I suppose it is possible I will have a different view -- though I doubt that the underlying soundness of the design of either will need any reassessment.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Steel_Wind, post: 5700194, member: 20741"] Hmm. I see what you are getting at. I think the word "favorite" is too strong. I think what you are trying to ask is whether or not a module is well designed, we still have a great deal of affection for the module just the same. I can admit to this, mainly as my affections were bestowed upon a module at an earlier point in my gaming "career". Such that while the practicalities of a module's design have not stood the test of time -- my affections for it, out of nostalgia or other reasons endure. [B][I]DL1: Dragons of Despair[/I][/B]: Hickman's classic -- if not iconic module -- is a very heavy handed overt railroad designed at a time when the way to steer players towards a goal in a metaplot based adventure arc were not yet known and handled VERY poorly. I still have great affection for the module though, notwithstanding its deep flaws. [B][I]Tegel Manor:[/I][/B] [I]Tegel Manor[/I] is a "classic" dungeon where the map doesn't make sense, the denizens of [I]Tegel Manor[/I] make ZERO sense and the entire thing is a preposterous setting filled with even more preposterous creatures, most of whom wait in their hermetically sealed rooms until activated by another adventuring PC. Tegel Manor is a wholly SILLY PLACE. I still have great affection for[I] Tegel Manor[/I] just the same. In terms of a modern design? It's [B]total suckage[/B]. Yet my nostalgia for [I]Tegel Manor[/I] overwhelms those rational, design-based objections. At the same time, I don't have those feelings of nostalgia to rescue B1 or B2 from the dungheap (they are both CRAP folks), and [I]the original ToEE [/I]is mostly substandard as well when viewed from a modern design perspective. Sorry folks -- there it is. That doesn't mean you're wong for liking it though. Affection is not required to be rational! Generally, I think modules need to be assessed in accordance with the times and systems for which each was created, when they were created. They are a "snapshot in time" in many respects. My favorite modules, however, meet the "superior design" evaluation test. Erik Mona's "[I]The Whispering Cairn[/I]" from the [I]Age of Worms[/I] AP is a clinic on dungeon design. Similarly, Richard Pett's [I]Six-Fold Trial[/I], vol II of the [I]Council of Thieves AP[/I] is probably the single finest issue of [I]Pathfinder Adventure Path[/I] yet published. These are my favorites and they are both [COLOR=Orange][I]exremely [/I][/COLOR]well crafted adventures. In twenty years? I suppose it is possible I will have a different view -- though I doubt that the underlying soundness of the design of either will need any reassessment. [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*TTRPGs General
Favorite vs. Best Adventure Modules
Top