D&D 5E GDQ All in One or Separately?

[Jaracove]

Giants
Drow
Queen of the Demon Web Pits

Would you run the all in one GDQ campaign modules as presented in the combined book or would you run G - D - Q separately as per the individual modules?

I've heard good and bad things about the all in one and can't make my mind up.

Thanks

 

[delericho]

Since I have the three individual G modules but none of the others, I think I'd start with G1 as-is and see how it goes. Assuming that goes okay, I'd probably move to G2 and invest in PDFs of the D and Q modules.

That said, if I didn't happen to have those three, I would instead just buy the single, compiled PDF of GDQ1-7. If running those adventures I would expect to be doing some significant adaptation anyway, so I might as well adapt from a single (cheaper) source than seven.

 

[steeldragons]

As someone who has the 3-in-1 Gs, D1-2, D3 and Q1 separately, I highly recommend using them separately.

They can easily be explained/set up to be separate adventures or they can still be connected, but not necessarily one right after the next/you could put your own/different adventures in between. Run each G as its own adventure. Take breaks between the Gs and Ds, between the D1-2 and D3/Q1. Take each D separately. Run Q as its complete own interdimensional adventure.

Do the Hills Giants and the Shrine of the Kuo-Toa as separate adventures. Then run the Frost Giants straight into the underdark (D1) and jump to D3 and Q1 as one plot arc. Run the Fire giants section as its own completely unrelated thing.

There are tons of ways to divvy them up. And, of course, they are a classic/standard when run all together in order. So if you want that kind of "old school experience all the grognards talk about", then run 'em in order. It really is however you want to do it.

 

[Viking Bastard]

I'm currently running G1-3 as one big arc. After some consideration, I decided to pass on D and Q.

Q has a bad reputation (I haven't really studied it), and while there's some quality yoinkables in D, I ultimately just don't care for the Drow.

I considered changing the Drow to High Elves, but it's too Underdarky to reskin it towards that easily. Parts of D may still show up in whatever I ultimately decide upon as follow-up, though. I just haven't decided.

 

[Greenstone.Walker]

Twenty-something years ago, the Drow were a big surprise, as was the whole Underdark.

"There's this entire new world, under our feet? There are elves and dwarves and gnomes, but they're all different? Wow.........."

I'm not sure you could get the same impact today. Every man, womand an their dog has heard of Drow (mostly thanks to one particular dark-skinned fellow).

I am planning to run G1-3. I'd like to follow it up with D1-3 and finishe with something involving the original foe - the Elder Elemental God. I'm looking for suggestions as to what I can surprise my characters with.

The more off-the-wall the better.

 

[Lancelot]

[SPOILERS]


...


...


...



I did something really weird on my last DM run of GDQ.

I ran D1 and D2 first, as a follow-up to the Slavers (A1-4) series. Why? Because fundamentally, D1 and D2 are a whole lot easier than G1-3.

Think about it: a bunch of trogolodytes, some bugbears, a warren of trolls, and a horde of kuo-toa. Most encounters in D1 and D2 can be readily handled by area-effect magic. There is exactly one encounter where it's time to break out the Brown Trousers: a certain fellow who's napping in an illusionary niche and simply doesn't want to be disturbed. And taking him on is entirely optional.

Compare with G1-3. G1 can go off the rails quickly. Walk through the wrong door, and you're facing a couple thousand HP worth of hill giants. Multiple encounters with 4-6 frost or fire giants. Remorhaz, pyrohydra, manticores, packs of hell hounds - basically, massive energy damage madness. A pair of white dragons, which is bad... and Brazzemal, an ancient red, which is even worse. The single toughest drow in the series behind a deadly magic barrier. Two lost temples (G1 and G3) where bad decisions can result in permanent character loss. Mind flayers. Named NPCs with built-in rules that can one-strike PCs (chuck 'em in the iron maiden, toss 'em in the lava, decapitate the kneeling fools).

So, run D1-2 as a stand-alone. It's an initial foray into the underdark. Downplay the drow elements. The end-goal is something related to D2 (loot the treasury! visit Blibdoolpoop! slay Va-Gulgh! free a prisoner!). Once that's done, it's time to crack out the classic G1-3, and may the gods have mercy on the party.

If you want to do D3 (the weakest of the bunch, in my opinion), the tunnel at the end of G3 leads directly to the Vault. Alternatively, replace the tunnel with a portal to the Demonweb Pits and skip straight to Q1.

That worked out pretty well for me, using either 4e or 5e. The masses of lower-level opponents from D1-2 tied in nicely to mid-level PCs, then the party is challenged by tougher giants and dragons and whatever, and then you end up with demons - which tend to be pretty nasty in any rule-set.

 

[aramis erak]

Giants
Drow
Queen of the Demon Web Pits

Would you run the all in one GDQ campaign modules as presented in the combined book or would you run G - D - Q separately as per the individual modules?

I've heard good and bad things about the all in one and can't make my mind up.

Thanks

If I were to run them again, I'd run D1-3 & Q, skipping G1-2-3 entirely.

 

[Jaracove]

Lots of different variations here

Thanks all for the input

 

[Jaracove]

I have another related questions

I have the pdfs of G1, G2 and G3, but there's also an all in one G1 to G3 Against the Giant module that combines them all. Would this one be a better option or should I go for the individual G1, G2 and G3 adventures?

 

[MerricB]

The combined adventure G1-2-3 does not add any new material (except possibly a spell description - crystalbrittle - that was left out of G3 by mistake). Nor does D1-2 add any new material over D1 and D2 combined.

The compilation adventure GDQ1-7 does add new material, but it is of poor quality, especially as it's entirely at odds with the text of G1-3 and D1-3! (Lolth has nothing to do with the surface incursion, it being masterminded by House Eilservs who worship the Elder Elemental God).

Cheers!