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Message: <blockquote data-quote="FitzTheRuke" data-source="post: 9352967" data-attributes="member: 59816">I'm pretty much exactly like you - I started in 1985 (though I didn't DM until 1989). I didn't even read published modules or Dungeon or Dragon for inspiration. I used fantasy novels for inspiration on story structure but I believed strongly that using any details was plagiarism. It annoyed me when some of my players tried adding stuff to our shared world that were from books or published adventures.The first published adventure that I tried to run was Forge of Fury under the idea that I should give it a try to go with the "new" 3rd edition. (I had looked at Sunless Citadel and rejected it without trying). I hated it. (I have since grown a slight fondness for it). I went back to running 100% my own made-up adventures until 2008 (though I think I might have tried White Plume Mountain and hated it, too.)When 4e arrived, I changed my ways. Not because my attitude is all that different, but because I became a better businessman (I've owned my FLGS since 1993) and I decided that it was smart to make it at least LOOK like I think published adventures are worth buying! Since then, I have run most adventures that have been published for both 4e and 5e. I honestly think that it's much much more work to run published adventures, but I put the work in so that my players can be involved in that "Shared Experience" with people across the globe and say that they've been to Chult and fought Acererak (or whatever). That part I guess I like about it.The way that I get the "Improv DM" that both you and I like out of my system is that I try not to be so attached to the module that it constrains me (or my players). So whenever people complain that "Horde of the Dragon Queen is too railroady" (or whatever) I think "So? Don't let it be."My advice to people running published adventures is "Ignore it wherever it suits you to. You find something you don't like? Do it differently." Heck, I'd add "Read it the night before. And then don't use it at the table. If you can't remember something, it's probably not worth much. Make something else up instead". I admit that advice is not for everyone, only a certain sort of DM.In the end, my attitude has changed about published adventures - I now think that a lot of poorly reviewed adventures are much better than a lot of people say. It's precisely BECAUSE my expectation is for them to be terrible. Their flaws are expected and therefore don't bother me. Because I don't like ANY adventure, I can enjoy ALL OF THEM. (Or nearly all). To me, 5e has a very good track record for Adventures, though I don't like their layout. I mean, the 4e ones were often much worse, but at least they were laid out to be run, unlike the 5e ones that are laid out to be read.</blockquote>

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